#i have a lot of thoughts about hubert

[iturbide]

ok for the "Hubert's dad was snatched by TWSITD" theory (i first found this on a Reddit post by u/CyberActors15)

so basically the question is. why does Hubert's dad help with the Insurrection? House Vestra has been loyal to House Hresvelg for generations, and Hubert was raised to be loyal to Edelgard. i would presume the same applies for his father. if the former Marquis Vestra was so loyal to House Hresvelg, why would he participate in the Insurrection? that just seems... odd. had Hubert's dad taught his son to NOT follow House Vestra's tradition, that would've been a lot less suspicious, at least to me, ironically enough, because that would have reinforced an idea that Vestra Sr. genuinely had a problem with House Hresvelg.

it's been shown that characters who learn dark magic are connected to the Shitters (as i not so affectionately call TWSITD). without this theory, Hubert's connection to them seems almost... tangential compared to the other characters (Edelgard, Hapi, and Lys were all experimented on; meanwhile, Hubert only has connection to Edelgard, who has a connection to TWSITD). yes, it's possible Hubert only started learning dark magic after working with them, but considering how proficient he seems to be, i'm tempted to say he might have a bit more of a history with it than we know of.

the only thing that kind of throws a wrench in this is Hubert and Hanneman's support chain

You know as I was reading this I was trying to remember which support Hubert had that talked about his dad's potential motivations for joining the Insurrection and you're right it was Hanneman that's what I was thinking of

It's definitely an interesting theory with some fascinating potential! But I don't think I buy into it, myself, for a few reasons. First and foremost: we've never seen the Twisted place multiple agents in the same arena. Cornelia was the lone agent working in Faerghus; Solon, using the guise of Tomas, was the lone agent working under Rhea's nose in Garreg Mach prior to the course of events in the game; and although they placed Kronya in the monastery a bit early, having her 'rescued' with Flayn, she becomes the sole agent working there a month later after Solon departs following events at Remire (and notably, this is in the immediate lead-up to Edelgard's attack at the end of the year -- one month of overlap between agents is frankly shocking when things are moving this fast). If they already managed to take Hubert's father, why wouldn't he be the one to introduce Duke Aegir to the rest of the Twisted organization and hook him on the Crest of Flames experiment? Why did a second agent, taking the guise of Volkhard von Arundel, need to come in to make that play? Given how sparing they are with their personnel resources, it doesn't track for me: von Vestra would have been in a key position of trust at the Emperor's side, given the link between his family and the Hresvelgs, so if he had been a Twisted agent they arguably wouldn't have needed to replace Arundel.

I think, instead, they recognized that Volkhard was the better candidate to switch -- someone who Edelgard trusted, and who could therefore extract her from the Kingdom once the Insurrection ended. von Vestra, despite his position, didn't have that kind of access -- and while his son might, his loyalty was to Edelgard alone even at that age: they couldn't trust that he would actually bring her back to the Empire for use in the experiment, rather than just staying in the Kingdom with her once they'd been reunited.

Which actually does bring me back around to that support with Hanneman. Because it's not just that Support that makes me think von Vestra was never bodyswapped: it's also Hubert's Support chain with Edelgard. He mentions that when her uncle spirited her off to Faerghus, he was absolutely bereft:

The sensation of loss that overcame me on that day defies all description. It was as horrific as if I'd lost all my limbs. I left the city in a mad rush to rescue you. My father sent soldiers to capture me. I fought them off for three days, but they did finally manage it. Of course, I was only ten. I never would've reached Fhirdiad.

By his own admission, his father sent men out after him when he ran off to try and catch up with Edelgard and her uncle -- and he spent three days, at the age of ten, fighting them off in his attempt to reach her. If his dad had already been replaced at that point, he didn't need to put in that much effort to get Hubert back: Hubert's proven loyalty to Edelgard made him a liability, since he would almost certainly oppose their designs, and they couldn't bring him to their side without straight-up brainwashing him (which clearly had not happened); and if his dad hadn't been replaced yet but was later...again, why would they let Hubert go unchecked, knowing so intimately that he was very likely going to become a problem? Hubert's presence at Edelgard's side implies to me that the Twisted didn't know how big an issue he would be: they underestimated him to their own detriment because they weren't aware of how deep his loyalty ran, which essentially precludes the notion that they had an agent in his House, since otherwise they'd recognize him for the problem he was.

(For me personally, Hubert's dark magic proficiency never seemed suspect: we know that he's Edelgard's right-hand man, and he's at this point intimately familiar with the Twisted. Unlike the other names on that list, Hubert is still the only one who hadn't been subjected to experimentation; on top of that, it's very doubtful that his dad would have been swapped out before the Insurrection had begun to foment, since a position in Adrestia wasn't advantageous to them until that point, meaning that he still had less time than Lysithea to develop the skill while being arguably more proficient with it than Edelgard, who chose a physical class over a magical one. Your list also omits Jeritza, who also learns a Dark Magic spell despite him not being experimented on directly. Personally I think that Hubert is just a proficient mage and threw himself into Dark Magic study once Edelgard made him aware of the Twisted: he's strategically-minded enough that he probably believed 'know thine enemy' applied to their magic as much as everything else.)

All this to say that I actually do think there's a valid reason for Marquis von Vestra joining the Insurrection after a thousand years of loyalty to the Imperial Lineage -- and that's him realizing what it's done to his son. Hubert admits to Edelgard that his very first memory of their time together was when she was injured, and his father scolded him for his negligence:

From the age of six, he'd been groomed to be Edelgard's protector, told to put his very life on the line for her sake, which is likely expected of the von Vestras...once they reach adulthood. Hubert's father was trying to impart a lesson early regarding what his role as Edelgard's servant was -- but then the Insurrection began, Arundel vanished with Edelgard, and his son rushed out of the city after her, heedless of his own life and fighting his father's men for three days because of the lesson his father imparted on him. However much Hubert loathes his father in the present, the feeling was not necessarily mutual -- and having come so close to losing his eldest child, only ten years old, to a bond of servitude...people change. Sometimes it takes an upheaval for people to question the way things have always been. But I tend to think that in that moment, seeing his son dragged back to Enbarr, probably still trying to fight despite barely sleeping or eating for three days in his desperation to reach Edelgard and fulfill his duty...he realized that the duty he'd given his son was a yoke upon his neck, crushing the person he might otherwise have been. And in that moment, he wondered if there might be a better existence for his son, for his other children -- not bound as servants to the Imperial lineage, erasing their lives and their children's lives so that the Emperor and his issue could fulfill their own...but able to become their own people, defined by their own interests.

Hubert: My earliest memory of you is of when you were injured. I recall being scolded most sternly by my father. "You are Lady Edelgard's servant!" he said. "You must protect her with your life!"

Edelgard: I had no idea. But House Vestra has served House Hresvelg for generations... Given that, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Hubert: Indeed. After that, I made certain to accompany you wherever you went.

I tend to think that von Vestra betrayed his emperor for the chance giving his children a better life: one where they no longer had to define themselves solely by the Hresvelg they served. But in Hubert's case, it was too late -- he'd taken to heart the lesson that Edelgard's life outweighs his own four years prior at the tender age of six, and as such his father's betrayal of the Emperor's family became tantamount to a betrayal of his own.

#answered #anonymous #fire emblem: three houses #i have a lot of thoughts about hubert #this isn't even getting into my pet headcanon #that he was injured trying to fight off his father's men #and once he was home kept worrying at the wound #not realizing it because he was trying to come up with a new plan #to get out and find edelgard #and in the end it scarred horribly #hence why he wears his hair like that #the scar is on his face and edelgard recoiled on sight of it #(in her defense she was twelve at most it shocked her) #so he grew his hair out on that side so she wouldn't have to see it

[stergeon]

> FERDINAND II.

And so your PLANT shall henceforth be known as FERDINAND II.

The thought of needing to inform FERDINAND I of his having a namesake makes you a bit ill, but you are already hard at work devising several plausible excuses for the gesture. Something about how you've named it after the one most invested in its naming, or how it is similarly prone to drooling. Yes. Yes, you will be able to deflect quite easily, should the need arise. It has nothing to do with your fondness for FERDINAND or your desire for a substitute in his imminent absence, no—again, you are not so prone to sentimentality. It's about the drool.

Well, anyway. Best to move on with your day and think about something else, lest you grow maudlin or cultivate further affection for the PLANT. May the GODDESS be merciful and never cause you to develop inclinations that could be described as paternal.

Now that your plant has received sufficient care, it is time for COFFEE. You set to making your morning brew. By CHANCE, there happens to be sufficient water remaining in the kettle for FERDINAND I to have TEA, should he wish it.

Per your TIMEPIECE, it is now a quarter to eight. You have made excellent progress on your PRE-BREAKFAST TO-DO LIST thus far: the only remaining task is to remove FERDINAND. You are starting to get rather peckish and would like to be rid of him quickly, but over the past week, you have found that extracting the man from YOUR QUARTERS is a more arduous task than it ought to be.

#007 | << | <- | -> | JOURNAL | HOW TO PLAY | ALL POSTS

#fire emblem #hubert von vestra #fe16 #ferdibert #hpnd #sterge.pptx #fe3h #sorry this was late lol #late according to the update schedule i don't have #as the poll was wrapping i thought 'wouldn't it be fucked up to make a game where you make coffee.' #never mind that 1. i've barely made any games #2. i had no idea how to make a multi-part game #3. i wanted to turn it around in ~24 hours #i actually Did finish the game in about a day but i still had to write a post and draw the bg + the panel #if the game doesn't work: sorry #it Should work on mobile (android and ios) but it is pretty finicky #it works Better on desktop but that's not saying much #if you run into any showstopping issues: please lmk so i can fix it #did Some bug testing (aka made my friends do it for me) but not a lot lol. again: short turnaround time #i know there's a bug with the message/alert windows if you click through things too fast but idk what i did and i don't really care lol #maybe i'll fix that eventually #i'd like to also make it smoother and add some more animations but i kinda doubt i'll get around to it #pretty pleased as i did the entire game with pure css and no images except the fireplace #idk if that's cool to anybody else but it makes me happy #god dog… that background is screwy. need to fix that. #i will fix it someday. [lie]

[varley-of-torment]

what would it take for Jeritza to defect to the Kingdom/Lions in the professor mercedes & student jeritza au? Also I know you're a Dimilix fan, but have you considered Dimitza? They're both freakishly strong blond lancers with a dark side caused by trauma, and I think their interactions would be extremely interesting.

To the first question: I think it would just be a matter of he and Mercedes finding out who the other is. Assuming Jeritza doesn't recognize her at first, once they figure it out, I'm sure he'd much rather be on the side of his sister.

Jeritza has no reason to stay with the empire once he's given a better option (he doesn't share their motives and is only with them as a result of a string of shenanigans). I headcanon that Hubert has some kind of leverage over him to keep him in check, but even that shows his relationship with them is one of control rather than loyalty.

And even if he's hesitant to switch sides because of how deep he's in it, we all know how protective Mercedes is of her little brother. If he told her "well, I have a... job... that makes it hard to have control over my life" Mercie would just go "then quit your job! I'll help you draft a resignation letter :)"

To the second question: That's a good point! They are really similar (like literally "Same hat!") and their interactions would be interesting, but I think they might be too similar for them to be together as a couple, but on the other hand- and if they were students at the same time- they could both use another awkward traumatized bi guy to understand what they're going through.

(also Jeritza as a parallel to Dimitri is interesting because it of how Edelgard exploits Jeritza's mental illness for her benefit, which I think colors how she would hypothetically think of Dimitri's mental illness. But idk)

#i have a lot of thoughts about Jeritza's employment by edel and hubert but I'll give it it's own post #thank you for all these questions they give me a lot of ideas and rabbit holes to go down #student jeritza au #also i think jeritza has major brain fog 90% of the time so imagine he does write a polite resignation letter and just leaves it on #hubert's desk. thats very funny to me #these questions also help me expand my prof mercedes au too so thank you x2

[yanderehsr]

Imagine being in a relationship with a yandere and not knowing that they're yandere but you think that they're unhappy in the relationship so you break up with them

Sure, you didn't specify a fandom or characters so I'll mix it up a bit if that's okay

Hope you'll enjoy😄

Trigger Warning: Yandere, Obsessive behaviour, Possessive behaviour, Kidnapping

Alhaitham: It isn't a surprise that you don't know he's a yandere, he is perfect in hiding his darker thoughts, it isn't a surprise either that you think he doesn't like you, even as a yandere he will be distant most of the time, he just doesn't know how to deal with his strong feelings.

