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moritakathedrawer-leonaguilez · 9 months

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Birthright Corrin: From sheltered life in the dark, to growth in the light and selfless sacrifices in Road Taken

Preface

HAPPY 8TH ANNIVERSARY FIRE EMBLEM: IF!! (known internationally as Fates)

As it was the birth-month of mine(June 21) and Fate’s first release 8 years ago in Japan,last month, on June 25, 2015. I wrote something for my favorite Lord, Corrin in Birthright. As Corrin goes through different paths, it is a gargantuan task to talk about Corrin in all paths. As most games that has different routes, I believe a character will become a different person by taking a specific path, and I would prefer one route over another. For example, Denam from Tactics Ogre LUCT. He is idealistic and stands for his principles & justice in the Chaos route meanwhile he is cold and pragmatic in the Law route. Thus I’ll be talking specifically about the Birthright version and within the context of that route, because it is my favorite version of Corrin, and I’m very fixated with Hoshirrin.

Actually months ago I was also planning to write (especially for the CYL) about Birthright Corrin and made some notes but I was too busy with annoying school work. I later found u/NobleYato ‘s The Most Misunderstood Lord and Why We Love Them, an excellent read and we have arrived at some similar points. And I have to say that I was kinda bummed that someone already beat me to it. However I already started my drafts and made some notes. If I started something, I’m determined to finish it. Thus I’ll attempt to make mine too with my own takes and interpretations. This would be another small contribution for understanding Corrin .

In writing this, I shall refer to Corrin as Male. As it is illustrated that Male Corrin represents Birthright in the box art and even in-game that Female Kana the child of Male Corrin is grouped together with the Hoshidan 2nd generation. In the Birthright drama CD, Corrin is male and has more flavor with his title, the second Prince of Hoshido. And other games such as FEH also followed suit, I also wrote and concluded that Male Corrin in FEH is consistently from Birthright. It is implied that the Birthright Route is tailored for Male Corrin. I’ll share my observation and explanation below why Male Corrin makes sense for Birthright.

His Birthright and the Hoshidan Way

The Trio: If you look closely and notice that the princes always have a lead in the openings of later chapters, indicated by these 3 sprites

They got separated with Ryoma and the others after the surprise attack after the events of CH6 which the battle stretched across up to the bottomless canyon, so they were spread out. Which leaves Corrin ,as the 2nd prince of Hoshido and the only eldest Prince left, the responsibility lies in him and to command the remaining part of the army. As he is also chosen by the divine Yato which gives him authority and legitimacy that makes people trust in his abilities. And even later when Hinoka—his elder sister joins, he is still in-charge and giving orders as he is the elder prince and the chain of command goes to him in the absence of the High Prince Ryoma. And to prove his dedication, he embraced himself as Hoshidan and dedicated himself to defend the Kingdom yet he only truly seeks peace between Hoshido and Nohr, without unnecessary bloodshed of the innocent. He is merciful to those who surrender and gives chances to lay down arms and spare them, as it is the Hoshidan way . He learns about this from Kaze’s words from CH7, after sparing Silas and then demonstrating it in CH 10 by sparing Zola. This act shows his great commitment to the Hoshidan Ways and this shows that he is not like what they think of those from Nohr, thus earning their trust and confidence of the lost 2nd prince.

Later when Ryoma, the eldest, rejoins and assuming top responsibility , he consults and briefs his little brothers on the matters of the army planning and strategy, as we can see with Takumi for example in CH 15 & 21, where he gives his views deciding on which route to take such as pointing out a forest nearby and a short cut through the demon falls, Takumi has a good sense of geography, and with Corrin, be his second command and may lead the way at times (we’ll be discussing this role more in the following sections). We see that the princes take the lead in the army, and in the opening scenes of later chapters we see Ryoma, Corrin and Takumi have the major dialogues. This shows that princes have the highest chain of command in the army. This is his Birthright and reclaims as a Hoshidan Prince leading the way.

In the white light

Corrin’s character is shown to be good, kind, intuitive, and values life, albeit sheltered and knows little of the world. We saw in the early chapters where he effortfully tried to save Kaze and Rinkah despite all the pressure and even threatened to death. Another thing that shows his good character where he even saved an injured bird (who later reveals to be Lilith). When confronted by Xander with his overly magnanimity, he would gladly lay down his life for the greater good, and it is his nature.

Later when he was out and saw the world for the first time, he witnessed firsthand the atrocities and terrorized villages by the faceless caused by Garon when he was in Hoshido. He wasn’t able to see and know these when he was imprisoned in the fortress and was brought up that Garon as his “father” and cannot be wrong. When the special sword that was given to him exploded and his true mother died protecting him, along those at the square, this triggered his memories of the day he was abducted and remembering his real father also died protecting him. Now he knows what true colors of his “Father” Garon are.

It was a hard pivotal decision of Corrin, to stand with Hoshido and his birth family. As it is in line with his character to be good and morally upright and he stands for justice as when he spared the prisoners when ordered to. He does not side with the man that incites terror and commits atrocities because it goes against his ideals and the sacrifices to those who protected him. His parents sacrificed themselves to save him from the man who abducted and made him sheltered and kept in the dark when he was held prisoner in a fortress, albeit pampered and able to bond with the Royal family. He quickly realized that he was a pawn, and his life was not valued by his “father”. Clearly Garon is the mastermind, clearly sees his intentions and clearly sees for what he is. He condemns him and vows to never return to Nohr, and to correct his wrongs. He believes that this is the right path towards peace and is determined to achieve it.

*Note that this will be the reading order of panels in the succeeding images

From Isolation to newfound freedom

Corrin: Travel? I hope you both realize that this isn't exactly a vacation... Fuga: Of course. It's just that Hayato has not had much opportunity to leave the village. In addition to helping you, he will be exploring the world for the first time. Corrin: I see. I think I understand exactly how he feels. After all, I spent most of my childhood locked in a Nohrian castle.

As he wasn’t allowed to go outside when he grew up in the fortress and even wasn’t able to see other people. He may have grown up in Nohr with luxuries but only in the fortress, he didn’t even know the Wolfskins, the demihumans of Nohr. And now he is finally free, naturally he enjoys his first times experiencing the outside world— enjoying the forest air, mesmerized by a boat ride, that he even plans to buy one after the war, just fascinated by new things that he wasn’t able to before ,and meeting new faces along the way. Being isolated for so long, he makes up to experience new things.

Due to his experience being locked in a tower, he highlights the experience and let others not experience his sheltered life, and encourages anyone to go explore the world; we saw this when he was introduced to Hayato. And also with Rinkah, whom he sees that they may have similar experiences, he encourages the princess of the isolationist Flame tribe to have this opportunity to explore the world and learn different cultures and he shows his optimism to think positively of what happened, he also shows to be a believer of “things happens for a reason”.

With being outside, free and without the pressures of being subdued especially under Garon, he can openly express himself and can be corny and cheeky at times. He has a dry-sense of humor to liven up moments such as when he joked about taking the “5-minute staircase” instead of the eternal staircase(CH8) and when with all the moving around they no longer need to work out after reaching the peak of Mt. Garou(CH15) . Or when he said “Can I be happy for a moment?” after taking over a fortress(CH15) and being reminded that there are more to be done. He is encouraged to share his thoughts when consulted by Ryouma on army decisions and is supported when he takes the lead. With this freedom, it gives him the opportunity to grow and be himself.

Leadership, charisma and growth

“In the white light, a hand reaches through”

As I have mentioned, as the second prince and the only eldest remaining prince when Corrin got separated from Ryoma. Now, the responsibility lies to Corrin. He may have had training in martial skills when he was in the fortress yet he lacks the field experience, but has no choice but to lead an army early on. Also with his background of being raised by the enemy ,where especially Saizo was very suspicious, may be a thorn in his side. He works hard to earn the trust of others and to gain their confidence and in himself. He earned it by demonstrating the aforementioned “Hoshidan Way” of sparing Zola, and through perking up others when the other princes were missing and tries to maintain a positive outlook and puts on a brave face and tries to be convincingly confident despite he hides it (CH10),

With these experiences of leading, he grows bold, charismatic and confident that later on when they are rejoined by Ryoma and resume command, his confidence has grown that at times leads the way and be a rallying cry for the army,especially when he gives a rousing speech before their first counter offensive in capturing a Nohrian fort (CH14) and to rally themselves to take a shortcut through the demon falls (CH21) , and he does initiatives to lead the way out when facing grave danger at the Fort Dragonfall (CH21)

Besides being confident with oneself, he also learns to be confident with others and rely on them as he can be very hard on himself at times, does want anyone to get involved and be hurt and even self- sacrifice or be a martyr. When he sided with Hoshido (CH6) or went on a pilgrimage to the rainbow sage(CH19), he was ready to sacrifice himself and not anyone involved. Or when the resistance was discovered, he was all downer. Every time he recruits someone or asks someone to join his cause he would always tell them not to join and they could not because of the possible blood be shed, for example with (Kaden, Hayato, Speech at the border fort). However, time and time again,he needs his allies around him to bring him back to his senses like that slap by Scarlet and most of all Ryoma’s guidance to bring back his confidence and the right path.

However, all that confidence and cool head is put to the test. A major blow to his trust, when Zola betrayed them despite all they have gone through. This was a hard lesson for Corrin to learn and proving his naivety. To further erode his trust after the betrayal, the rumors of a spy being continually taunted by Iago, made him lose his confidence in others and himself. He began to suspect others and lose trust after earning that from his new allies, and the stakes are getting higher. The main quality of his character is a trusting charisma, and the people around him are quick to notice the change of mood, most especially Takumi as we know with their rocky first relationship who was wary of Corrin but now he trusts Corrin but got hurt with his doubts.