The break up doesn't happen, Alhaitham's studies you so well that he can predict anything you do before you do it, he is like an akasha terminal with only information about you. He will admit that knowing that you think he hates you actually hurt him a bit, but it's all okay, all missunderstandings are cleared now, and you wont leave him again.

"Why would you think I'm unhappy, I'm never happier than when I am with you, remove such silly thoughts from your mind, dear"

Signora: It's not hard to imagine why you would think she is unhappy, she views herself as above you, that you should feel honored to be with her. No matter what she does or what she says, she never feels unhappy being with you.

Signora's reaction to you trying to break up is rage, how dare you leave her, it will take a while for her to calm down and hear you out. After hearing you think she is unhappy, she will start to be softer towards you, she doesn't want this to happen again. You will recieve more compliments even if she isn't the best at them.

"You aren't allowed to leave me, how could you ever think that I'm unhappy after all I've done for you"

Jingliu: She acts cold even to you, sure she may keep an arm around you at all time but it wouldn't be a surprise if you think she is forcing it for you, her face barely ever changes even to you and her blindfold always stay on, she gives a lot of mixed signals.

A break up with Jingliu would never end well, she wouldn't hesitate to remove a few limbs to make you stay, even if you explain it to her that she seems unhappy with the relationship she will still remove the limbs, she loves you so much, she can't risk you ever leaving her, you can't leave her if you don't have any legs now can you.

"Stop crying, you brought this upon yourself... did you really think I didn't like you, I guess I need to show you just how much you mean to me"

Hubert: He places his loyalty to Edelgard above even you, even as a yandere that wont change, Edelgard has been his whole life and sure he may love you but to put you above the empress is something he would find hard to do.

But it hurts Hubert however much he tries to hide it when you tell him he looks unhappy in the relationship, it hurts him even more when you tell him you wanna break up. He isn't unhappy, far from it, you are someone he wishes to spend the rest of his life with. You will feel a cloth over your mouth and nose as you start to black out, the last thing you see before waking up the next time is Hubert's eerie smile.

"Did you sleep well, my apologies if you feel any side effects, that wouldn't be my intention, now lay down again, I'll be back in a short while, have to make sure there isn't any way out"

#yandere #yandere honkai star rail #yandere hsr #yandere genshin impact #yandere genshin #yandere fire emblem: three houses #yandere fe3h #yandere male #yandere female #yandere alhaitham #yandere alhaitham x reader #yandere signora #yandere signora x reader #yandere jingliu #yandere jingliu x reader #yandere hubert #yandere hubert x reader

[lxclerc]

𝐢'𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 | 𝐜𝐥𝟏𝟔

SUMMARY: you find yourself reliving your worst nightmare as charles crashes in spa REQUEST: "okay so random idea: the reader is anthoine's sister and she's dating one of the drivers. there is a crash during a race and it looks bad and no one will tell her anything so she's panicking because it feels like 2019 all over again. the driver ends up being okay, he was just stuck in the car and the radio broke and all he could think about was getting back to the reader because he knew what she must feel like. fluffy ending 💓 (i was actually thinking of exile: "i think i've seen this film before, and i didn't like the ending")" PAIRING: hubert!sister reader x charles leclerc WARNING: angst, like lots of it. many mentions of death and losing a loved one, talks about grief, talks about anthoine hubert’s crash in detail, eventual fluff WORD COUNT: 3.2k

NOTE: i ended up making this sadder than i meant to. The crash is based on Grosjean's fireball crash. let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

masterlist

You never thought there’d come a time where you’d have to live in a world without Anthoine in it. Born a year before you, Anthoine walked you through life – from teaching you how to ride a bike to teaching you how to drive a car. He’s always been there. Always there to tease you, always there to protect you, always there to threaten Charles about breaking your heart, always there to wipe your tears. 

You don’t truly realize how big of an impact someone has on your life till it’s gone. Before Anthoine’s death, you were already out of the house. Busy with university, you barely had time to talk to your family apart from weekends. 

The week after he died, you tried to convince yourself that it’d be easy to adjust to a life without him in it but you never expected all the little things that suddenly disappeared. From receiving random scientific articles in the middle of the night to sudden facetime calls as a plea to help him with his homework, you never thought the simplest thing you used to take for granted – and even be irritated at – would hurt so much. 

It was like losing a limb – you never truly get over it. It was like losing your hands and learning how to write all over again. You know you could do it before – you could write just as easily as you could breath that you never even bothered to wonder exactly how difficult it would be to not be able to do so. You know there used to be something there, something that isn’t there anymore. You know you used to have a brother and you never even bothered to think about what it would be like without one. 

It was almost like the warnings not to go to the deeper parts of the pool in case you drowned. You always ignore the warning. Why should you be afraid of going to the deep parts when you know how to swim? Why should you be afraid of losing your brother when he knew how to drive? It was never meant to be like this.

After Anthoine’s death, you selfishly begged Charles to quit racing. On your knees in front of him with tears falling down your face like a waterfall and your body violently shaking from grief, you pleaded for him to stop. You all knew it was dangerous before, but this was never supposed to happen. 

You’ve known Charles nearly all your life, following him, Pierre, Esteban and your brother around during your childhood as they raced and won and lost. Even as children with toothy smiles and sweaty hands, you and Charles have always had something. You went from innocent children chasing each other around and jumping on each others’ backs to awkward teenagers promising each other the world and more to adults holding each other through heartbreaks and grief. 

But he only sank to the ground beside you, arms tightly wrapping around your figure as he apologized again and again, his own tears falling as he carried the grief from losing a friend and the heartbreak of seeing the love of his life breaking before his eyes. He apologized because he won’t do it. He knows the risk, perhaps a little more than anyone. He knows what he might lose but he will not give up the one thing he dedicated his life for. 

So instead, he just apologized, trying to hold you together as you break apart. He won’t give up racing, not even for you. 

Adjusting to life without Anthoine in it meant many things. It meant bittersweet birthdays knowing you’re getting older and he never will. It meant a sudden burst of grief in the middle of the day as something mundane reminds you of him. It meant separating yourself from the things you once loved. Where you once lived for racing, for the thrill of it all, you now hold contempt for it. You hold contempt for the sport that took your brother, that has the chance of taking your lover. 

You very rarely attend GPs, usually only going when you know Charles truly needs your support above all else. You don’t keep up with it anymore either, at least not as much as you used to. Anything you know about it comes from Charles. You no longer watch races, your TV shut every weekend, hating the nagging anxiety in your chest every time you do so, always waiting for Charles’ car to skid over to the barriers despite your efforts of telling yourself that it won’t.

Instead, now you choose to wait for his text, going about your day as you do your best to act as though everything is perfectly normal. The first thing Charles always does as soon as he jumps out of the car is text you, letting you know he's okay and the race is over.

You especially avoid Spa, learning very early on that it holds nothing but bad memories. 

But Charles has been struggling all season, his own team seemingly sabotaging him. You know how stressed he’s been despite his best efforts to unwind and focus all his time on you and spend some quality time together during the holiday break and so despite yourself, you insist on coming and supporting him in Spa, knowing how much he needs you. 

“You don’t have to go,” he murmured against your skin the day before your flight to Belgium, arms tightly wrapped around you. “You don’t have to put yourself through that. Not for me.”

Early morning sunlight trickles in through the drawn windows, dancing against Charles’ bare skin and you can’t help but trace it with your finger, finding satisfaction in the way he shivered under your touch. The two of you decided to get up early for the last day of his holiday break, determined to make the most of the day. Charles had even cancelled his training sessions with a promise that he's all yours for the day.

Loving Charles has always been easy. It’s almost a part of you, almost like breathing. People often say that love fades over time but you’ve loved him since you were a child and the two of you still act like you did the first time you got together, only more in love than ever as you held each other through grief and hardship. 

You still smile when you think about him, still fall in love with the sound of his laugh. You still feel giddy over little touches and your heart still flutters every time your eyes meet. You still crave him just as hard as you did before.

Falling in love with him was the easiest thing you've ever done and you both choose to remain hopelessly in love with each other through the years. When you're gray and old, you know it's him by your side.

“I want to be there for you,” you assure him, planting a kiss at the top of his head. You take all of him that you can.

Charles tries to focus on the topic at hand rather than the feeling of the pads of your fingers against his bare skin. “I know, but you don’t have to be. I know how hard it is for you especially Spa–” 

You cup his cheeks, softly pressing your lips against his to cut him off. “Je vais m'en sortir. Arrête de t'inquiéter autant, mon amour.” I’ll be okay. Stop worrying so much, my love.

“I know you’ll be okay,” he says between the kiss, his lips ghosting over yours. “But it’s my job to worry.”

“You don’t have to,” you say. “You know I won’t do it unless I’m absolutely positive and I want to be there to support you, Charles.” 

He meets your eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation in them and when he finds none, he lets out a low groan as he starts attacking your lips, sucking and kissing, soft and rough, overfilled with love and adoration for you. He will never be loved like this by anyone else, loved so gently and so fiercely, so softly and so roughly. It's always been you, it's still you and it will always be you for the rest of his life.

“I’m going to marry you someday, Y/N Hubert.” 

“You better.” You grin as you feel him trying to pull you closer. You don’t think you could ever get enough of this. 

—

Walking into the paddock, the media is immediately at your face, asking questions after questions about Anthoine. You hate that they still use him as headlines. You hate that you have to deal with them. But Charles holds your hand tightly, pulling you to his side and shielding you from the cameras the best he can without looking like he’s making a big deal out of it. He doesn’t stop for pictures and autographs as he usually does and instead focussed on getting you away from the spotlight. 

As soon as you step into the circuit, you can already feel your heart beating against your rib cage, your brain reminding you of the last time you were here. Reminding you of Anthoine and his easy smile, trying to convince you to wear his Renault merch in support of him rather than the Ferrari shirt you were wearing in support of Charles. 

“If I win, you have to change your shirt and support me for the rest of the season,” he told you with a grin and you only playfully rolled your eyes as you tapped on his helmet the way you know he hates.

But he didn’t win. He didn’t even reach the finish line. His season ended there. Instead, the stands were filled with gasps as his car flew over the gravel before Correa crashed into him. 

“Mon amour,” Charles muttered softly, giving your hand a light squeeze as he pulled you out of your thoughts. 

Concern is evident in his eyes as he takes you in and you do your best to give him the most reassuring smile you can manage. “Go focus on your race and stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine and I’ll be cheering the loudest later.”

Charles makes a face as though he doesn’t believe you and you know he must see the grief in your eyes and so you offer him a kiss before letting go of his hand and heading over to where his family sat. 

“There’s my favorite Leclerc,” you joke as you approach Lorenzo, the oldest of the brothers offering you a hug. 

“You mean me right?” Arthur, whom you hadn’t noticed was there, butt in, practically throwing himself at you as he hugs you. “Because I’m obviously the best out of us three.”

“Oh you wish, mate,” Charles grins from behind you, his arms snaking to wrap around your waist. He always has to be touching you. No matter what, he needs to be holding you all the time. He feels calmest with your body pressed against his. “I’m obviously her favorite. She’s dating me.”

“Don’t get cocky,” you scold half heartedly, leaning against his chest. “I was clearly talking about Pascale.” 

The woman turns to you upon hearing her name, immediately pulling you out of her son’s arms and into her own, making Charles frown and everyone else laugh at the childish display.

“Y/N, darling, I didn’t expect you here,” Pascale greets kindly, practically situating you next to her. 

“Someone needs to kick Binotto’s ass if he messes up again,” you grin. 

“Baisse la voix. Je ne veux pas être viré !” Enzo jokingly says, making all of you laugh again. Keep your voice down.  I don’t want to be fired!

“Ils n'oseraient jamais vous virer, Enzo,” you say with a laugh. They’ll never dare fire you, Enzo.

Charles takes a moment to admire the sight of you so easily getting along with his family as though you’ve always been a part of it. At this point, he’s convinced his mother likes you more than him. 

“I’ll see you later, chérie” he tells you softly, planting a kiss on your temple as he detaches himself from you, going to his garage to prepare for the race. 

You try to keep your worries at bay as you watch him walk away, but everyone seems to notice as they protectively scoot a little closer to you.

“He’ll be alright,” Pascale reassures you with a smile. “He’s a tough one and the sport is much safer than it used to be.”

You’re not sure if she’s trying to convince you or herself. 

—

The race was intense with Chrles leading and Max attempting to fight him from p2 and the rain had begun pouring. You’re at the edge of your seat through it, listening to his radio as you focus on calming your nerves, repeating again and again that racing is much safer now than it used to be.

“Box, Charles, box,” his head engineer says. “We need to switch from dry tyres to wet tyres.”

“No,” your boyfriend insisted, his breath jagged. “We’ll lose our place.” 

“The rain is only getting harder, you need to change tyres.”

But you know he won’t do it. With Max leading with 80 points in the drivers championship, every win counts. Charles is desperate to close the gap in order to have a shot at the championship. 

“No! It can take three more laps–”

You felt your heart drop as gasps filled the circuit and Charles’ car came skidding through the gravel, losing a front tire in the process before colliding with the barrier, his front wing completely and two other tires detaching from the car. Everyone who knows the basics about formula 1 knows that a collision more often than not, causes another one as the debris from Charles’ car causes Max to lose control of his, spinning till it collides with what was left of the ferrari car. 

The silence is deafening and you feel yourself freeze as you watch it happen. Dimly you’re aware of the announcer saying something about what a nasty incident it was. Dimly, you felt Arthur move behind where you and Pascale sat, wrapping an arm around the two of you.

But mostly, you can hear the sound of your heartbeat as though it’s beating against your ear. You can hear the Ferrari engineer calling Charles’ name again and again and you watch as his car catches fire, releasing a fog of black smoke as the marshals try to extinguish it. 

“Anthoine,” the Renault engineer calls again calmly though there’s a certain fear in his voice now. “Please confirm that you are okay.” 

Silence follows as you and everyone else in the garage waits for an answer. You can already feel tears sliding down your cheeks as you gripped your headset, hoping and praying for a sound. 

“Anthoine,” the engineer calls again. “Confirm your position.”

But no answer comes.

“Charles,” the Ferrari engineer calls again. “Charles, are you okay?”

You and Pascale grip each other’s hands as you wait for an answer. 

“Charles, can you please confirm if you are okay.” 

“If I win, you have to change your shirt and support me for the rest of the season.”

“I’m going to marry you someday, Y/N Hubert.”

You've seen this before, have been in this situation before. You've talked of the future so callously before only to learn that you've lost it and you can't do it again. Not Charles. Never Charles.

You grab the headset out of the engineer’s hands, becoming more and more desperate. “Charles!” You’re screaming now, you realize, your voice hoarse. And you hadn’t even known you’re crying till you felt the wet teardrops fall to your shoulder. “You better answer, Leclerc!” 

But still, nothing but silence follows as the rest of you watch Max climb out of his own car and try to help extinguish the fire, the red Ferrari car still bathed in flames and smoke as he obviously wants to help pull Charles out of the burning car.

“Charles, please,” you cry out. 

“Tonio, please,” you begged. “Don’t do this to us.”

But no answer comes and you feel an arm wrap around you as you cry to the headset. 

Inside the car, Charles fights to get his seatbelt off as the heat engulfs him, trying to push himself up as he struggles to free himself. The race had been stopped as everyone watched. The silence is loud as they all wonder if they’re watching another tragedy unfold. 

But all Charles can think about is you and how you must be feeling right now. “Y/N!” He tries to scream into his radio despite knowing it won’t do anything. 

Eventually, he manages to remove his seatbelt and he once again forces himself to push his body up despite the heat and the pain the action caused. It doesn’t matter if he’s got broken bones or third degree burns, he needs to get to you. He needs to wrap his arms around you and assure you that he’s okay, that you won’t have to mourn him too. 

Maybe it’s the adrenaline or maybe it’s his pure determination to get to you but eventually, he reaches into his halo and pulls himself up, feeling a tiny bit of relief as the air hits him. Max and another marshal reach forward, helping pull him out as he jumps over the burning Ferrari.

He needs to get to you. He needs you to know that he’s okay. 

“Y/N!” He screams at the top of his lungs as Max pulls him farther away from the car and into the track where the ambulance moves toward him. 

From your place in the garage, a sob of relief escapes you as you watch him emerge from the fire and smoke. You sink to Enzo’s chest as you cry, feeling as though you could pass out. 

“Thankfully, Charles Leclerc seems to be conscious, seemingly calling out to his partner Y/N Hubert” the announcers say, relief clear in their voice as everyone cheers. “He will now be taken by the ambulance to treat his injuries.” 

—

You, Pascale, Enzo, Arthur and a bunch of the Ferrari team rush to the hospital where you were informed of his injuries. They say it’s a miracle he didn’t acquire worse injuries than a sprained ankle and first degree burns. They assure you that he will be okay and that you’re more than free to see him and before you know it, you’re running through the hospital hallway, pushing everyone out of your way as you reach for him. 

Pushing his door open, Charles couldn’t help but finally breathe a sigh of relief when he saw you, immediately jumping to his feet to wrap you in his arms. Your eyes are red and your cheeks tearstained, helplessness clear in your eyes as you suddenly look smaller than you actually are. The sight breaks Charles’ heart.

“I was calling for you,” he says, hugging you tighter than he ever has before. “The radio was broken but I was calling for you.” 

You’re crying again as you grip his shirt, breaking down in his arms. Charles holds you closer, his own tears falling. For a moment in that car, he thought he might die and all he could think about was you. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles against your hair, trying to fill himself with you – your scent, your touch, the feel of his skin. The thought that he could have lost this feels worse than death. “I’m so sorry.”

“I can’t l-lose you,” you tell him as the two of you hold each other as tight as humanly possible. “I can’t lose you, Charles. I can’t.”

“I know,” he says. “I know, baby. And you never will.” 

taglist: @ricsaigaslec @dragon-of-winterfell @coffeehurricanes @rdtbattinson @lostinketterdam

#charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #formula 1 #charles leclerc fluff #f1 #charles leclerc one shot #charles leclerc x you #f1 one shot #charles leclerc angst #charles leclerc fanfic #charles leclerc imagine #formula 1 one shot #formula 1 fanfic #f1 fanfic

[azelfandquilava]

Unhinged Azure Gleam RW ideas

Alright, FE3H musing time again.

I've been floating a bunch of ideas for a hypothetical rewrite of Azure Gleam. Trying to summarise it in neat paragraph is proving harder for me than I thought it would so I'll just bullet-point drop all the ideas I had in rough chronological order:

Keeping a big focus on Dimitri's viewpoint of "Reform Over Revolution". In the official game, this is brought up a few times early on but basically dropped just as soon as the Western Lords arc wraps and the mindcontrol nonsense begins.

Cleobulus is the end villain, usurping Thales as leader of the Agarthans. Her tactics end up being much more chaotic and violent but with a greater cost to TWSITD's numbers. Odesse would act as her version of Myson, Kronya would also be given a bit more prominence (cuz who doesn't wanna see Agarthan Girlies having a bit of fun?)

In keeping with this, I really want to explore the idea of Dimitri and Edelgard forming a truce to take down TWSITD. It'll take some contriveances admittedly, but hear me out.

I'd keep Part 1's layout and premise roughly the same but with a lot of specifics changed. I’m juggling whether to keep Rufus alive for longer, or to just make Kleinman more prominent later on in his place.

The Western Lords are given more explanation of their motives for betraying Lambert, the specifics of his supposed reforms are explored more instead of just aluded to. Even if its a retread of the case with Ionius and the Insurrection of the Seven, that'd be better than the complete nothingness we get of it in the final game par Viscount Elidure's one line about the subject.

Rather than dying in Elidure’s territory like she does in the official route, Cleobulus retreats to Arianrhod where a three-way battle between in the invading Empire led by Edelgard, the remnants of the Western Lords (represented primarily by Count Rowe here, still being kept on a leash by Cleobulus) and Dimitri’s pursuing forces ensues.

The Western Coalition would be snuffed out here, with them no longer of use to her Cleobulus finally ditches her Cornelia skinsuit.

During the fighting Edelgard is badly wounded, prompting Thales to try his "mind-control" ploy from the official game (or maybe he's just going for the kill here, whatever works best). He is stopped by Hubert, who is mortally wounded in a vicious exchange covering Edelgard and the Empire's retreat. This would effectively be a mirror of Ingrid's death in Scarlet Blaze, but with a much bigger impact on the Empire's military capabilities.

Thales himself is badly injured and warps away, leaving him exhausted. Cleobulus uses this as an oppurtunity to finish the old man off and claim leadership of the Agarthans.

From here the Empire is left to lick its wounds, as a much more violent version of Ludwig's attempted coup from Scarlet Blaze occurs. Likewise the Kingdom is suddenly hit with more Slithery nonsense as Dimitri tries to recover following the Western Coalition's sabotage.

That's roughly where I got to, but I do have a few more ideas that I'm not sure where to fit/or if they'd work but here we go:

Rhea is pretty much a non-presence in Azure Gleam as is, apart from popping up for expo at a few points she doesn't really do much for the majority of it. I'm floating the idea of her being kidnapped by Cleobulus during Part 2 with the intent of bodysnatching her/using her blood for Slithery reasons. There's a risk with this tho in that I'd basically be changing the Route Damsel from Edelgard to Rhea. That said I do think Rhea needs to be moved out of the way for the potential truce to even remotely work.

Claude's the odd factor here as I'm not sure how exactly I wanna have him play out here. Both of Dimitri's routes handle the Alliance quite lazily imo as both times they end up siding with him, granted AG doesn't just have Claude give the entire faction to him but still.

Thats all I can muster typing up atm. I'll leave ya with a cool drawing of Cleobulus holding Thales' cut sword just to convey the idea of an Agarthan Girlboss end-villain (credit to @card-queen for the art). Please feel free to poke holes in my ideas or offer any suggestions of your own for this silliness.

#fire emblem three houses #fire emblem #azure gleam #blue lions #fire emblem warriors three hopes #rewrite #au idea #fe3h au #fe3h fanfic #unhinged #cleobulus fire emblem #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #edelgard von hresvelg

[raxistaicho]

I love all the lords equally, but when it comes to their plans, I have to side with Edelgard no matter how much I love the others.

Dimitri's plans for reforms are slow, tedious, and to be quite honest, could never actually be completed in his, or even his great grandkid's lifetimes. They essentially boil down to lip service. The longer his reforms take, the more people suffer. His conversations with others don't really hint towards what his plans actually are to improve things until Three Hopes with his Yuri support. One support between two games.

Claude, while still better, is honestly really half-assed. I played Verdant Wind three times on repeat to get every nugget of information I could, and we never get a hint about what he planned to replace the actual system with. He just says his plan is to open communication between Fodlan and Almyra, remove Rhea from power, and unite people. But we never really see what he had planned or how got it to happen. Any time his plans are brought up, he just states his end goals on repeat. We get a better idea of how his plans managed to happen in Three Hopes, but it was still very bland and left me confused about his next steps. (And replacing one theocratic influenced system with a theocratic monarchy with Byleth in charge in VW really leaves a bad taste in my mouth).

With Edelgard, we actually get more conversation about the how as well as the what. Caspar and Lindhardt talk about how Edelgard managed to bring their fathers to her cause. We know Hubert is acting in the shadows. Manuela, Hanneman, Constance, Ferdinand, and others bring up how factors of the old system shaped their current goals and open up dialogue for how to improve things or replace something with something else that will level the playing field. She's always stated to have left a well chosen successor to take over once she chooses to retire. Again, actively CHOOSES to step down. The others are implied to rule until they either die or pass the mantle to their children, but Edelgard chooses who she feels is best for the job, and then steps away.

None of the lords are perfect, but in terms of how they want to improve things, Edelgard is the most thought out. It's not an ideal system (as meritocracies have a LOT of issues), but it's a better option than a slow paced "compromise" reform and a total rehaul to a theocratic monarchy.