As Corrin cannot deal with these matters alone, time and time Ryoma, his guiding light , reaching his hand through Corrin’s troubles, lifts his spirits back. He gives advice that is encouraging to Corrin on his journey to be a good leader, and helps him deal with or settle his old life, even cordial to his Norhian siblings . He points out and highlights his natural charisma and is very trusting in that it makes it both his strength and weakness(CH17), and uses his good sense of intuition on treading on his path. As the chosen one by the divine sword Yato, people lean on Corrin. Ryoma has been a wise guidance to Corrin when he loses his way and many times to bring him to the right path, showing him the light and what hope is possible, giving him confidence and earning with worth as the chosen one. If he wasn't there, his little brother would have been lost.

Ryoma: What's wrong, Corrin? You haven't seemed yourself lately. Corrin: Well, to be honest...our encounter with Iago is still bothering me. I'd hate to think I can't trust everyone here, but I've been burned once before... Ryoma: That's not your style, Corrin. You're on your way to becoming a great leader, and you lead by example. If you don't trust your own troops, how will they trust you? Don't let what happened with Zola shake your confidence. Corrin: I don't know. I feel like things have changed. The stakes have been raised. As if they could get any higher... Ryoma: Let's take a step back, shall we? Do you trust me, Corrin? Corrin: Of course. Ryoma: All right. How about Sakura and Takumi? Think about Hinoka, Azura, and Silas too. Any of them potential suspects? Corrin: Absolutely not. I believe in all of them! Ryoma: Very well. How can you be so sure? Corrin: I...I just can. I don't know. It's a gut feeling, I guess... Ryoma: Precisely. This is both your weakness and your strength. You have a keen intuition for people and natural charisma. Yet you lack the years of experience needed to make calculated decisions. So? Follow your strength. Use your intuition. Don't try to be what you're not.

Anger, Anguish & Resolution

“A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two”

In this path he may have felt the warmth of light and growing in it, but also in this path the darkness follows to test and challenge his personal progress, and the risks involved in the road taken . Now that he’s on the other side, it is inevitable that he would face and fight his loved ones from his old life. He would face trying and difficult moments especially losing his loved ones from his old life and the innocent lives. He lost Flora when she was forced to fight against her village and then sacrifice herself. And he was forced to fight the wolfskin, by false flag incident, in self defense. These losses, yet painful, enduring it and he would carry a heavy burden, made him more determined to swiftly end the war and make Garon pay.

Despite all that, he maintains his cool head, bearing the pain yet still be merciful to his foes, he still doesn’t want unnecessary bloodshed despite all the inner rage from all he lost. He gives the foe’s soldiers a chance to surrender, and does not do wanton violence against them when they no longer fight. He gives them a chance to talk, explain their side and be patient like when defeating Silas [Ch7], Flora[Ch8], & Leo[CH18]. But knowing the stakes at hand and fulfilling his duty he knows that one could not always be nice and necessary sword-threatening should be done, but when they can explain their side, he will give them a chance to defect and join their cause.

He learns that not everyone can be reasoned with, and the language they can understand is through his Yato. He grows resolute and understandably angry towards Garon and his lackeys, Hans and Iago. As always, he tried diplomacy first with them but he keeps failing. Nothing can be done but to end them. His interactions with them will always have a comeback, sassy remarks and be contemptuous over the suffering they caused. Corrin learns that not all people are reasonable and redeemable, that peace cannot be achieved without defeating them.

After all the losses he endured, he still carries on with the burdens and heavy heart, and maintains his cool head, brave face and optimism. However he has a breaking point. After Lilith shielded Corrin from Hans and died, another one very dear to him lost. That moment finally broke him, he finally felt anguished, fell into deep despair and lost all his optimistic spirits. After all that collectedness, he finally opened up the deep pain he held for so long and openly expresses the sorrows he hides, lamenting all the lives lost and for what? He faltered, was about to truly give and yield.

Corrin: What are we even fighting for? Is it worth it? Ryoma: Look up, Corrin. Corrin: Ryoma? Ryoma: Dry your tears. Think about Lilith's sacrifice. She gave her life so you could continue fighting. And what are we fighting for? We are fighting for peace! We are fighting for Queen Mikoto and for the whole world! Do you think Lilith would want you to give up like this? Corrin: Ughhh... Ryoma: Listen. It is time for you to rise to the occasion. If we want to end this war, now is the time for us to take action! Corrin: I'm just so tired. Tired of loss. Tired of death. Ryoma: There will be a time for rest. But that time is not now. Rise up! The sacred blade Yato chose YOU, Corrin. We're all counting on you! Corrin: ... You're right. I know you're right. I will not stop until King Garon's reign of terror is over. Let's go, everyone. Ryoma: That's the spirit.

Ryoma brought him back and gave him back the light, for the sake of the sacrifices, for their mother and most of all the peace of the world, as why the Yato chose him. Give him resolution, reminding of his cause and for world peace around, bring him back to light and to push him to continue, move on, and fight for them so that their sacrifices won’t be in vain.These trials are not the reason to give up but a challenge to improve ourselves. His pain is not an excuse to back-out, but a resolution to move on and forward.

Alight

Ryoma:... Look, Corrin. Can you see the sun breaking over the horizon? Corrin: Yes...I suppose I can. Ryoma: They say the sun never shines in Nohr, but we can see that that's not true. Perhaps it's small comfort, but I take this as a good omen. Corrin: It is warm here. The same kind of warmth I felt walking the streets of Hoshido. I hope someday, both Hoshido and Nohr can share this kind of warmth. Ryoma: Anything is possible, Corrin.

With his journey comes to a close, after being in the light of hope and shining on his optimism and that the possibility of peace between nations is achievable, especially when one can do things if you put your mind into it. Corrin was shown that it is possible that light can reach the darkness when they were in mount Garou (CH15), where Ryoma telling all the things are possible and when they made a pilgrimage in the seven fold sanctuary as a test and learned that a magical object nothing better in improving but one's mindset, will power, and hardworking efforts. These experiences changed Corrin to grow and be more commanding of one’s will, which in CH23 where Elise, after meeting since his pivotal decision, notices Corrin’s change compared to the time when he was in the fortress. His outlook is now more bold and knows what he is doing. Now he has returned to Nohr as a different person, he uses what he has learned and shapes his ideals to be the light who brings justice.

The theme music of the Birthright route is masterfully composed; listening to it evokes feelings of Corrin and what he goes through in this final part of his journey. In the calm version, you could feel the uneasiness, highlighted by the wind instruments, the sounds of nostalgia of his old life growing up in Nohr. That heavy feeling of bittersweet feeling of coming home, now for different reasons, it evokes uncertainty, reluctance, bittersweet nostalgia, hesitation and tense & heavy feeling. And in contrast, the storm version is very contrasting with its upbeat marching rhythm, full of emotion and heroic tone ,signifying Corrin’s choice to act decisively, determination for peace of the world. Thus I named this chapter after this masterpiece.

For the greater good

Growing up in Nohr albeit in a fortress, he grew up and bonded with the Nohr Royals and was treated as a sibling. He is very attached to them and is dear to him and they cherish him. It was a hard decision for him to go against Garon ,their father, but he must do what he must for his ideals of justice, even dealing with them should they stand in his way. It was clever for Garon to abduct and to let Corrin to have a bond with his children so that he would develop Stockholm syndrome, he would become a pawn to his machinations, but Corrin isn’t fooled and cannot stand his tyranny. Despite now joining the other side, he still held his Nohr siblings dear and tried on every occasion to be diplomatic and convince them not to fight, as he tried very hard to shed light on Garon’s true colors. And in turn they tried to convince Corrin back but he is firm in his decision and mission, he must make a stand for peace and goodwill between Hoshido and Nohr. Miraculously with all his efforts and the trials he faced in this journey, he somehow manages not to end them. However that may not be the case later on when facing Xander.

They later accepted Corrin as Hoshidan and agrees that he is in the right path but they cannot make a stand against fight Garon, as he is their father and as his children, only Corrin has the opportunity to stand up against Garon, and Corrin as the truly Hoshidan only can he defy and it is his birthright to stand up to their abusive father. They may have understood that Corrin’s duty is in the right path to peace to face Garon.

(The Xander and Corrin duel is a very symbolic battle and has a complex motif , u/Visual-Function-213 may have analyzed it better with Birthright Chapter 26: Analysis and Misconceptions , but I’ll share my short take.)

As Corrin has the birthright to bring light to the darkness, Xander as well has a duty and it is his birthright to be the crown prince to defend his kingdom no matter what with pride and dignity. Corrin’s efforts to dissuade Xander are futile as they both have duties to fulfill. Corrin’s hesitation and struggle to face Xander. That sad and heavy feeling of facing the one who trained you and is close to you, he made Corrin what he is.In this penultimate major trials of this path and the climax of his journey , it duel of ideals and clash of duties, contrasting ideals, as crown prince who is bound to his standing and has no choice , contrast to Corrin is free and has a choice. In this poetic battle between a mentor and a student, who have learned much of the world and to show his mentor how he has changed and grown. Corrin has learned a lot in his journey and he’ll show his mentor what he has learned in his journey that reshaped his views that things are possible, there is justice, which Corrin went through the lessons of his journey. He is no longer hesitant and giving it all. Corrin no longer holds back indications of decisiveness. Xander is very proud of Corrin’s decisiveness but he himself was holding back, making Corrin upset that Xander wasn’t giving his all while Corrin was.