When it comes to Claude, his issue is less about replacing any systems in Fodlan, and more about opening Fodlan to other cultures. Granted, that would necessarily bring about change in Fodlan, but that's more as a side-effect of everything else he was doing.

And for Dimitri, we get no details because his reforms aren't what AM is focused on. AM just cares about what kind of person Dimitri is, starting off as well-meaning but painfully naive, and then going through his rise and fall.

Anyways on the whole, I agree with pretty much everything you said!

#edelgard von hresvelg #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #claude von reigen #fire emblem three houses

[slotumn]

Apparently I'm having a lot of 3H worldbuilding thoughts this weekend. This post is on: on what Adrestia (+Agartha) was after, exactly, by invading Faerghus first in most routes

So the ideological/political explanation is that Faerghus is close to the Church and will defend them so you automatically have to go after them if you go after Church etc etc very cool, but what do they get, materially, by going into the frozen north first thing? That they don't have as much of in Adrestia (or Leicester)?

Metal and mines, apparently:

On top of this, regions adjacent to Faerghus— Duscur and Sreng— are also known for metalwork and weaponry.

Of course you can say it's because the Slithers have deeper infiltration up north (with their involvement with Duscur and Western Church plus Cornelia) so that obviously makes it easier, but I think it's the other way around. Meaning, I think the Slithers put more effort into infiltrating Faerghus because of the metal resources.

Following from that, I think the decision to invade Faerghus first in non-CF routes was a compromise between Edelgard/Adrestians and the Slithers, where Edelgard gets the ideological/political points but Slithers get the material benefits. Ideological stuff listed above aside, if you want to do wide social/civil reforms and make Fódlan less myopic, wouldn't it be more practical to take over the country with fertile farmlands and ports and industry and finance and trade first?

Well, that's what the Empire does in CF, where the Adrestian side presumably has more leverage on operations thanks to having Byleth and the Creator Sword on their side. Situation's a bit different in Hopes but I think it's interesting that in SB, the official invasion as led by Adrestia (instead of Lonato jumping the gun) does end up waiting until after securing the pact with Leicester.

Back to Houses though, it's not hard to see why Slithers want metal and mines. They want to make weapons, and not just regular weapons, they're out here making big fucking mechs. Probably fantasy computers (which also require metals, including precious metals) to operate them, too.

And on the one hand, seeing the Agarthans drag all the actual spoils off to their underground lair so they can make whatever fucked up weapon that they'll use for their own goals probably pissed the Adrestians off. But on the other hand, what can they do when the Agarthans are also providing the military technology (ex: Aymr) that the Adrestians use for their own goals?

Given all this, I think in non-CF routes, by the time Byleth wakes up again, the Empire is actually in a far worse state than we think. The Adrestian troops who are actually doing the fighting are stuck up north where they haven't made much progress in years, and any material gains they have there just go straight into Slither pockets. Back in Enbarr, the Adrestians and Agarthans hate each other even more than they already did at the beginning of the war and are probably doing everything they can to sabotage and spy on one another, while fighting a war on the same side.

At that point, the greatest common motivation the Adrestians and Agarthans would have in finishing up conquering the continent is probably the prospect of finally getting to go at it with one another.

And the letter Hubert leaves in SS/VW telling Byleth about the Slithers: the suddenness of that plot point aside, let's just appreciate how petty (complimentary) that is, politically. "I know you killed us and all, but we really hate the guys we were doing this group project (war) with. Can you kill them too. Thanks."

Tl;dr the Adrestian-Agarthan war councils in non-CF routes probably gave multiple people high blood pressure

#fe3h #fire emblem three houses #adrestia #faerghus #agarthans #those who slither in the dark #twsitd #meta #slotalks #fe3h meta

[randomnameless]

So considering how feudal nations work and if one is willing to focus on the lesser nobles, actual people (so not just showing Edelgard loyalists but those who dislike her too) and if Ludwig manage to escape capture, it would be reasonable to have a civil war happen?

I think it can since Hubert wouldn't just be able to get the network system of his father after murdering him, and the nobles of Adrestia are the worst in terms of opposition to social mobility and primitive form of gender equality, so the lack of civil war is stupid.

I base my thoughts on how France (I'm French too) had the Vendée rebellion and subsequent massacre and how devotion to the Church fueled support to the Spanish nationalists.

Adrestia is somehow the least interesting nation because of how it lack any of the noticeable internal strife shown, and Hubert being so effective at killing dissidents despite being only 20 (before the war) and having been at odd with many of the Seven who would actually have networks on their own is really Mary-sue ish.

I was a Edelstan at first (though I don't think too extreme) , but the more I see things, the more CF, SB and Edie annoy me (though the toxic fans are key in me stopping from preferring Edie).

Ooh!

Cher compatriote,

Thing is, Fodlan has been shown to be... not so feudal at all, especially the Empire.

I mean, Ludwig is jailed by word of the newest Emperor, when Ludwig is the PM and Edel was only the Imperial Princess at that time.

If we assume PM is just a big title (like the Fraldarius being Dukes) and in a feudal setting, Ludwig would have had a lot of lesser Houses and feudal Lords under his authority - the Emperor jails him? I can't see his bannermen - especially since this imprisonment isn't in reaction to anything he did (recently?) - just stand still and continue with their lives - how come no one reacts "wrongly" when he is jailed, in his territory, or the people affiliated to his name (maybe cousins, cadet branches, or what not)?

FWIW, Ludwig managed to escape and sort of mount a small army of men in SB... But that's nowhere what I would expect from the former PM - when we are told he was the one running things at the end of Ionius' rule - to have/raise, the number 1 of the country drops to a nobody by the heir of the puppet ruler, and apparently, the only ones number 1 can have to help him is 15 guys ?

I mean, Ferdie can have his Aegir personal battalion when he ends his paralogue (i know, it's a gameplay mechanic!) - can't we imagine the Aegir Astral Knights would have been something else than 10 dudes following Ferdie in gameplay, and be instead an entire battalion Ludwig could have used to defend himself, or at least run away with? Or imagine those knights tried to locate and liberate him from his prison in Enbarr?

Adrestia is so not developed that, as you say, it ends up being the most boring place of the three (even if I'll argue on this point : both Adrestia and Leicester are completely empty and without interest, but at least, Adrestia had some history landmarks to imagine things, when the Alliance has... Gloucester and his sheep, I guess?) - but at the same time, it could have been much more : Adrestian Emperors claim to descend from Jesus... but there's an Archbishop around (who is actually Jesus and not their ancestor (or is she?), but that's a secret!) so, to everyone who is supposed to buy the official story... Why should the CoS be administred/ruled by a random archbishop, when Jesus' direct line is still alive and kicking? Why should the Emperors share Fodlan - that was liberated by Seiros herself from corrupted people in the North ! - with the descendants of those corrupted people in the North?

The game instead gives us MAGA "Make Adrestia Great Again" with a resentment for the CoS that isn't explained (in Nopes, it's suggested the Emperor who disbanded the Southern church already was pissed with the Central Church!) and we can only guess it's either about Faerghus existing or something else...

I confess my only interest in Adrestia stems from the country being seemingly, during the WoH and post WoH the country were people are happy and peaceful etc "country of a blue lord", and then, 10 years after the end of the War of Heroes, instead of having some "and Renais was rebuilt and Ephraim became the new King of Restauration and helped everyone" we have "and then Lycaon dies mysteriously and the political situation is so "stable" that his successor duels for her throne", complete with a novel having in the background "and Adrestia still didn't leave the Roman Ludi and had northerners being torn apart by beasts as a form of entertainment"* which is, uh, very very very far removed from Marth'n'Tiki finishing their adventures and returning home.

As you pointed out, Adrestia, for what is developed in-game or mentioned about the place, is incredibly bleak and involves child prostitution, heavy class divide and an extreme misoginy in the current times... when it was created/overlooked, at least in the beginning, by Rhea herself ! When Rhea's current home is a rather peaceful place, Adrestia by comparison is a chamber pot, so what the frick happened there? 1000 years are 1000 years, but damn.

We don't have any intel about it - only mentions here'n'there that Hubert and Supreme Leader (but mostly Hubert because he can be criticised in game having a very... biased view of events and refusing to reconsider, but in the end, Adrestia... cannot be developed or have a civil war, because Adrestia isn't the focus of the story - from what we have, we already know it's a bleak place before and after Edel's coronation so... Her goal is to bring reforms to the world, but it's fitting enough that she doesn't deal with her own turf before bringing "reforms" to the rest of Fodlan.

There's also the very doylist reason of Edel having to be marketable, so in Houses, we cannot have people rebel on-screen for what happens in the Empire, else the Emperor... will not sell. Hell, Nopes had to have her brainwashed to have people react to Agarthans killing her randoms right and left, while the Nobles aren't doing a thing - always hammering the fact that "she's brainwashed so it's not her doing this or condoning this by not moving her army to protect her people it's Thales's fault".

Hubert being hyper-competent is an assumed trait at this point lol, unless he really really works with the Agarthans who lend him their tech and spy reports and whatnot. FE isn't a "realistic" as, say, ASOIAF, but without Hubert, Adrestia doesn't function and Edel's plans don't work so Hubert is both a McGuffin plot device (apparently he can pinpoint shambala because Thales fire nukes? Without access to any satellite?) and the character we all love.

Given how Supreme Leader planned her coup coronation and subsequent attack on GM - especially since Leopold already was in her pocket during the mock battle - I'm pretty sure Hubert, or Leopold's army or hell, some of her "allies" already envisaged this, and had either Aegir's "close allies" Hubert'd or monitored.

Or worse, imagine a scenario where Aegir runs to his friend Varley to explain him what happened, how the Emperor sent an army against him to usurp the throne and how they must warn everyone and Leopold to raise the army against her... Only to have Varley reveal he is now the Bishop of the Southern Church, and Leopold sided with her since the beginning...

I know it's not comparable, but Seteth (or some nuns?) mentions how he hasn't heard a thing about the faithful in the Empire... so either they were killed because they were practicionners of the Seiros faith, or because they rebelled/protested against the war and were, uh, disposed of (tfw the games never care about telling us who were the humans used to create the various imperial demonic beasts we see).

FWIW, I have a plotbunny idea where someone pretending to be Hresvelg bastard - with a crest of Seiros - wants to ask for Nopes!Rhea's help to support his claim to the throne, since Supreme Leader declared her war against the Church, he can put an end to it if he becomes Emperor, right? The CoS is torn between accepting "it would create at least some instability in the Empire, so the Kingdom could breathe a bit and maybe use this opportunity to finally fend them off if the Emperor calls back her troops in Enbarr" and "the CoS doesn't meddle in the affairs of humans like succession issues and only does so if it's to prevent a war but here you want us to create a civil war??"

*it's a novel so historical accuracy isn't that high, and yet, even if it's a porn book, why adding this detail in the background - just like people listening to music - I doubt it was written by a Faerghian writter so what, was this detail "northmen were slaughtered by beasts in the background and it was very funny lol" added just as a background thing, like fish being served as a meal ("historical" detail that might have been true!) or...?

#maelor321 #idk if it makes sense lol #adrestia stuff #i was just very interested in Adrestia starting as something Rhea (and willy!) made #which knowing Rhea was supposed to be at least a sort of nice place to live in or where people could at least live in peace #and then it became the stinkhole where Doro has to sleep around at age 12 to become a diva #and where Hanneman watches his sister being impregnated to death but doesn't do a thing to rescue her #or the place where the Emperor can destroy a House if he feels like it #en vrai je pense que la mentalité 'stan' a un peu pourri le fandom si bien que parfois tt le monde est automatiquement sur la défensive #dsl si j'ai donné cette impression #on peut aimer les persos qu'on veut sans chercher à imposer et pourrir le débat pour faire valoir son opinion #il y a dire qu'on est pas d'accord en restant poli et si on est toujours pas d'accord ben on se quitte en gens avec du savoir vivre #genre 'au revoir' de vge #et le 'pas d'accord' de principe qui finit par des insultes gratuites ou en mode 'tu sais pas lire boloss' sérieux on est plus au collège l #je crois qu'avec le fandom on m'a traitée de sexiste de transphobe et de cannibale lol parce que je suis pas fan d'edel? mdr

[tokuvivor]

💬

From The Power of Three…

Huey was so occupied with his own thoughts that he didn’t hear the sound of footsteps approaching. Then a voice came over his shoulder.

“Is this seat taken?”

Huey pivoted to look behind him, and realized that the voice belonged to Violet.

“Oh! Uh, no, you can sit here, I guess.” Huey replied nervously.

“Excellent.” Violet stepped forward and took a seat to the right of Huey. Admittedly, Violet was nervous as well. After all, she had gotten a little too intense with her smack talk, too wrapped up in her own words, so the fact that Huey had allowed her to sit with him was a good starting point.

Initially, the two reluctant rivals sat in silence, taking everything in. Then Violet broke the silence.

“So,” she began, electing to break the ice at first. “That was quite the challenge, was it not?”

“Oh, absolutely, it was,” Huey replied. “And, uh, congratulations again, Violet. The best Woodchuck definitely won today.”

Violet smiled serenely. “Thank you, Hubert,” she replied. “I appreciate it. Though you performed rather admirably today yourself.”

Huey blushed a little. “Thanks,” he began. “But…I don’t feel like I did. I mean, I’m the one that left you behind. All for my own gain.”

“Duly noted, but I do not wish to hold that against you.”

“I’m sorry,” Huey continued. “It’s just…”

“Just what?” Violet wondered.

“It’s complicated.” Huey explained. “Like, I thought I had this whole thing figured out. And then you came in this morning, and you’re, like, so much better than me at this, so I completely panicked, because I didn’t anticipate going up against you. I-I let you get in my head, really. And yes, your jibing had a little to do with it. But for the most part, it was just…I was so worried about losing, I didn’t get myself in the right frame of mind to do all I could to actually win. I got sloppy.”

Violet nodded, taking Huey’s words in, simply just letting him explain himself.

“I pushed myself, yes, but I pushed myself too far. I did things that, in my right mind, I absolutely wouldn’t have done. I went over the edge, and it really took you to pull me back. There’s just a lot that I regret doing back there, and I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have relied on just myself to finish it. I shouldn’t have left you behind.” Huey practically choked out those last words, and buried his face in his hands, guilt wracking his every nerve.

He wasn’t even paying attention to what he’d been saying anymore. It all just came out of him like a waterfall.

Suddenly, he felt Violet’s hand on his shoulder. Gradually, he rose to meet her gaze.

“Hubert,” she said gently. “It’s alright. I am not mad at you for it. I understand-sometimes our judgment can be clouded and mess with our minds.”

‘You have no idea,’ Huey thought, remembering his guidebook hallucination.

As much as I enjoyed their conversation towards the end of Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!, I did want a little bit more out of it, which led to me writing this. At this point, with the challenge over, and not being on top of a deadly volcano, their minds are out of competition mode, and things are a bit more laid-back between them.

Even though Violet had her own regrets during the challenge, in this moment, she feels that it’s more important to offer Huey reassurance, and listen to his thoughts and regrets. Because his ego definitely took a hit with losing the challenge.

#geez what is it with me writing huey having heart to hearts with others #post your own quote #the power of three #huey duck #violet sabrewing

[potatoesandsunshine]

ok i must know. top five fe3h ships for the ship chart thingy

ok i couldn't help it i did the top 5 by ao3 stats and then i did some of my other favs i could think of :) this game has so many characters and the support system lends itself to a lot of ships imo

as we can see, i think these basically all make sense. i get why they're all so popular. my fave is ferdibert because there's something very indulgent in a pride and prejudice way about them, but also something really interesting there about growth? i feel like a black eagles run has a moment at some point where everyone looks at ferdinand and realizes huh, he's really grown up. i like that moment to torment hubert. not too many thoughts on the others - i love sylvix, edelgard and byleth are lesbians, i get how people get to dimitri/felix but i'm personally not into it, and there's a fandom version of dimitri/byleth that i just don't care for that is pretty widespread. i think the right author could bring me on board with them but i'm not a huge fan.

and here are some slightly rarer ones that i could think of off the top of my head!! because i thought of them you can probably tell that i like them :)

where to begin........... the thing about edelclaude is i truly think it doesn't make sense in the context of the games but it has such a hold on me. i read you flash a guarded look, my silver tongue returns to me and it opened up a new section of my brain reedroad invented writing with that series. now the thing about claudevain is.... it also does not make sense, but there's something about it... i think they could be very ruthless and successful together if the circumstances were right. also i think those two would be funny! dorobern gets 'makes sense' points based on them being in the same house and the fact that i think them not getting an ending slide together was a crime. go read violets, violets and you will understand. ashe/byleth... they are special and precious to me!! i love ashe!! literally all of wearwind's fe3h writing is good but i swear reading Tanaras did something to my brain chemistry forever. annette/felix is just super super cute to me, i love their supports and i love them together 😭 before the world was big made me love annette and Seeking Iris and Marigold should win a best picture oscar it's such a movie to me. sorry to turn this into fe3h fic rec time but that is simply What I Do - these all have various levels of spoilers so watch the tags i think? seeking iris and marigold is a modern-with-magic au though so i know that one is safe 👍

#thank you casey for my LIFE #answering asks #ask game #i know i went on and on but. i hope that's fine that's just what this game does to me. #like i said i think it really lends itself to shipping just from sheer size of the cast #and every time i think i'll never like a ship i read a fic that brings me back around #got hugely into byleth/seteth for like a week after i saw some art. that's how they get me #fe3h

[stergeon]

25 rejected edeleth fluff ideas

here are some edeleth stories i thought a lot about but did not write. if anybody wants to actually write one of these, be my guest (and also pleeeeease send me a link, i'm desperate for content about Them Girls™)

byleth takes edelgard on a fishing trip and she has an absolutely abysmal time

edelgard makes a valiant attempt to corral byleth's atrocious fashion sense ahead of a formal event

byleth teaches edelgard swear words

edelgard tries some of those weird herbs rhea used to give students to relax; byleth is more than happy to babysit

byleth does edelgard's taxes. she's wearing her goofy professor glasses. it does something weird for edelgard

edelgard takes byleth on a date to the opera and byleth cries the whole time

byleth reads a work of fiction for the first time ever. it's a horror story. she did not like it. edelgard reads her something nicer.

edelgard gets byleth to pose for a portrait and shows it to her

byleth has to give a speech at a big event and is a nervous wreck. edelgard has been waiting all her life for this coaching opportunity

edelgard tries to teach byleth how to draw (she is very bad at it)

byleth cannot for the life of her figure out which fork is used for what purpose at this fancy dinner. edelgard covers for her

edelgard goes all out to celebrate byleth's birthday on the day byleth thought was (read: randomly chose as) her birthday, not her actual birthday; byleth doesn't have the heart to tell her

byleth brings edelgard various souvenirs from her travels around the country. edelgard tries not to be so soft over it, even though they're… not all hits

edelgard attempts to make dinner and botches it beyond salvation. they get takeout.

byleth will not shut up about this cute house she saw when she was out on a mission and how nice it would be for them to "have something like it one day." edelgard arranges to buy the place

edelgard sees byleth in a dress uniform and cannot stop swooning

byleth is being relentlessly pursued by a suitor who won't take a hint and edelgard challenges the idiot to a duel

edelgard decides she will learn to swim. it goes poorly, to say the least, but she manages in the end. as it turns out, getting to see byleth in a swimsuit is a good motivator

byleth gets caught kissing edelgard by hubert. the resulting conversation is unpleasant for everyone. ferdinand, meanwhile, is overjoyed

edelgard is having a terrible, horrible, no-good very bad day. she chews byleth out over nothing and immediately feels awful about it. byleth forces her to take the rest of the day off to chill

byleth is going away for a month-long mission. both girls are inconsolable. they write each other letters literally every day.

edelgard really puts somebody on blast in a council meeting. byleth gets stars in her eyes

byleth concocts a very, very elaborate story about some kind of summit in faerghus; she and edelgard leave enbarr for two weeks to attend. surprise: there's no summit, it's a spa retreat

edelgard arranges a "normal date" where they go out in town in disguise and do very boring things like run errands, look at furniture, buy socks, etc.

doropetra-edeleth double date

#edeleth #edelgard von hresvelg #byleth eisner #byleth x edelgard #fire emblem #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fe3h fanfic #sterge.rtf #i would Love if anyone would grab one of these and run with it #as much as i would like to write any or all of these i don't have the brain for it at the moment #i actually did write the swears one but it was too silly to post. i simply can't. #i'm considering doing a story where each chapter is a teeny-tiny one-shot along the lines of these prompts #but i have like. three or four wips right now and i Should Not make it five #c'est la piss. i love them girls #also um. it should go without saying but don't buy a house for your partner without having a conversation about it lol #this is fiction and our girl has money to toss around on stuff like that. the likes of we don't have the luxury #i probably Will write that double-date eventually tbh. i keep chewing on it and rotating it in my mind #thanks to arrow for making me so crazy about that one

[fireemblems24]

Scarlet Blaze Ch 10

I don't remember if there's 13, 14, or 15 chapters per route in this game, but here we go with SB Ch 10.

STORY

I keep remembering Ingrid is dead 😭 And we forced Shamir to join us by threatening Catherine 😭

Oh, boy, Claude just became Edelgard's bitch boy. Can't say I didn't suspect this.

Why, though? Edelgard just said in her support with Balthus she intends to conquer all of Fodlan. Does she see Claude as the least threatening? I'd like to know why Claude thinks it's a good idea too.

So I take it this time Claude is getting shoe-horned into Edelgard's story rather than Byleth's? I wonder if we'll see this in AG and GW too. Or if it'll be a bit different.

I'm having Shez be such an ass. He turned down sparing with Holst and made things awkward.

Is Claude still king in this route?

"We'll be invading Fraldarius" no 😭😭.

Edelgard just called it an "invasion" too. So at least she's honest.

I love how Hubert is spinning Dimitri wiping out the Western lords as some evil thing. But, like, those people organized a genocide.

DOROTHEA, my beloved!!! THANK GOD.

Claude, Edelgard, Linhardt and just about everyone else is bemoaning all the people who are going to die in the war. for daring to . . . defend their lives But my girl Dorothea is the only one who seems to realize that her side is the cause of the bloodshed. Not the people who would never have to fight if Edelgard didn't force them too.

"Whatever our intent, we're the instigators here. We can't expect the enemy to do anything less than defend their land with tooth and claw." Dorothea is queen. A hypocrite, but at least the game realizes who's really at fault.

"When people think someone is after what the possess, they respond with fear - even if the thought is all in their head." - Ferdinand. Except, it's not?

Edelgard openly wants to rule their lands with absolute authority. She's already stolen everything from one of her enemies, why should the Kingdom believe they wouldn't get the same treatment Rhea did? I wish the game would make it clear what Edelgard would do to Dimitri and co if they did surrender. Because, like, does anyone really think Hubert would leave them alive? Or Edelgard for that matter? If she wants to rule the Kingdom, Dimitri and most of the Blue Lions would HAVE to die. Wouldn't she throw Dimitri and his supporters out of their homes and replace them with Empire nobility at best? It's not in their heads.

Hey, at least this is the first interesting thing that's happened in SB since the prologue lamo. I hope it's not just back to CF now except Claude is now Edelgard's toady.

CASPAR & FERDINAND A SUPPORT

Ok guys, for anyone who's curious, this is where I picked up after finishing FE Engage. Feels a lot less daunting knowing I'm already a good numbers of ch into every route.

Weird support. Ferdinand is getting respected and admired by a Black Eagle instead of being the butt monkey. Caspar is thinking and questioning having something in his life other than furthering his reputation via killing people. I like it.

Ferdie called himself a master of none and admired Caspar back.

LINHARDT & DOROTHEA A SUPPORT

Wasn't this B support the one where we learned Edelgard had a single sole supply line? Lamo.

Dorothea's not going to keep taking notes for Linhardt lol.

She got hurt, so Linhardt took notes for her. She's surprised, but pleased.

She told him he had his own charm, and he's like "please, no." I love him.

I don't think this support really showed a new side to the characters, though. It felt like an emptier version of their OG one.

SHEZ & EDELGARD B SUPPORT

Shez wants her to trust him. She says she does now.

He feels purposeless and wants to be her bodyguard.

Lamo, one of Shez's response options is "stand there slack-jawed." I forgot how much I liked Shez.

He wants to defend Edelgard because her promoting him changed his life.