Dawn Breaks

Finally in the end of Corrin’s journey, he traveled far in this path, from a pampered sheltered prince kept in the dark and after basking of the light of experiences, growing confidence, taking risks and all the sacrifices, with the highs and lows and with the wisdoms of his big brothers— Ryoma for showing him the hope, warmth and the possibilities; Xander for teaching and training him for to be strong, be decisive and to seize the day. Corrin has grown to be a capable leader and transformed to something else. Just like Yato transformed to its Blazing form in parallel and signifying his change as a person. He will face the source of all the suffering and the cause of the war, Garon who intended Corrin to be naive and unknowing of the world so that he could be a good pawn. But Corrin stood up and is no longer a victim of this manipulation. He fought valiantly but all of it was not enough as he was knocked out despite all his efforts.

“Waking dreams fade away”

In his unconscious state, he met for the final time with the loved ones from his old life. And imparting their final words: Flora to be self-dependent, Xander, to be decisive, Elise for the bonds, And Lilith, to be a kind heart to the weak . It is a symbolic gesture when Flora tells Corrin that sometimes he has to learn to wake himself up on his own and to decide for himself. In this final farewell, this signifies letting go of his old life, embracing the new life. This is the final push for him to strive and to finish Garon.

“Embrace the brand-new day”

Revived and now determined than ever with the path he chose and for the greatest cause and self sacrifice for the greater good. He is not alone and with his allies, they will achieve world peace. After saying goodbye to his old life and all the sacrifices, he has gathered strength to defeat Garon and was triumphant in beating the source of misery and Alight the kingdom in the dark.

However, Corrin will face his final loss and sacrifice, his good friend Azura.In her final words of comfort, to remind Corrin to smile and look up and live as they finally have world peace. Corrin had faced so many losses and heart wrenching moments, but he grew strong to not let these emotions drown him and break him, but he is more determined to carry on for their sake and for the greater cause. He wishes to strive to build a new world and to make the dream peace happen and for the memories of the fallen.

“Sing with me a song of birthrights and love”

Later in the coronation ceremony, he has an emotional moment with and with his siblings. This time of tears of joy,after all the sacrifices and pain he endured, he has achieved his dream of peace and friendship between Hoshido and Nohr. He also desires to enjoy and have fun after his emotional journey.

With his exemplary decision to stand with peace, sacrifices and growth, he is a model and a hero, and together with Ryoma,Hinoka, Sakura and Takumi, his birth family, showing their appreciation and commending Corrin’s decision. Together, they will rebuild the future in a brand new day. His mother would be proud of what a fine man he has become.

“The light scatters to the sky above

Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone”

Conclusion

FEH: M!Corrin's Lv 40 confession reflects in his experiences and want to be protective to those who are dear

Defeating and making Garon pay may have been the main motivator but along the way he learned new stuff that made him grow. He was intended to be sheltered and ignorant of the world and to develop Stockholm syndrome by having bonds with the Nohr Royals, but in his new found freedom, gained new experiences outside in the world.He went through trials, leading the an army, being looked up and depended on, earning trust, becoming more commanding, gaining confidence yet he is till kind and merciful to enemies and intuition to trust and earn charisma. He experienced hardships and anguish, losing his loved ones from his old life and being forced to end a tribe in self defense, enduring the pain and even acting as a martyr and taking it all by himself. But with his allies around him, most especially, Ryoma’s wise guidance and light, as a hand to bring Corrin to the right path and to remain steadfast in their great cause. He made self sacrifices for the greater good, that is beyond his comforts of his pampered old life. Peace and universal brotherhood may have been his ultimate goal, but can’t achieve that without justice. You can’t achieve that by being nice and accommodating to injustice.

An inspiration

Like many of my favorite characters, this may sound cliché or cheesy, there is something I look up to them or some positive aspects to inspire or influence me. As someone who was from the “darkness” of social anxiety, Corrin’s journey (in birthright) inspired me. His story motivated me to try new things, to be friendly and meet with people and to get along with them easily. It instilled me with confidence that I can talk with anyone, even those you just have short talk with someone, even new acquaintances.

Like anyone who got into Fire Emblem, I met him at FEH and I loved his design, though I keep hearing some bad things about him. So when I played his game in this route, he wasn't that bad and what he does makes sense if you put it into context and his reactions felt natural to me. (Though I may confess when I saw Corrin in the other routes besides Birthright, I can see why they badmouth him.) Like I said I love his Birthright version, I think it’s in character for him and at his best. I like seeing him being outside living in the light free from the shackles of darkness and his abductors. It is satisfying for him to stand up and defy Garon.A fantasy Japanese prince felt refreshing to me versus the usual European fantasy. His dragon form is unique and cool, too bad it is very underused and isn’t much significant in the plot in later points.

His Birthright story reminds me of my favorite movie when I was little, the Prince of Egypt. Like Moses who grew up and was adopted to the enemy kingdom, when he knew the heritage of his birth, he left behind the old comfortable life and doing what is right and to defend his people, even facing the “brother” he grew up with. I love that kind of story, that is why Birthright is so appealing to me.

Closing words

And with that concludes my attempt of doing “”analysis””. I’ve put more effort into writing this than I ever did with my school essays. Like this has 5,000 words! And I didn’t even resort to using redundant word extending techniques. This shows how interest and passion would make you do. As a peak of my fixation, and before this phase wears off at least I have made a writing tribute to my favorite character before I’ll move on to something else. I hope people read and appreciate this because I have poured my heart and soul to this.

It was quite harder than it looks as I am mainly a drawer, not a writer. Writing is a way different beast than art. I was so “Lost in thoughts all alone”, like I got so many ideas, interpretations and understanding but I don’t know how to express it and articulate it, so those words got lost. I had doubts sometimes like who would even read this especially a Lord who has a particular reputation in the Fire emblem fandom. In finishing this I dragged myself on and slogged through, and rushed it just to make it done. I made a self-imposed deadline, and this was supposed to be done by Fate’s 8th anniversary, but I got burnt out and delayed this. Writing is scary, I’ll just go back to art as my own way to appreciate Lord Corrin such as doing illustrations of him.

I did my best with all my abilities and limits. I hope I didn’t miss something. If something was overlooked, please politely correct me and please don’t kill me and tear me to shreds…

And as always:

HOSHIRRIN, BEST CORRIN!!

#male corrin #fire emblem corrin #fire emblem fates #m!corrin #corrin #fe birthright #fire emblem birthright #character analysis #analysis

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bushinto · 2 years

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One in Four-Thousand Ninety-Six

For reasons unknown to anyone else, a mother wyvern has rejected her newborn wyvern and refuses to care for it. The task is now up to some brave volunteers to acquire a friend for life… or the scars. [Grants Flying +1]

Wyverns aren’t Ryoma’s specialty. Pegasi and kinshi are the beasts of flight native to his home, and as such, he’s had some experience interacting with them. Hell, he’s even come close enough to touch Hinoka’s! But when it comes to wyverns, the only ones he knows are the kind that ripped into his armies. Great big ones, with fearsome screams and razor-sharp talons. They flew the Nohrian standard, swooping in on countless soldiers to devastate them before his very eyes. So he would be lying to himself if he said they didn’t unsettle him somewhat. He approaches the runt with caution, wary of the fact that even if it is no match for him now, it may become a threat as it grows older.

The critter in question is, actually, quite special. A rare breed, with some kind of genetic anomaly. Instead of the typical black, white, or brown scales that Fodlanese wyverns are known for, this one is a shining teal. And, emphasis on shining. Its scales literally glisten in the light, flecks of gold luster emanating from its young body. But worry not, the Church has assured him that the condition is purely cosmetic, and has no bearing on the animal’s life expectancy or potential for growth. Like any other, it will grow up happy and healthy--as long as he puts enough love and care into it. Otherwise, the wyvern is male, the clear runt of the litter, and as will soon be revealed, has a temper to it.

“Vanessa, was it?” Samurai asks, turning to his partner before testing his bond with the beast. As he is coming to find is typical of monastery missions, he’d been teamed up with another. Their names are all that had been revealed to each other, and though he’s confident Vanessa remembers his, he’s urged by his noble upbringing to introduce himself proper, “I am High Prince Ryoma, of Hoshido. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He bows, to show he means well, and shows to her his warmest smile. Respect is key when forming new relationships, but there’s no need for him to be so stiff about everything; a few friendly gestures can really go a long way.

“Though co-parenting a wyvern is certainly an odd way to meet someone, it is my sincerest hope that we become fast friends. If not for our sake, then for that of our little companion here...” With the pleasantries out of the way, now would be a good time to try embracing the little thing. Slowly, carefully, he extends his hand to it. Ryoma can’t afford to make any sudden movements, lest he anger it and cause a mess from the start. Things go well at first, with the reptile sitting still and merely looking up at his fingers as they loom closer. But just when they’re in range of petting him, CHOMP! Ryoma gets a nasty bite.

In a flash, he pulls his arm back. He’s disappointed at the result--and the look on his face certainly says that--but he supposes things could’ve gone worse. The wyvern still hasn’t switched to the offensive yet, laying in its temporary nest and seemingly only biting as a defense mechanism. “...Ah. Speaking of, did you happen to have a name you wanted to give him? I’ve thought of a few good ones myself, but am open to hearing any suggestions.”

@midoriwings

#IC #THREAD NO. 4 VANESSA (ONE IN FOUR-THOUSAND NINETY-SIX)#MIDORIWINGS #//i'm preeeeetty sure that thread title is the shiny odds #//the figure 8192 also came up tho so i'm a lil unsure #//either way this number makes a cleaner title

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emblemxeno · 3 years

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Fire Emblem Fates: Personal Arcs and Thematic Parallels for the Royal Siblings

Introduction

As we all know by now, the royal siblings of Fates are all mirrors and contrasts with one another.