HUBERT & HAPI A SUPPORT

Hapi is trying to make nice with Hubert.

They're bonding over coffee.

Now they're having coffee and talking about it. I'm more of a tea person, tbh.

Sorry, but this was boring af. Never thought I'd say that about a Hubert support.

CAMP + SIDE BATTLES

Dimitri took Cornelia down in this route too. Badass.

Ashe is so miserable, poor dude. Mercie isn't happy either.

I honestly really don't like CF!Caspar, but SB!Caspar seems even worse, like he's just his dad's little killing-happy puppet.

Randolph is still a little shit. He WANTS to invade the Alliance. IDK, I just cannot fathom wanting something like that of any country let alone an ally.

Lamo, Edelgard literally just said might makes right.

Shit, I just remembered that Ingrid's dead in this timeline.

Hilda legit just asked Claude why he's made a strategy that limits casualties. Are people from Faerghus the only ones who don't love killing people? She is doubting the Empire at least. She really doesn't like Edelgard, lol.

Not seeing Ingrid with the others hurts. They're really out here just trying to stop everyone else from trying to murder them.

See this is why Dimitri's the best one - "The old ways must die - with that I agree. But shove that down the people's throats, and you risk breaking the very land you're trying to rule." If Edelgard had her way, there'd be nothing left to rule except the Empire.

Yeah, the reason you can't work with the Empire, Dimitri, is that Edelgard wants to rule all of Fodlan. Her alliance with Claude has made it really clear that the Empire still intends a hostile take over of even their own allies. Which, honestly, I do appreciate SB for being a bit more honest than CF.

I really don't want to fight Rodrigue. I do think it's funny that your enemy always hires Jeralt though.

I'm guessing Jeralt gives Byleth his sword in every route.

SHEZ & BERNADETTA B SUPPORT

Starts with her screaming and shrieking about something.

Anna showed up! She's selling something to Bernadetta that will help her with her shyness. Also sells her something shifty. Or tries. Because Bernadetta assumes Anna's up to no good (probably true) and buys nothing.

Shez calls her judgmental lol. He's not wrong.

BERNADETTA & FERDINAND C SUPPORT

This is their only support. Kinda weird given their past history.

She's eating plants. Ferdinand is concerned she's eating bad stuff. Ferdinand wants to have a competition over who collects the most edible plants.

Poor Bernie. His "competition" really reminded me of those guys who are like "oh, prove it, name xxx!" when I say I like this sport or that fandom because I must be lying to impress them or some shit. (except I don't think Ferdie is being sexist here, just annoying af).

Bernie gets hurt and one of Ferdie's plants can help fix it.

Also, he lost.

EDELGARD & MONICA B SUPPORT

I can't imagine this is going to be anything but nauseating.

Haha, Edelgard just said in another world they may have lost Monica forever (to TWSITD).

Edelgard says she only saved Monica because it was the best move lol. And like, we know this is actually true because, well . . .

Ohhh, wow, they really went there. Edelgard tells Monica to her face that she only rescued Monica because it suited her, didn't plan on it, and would let Monica die if it helped her goals.

I know a lot of times people play off Edelgard's harshness as "oh, she's just insecure and saying that!" But here you can't really make that argument because it happens in Houses lamo.

She literally didn't rescue Monica because she needed TWSITD soldiers.

Learning this changes exactly nothing about Monica.

It added some stuff to Edelgard, but Monica is still horribly one-note.

FERDINAND & DOROTHEA B SUPPORT

I know a lot of people like their Houses support chain, but I kinda don't? It's drama over something really silly.

Edelgard is here. Ugh. I want Dorothea, not her.

Oh, good grief, it's going to be about the same annoying thing. Ferdinand is remembering seeing Dorothea and being stunned by her beauty.

(like, imagine getting pissed off that someone stares at you when you're butt-ass naked in public and dripping wet)

Dorothea's a lot more reasonable this time, getting flustered hearing this.

MAIN BATTLE

Every time I log back into this, I remember that Ingrid's dead :(

Oh, God, please tell me that I'm not killing Rodrigue and Felix now.

They go from "oh, bummer, we have to kill people to! Let's go Empire!!!" Bit of a whiplash, but Dorothea's the only one who seems to realize they're killing people and not NPCs lamo.

Same conversation between Shez and Arval. Guessing I'll get it in AG when it's time for recruiting Byleth too.

Ok, like with Golden Wildfire, I'll try to unlock Byleth. But unlike with GW where I reset and tried a few times, I'm only trying once. Because I really want to finish this and get to other games. AG is the only route where I'll put in real effort to get Byleth because I care more about those characters getting a fully happy ending than the rest.

I think I failed again lol. It changed from a side goal to the main goal to fight Byleth. I didn't move around the map fast enough.

God, I love Rodrigue.

Rodrigue died. I'm guessing if I recruit Byleth, that doesn't change? How many other Blue Lions does SB force me to kill?

Cut scene time. So who dies in SB?

LAMO, it's Randolph. OFC it's Randolph. This guy is just allergic to surviving.

Is it bad I'm more upset that Rodrigue died? He's a WAYYYYY better person than Randolph.

In case you didn't read my GW reaction, I was quite pleased to see Byleth actually pissed about someone almost hurt their dad given how little they ask Edelgard about her involvement in that in CF.

I like how they expect us to care about Randolph. Like, Judith, makes sense. She's close to Claude. She's cool. Randolph is really unlikable and has no special connection to anyone except Fleche.

Does this mean Fleche will cause a level where she goes crazy against Byleth?

This conversation falls so flat compared to the GW one. Because in GW, you were talking to Claude. Here, it's . . . Fleche. In GW it was actually an emotional moment (and made me feel a bit guilty). Here, not so much.

I do feel bad for Byleth and Alois though.

Ok, the Sothis-Byleth merging happening.

I love how they go from celebrating the deaths of Faerghus to lamenting their own loses, without any acknowledgment that THEY are responsible for all of this or that the people they killed were just as "alive" as they are.

Haha, even SB lets you recognize that Randolph means very little personally to you or any of the main cast.

xxxxx

#fire emblem #scarlet blaze #fire emblem three hopes #three hopes #scarlet blaze spoilers

[fodlaneverafter]

FEA character mini-analyses: black eagles as rebels

Today I feel like explaining why I cast characters the way I did in FEA (my ongoing 3H/EAH crossover fic)! If all goes well this'll be a four-part series--one each for the three houses and one last post for the house lords + Rhea. (I'm sorry Ashen Wolves fans... I'll talk about Yuri in the last post, but I don't think there's much I can say for the rest of his house.)

Now without further ado, let us begin!

Hubert as Faybelle Thorn: let's raise a cheer for everyone's favorite dark fairy!! (please don't this is cursed enough. haha get it? cursed, because he's--) As we all know the most important thing about Hubert von Vestra is his impeccable sense of style, and Faybelle's aesthetic is the only one that comes close. The only major difference between these two characters is that Faybelle is spiteful, while Hubert is simply ruthless. And I think it's enough to make him a Rebel, as the Dark Fairy's actions are nothing but petty. With his father's role being stolen by the Evil Queen, I thought this would add an interesting dimension to his loyalty to Edelgard (whereas Faybelle hates Raven for it). Also, Faybelle's pet is canonically a pomeranian puppy named Spindle, and I wanted to give Hubie a pomeranian puppy named Spindle.

Ferdinand as C.A. Cupid: I needed something to replace nobility as the virtue around which he centers his life, so naturally I decided on the most entertaining alternative--love. In this AU, destiny-bound "true love" serves as a good enough parallel to the corruption of Fódlan nobility. So while he may have some disagreements with Edelgard, he can't argue with her understanding of destiny. Giving him big ol' wings makes him even more annoying to her, which is exactly what I want. ... Okay, yes, I did make him Cupid just because it was the only way I could include "Ferdinand von Aegir Cupid" in this AU.

Bernadetta as Cerise Hood: yes, it does hurt me that Bernadetta's color palette clashes horribly with the RRH aesthetic, but what can a girl do they're the perfect match! Of course Bernie would be shy and reclusive if her father was the freaking Big Bad Wolf. And who wouldn't be anxious having to hide a secret like that in the woods, constantly surrounded by the vicious Wolf people? Of course I couldn't make her as extremely nervous as she was in 3H, but uh. I don't think anyone minds. (We are kicking Count Varley out of the picture by the way please forget he ever existed.)

Petra as Cedar Wood: the only princess besides Edelgard in 3H may be a mere commoner in this retelling, but real queens need no crowns. Cedar's desire to understand humans is the closest in-universe to Petra's desire to understand Fódlan (even if they're for different reasons). Furthermore, I find Petra's honesty works well with Cedar's curse--they're both so endearing for it.

Dorothea as Meeshell Mermaid: we shall forever mourn the lost potential of Meeshell, but Dorothea is a whole other story. Voice of an angel, check. Renowned beauty, check. Most importantly, her longing to be truly seen and loved, check. Let's not forget the Little Mermaid was treated as little more than a pretty plaything in the prince's court, never truly seen by the man she loved. Canon Dorothea fears exactly that. Her being a Rebel is just too perfect.

Linhardt as Briar Beauty: I don't think I need to explain myself here? But... the tricky part about him is that Linhardt would never in a million years be unsatisfied with his destiny. I had to lure him to the dark side with lots of enticing research opportunities on the true nature of destiny-bound curses and succession laws, because of what happened with his mom's story (Evil Queen stealing Dark Fairy's role and all). Anyway, I love imagining him with green crownglasses and the fact that his personality is the polar opposite of Briar's will never not be hilarious.

Caspar as... the son of the White Queen??: yeah so the White Queen doesn't have a kid in EAH; I just couldn't think of anything more suiting for Caspar, both in personality and appearance (a bonus, in my book!). Now technically most of the Wonderlandians are Golden Deer, but like... who cares. Also, it's adorable to picture Caspar having normal conversations with his mom, who is the princesses' advisor, and they're quite literally just shouting at each other. Even if they're on opposite sides of the destiny conflict, I feel like they'd have the sweetest relationship.

And that, my folksies, is that.

Confession: before starting this fic, the Black Eagles were my least favorite house. I didn't understand them at all, but now I am so glad I do. They got that Rebel heart, lads.

Next up: Blue Lions!

#fire emblem three houses #ever after high #black eagles #eah rebels #fe3h au #hubert von vestra #ferdinand von aegir #bernadetta von varley #dorothea arnault #petra macneary #linhardt von hevring #caspar von bergliez

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 10: Shamir/Catherine)

Shamir: Still, you always remember your first love, right? That's enough of that. There are more relevant topics to discuss. Byleth: What will you do after the war? Shamir: Good question. The world is completely open to me. Your next move seems apparent… But…who knows where I'll end up.

After losing her first love, Shamir chose the life of a mercenary, alone and free to live wherever and however she pleased. But her dream was to find a new partner and a place where she really belonged.

Shamir: I knew it… Shouldn't have let emotion get in the way…

She was afraid of getting attached, as she laments in CF if she's unrecruited and dies defending the monastery.

Shamir: Finally found so many reasons to live…

Her death quote says a lot about her. Shamir's reason to live was those she cared about at the monastery.

Catherine: Making decisions in the spur of the moment, you can't hope to be perfectly fair and just. That's why I choose to fight for Lady Rhea's justice. The justice of the Church of Seiros. Caspar: But what about when Lady Rhea's ideals don't really line up with yours? Then what? Catherine: Not possible. Lady Rhea's ideals are my ideals. There's no conflict between them, because that's what I've decided. Do you see?

As a Knight of Seiros, Catherine had vowed to do anything for Rhea, with the sole exception of dying for her. She devoted her life to the archbishop as a stand-in for the goddess. She couldn't cope with her inner conflict when she had to make the decision about her previous partner, so she decided to hand over her morality to a higher authority.

Shamir: It's not easy to put your life in the hands of someone who doesn't share your beliefs. Catherine: I understand. I think we can both agree on that.

Shamir and Catherine came into conflict over the latter's way of life.

Shamir: Hello, Catherine. I always knew this day would come. Catherine: What a coincidence, so did I. It seems that now we have no choice. We have nothing in common. Not our backgrounds, not our beliefs. Shamir: Not the way we lived…or the way we'll die.

If you recruit Shamir in CF, you can tell that Catherine was the reason she quit the knights. Without her partner, Shamir goes back to being an unfeeling mercenary who will simply go with whatever side pays more, even if she has to execute her old comrades. And without her partner, Catherine goes back to being an unthinking zealot who will follow any order Rhea gives her, even if she has to burn down a city.

Catherine: The last time I saw you, you saved my life—but I never thought you'd force me to repay the debt quite like this. Shamir: You don't owe me anything, Catherine. If you need to hate me, then hate me.

Their relationship is much the same in Hopes. Shamir didn't agree with people from Fódlan and their values. In SB, she only became a mercenary for the Empire because Hubert said he'd spare Catherine's life if she did. After you recruit her, she is hurt because she put her life on the line for Catherine. But she knew Catherine would cut her down in the name of following orders.

Catherine (Solo) When Rhea resigned her position of archbishop and left the Church of Seiros, Catherine followed. She devoted herself wholly to Rhea's protection, and the two lived a life of quiet seclusion. Though Thunderbrand remained always by her side, she came to be known by a different name: the Guardian of Zanado.

If Rhea survives, Catherine's solo ending states that she accompanies her to live a life of quiet seclusion in the Red Canyon. For most of her other partners, she'll actually have two versions of their paired ending, depending on whether Rhea is alive. If she is alive, Catherine seems more devoted to Rhea than her partner. She has to ask permission or be persuaded to wed (Ashe, Lorenz) or she will bring her partner along to live as a hermit in Zanado (Linhardt, Caspar) or both (Seteth).

Catherine: I will be faithful to Lady Rhea until I die. If I had to choose between you and her, I would choose her every time. I assume that disqualifies me from being your partner. Shamir: Between you and Rhea, I'd choose you. But between you and me, I'd choose me. That probably disqualifies me from being your partner too. Catherine: Well, no. I'm quite fond of being alive. I don't intend to sacrifice my life, either. If it came down to you or me, I'd choose… Huh.

Like so many other characters, the ideological difference between Catherine and Shamir can be worked out if they just stick around on the same side long enough. Catherine said she'd always choose Rhea over anyone, but Shamir was the only person she'd actually die for. Catherine wouldn't even die for Rhea. So, she realized that Shamir is the only one she would actually choose over Rhea. Catherine didn't love Rhea, but she did love Shamir.

Shamir: Aren't you forgetting something? After gambling and booze, you're supposed to ask me about women. Though I doubt our tastes are similar. Balthus: Wait, what's that supposed to mean?

Hopes confirmed that Shamir is no stranger to lesbian relationships, she just has different taste than Balthus. Just because not every character can romance same-sex Byleth, doesn't mean that there aren't other same-sex characters they would be into. The writers obviously wanted to plant the seeds of same-sex attraction which would, of course, reflect on how players viewed her relationship with Catherine. So, there was no doubt that this pairing was intended to be taken as romantic.

Shamir: And Catherine… if you really insist, I'll consider a partner's future. Catherine: Partner's future? What do you mean? Shamir: In Dagda, it's more common for people of the same sex to form partnerships. …What's wrong? Your face is all red, partner. Catherine: Well, you come out with something completely unexpected, so… That's enough of that discussion!

In her dining hall dialogue, Shamir says that eating with Catherine makes her feel like she's "home". In most of her other paired endings, she goes back to being a wanderer. Catherine is the only partner she takes back to her homeland of Dagda.

Catherine & Shamir Catherine and Shamir, who left the Seiros Knights, reaffirmed each other as lifelong companions. Embarking on a carefree journey together, they remained inseparable, never straying from their shared path. They traveled across various regions of Fódlan, eventually reaching Shamir's hometown of Dagda across the sea. Along the way, they encountered numerous challenges and sometimes found themselves involved in incidents where they lent a helping hand. However, with Catherine's "Thunderbrand" and Shamir's arrows unleashed, there were no enemies left standing, so the story goes.

Other than Catherine's ending with Alois (where she remains a knight), her ending with Shamir is the only one that is the exact same whether Rhea is alive or not. When paired with Shamir, Catherine will leave the Knights of Seiros to be a "Free Knight" and live according to her own sense of justice. The writers obviously favored this pairing, as it gives them both the most satisfying conclusion to their arcs.

#fe3h #fe3h meta #shamir nevrand #fe3h catherine #cathmir

[kumeko]

A/N: For the Solitary Solace zine! The hard part of being a multishipper is wanting to write all the ships and not having the time to do so, so I cheat like this and smush them all together. XD Lots of ship teasing and 1 uncle teasing because I can't not put in Alois and his dad jokes

…

…

…

…

Monday:

The only good days were cloudy days. Actually, no, as far as Bernadetta was concerned, the only good days were rainy days. No one forced her to go out on rainy days and she could hide in her room for as long as she wanted. The second-best days were the cloudy ones, when people didn’t like to linger outside, when they just looked at their feet and were fine with ignoring good ol’ Bernie as she went about her business.

That was probably the only reason she agreed to garden with Edelgard. Well, that and her Venus flytrap needed repotting.

Somehow, a simple task was starting to look like a workout. Bernadetta wiped her sweat, streaking soil across her forehead.

“Why is the dirt so heavy?” she grumbled, glaring at the bag of potting soil at her feet. Just who had thought it’d be a good idea to put all those bags in the far corner of the greenhouse, away from the tables?

“Need a hand?” Edelgard asked, looking up from her neat row of tomatoes. They all looked perfectly aligned. Bernadetta sometimes wondered if either she or Hubert were human, but she hadn’t figured out the answer to that yet.

“Yes—No, I’m good,” she quickly corrected herself, grabbing the potting soil bag again and ineffectively dragging it away. Considering how much of a stickler Edelgard was for practicality, she probably wouldn’t appreciate Bernadetta wasting resources on a plant that they couldn’t even eat. Maybe she’d toss the plant on the ground.

Or maybe she’d feed Bernadetta to it. There was a play with a plot like that, right?

“It’s clearly too heavy for you.” Edelgard stuck her trowel in the dirt before getting up. It was funny how normal she looked, dressed down in white buttoned-up shirt and black tights. She looked like any other student and not the Emperor. Grabbing the other end of the bag, she hoisted it up. “Here.”

Bernadetta cried out, almost falling over in surprise. “D-don’t scare me like that.”

Edelgard regarded her coolly. “I thought we already went over this? If you can’t handle your allies approaching you, how are you to deal with our enemies?”

“That’s…” She bit her lip. Honestly, if she just got to stay in her room, she wouldn’t have to worry about any of that. Other people could fight the war, she could live with any victor. Before Bernadetta could reply, Edelgard already started pulling the bag and guiding them to the potting area.

“Sometimes you worry me,” Edelgard sighed, though she didn’t sound angry or even disappointed. Just concerned. It was an odd sound.

Bernadetta didn’t know what to make of it. “Sorry.”

Edelgard waved it off. “It’s fine. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. That’s why we work on them and improve.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Bernadetta blurted out before she could stop herself. Unfortunately, she was holding a heavy bag and couldn’t cover her mouth or crouch and hide. Turning red, she hastily explained, “Gardening, I mean. Not that you’re a bad gardener but—”

“It’s fine, I get it.” Edelgard chuckled. “This isn’t the place you’d expect to find an Emperor, right? But that’s part of the new world we’re creating. Anyone can be anywhere, do anything. Even emperors and gardening.”

“And the vegetables?” Bernadetta asked, still expecting the bolt of lightning.

“Well, they’re practical plants and we have to eat. Even more—is that your old flytrap?” She paused, raising a brow.

Dropping her side of the bag, Bernadetta ran to her plant and hunched over it protectively. “Ahh, I’m sorry—please don’t destroy it—or me, don’t destroy me either, oh I should have known better than to—”

Edelgard stumbled backward slightly at the unexpected release. Regaining her balance, she owlishly blinked as Bernadetta prattled on. “What?”

Bernadetta moaned. Of course, she wouldn’t agree. “I knew it, it was too much to ask for, make the execution quick, oh I just can’t bear to watch—”

“No, that’s not—” Edelgard sighed, setting down the bag entirely. Slowly, like approaching a wounded animal, she stepped closer. “Why would I toss your plant?”

“Then you’ll toss me?” she gasped.

“No, I won’t do either.” There was a touch of impatience in her voice, but Edelgard kept her tone neutral. “Is this the same one from five years ago? It’s a lot bigger now.”

“You won’t?” Hesitantly, Bernadetta straightened, though she kept the plant close.

“I won’t,” Edelgard repeated flatly.

“Oh, good.” Bernadetta sighed with relief. “It has gotten really big—you’re not going to feed me to it, are you?”

Edelgard only sighed.

Tuesday

Bernadetta had never been afraid of ghosts and things in the dark. The dark was her friend, one of the few places where no one bothered her. She had many fond memories of walking through her school’s halls in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, all of that was before the monastery got partially destroyed. The buildings were full of holes and burn marks, small gaps and collapsed hallways. Small rats ran in hidden tunnels and the whole building felt like a graveyard. Actually, it sorta was a graveyard, and that was partially her fault, if there were any angry spirits, they were definitely out to get her.

Like she didn’t have enough things trying to kill her as it was.

A pebble skittered across the floor and Bernadetta instinctively grabbed Hubert’s arm, pulling him close. “W-What was that?”

To his credit, Hubert didn’t so much as stiffen at the sudden contact, used to this from their many patrols together. Lifting their lamp, he moved the pool of light left and right before shaking his head. “Your own foot, most likely.”

“Oh.” Embarrassed, she pulled away. Not too far; the next one could be an actual attack, after all. As scary as Hubert was, he could scare away any ghost with just a glare. Though…he wasn’t that bad. Bernadetta glanced at the flower patch on his sleeve and smiled. No, he was actually quite kind.

“I am surprised that scared you,” he added, amused, before continuing their patrol.

“It’s dark,” Bernadetta protested, sticking right next to them as they checked the empty halls. “And it’s scary and we have the army, right? Can’t they patrol? At least at night, when there’s,” she dropped her voice to a hushed whisper, “ghosts and stuff.”

“Ghosts?” Hubert raised a brow, glancing at her. “I didn’t think you were afraid of ghosts.”

“I’m not usually, but…we kinda…you know.” Bernadetta gestured around them nervously. “And if anyone wanted revenge…well…now’s a good time.”

Hubert replied wryly, “I doubt that will happen.”

“You don’t believe in ghosts?” she asked, not entirely surprised. Between him and Edelgard, they had the market cornered on bravery and fearlessness. If only she could bottle up their strength and use it on herself.

“Not particularly. Even if there were…” Hubert trailed off, looking at her now. “Well, it’s the living that scares me more.”

Bernadetta lowered her eyes and leaned on him. “That’s…a good point.” It wasn’t a ghost, after all, who’d lock her in her room, threatening her. It wasn’t a ghost who attacked her when she went out. No, those were her father, bandits, enemies, people, all of whom were all too solid and all too real. “Yeah, they’re a lot scarier.”

“See? Nothing to be afraid of,” Hubert added gently.

In the distance, she heard another pebble roll across the floor. A ghost wouldn’t do that. A ghost couldn’t do that.

No, a person could, and the monastery was full of people. People armed to the teeth with swords, daggers, and magic. Clinging to Hubert again, she wailed, “That just made things worse!”

Wednesday:

Ferdinand’s tea was just like the man himself. Bernadetta inhaled the soft rose scent before taking a sip of the gentle, sweet tea. It was strange to think that for months, she’d been terrified of him. It was even stranger to think that they might have been engaged, once upon a time.

In another world, maybe they would have had tea like this on a regular basis and not just when they had a break from their wartime duties. Then again, in another life they might not have even become friends, and Bernadetta doubted she’d feel this comfy with someone she didn’t know. Well, ‘comfy’ in the sense that she didn’t mind their little tea breaks in the courtyard.

“Do you like it?” Ferdinand asked, his eyes bright as he watched her across the table.

“It’s good,” Bernadetta mumbled, never sure how to handle herself when he stared at her like that. She wasn’t used to the attention, and Ferdinand always gave his full attention to whoever he was with. It was like being in a spotlight. Oddly enough, she didn’t entirely hate it.