Xander and Ryoma are the wise and kind elder brothers who have the weight of their kingdoms’ futures on their shoulders, however Xander is an anxious stoic entrenched in state of denial who worked hard to get as strong as he is, whereas Ryoma is a charismatic natural talent, a huge hothead and has major prejudice issues.

Camilla and Hinoka are the caring elder sisters, with Camilla being overbearing and feminine and Hinoka being stubborn and tomboyish.

Leo and Takumi are the intelligent younger brothers who face massive self esteem issues (in regards to their older brothers) and jealousy (in regards to Corrin), but while Leo’s problems are hidden under a layer of cold pragmatism and isolation, Takumi’s are front and center since he is very emotionally volatile.

Elise and Sakura are the sweet and compassionate little sisters, with Elise being excitable and cheery and Sakura being shy and timid.

However, these aren’t the only parallels that exist between the siblings. More parallels are discovered when you look at the story closely. Especially when you lock down each of their personal arcs. Furthermore, close analysis reveals other interesting parallels, namely for Leo and Hinoka in regards to their brothers, Xander and Ryoma.

Themes, Arcs and Developments: Hoshido & Birthright

The development for the Hoshido siblings and the Birthright path is belief in others, collaboration and tolerance. The siblings start off separated from each other, with Takumi and Ryoma going missing and Hinoka having already left to go find them.

Corrin’s belief in others gets tested through being double crossed by Zola, and the possibility of there being a traitor in the party. Nevertheless, his doubts don’t consume him, and his belief in himself and others gets him through tragedy. Many times in the story, trust and working together gets brought up, like during Chapter 14 where Corrin asks if anyone’s reluctant to move forward with the invasion, but his siblings reassure him. The same thing occurs when Corrin learns about the Rainbow Sage; at first he says if he needs to go alone, he will. But again, his siblings make sure to come with and support him. This dovetails into how the siblings personally develop as well.

Through Corrin accepting Sakura’s pleas to come with them, Sakura goes from meek and unsure princess to a strong willed young woman who’s able to punch Iago in the dick. Through being reassured and believed in by his family, Takumi goes from a prickly skeptic to a confident and heartfelt prince. Through learning of Nohr’s plight and accepting that he can’t do everything alone, Ryoma goes from a stubborn and prejudiced high prince to a tolerant King who seeks to break boundaries and misconceptions, walking hand in hand with his former enemy. The siblings enjoy their newfound perspective and the peace that comes with it; the peace their mother cherished.

Themes, Arcs and Developments: Nohr and Conquest

The development for the Nohrian siblings and the Conquest path is moving on to the future, where justice lies and change. Nohr and the siblings are set in their ways; doing what needs to be done to survive. Upon his return to Nohr, Corrin seeks to change that necessity and bring an era where Nohr can seek glory through mutual respect, not oppression. His willpower gets tested constantly; at times he succeeds in settling things peacefully, at other times he fails or his plan backfires. Still he moves on, working behind the scenes toward his own path of justice, along with his siblings who have done the same for much longer than he has.

Through Corrin’s leadership and conviction, Xander is shown the truth, and from that leaves behind his entrenched way of thinking. He grows from a scared crown prince set in his ways, into a benevolent King promising to bring prosperity to his kingdom through his own sense of justice. Camilla is able to cut away from the same mindset, no longer being afraid of the monster her father has become. Her love for her family outgrows her fear of Garon, the fear that was established during the aftermath of the Cheve rebellion. Elise starts out naive and innocent, but playing a part in the tragedies that unfold gives her perspective. When she first meets Sakura, she’s childish and selfish, but later comforts the Hoshidan princess during a time of great pain. At the end of the route, the two are fast friends as a result of Elise’s compassion. The siblings enjoy the light they are able to bring to their kingdom and the future they seek to walk towards.

The Outliers

But in all that, there remain two siblings whom I didn’t really name specifics for: Hinoka and Leo. This is because, other than the general development of the siblings as a collective and the themes of their routes, they don’t really change too much. Leo starts as the pragmatic executioner who imparts the course which Corrin begins to take, and remains as such later in Conquest. Hinoka is the stoic and determined princess whose concern is the protection of those she cares for, and she remains as such later in Birthright. Neither seems to have personal growth to accomplish other than the general themes of their routes.

That is, until you look at the routes in which you oppose them.

In fact, a new form of development occurs for all of the siblings when you oppose them, and with that, come new parallels.

Opposing Paths and New Parallels

Xander and Ryoma remain each other’s mirror and contrast. On the respective paths that you oppose them on, they are the notable threat to overcome later in the game. You encounter both of them in earlier chapters as well, and both of their maps are escape objectives; this shows in gameplay how much stronger they are compared to Corrin and how it is the smarter decision to pull back and regroup. They both can’t forgive Corrin for betraying their kingdom and family, but while Xander accepts Corrin has turned traitor, Ryoma is intent on bringing him back by any means necessary. Upon Elise’s death at his hand, Xander falls into despair and forces Corrin to strike him down. Ryoma on the other hand, sacrifices himself to spare Corrin the hardship of striking him down when he realizes his brother is still the kind soul he thought he was.

The elder brothers are the ultimate test of Corrin’s resolve, to see if he’s ready to finish the path he started. The loss of these two are a tragedy, and the impact is felt in many ways.

Takumi and Elise gain new mirrors and contrasts with each other. For starters, each of them get inflicted with illness and reveal a truth they wouldn’t otherwise have awareness of during their delirium. It’s the suffering of these two that gets highlighted the most on routes you oppose them. Elise is miserable from her family being broken apart, and has to escape her home just to find some semblance of joy. Takumi meanwhile, lashes out more and more against Corrin, becoming more volatile and suffering from constant headaches. Elise only fights you once (and even then she’s an optional fight), while Takumi fights you the most out of any other sibling. Both of them end up losing their lives through indirect means; Elise throws herself in front of Xander’s sword in a bid to get him to stop fighting. Takumi throws himself off the Great Wall of Susano-o, blinded by rage, frustration and sadness.

Takumi and Elise are major victims of this war and the path Corrin chose, victims who expressed their misery in different ways.

Camilla and Sakura are each other’s mirror and contrast. These two probably have the most difficult parallels to pin down, but they are there nonetheless. When Corrin chose Hoshido, Camilla lost her security; her family is broken apart and she can’t do anything to stop it. She is forced to accept that Corrin has left her to join Hoshido, and finally comes to terms with it after her second encounter. When Corrin chose Nohr, Sakura lost her solace; her country is being invaded, she had just lost her mother and now her older sibling is choosing to go back to the kingdom responsible for her suffering. She is forced to suck it up and defend her home on the from the front lines. Instead of development coming naturally due to positive reveals and encouragements, both sisters are forced to change in order not to break entirely.

Camilla and Sakura are loving sisters who now have to accept a harsh reality during and after a war they had no control of.

Bear the Crown, Bear the Development

That leaves Hinoka and Leo, and this is where they each get major development as opposed to their native routes.

Hinoka and Leo were spared by Corrin after thinking they were gonna be killed, and eventually the thrones fall to them when the war concludes. After all, Hoshido favors kings over queens so if it wasn’t Ryoma, it would be Takumi. Nohr has an age based inheritance, so if it wasn’t Xander, it would be Camilla. Leo and Hinoka never dreamed it would be up to them to lead their kingdoms. When they bear the crown, they bear the weight of a responsibility they never expected.

However, when looking at it closely, it seems they also bear the character development their older brothers would’ve had.

Leo has battled feelings of inadequacy and jealousy in regards to his siblings already, but Corrin choosing Hoshido causes those feelings to surface. He’s angry and hurt over it all, but hides that under a layer of cold-bloodedness. Leo, promising to kill Corrin at every turn, thinks of his brother as dead to him. However, Leo later finds himself. When talking with Corrin and seeing the truth about Garon, he realizes that Nohr doesn’t have to remain the way it is in order to survive.

Leo at the end of Birthright begins to feel similar to Xander at the end of Conquest.

Hinoka has dealt with the guilt of Corrin’s kidnapping for over a decade. She became strong by choosing the path of the warrior as opposed of the princess. When Corrin chooses Nohr, she is in disbelief; after all, why would her brother return to to his kidnappers? She resolves to defeat him, and thinks of her dream of being a family again as a fantasy that will never come to fruition. However, Hinoka later believes otherwise. When talking with Corrin and seeing him and his Nohrian siblings work to end the war in a different way, she realizes that Hoshido’s beliefs about Nohr are wrong and that those misconceptions must be cleared.

Hinoka at the end of Conquest begins to feel similar to Ryoma at the end of Birthright.

Conclusion

Leo and Hinoka each become the rulers that their kingdoms needed. They fill the space left by Xander and Ryoma. They don’t have personal arcs on their native routes nor on Revelation because there’s no absence to be filled; they can remain as they are, rather than be bound by the weight of the crown. Their rule as monarchs is bittersweet, for it’s a role neither of them expected, but they perform said role well nonetheless.

That’s, at least, how I feel about all of this. Of course, this whole thing isn’t a perfect interpretation, nor does the game handle this aspect as well as it could have. Hinoka still lacks in number of notable appearances compared to pretty much every other sibling; hell, there are even scenes in Birthright where every sibling except Hinoka appear. Leo, meanwhile, has many more scenes of importance, especially since he wields a divine weapon and his big hero moment triggers the Yato’s transformation during Conquest. The negative effects of Hinoka’s later addition are still very present, and it’s something that I hope would be done better in a possible Fates remaster.

As it stands now though, I still think all of this is done well enough for everything I described. Fates’ story is smarter than one might think, and I believe all of this is an example of that.

#fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fire emblem if #fe14 #hinoka fire emblem #leo fire emblem #ryoma fire emblem #xander fire emblem #takumi fire emblem #elise fire emblem #sakura fire emblem #camilla fire emblem #corrin fire emblem #meta #storytelling

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nowis-scales · 3 years

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Headcanons for Ryoma’s Birthday

I cannot finish fic on time to save my life, this we know. I considered writing some fic for his birthday but it just did not work out... So! I am going to do headcanons about Ryoma for his birthday, cause I just think he’s neat. Hopefully they’re to someone’s liking!

• This man cannot flirt to save his life. If he ever gets like, a good flirting line in, it is by chance more than anything. He’s really awkward about his feelings and struggles to convey his interest in someone. Pretty much his only solution is to just tell the person outright how he feels, which is a little forward for most people. He also is unlikely to notice if someone starts flirting back with him, for he doesn’t like to make assumptions. So basically, if you want Ryoma to know you’re interested, you’re going to have to make a big sign that says so and smack him with it repeatedly.

• Has a weird relationship with his appearance. On the one hand, he looks a lot like his father and he’s very proud of that fact. In fact, some people say that you can actually see his eyes light up when you tell him so — but even with this being the case, he would probably tell you that he is the least good-looking of his siblings. It seems to be not so much that he thinks that Sumeragi was unattractive, so much as it is that he thinks of himself as more average in terms of appearance than the others. This is perhaps just another element of his classic ever-hard on himself behaviour.

• In a light nap, Ryoma is perfectly pleasant. Quiet and all around alright to be around. Once he gets into a deep sleep, though? He snores obnoxiously loudly. He has done so since he was little, but it is much less cute now that he’s a grown man. Spending a night next to him is like spending a night sleeping next to a grizzly bear. Sometimes, the snoring gets so bad that he wakes himself up wondering what that awful sound is.

• A bit shameless when it comes to nudity. Not in like, a weird Niles sort of way, but just in the fact that he doesn’t make a big deal out of it. The difference between observations of nudity in Hoshido and Nohr is already vast, but even by Hoshidan standards he might not be characterized as super shy. He just doesn’t make a big deal out of it, approaches it with an “it is what it is” attitude. Sometimes the body is not clothed, it happens.

• Though the relationship between him and Saizo is largely professional, they were good friends as little kids. Since Saizo’s father worked for Ryoma’s father, they were often each other’s playmates when the adults were together. Being high prince and surprisingly good at playing people like fiddles, Ryoma roped Saizo into a lot of games as children. They especially liked going to ponds together to try and catch frogs.

• His favourite flower (after a cherry blossom, of course) is the orange osmanthus. They remind him of tiny orange suns blossoming from the earth. He has many memories of being in the gardens with Ikona and seeing them, so he ends up associating them with her in some way. Not that he minds. He likes to have reminders of people who are gone.

• If Orochi had to conjure up one “funny for everyone else, embarrassing for him” story out of her mind about him, it would be from when he first began to practice giving speeches. Mikoto had him practice a few in Shirasagi Castle Town, which many people happily attended. Many of them were great — the first one... not so much. There was nothing wrong with Ryoma’s speech in itself. The people simply failed to focus on it, due to the fact that his voice was going through some er... changes at the time. It was cracking and squeaking in all manner of different ways, and every time it happened, it seemed like the high prince’s face just kept getting pinker, and everybody was just trying not to sympathy-laugh at poor Ryoma. Even Mikoto nearly failed to keep it together. If anybody brings this incident up, Ryoma will sulk about it.

• One of those people who can crack like, every part of his body. He doesn’t do it often, because he knows some people are really bothered by it (Hinoka in particular hates it), but will usually do it when he’s by himself. Would potentially crack his knuckles as a threat, but usually refrains on the basis that it is a total cliché.

• Has an epigrammatic sense of humour. If you don’t know what that means, it’s like the Oscar Wilde style humour. However, it is notable that his humour changes once intoxicated. Rather than being dependent on his cleverness with words, it’s more self-deprecating. Usually it’s all in good fun, but every once in awhile, he says something a little out there and his loved ones have to ask if he’s okay. Biggest contender for that outcome he’s ever had was the response of “What are you going to do, tell my father?” to Xander during a playful ribbing session.

• I know the game wants us to think he’s straight, but this is one of those times where I reject canon in favour of my own interpretation. I think he’s bisexual, he just has a heavier lean toward women. Since per the Japanese Rhajat/F Corrin S-support, Hoshido seems to be implied to have some homophobia hanging about, he’s quiet about it for the most part. He knows it might colour the more traditional people’s opinions of him. He’d like to be more open about it some day, and would try to support LGBT+ people in his own reign.

• A lot of people think he is sensitive about being touched or doesn’t like to be. This is absolutely not true. People mostly just avoid it with him as they are under the impression that he is too important. He literally could not care less. He loves having his hair played with, his hands held... he loves hugs and he doesn’t mind if you want to hang onto his arms, and he likes pats on the shoulders and the ruffling of his hair... This poor man is terribly touch-starved. It’s okay to touch him. In fact, please do.

#fire emblem fates #fe ryoma #fire emblem

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theseerasures · 3 years

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Which part specifically? I mean, yeah, the whole game is a disaster, but I'd love to hear specific points. There was so much I didn't like about Fates that it just collectively merges as 'bad' in my mind.

it's not really anything specific tbh!! because the way Fates is misogynistic is not different from the way the other Fire Emblems (that i’ve. played. it’s possible all the ones pre-Sacred Stones were actually Forbidden Feminist Utopias) also carry that unmistakable whiff of misogyny. it's not done out of malice, it's just...a franchise that loves to play high fantasy tropes straight, particularly the bit about Restoring the Good Monarch. i never got the sense that they thought hard about the fact that the dude protags (Ephraim, Ike, Chrom) get intricate coming of age stories about tempering their talents for murder with wisdom, while all the lady "protags" (Eirika, Elincia, Micaiah) mostly don't change at all and just kinda swan around doing the "we are ethereal maidens too good for this sinful earth" thing, and when they do wibble it's always about how they wish they could be as "strong" as their dude counterparts except they inevitably can't and don't want to be, because war is bad!!! there's too much war in this war game franchise, buy our next DLC for how to solve war with war

(Lucina's a weird case, but that's why i love her, and...i suspect the only reason Lucina got to be the way she is was because she was doing DRAG, which is a rabbit hole that we don't have time for.)

Fates (sidebar: i played Revelations but i know what happens in Birthright and Conquest. i ended up doing all the Paralogues, because i was morbidly curious about how many different ways you could tell a "no dad!!! it's your dream" story, and the answer was "around four, so spreading them across TWENTY ONE versions basically creates the story equivalent of ultra skim milk.") doesn't do anything functionally different from its predecessors, it's just...more egregious this time, because so much of the story feels exclusively catered to drawing attention to it. i get the sense that the devs were trying to aim for bigger, more sophisticated storytelling than what they did with Awakening, which is why we got Fire Emblem: More Royals Than Ever and the requisite chin-stroking about families of blood vs. families of choice, but that they were trying to be Deep (tm) just made the parts that have always been shallow in the franchise look uglier.

i'm just gonna talk about the Royals, because the story privileges the Royals to a truly mind-bending degree (see above: high fantasy, monarchism). with the Royals we have:

the Hoshido/Nohr sibling matchy-matchy that is eerie from the outset (did Sumeragi and Garon set TIMERS so they'd impregnate women at roughly the same time and murder the babies who didn't come out the right gender?), even before you get to the part where they are "foils" for each other in p much aesthetic only, since their personalities are not actually that different when you get down to it. you have the Dutiful Big Bro (Xander and Ryoma), the Closeted Lesbian Big Sis (Camilla and Hinoka, representing opposite ends of the gender presentation spectrum), the Insecure Lil Bro (Takumi and Leo), and the Incorruptibly Pure Lil Sis (Sakura and Elise, the latter of whom for her crime of being outgoing was punished with death in Birthright, which...yikes)

so like. extremely paint by numbers right from conception (heh). why couldn't Xander have been the one who was Naive and Not Ready for This World? because he is Boy, which means he can only be flawed in the Boy Ways, so he must be Too Worldly instead. why couldn't Camilla be the oldest? she's already jaded and weird, so why not make her the heir just to shake things up? because she is Girl and Too Weird and Wearing BLACK, and weird girls in black can't be queen--even if Xander dies, she can't be queen.

Azura is clearly supposed to The Chrom Surrogate of this game insofar as she's your blue haired pal with whom you share a destiny, but she is The Chrom Surrogate but MAXIMUM GIRL, so she's the quintessential non-combatant class, she has a special song that soothes the hearts of warriors, she LITERALLY DIES FOR THE PEACE (TM) IN BIRTHRIGHT AND CONQUEST. (and obviously her hair can't be the Fire Emblem Classic shade of blue--that's too masculine.)

wrt the second gen, lineage is passed through the dad in the eugenics factory this time, which is on paper a fine shakeup from in Awakening, but...ALL the definitely-royal second gens are boys? don't get me wrong: i actually adore what they did with Forrest--like, fucking superb u gender-nonconforming fashion-loving Prince of Peace--but Forrest being an actually interesting inversion of what we expect (that isn't played for laughs!!!) makes all the other boys come off as much blander than they could be. why can't Kiragi be a dirt and hunting loving GIRL? i love Shiro's supports with Kana, but his whole "boisterous laid back but also inferiority complex" deal would be much less tired if he were the Crown Princess instead of Prince. i suppose if Siegbert were Girl with Anxiety and Kingship he'd just...be Lucina, but that's not necessarily a bad thing!!! bitches love Lucina!! (i'm bitches)

the thing is all of this would be...well. not FINE, but more acceptable if they did some things to flesh out those cookie-cutter personalities. Fates didn't deliver for any of the Royals to the extent i wanted it to, but even for what we had the girls got markedly less than the boys did. the moment that made me go "hoo boy maybe i will make poast about this" was in the climax when all the Five Whatevers lit up to form the Fire Emblem and we got some nice concept art of Takumi Leo Ryoma and Xander making :O faces, while the girls...were also there! in Revelation i'm pretty sure you can cut out Camilla Hinoka Elise and Sakura and leave the plot basically unchanged. you could say they fare better in Birthright and Conquest, but you could just as easily say they fare WORSE, because what they get to do if they're NPCs in those routes are: be sad and die, be sad and be spared from dying, be sad and get even weirder before being spared from dying, or be sad.