Pleased, Ferdinand smiled and took a sip himself. “I thought you would quite like the rose blend. It is mixed with some Queen of the Night, a flower that made me think of you.”

He was making fun of her. Bernadetta didn’t know how, didn’t know why, but at her core she was certain that it was true. She’d catch him in the act one day and—well, she wasn’t sure what she’d do, but she’d catch him one day. Picking up her needle, she returned to her sewing and shrugged noncommittally. “You really like flower teas?”

“There are few things better than their delicate flavours.” Setting down his cup, Ferdinand clasped his hands and rested his chin on his knuckles. “Another doll?”

Feeling embarrassed, Bernadetta nodded and lifted the partially completed doll up. It wasn’t much to look at, she knew, just barely in the shape of a person let alone a fairy. “Dorothea asked for one. I don’t know why.”

“Despite your doubts, you put in a lot of skill and love into your creations. Anyone would be honoured to have one.” Ferdinand hummed thoughtfully before asking, “Could I have one?”

“You?” Owlishly, she stared at him. “You want one?”

“Is it really that surprising?” He raised a brow before cocking his head. “Is that a no?”

“Well, I…” Flustered, she nodded. It had been one thing when Dorothea asked; she could pass that off as an accident. Two people wanting her creations? Well, that was preparation for some cruel joke—she just hadn’t figured out what yet. “What do you want?”

Ferdinand stroked his chin, eyeing her for a moment before smiling broadly. “Could you make one of yourself? That way you are always by my side.”

Bernadetta almost dropped her needle. There it was! The trap! “You don’t have to tease me about it!”

Thursday:

The library had always been a quiet, empty place. That much hadn’t changed even now. There were less students, sure, and a few missing steps on the central staircase that hadn’t quite been fixed yet, but the room was otherwise intact and exactly the same. Bernadetta always found peace whenever she entered the cozy room. Even her footsteps sounded muted when she shuffled through the shelves, picking a book to curl up and read.

She wasn’t the only one who thought so. As usual, she found Linhardt at her favourite nook, his head buried deep in his research topic of the day. Bernadetta wasn’t sure when she’d started to expect him here, when he started appearing whenever she needed some alone time. Together alone he had said, but she hadn’t taken him seriously.

Who’d really be interested in her company, especially like this?

Linhardt glanced up from his paper, eyes not so much looking at her but through her as his mind still pulled at his problems. “No paints today?”

“Just a book this time.” Bernadetta leaned against the wall as she settled into the nook, her knees bent before her as she rested the book on them. Having anticipated her, Linhardt had left the sunny side to her. With the two of them nestled in, it was a cozy space. Their feet almost touched. “Research?”

“Something like that.” Linhardt flipped the page and once more he was gone, buried deep in theories that were far above her understanding.

That was more than fine with her. She liked the quiet, the soft flip of a page, their lips soundlessly repeating quotes as they read. Bernadetta had always liked the alone part, but these days she was finding the together part wasn’t so bad.

Friday:

It was incredibly hard to pull out Felix’s smiles. Just like her, they liked hiding inside, only escaping when no one was looking. Ingrid and Sylvain had a far easier time with it than Bernadetta, but she could be stubborn when she wanted to be. After all, it wasn’t like other people just let her stay inside. No, that took dedication.

Dedication she was now pouring into finding Felix’s smile. She’d tried sweets, books, and even paintings. Occasionally, she managed to coax out a small half-grin, but nothing consistent. Nothing permanent. Well, that changed today.

Bernadetta pulled the sheathed dagger out of her pocket and felt a swell of pride. Felix would love this. It was pretty (though, he wasn’t really one for pretty things), it was practical (well, maybe not practical practical, it was more of a decorative piece), and it was for a blade (not the sword he was partial to, but a dagger was still a weapon, right?).

The longer Bernadetta stared at her gift, the less confident she felt. This was a terrible idea. A stupid one. He was going to laugh.

Bernadetta picked up a rock, rolling it between her fingers as she considered that. Well, laughter was kinda a smile, right? Maybe not the one she intended, but close enough.

“Bernadetta?” Felix raised a brow as he stepped out of the training grounds, a towel hanging around his neck. He rubbed the sweat on his forehead as he approached her. “Are you going to practice that move of yours?”

“That move?” Bernadetta frowned, her brow knitting until she realized what he meant. Immediately, she stepped back and shook her head furiously. “I can’t control that! I can’t even repeat it! If I could do something that easily, I wouldn’t have to be terrified.”

“Alright, alright, I got it.” Felix rolled his eyes. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, that.” Bernadetta gripped her sheath tightly. Should she give it? Goddess, this was humiliating. What if she’d guessed so wrong he actually stopped talking to her? “I…”

“Is that a sheath?” It was too late. He spotted the gift before she could muster the courage.

Hanging her head, she held the dagger out. “Yeah, it’s for you.”

He didn’t say anything for a long bit, his expression neutral as he turned it over. After pulling the dagger free from the sheath, Felix ran a finger along the edge before sheathing and pocketing it. Okay.”

“Okay?” Bernadetta blinked when he didn’t react further. Where was her smile? Hell, he hadn’t even frowned! Was it possible to hate something so much he couldn’t show his feelings? “You hated it didn’t you? I knew I should have gotten you something different, now you’re going to hate me and—”

“It’s fine.” Felix interrupted, tapping on her other hand. “I’ll take the rock too.”

She glanced down at the rock. It was an ordinary, black stone, something she hadn’t even thought twice about before picking up. “You want this too?”

“It’s a good slate.” His lips tugged up slightly as Felix took the rock, rolling it between his fingers with an approving hum. “Good to sharpen the dagger I’ll put in the sheathe.”

It was a smile, but the smile was for her rock. Bernadetta stared at his back, not sure if she should feel triumphant or pathetic.

Saturday:

“Hey, Bernie!”

Bernadetta yelped at the knock on her door, despite expecting and preparing for it. She cowered in her chair, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm down. “Y-yes? Please don’t kill me.”

Opening the door, Sylvain poked his head inside with a puzzled grin. “Why would I kill you, Bernie?” He laughed, stepping in. “I mean, first of all, I wouldn’t be able to read your amazing story.”

“Is that the only reason you keep me alive?” Bernadetta wailed, unable to believe her ears.

Sylvain laughed again, his eyes crinkling just so as he shook his head. “I was just teasing. We’re friends, right? Why would I kill a friend?”

Bernadetta shrank into her seat. He was worse than she’d thought. Society was only barely restraining him. “You’d kill me if we weren’t friends?”

“You slay me, Bernie. We go through this every week, and you still ask that?” He rolled his eyes, but his smile didn’t drop. Casually, Sylvain ambled up next to her, peeking at her desk. Noticing a thick stack of paper, he eagerly picked it up. “Is this the next chapter?”

She resisted the urge to grab the bundle and toss it out a window. It was fine. It was fine. This was the reason he was here, the thing she had readied herself for all week. Her chapter was reaching its audience of one. “Y-yes.”

“Ohhhh.” Excited, Sylvain plopped on her bed and read the chapter title. “Escaping the chasm—oh, so she finally finds a way out?”

“Yes…” Bernadetta shifted anxiously in her seat as he started to read. Goddess, this was embarrassing. Even if he genuinely wanted to read her book—he’d been coming back once a month for the chapters, so she had to reluctantly admit Sylvain was telling the truth—there was no way he’d keep liking it. Her latest chapter might disappoint him. He might get bored.

A dozen more thoughts ran through her head and she jumped off her seat. “On second thought, read it outside.”

Before he could protest, she grabbed his arm, yanking him off her bed and through her door.  He didn’t fight, just sighing as he stepped outside. “Alright, alright, I get it. But, hey, I managed to make it through seven pages this time!” Sylvain glanced over his shoulder, winking. “One day, you’re not going to kick me out. In fact, you’ll be pulling me in.”

Face red, Bernadetta squeaked, “Is that a threat?”

Sunday

Bernadetta had been in many strange situations since she’d joined the academy—her teacher was a goddess, their world was at war, she had friends—but none of those negated the oddness of sitting in a small, cramped room across from the bulky giant Raphael. It didn’t help that his fat fingers were trying to stitch a small doll. Or, well, his attempt at a doll.

“Hey, Bernie.” Raphael looked up suddenly, his eyes crinkling as he smiled as bright as the sun.

“W-What?” Bernadetta started; it was automatic at this point. Even though she knew by now he was a gentle giant, more of a moose than a bear, the sight of him still made her heart beat as fast as a rabbit. Besides, she’d read somewhere that even the nice, kind deer ate birds.

If she couldn’t trust a herbivore, why would she trust Raphael?

Well, aside from the fact that they were allies in war, and he had saved her life a few times, and they were kinda friends and—

“Thanks!” His voice cut through her thoughts. Raphael held up the blob he had been patiently stitching for the past hour. “My sister’s gonna love this.”

“She is?” She squinted at the ragdoll in his hands. At least, she assumed it was a ragdoll—Bernadetta wasn’t sure if Raphael was just really bad with needlework, or if he was purposely trying to create some sort of tentacle monster. Maybe his sister had weird tastes. “What is it?”

“A princess!” Raphael’s grin grew broader as he held up his creation proudly.

“IT IS?” Bernadetta didn’t know if there was a definition of princess that somehow matched the multi-coloured jelly-fish like creature in his hands. People used to call her creations cursed, but clearly they’d never seen anything like this. There were no eyes, not even button ones, on the doll yet, but she could feel it staring at her.

“Yeah, it’s cute, right?” Raphael didn’t mind her shouts. “You’re a great teacher.”

Bernadetta flushed and ducked her head, embarrassed. She’d never helped someone before, not like this, not with her entirely useless hobby. And he was calling her a great teacher? Even though every one of their sessions started with her hiding in the corner? With the way Raphael acted, she couldn’t tell if he had been hurt by her reactions or didn’t mind, but there was no way she deserved any of this praise.

“It was nothing,” she mumbled, pleased despite it all.

“Definitely not nothing.” Raphael sat straighter as a thought hit him. “I know! I’ll make you a doll too!”

Her jaw dropped. Maybe he really had been hurt when she flinched away. That was the only reason he was going to curse her with one of those monsters. “I won’t be able to sleep then!”

Monday

“Knock, knock!” Alois called out as he rapped on her dorm door.

Bernadetta yelped, body tense as she almost dived under her bed. But it was only Alois—funny, sweet Alois at her door—and she relaxed automatically as she let him in. “Oh, it’s you.”

“That’s not how it’s supposed to go!” Alois guffawed as he entered and slapped her on the back. “You’re supposed to go, ‘Who’s there?’!”

Bernadetta giggled. There really was something comforting about his goofy jokes and silly expression. Her uncle had been exactly the same when he’d been alive. It was probably the reason her parents never liked him. “Who’s there?”

Grinning, he replied, “Candice!”

Bernadetta raised a brow. “Candice who?”

“Candice open the door, or am I stuck out here?” Alois laughed at his own joke. After a moment, he glanced at the door and deflated slightly. “Though, I guess it doesn’t really work if I’m already in the room now, does it?”

“No, it really doesn’t.” She shook her head, though she smiled all the same.

“Well, anyways, I’m heading to town and wondered if you wanted to come?” As usual, he recovered from his own mishaps quick enough. Alois was as resilient as a dandelion. She wished she had half of his strength. “You’re cooped up in here enough as it is. I thought you could use a breath of fresh air.”

“Of course!” If there was one person whose company she’d never reject, it was his. It was fun going out with him. Maybe she’d do it more often if others were—

Bernadetta paused at the thought. Going out more often?

Actually, now that she thought about it, she’d been going out a lot lately. Almost every day in fact. She glanced at her room. When was the last time she’d actually just stayed inside all day?

“Bernie?” Alois raised a brow. “If you don’t want to—”

“No, no, it’s fine.” She hooked her arm through his and nodded. “Let’s go out.”

Maybe it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, actually, to go outside.

Even if today was sunny.

#fe3h #bernadetta von varley #raphael kirsten #hubert von vestra #felix hugo fraldarius #sylvain jose gautier #alois rangeld #linhardt von hevring #fire emblem three houses #edelgard von hresvelg #fanfic #lots of ship teasing #even if no hard romance #my fav though is her and alois #the only one to appreciate his dad (uncle?) jokes #he will never stop and she will be very happy to just listen to him