Camilla and Hinoka feel like the most wasted potential, because we haven't had as many "female royal who is actually pretty down with murder" characters before. but the devs clearly had no idea with what to DO with that, so (outside of her daddy and mommy issues, the details of which we learn about via supports with Niles the resident sex pest and hoo boy the "queer rep" in this game is whole other can of worms) Camilla became your momsistergirlfriend with built-in innovative airbag technology, whose creepiness is played for laughs, and Hinoka was...wait which one was Hinoka again

i am partly just being glib for comic effect, but like--the underlying problems are there, no matter how seriously or generously you want to read it. Fates doesn't go out of its way to mistreat its women; it just doesn't expend any effort thinking about them, so the misogyny breaks loose and stands out anyway.

#Anonymous #fire emblem

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legendsoffodlan · 4 years

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Guest Teacher: Part 3 (Protagonist Edition)

Professor Robin

*The Black Eagles are in relatively high spirits after their previous Guest Professor. Even Bernie has agreed to keep the Crusading to a minimum. This month’s new Professor is a familiar white-haired gentleman...*

Robin: Hello there children! I’m Robin of the Shepherds, Grandmaster Tactician to Prince Chrom of Altea, and I’ll be your instructor for the month.

Ferdinand: Ah ha! someone at least somewhat normal for the second month in a row!

Robin: Today we’ll be discussing the benefits of exploding ships in naval strategy.

Dorothea: way to jinx it Ferdie.

Bernadetta: Explosions! The Avatar of Destruction is pleased! This will serve Bernie well on her Crusade to purge the unclean!

*Robin frowns and looks Bernie over*

Robin: Little Wing, *holds out his hand* Give it over.

Bernadetta: Y- you dare to c-command the Avatar of-

Robin, in the most powerful Dad voice: Now.

*Bernie sullenly hands the Talisman over*

Edelgard: H- how!?

Robin: It works on my daughter all the time. At least the one from the future. The present version of her is plenty confident without it.

Petra: Your daughter... but that would be meaning that... the demon is being your wife!?

Robin: Oh yeah! Tharja said something about teaching a herd of brats for a month. When I asked for details she just laughed manically and stole all my left foot socks and hid them around the house. She’s really quite sweet once you get to know her. She’s just extremely committed to the Addam’s Family Aesthetic.

Professor Marth

*The Lions are all gathered in their classroom, hoping against hope their teacher will be something other than a brutal taskmaster or a giant slut.*

Dimitri: Now I know the past few months have been... trying. But there have been good moments! We cannot argue that we have not learned a great deal from our Professors.

Ashe: Yeah, except now Sylvain is actually competent at flirting now!

Sylvain: Heh, Professor Niles knew his stuff. He even taught me... the smoulder

Ingrid: Th-that’s enough Sylvain! I- I will no-not have you-

*Sylvain shoots her the Smoulder*

Ingrid: Hrrgghh!

???: What ho!

*the doors burst open and a certain Blue Haired Prince bursts in*

Marth: Greeting Lions! I am Marth, Prince of Altea! I shall be your Professor for the month.

Dedue: By the Gods... the sunshine!

Annette: He- he’s too bright!

Mercedes: He is completely pure of heart!

Professor Corrin

*The Golden Deer are chilling in their classroom*

Leonie: So, how’s Professor Takumi doing?

Claude: Pretty good. He sent us a postcard from Hoshido. He’s patching things up with his family.

Lorenz: For the love of the Goddess, can we please get an emotionally stable Professor this month.

Ignatz: I don’t think that’s gonna happen Lorenz.

*the doors swing open and Corrin enters*

Corrin: Howdy, ho’s! I’m Corrin, Princess of Hoshido and Nohr and I’ll be your guest instructor!

Lysithea: Well, this one seems more stable than our last one.

Corrin: *GASP* A TINY ADORABLE MAGE! *she rushes over and scoops Lysithea up in a hug* You’re my little sister now!

Lysithea, prepping Dark Spikes: RELEASE ME!

Lorenz: Emotionally stable... that’s all I ask...

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keeper-of-the-worlds · 3 years

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Prince Remi of Many Names.

Will update more about him the future, but for now:

- He's my FE Fates MU who is the Corrin stand in for a rewrite/general love letter to Fates. He does use Corrin as a base, but parts of his personality and backstory are different enough that I made the decision to use him instead of Corrin proper.

- His actual names and titles are:

His Highness Prince Remi dan Ériu, Second Prince of Nohr, Heir Apparent to Clan dan Faolan

His Imperial Highness Prince Yamato Remi, Son of Clan Yamato, Advisor to his Imperial Majesty Yamato Ryoma

- This portrait is roughly supposed to be post-Birthright, pre-Revelations when he's in his late-20s and living in Hoshido

#fe14 #fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fe birthright #my unit #m!corrin #hoshido #nohr #i really want to say more about him #but i want to draw some actual concept art first #and maybe elaborate on some worldbuilding before i do

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fatesdeepdive · 3 years

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Entry 13: Corrin’s Boat Dreams

The arena is open now, which means I can force units to fight to feed my gambling addiction. The game choses a random unit and random enemy for you and you get resources if they win. It’s very lacking, especially when compared to arenas in other Fire Emblem games.

At the end of the last entry we got a new unit: Kagero. So, time to do the thing I do in these entries and talk about her.

Kagero

Kagero is Ryoma’s other retainer, also a ninja, who has stats that make her a glass canon. Her personal skill makes her better at fighting other units who wield shurikens. She hasn’t really shown much personality yet, so I can’t talk about that, but I can definitely talk about her design. I love the scarf and the hair that covers her face. On the other hand, tiddies. This royal guard has massive boobs and deep cleavage, because Intelligent Systems knows their audience. To be fair, attractive female characters aren’t necessarily bad, and the game at the very least does have female characters who aren’t super fanservicey. I actually don’t mind Kagero as much as say, Tharja or Camilla, because she seems to have a personality beyond sexy. Probably. Been a while since I played this game.

Support: Corrin/Takumi

C: Corrin tries striking up a chat with Takumi, but he is hostile towards her, because of the whole backstory thing. See entry six for clarification. Anyway, Corrin suggests Takumi teaches her archery as an excuse for the two of them to spend time with one another.

B: Takumi is a stern teacher, but Corrin slowly improves. Corrin accidentally hurts herself and Takumi cancels the training session, quietly admitting to himself that he pushed Corrin too hard.

A: Takumi apologizes to Corrin and admits that she’s talented and fiercely devoted to Hoshido.

S: Corrin improves greatly at archery, thanks to Takumi’s training. Then we get the obligatory not really incest handwave and the two of them get married. Yay. This one actually has Corrin ask who her father is, if it isn’t Garon or Summeragi, and Takumi says that Mikoto didn’t write it down, which feels like a shitty thing for her to do.

Review: This is a weird conversation, considering the fact that Takumi learning to trust Corrin also happens in the main plot. Still, Takumi softening up a bit when Corrin gets hurt is a nice character moment. As for the S-Rank, you all know how I feel about the bullshit deus ex machina to excuse incest this game does.

Support: Oboro/Takumi

C: Oboro and Takumi talk about fashion, which reminds Oboro about her murdered parents. He asks if she wishes to return to fashion and she brushes it off, saying that she is more than happy serving him.

B: Oboro begins making a ceremonial outfit for Takumi and contemplates that her parents would be proud of her for being the seamstress for a prince.

A: Takumi sets Oboro up with a job helping other people with fashion in her spare time. She thanks him for the extra work.

S: Oboro attempts to quit both her fashion job and retainer job, because she is in love with Takumi. He says that he already knows, which makes sense, because that thirst was palpable. Takumi proposes to her and explains that he gave her extra work so she can start her own business after the war, which is nice but is also something he should have probably discussed with her in advance.

Review: This is a very laid back conversation that portrays Oboro much kinder than the game often does. I actually think Takumi comes off as a bit controlling, which is why retainers dating their masters is a bad idea, but overall it isn’t an awful support line.

Support: Corrin/Silas

C: Corrin asks Silas about why she doesn’t remember being friends with him and he brushes it off, because apparently everyone completely forgets about their childhood friend who was so devoted to them he became a knight for the slim chance he might see them again. Silas mentions that he and Corrin made a list of all the places she wanted to travel to and the two of them agree to go on a trip together.

B: Silas recreates the list from their childhood, which is filled with non-specific things like “a festival” and “a street food stall”. It’s actually a little cute. Corrin broods over why she can’t remember Silas and he tells her to ask her retinue, which is a word I had never seen before.

A: Corrin, after asking her retinue, reveals that she cried for days after they took Silas away. The two of them discuss how good friends they are.

S: Silas tells Corrin that she’s hot now and he loves her because she’s hot. He admits that Corrin’s out of his league, but they get married anyway because Corrin will have sex with anything with a pulse.

Review: So Silas is telling the truth? Really? He was so suspicious! This would have been much better if Silas was lying about his past and never knew Corrin. It at least would have had a resolution, as opposed to the half-hearted shrug that is this conversation. It set up a mystery and then just pretended it didn’t exist, which is infuriating.

Support: Hinata/Subaki

C: Hinata finds Subaki staring at his own reflection in love, because Subaki is literally a narcissist. As in, he’s doing the same shit Narcissus did that was so cartoonishly arrogant that the word narcissist is named after him. Also Subaki makes fun of Hinata for being a slob and agrees to teach him how to be more classy.

B: Subaki teaches Hinata basic cleanliness tips, like bathing, and combing your hair, and ironing your clothes. Hinata says that Subaki’s being ridiculous, and it’s framed as him being a slob, but I kinda think he’s right? The two of them are soldiers fighting behind enemy lines, they can afford to have wrinkled clothes.

A: Subaki recommends taking minor steps towards cleanliness.

Review: This is a mediocre, but ultimately harmless, fluff conversation that makes Subaki look like an asshole.

Birthright Chapter 11: To The Sea

The gang sails to Nohr. Takumi brings up the fact that Iago is probably a spy, but Corrin says she trusts him because, and I quote, he stood with us through one battle without stabbing anyone in the back. Such high standards our hero has.

Corrin says that she likes the sea and wants to buy a boat. The game better end with us getting that boat. Suddenly, the weather gets bad and the boat shakes. The ghost dude who killed Mikoto flies out of the water and attacks Azura. A battle begins against the ghost dude and an army of ghost pegasi riders. Weirdly, the ghost swordmaster dude isn’t actually an enemy in this map.

Early on in the battle, a new character named Reina shows up. She flies over to Corrin and explains that she was sent by Yukimura to help.She also brags about killing a shitload of enemies.

Reina

Reina, according to her unit text, is one of Mikoto’s retainers. She’s our first pre-promoted unit, an upgraded Sky Knight called a Kinshi Knight that can wield bows. I love the idea of flying anti-air units, but from what I remember they have bad growths. Design wise, I like that she has scars and looks a bit older than most of the female units. It establishes that she’s an experienced warrior. The halo thing is a bit weird though. Personality wise, she seems insanely violent, to the point of having a mini version of Lifetaker as her personal skill. But like, in a comedic way. Unfortunately, Reina only has supports with Corrin, which means she’s a bit of a throwaway character.

This was our obligatory Fire Emblem boat chapter. Stationed around the boat are Dragon Veins that create wind to keep the fliers at bay, but honestly I didn’t need them. I played this map defensively, bating the fliers with Rinkah or Silas then sniping them with Setsuna, Takumi, and our new flying death machine. Side note, what even is this ship? It’s covered and filled with market stalls, which I’ve never seen before.

After the battle, ghost dude, who we never actually fought and thus is still here, attacks Takumi. Zola sacrifices himself to protect Takumi and the ghost just kinda disappears. Sakura heals Zola’s wounds and Takumi apologizes for doubting him.

#fire emblem fates #fe 14 #fire emblem birthright #corrin fe #takumi fe #corrin x takumi #hinata fe #subaki fe #kagero fe #reina fe #iago fe #takumi x oboro

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yukiwrites · 4 years

Text

A Piece of Him, Towards a Brighter Future

Thanks for the support again, @ramannnn! This one hurt so good to write, I hope you like it >:Dc

Summary: Xander knows he will not live to see another day; not with the hoshidan forces led by Kamui reaching Krakenburg within the hour. The only thing he wants is to be able to die with one less regret... and hopes to confess and consumate his love with Theode, whom he longed for since their teenage years.

Commission info HERE and HERE!

_______________________________

The night felt darker to the eyes in Krakenburg castle that evening -- the mood of the inhabitants weighed heavily on the atmosphere due to the advance of the approaching hoshidans.

Kamui had chosen to stay in Hoshido and attack Nohr, the place that had welcomed her as one of its own. She turned her back on the people who thought of her as family, and now all of them were paying the price for considering her part of them.

Although the main bulk of the nohrian forces were attacking well into the hoshidan territory, Kamui was leading an elite force into the heart of Nohr -- a force composed of all members of the hoshidan royalty along with their most trusted retainers -- and she managed to breach every single security step Garon had erected so far.

Leo had retired into a self-reflecting pilgrimage after losing to her at the Woods of the Forlorn; Elise refused to leave her room since the previous night and Camilla -- Xander positioned his sister at the secret entrance in case the hoshidans would want to breach it instead of heading to the main gates.

But Xander knew that all of those attempts would also be fruitless; He could feel his own approaching demise.

He would be dead by Kamui's blade at that same time tomorrow and the only thing he could think of was the regrets he was going to leave behind. The words he never managed to say; the touches he forbade himself from enjoying -- the warmth of the person who had stolen his heart since their teenage days.

The Crown Prince sat behind his personal desk inside his room, fiddling with a tiny, velvety box into which contained the ultimate proof of his love for the one who had never left his side -- for the knight, friend and puppy love he had held for so long he had gotten complacent with it.

Theode.

Oh, how much he regretted! Knowing one would be dead in less than a day did unspeakable things to a man -- he could physically feel the weight of his regrets; of his unspoken feelings, so fiercely it made him lose his breath. The small, commissioned ring meant to Theode's finger sat inside the Crown Prince's drawer for so long it might've turned into part of the furniture by now.

And yet, it was precisely because those were his last moments in the same world as the one he loved that Xander felt his own, long-lingering feelings burn so strongly inside his chest.

A particular set of knocks brought Xander back to his own body, making him put away the ring inside the drawer it belonged before allowing the entry.

Theode's head popped inside, the very visage of her making Xander's heart jump in elation. Ah... how he loved her.

"I brought the tea I told you about, Your- ah, Xander." Her soft voice rang into the Crown Prince's ears, making him close his eyes to fully savor it within himself. Earlier, Theode had come in to check if Xander still needed her services only to find him still hard at work, so she had taken it upon herself to bring in a special brew of relaxing tea she usually drank by herself the night before a battle.

The fragrance was sweet, though the purple color could be concerning weren't Xander used to that side of Theode by now. "Thank you for your dedication as always, Theode." He gestured for her to come in as he dug himself further into the chair, listening to her approaching steps as she placed the tray atop his neatly arranged desk.

"You finished everything you were doing?" She contemplated, remembering how there were piles of documents in there less than an hour ago.

That was work he had anticipated for a few months from now -- whoever took the throne (Camilla, most likely) after his demise would be able to have a smooth first months of rule thanks to the paperwork he finished. There was also a will he locked deep into his own private study, but that one...

That one had another role for the time being.

"Indeed," he breathed out after a few moments of silence as he remembered the reason why he had done the paperwork in the first place, still savoring Theode's voice and the fragrance of her tea under his closed eyes. "Will you not drink with me?" He asked once she was done pouring a single cup, opening his eyes to meet with her dark ones.

Flinching, the knight stuttered. "Ah, well, I did bring another cup, but I didn't think I'd take too long in here..."

"Humor me, Theode." Xander gestured for her to sit down opposite of him as he took his own cup to his lips. "Mhm, your culinary skills are wonderful as always."

"Thank you..." Theode blushed, sheepishly pouring herself a cup and sitting on the chair closest to his desk so as to savor her drink. "It takes a few minutes to settle in, but it makes for a really restful night after your head hits the pillow."

Xander took another sip, "that would be lovely, although I do not think I shall sleep much tonight."

"Ah, um," Theode fidgeted with her cup, ultimately putting it back on the desk. She had always found herself drawn to Kamui's circumstances -- a foreign princess, locked up in a tower under the scrutiny of people who did not approve of her, though protected by the ones who loved her.

Theode was only familiar with the former situation -- the scrutiny of being different than your peers; of being a foreigner in a land into which discrimination was much too rooted. Her long, straight, dark hair and her deep dark eyes weren't appreciated as she grew up in nohrian soil -- not when she carried such obvious hoshidan traits.

Xander had been the first one to accept her for what she was, all those years ago when they were teenagers; ever since then, she had pledged her loyalty as well as her heart to him, though only one of those she would be able to publicly disclose.

They had rode side by side to many a battle; they had overcome many a challenge during this decade they've been together. But Theode could feel that tomorrow's battle was going to be different -- she could see the shadow of regret in Xander's face; the dark cloud of a defeated man that hung over his head.

It brought her unending agony. What could the mere Theode do to help a man so great as the Crown Prince? She was nothing! She had nothing.

The only thing she could think of was that stupid tea, but even that seemed to have been a bad idea, looking at how his cup was still half full even after complimenting it for appearance's sake. Theode felt like crying, but she wouldn't dare to expose her true feelings while Xander was carrying the weight of the entire Kingdom on his shoulders.

He had enough to worry about already.

"I see your habit of overthinking is still strong as ever," Xander commented as if in passing, swirling the beverage with the teaspoon before bringing it to his lips once again.

"A-ah? F-forgive me, Your Highness, I was spacing out." The knight shook her head vehemently, widening her eyes so she could look at him straight ahead. "Did you need me for something?"

"I always need you, Theode," he huffed a mirthless smile, placing the empty cup back on its saucer with a small clink. "However, what I do need right now is for you to call me not by my station, but by my name. Won't you?"

Blinking, Theode felt heat rise to her cheeks under the seriousness of Xander's eyes, quickly averting her gaze to collect the tea cup. "S-sure. I'm sorry, Xander. I just switch back to knight mode when I'm taken by surprise." Once her hand touched the porcelain, Xander's large, warm hand rubbed against hers, making her flinch inside her skin.

"That is fine," he chuckled, a more relaxing sound leaving his lips this time. He took her small fingers into his, both of their calloused hands that were well acquainted to holding a weapon unused to being so close to one another.

Her heart thundering inside her chest, Theode froze. Her face was burning with embarrassment while her mind tried to beat down any hopes of Xander reciprocating her feelings in spite of her own unworthy self. He must've simply noticed how nervous she was and wanted to comfort her, which was all.

Inside Xander's heart, however, there were so many things to say he didn't know where to begin. He knew he would forever regret not telling Theode anything tonight; even after his cold body had returned to the earth.

Ah... how much he had dreamed of a peaceful Nohr, ruled by him and Theode side by side -- to pass down a reformed Kingdom to their heirs and dream of the wonderful realm it would turn to under their rule.

Now, deep within his heart, Xander knew that Nohr would only be able to flourish under Kamui's revolutionary sword; he understood that. Garon was not the Father Xander had always hoped him to be, so he had to be put down by the one they've all labeled as traitor but who would be the one to save them instead. The Crown Prince wanted to see that realm come to fruition with Theode by his side; more than anything. But he had a duty to uphold; the call of blood he could not give his back to.

Yet, he couldn't help but want a single piece of himself to live on and witness such a bright future -- to at least attest that he was able to see part of his dream come true. He wanted a piece of him to stay, grow roots and be nurtured.

Be nurtured... by Theode.

"Will you listen to the first and last selfish request I have ever made in my life, Theode?" Xander said after a long while of simply caressing the knight's hand within his own.

Gulping, Theode felt like she was sweating buckets, but still managed to nod her head. "O-of course... If you're alright with me, then..."

"It can only be you." He squeezed their hold, making her squirm on her seat.

"T-then... go on."

Smiling ever so softly, the frown never truly leaving his forehead, Xander looked down to her thin fingers, imagining how wonderful the ring would look like in contrast to her skin. "I have drafted so many ways to tell you this; so many letters I used as kindling in shame; so many drowned words under rough nights... Yet, I cannot think of any other way to say it save from... I love you, Theode. I always have, from our young days until the day of my death."

Theode's hand grew cold immediately; her eyes widening in such scandalized shock she almost jerked herself away from him. "Wh-what are you saying, Xander? I- I can't be-" She tried to pull away from his hand, but it was as though her body didn't truly want to be apart from his. "I can't be with you of all people."

As though resigned to finishing what he started, Xander went up from his seat, never letting go of Theode's hand as he circled the desk towards her -- which made her get up in a hurry and lose her balance, falling on his chest once he was right in front of her. "Is it because you despise me as a man so that the thought never crossed your mind, or because you do not see yourself as a nohrian despite your noble name?"

Her insides squirming in panic, Theode almost stopped breathing. How could he had noticed? She had never told anyone about it- about how her foreign appearance had gained her more than a few scars, both mental and physical; about how out of place and unworthy she felt. She looked down to her feet, her head bumping on his chest from how close he was to her. "I-I'll only bring you disgrace if we're seen together. I would rather-"

"Look at me, Theode." Xander grasped her shoulders, bringing heat back into her cold body. "Look at me as Xander the man, not the Crown Prince." The thick layer of desperation due to his looming fate made Xander's eyes an inescapable prison: Theode couldn't turn her gaze away from him; not anymore.

"I, ah, I..." She babbled, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Of course she would love to look past his station to the man she had adored for over a decade! But how could she proudly say she wanted him to love her when she knew how harshly the people would take their union? She couldn't bring him that sort of pain! "I can't, I'm not- worthy of you..."

"Oh, Theode," Xander slowly wrapped his arms around her body, enveloping her into his warmth. "I love you so deeply; it breaks my heart to see that you put yourself down like that. The woman I love needs only to be the recipient of my affection -- anything else matters not."

Usually, he would've said that they would need to build a future into which her roots didn't matter, but he couldn't look into something that wouldn't happen. He couldn't promise her something he would snatch from her in less than a day.

But what he could do was promise to love her until the moment he drew his last breath -- he would bring his love for her etched deep into his soul, wherever it would go after his passing.

"I love you, Theode. Won't simply that matter, for now?" He pulled away just enough for their eyes to meet, placing a tuft of hair behind her ear.

Sniffling, Theode's face was red from both embarrassment and from holding back her breath lest she started wailing the moment she opened her mouth. "I- oh, Xander... I love you, too!" She sobbed into his chest, finally reciprocating the hug.

The first genuine smile Xander's lips had sprouted since a long time ago brightened his face, making him dig his face deep into Theode's shoulder to deepen their hug. "Will you listen to my selfish request, dear, Theode?"

"O-of course," she replied between sobs, her voice muffled by his strong chest. "Anything, Xander."

"Will you let me hold you tonight?" He whispered right into her ear, his body heat almost burning her through her clothes. "It would make me the happiest man of the world to be able to share this, ah, important night with the one who is most important to me."

Xander could actually feel Theode's face and neck grow hotter with embarrassment, which stole a chuckle out of him. A few seconds passed until she resolved to tighten her hug around him and nod silently, unable to utter the words.

"Thank you, my love; forgive me for being so hasty." He kissed her temple before picking her up on his arms to direct her to the bed. Theode let out a yelp, quickly hiding her face under both hands once she felt the soft mattress under her. "Will you look at me?" he asked softly, taking one hand out of her face to kiss its palm.

"I'm- I- I don't know what to do-" She confessed, her heart beating so loudly she thought it would surely explode out of her chest sooner rather than later.

"Shh," he trailed his kisses from her hand to her arm, then to her neck, cheek and finally lips. He lingered over them for a moment, taking in the emotion of finally being able to taste them before asking for entrance with his tongue. He gurgled a chuckle once she shyly opened her mouth to let him in, a moan dying in the back of her throat.

Slowly did her body melt the longer the kiss turned -- Xander carefully placed himself atop of her, making sure her back was comfortable under the pillows before slowly setting on to kiss her entire being. He unbuttoned her coat as she gripped onto his shoulders as if she needed to dig her nails into something to place herself into reality.

Moaning once she was only in her underwear, Theode grew conscious of her scars and tried to hide them, only to have Xander take one of her hands to his chest -- to his thumping heart. "I have never been so overjoyed as I am at this moment, my love. Do not hide yourself from me." He huffed hungrily, diving into a deep kiss that robbed Theode of her breath, shame and thoughts altogether.

She rolled her eyes in pleasure as he trailed his tongue over each scar he could reach, placing tender kisses over them all, accepting them into himself as Theode cried tears of joy. To think it would be this overwhelmingly satisfying to be touched by the man you loved! "I-I love you so much," she confessed as he reached her underwear, making her squirm with his hot breath by the thin cloth that protected her innermost part from view.

"So do I, my love," he replied, pulling down the underwear with one hand, kissing her pubes right after. "So do I."

Theode let out a tiny 'eek' once Xander's tongue rolled around her labia, making her squeeze his hair under her strong nails as her body pleaded for him and only him. "I, ah-" she bit her lower lip lest she let her voice out too much, but it only spurred Xander's actions more.

He licked his way back onto her bosom, then towards her neck and finally lips, using one hand to free his erection and prod it at her vaginal opening. "Bit my shoulder if it hurts and I shall stop." He positioned her between himself, kissing her temple as he slowly slid himself into her -- being welcomed by her moist, hot and pulsating insides.

"Xand-ah..." Theode squeezed her eyes shut, digging her nails into his back, to mark him for eternity as he slid it all in, until their crotches were touching.

"Theode, oh, my love..." He bemoaned as he felt her welcoming insides twitched around him, wanting him to never leave. Little by little did he pull it out, forcing Theode to feel the void he left behind in his wake before filling it back up again -- faster and faster with each thrust, making her entire being melt to welcome his full might.

"Ahn-it- ah..." Unable to voice coherent thoughts, Theode felt herself closing in around him sooner than one would expect -- being her first time and all -- but Xander welcomed the experience, kissing her deeply so she wouldn't let out her voice to anyone's ears but his.

He would love her until they didn't have any more strength in their bodies; he would kiss her until her lips turned numb.

He would make her the happiest woman for the one night, and leave with the ring lest she finds it once he's gone.

If the memory of this night remains with her until the last of her days, that will be the proof that part of Xander lived to see the peaceful times that followed his death.

And that was all he wanted.

#my writings #xander #fatesona #fire emblem fates #yuki's commissions #a sin a day keeps the thirst at bay

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someobscurereference · 4 years

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im hoping i dont sound super rude here but why do you like modern au fics so much? i typically prefer canon settings, or if the setting of a work is in our world, for there to be some fantastical element to it - something like your modern trio au. i know a lot of people like modern aus but to me theyve always seemed kind of boring in comparison.

As a reader, I don’t necessarily love Modern AUs more than any other AUs, I think! (Although there are a lot of subsets within the genre of Modern AU that I am partial or not so partial to that exist as well. For example, Coffee Shop AU or High School AU? Meh. Don’t care very much. Soulmate AU that takes place in a modern setting? Oh, let’s go!) Fantasy and horror are my favorite genres, so I also agree that I love reading fics where there is a “fantastical element” to it. (Like, the reason I love Modern Trio Living In Nohr AU is because I get to let the Trio react to all the wacky magical FE stuff exactly the way I, a modern woman living in the year 2020, would react, and that’s fun to me).

As a writer, things are a bit trickier. Modern AUs make things easier on me in a lot of ways because I don’t have to worry about writing dialogue a certain way all the time. (For example, I don’t think there’s a huge difference between the way FE Fates characters talk and the way modern characters would talk--at least not compared to other fandoms that might have to talk in Ye Old English, I think--but when it’s not a comedy, I make an effort to make Canon Dialogue sound a little more formal and in-line with what I think the game dialogue sounds like. Canon Retainer Laslow talking to Xander The Crown Prince would sound and act different than Laslow The Regular Guy who works at a dance studio and ran into Xander, The CEO Dude But Not Literal Royalty he’s getting to gradually know. There’s less barriers there, although perhaps some new barriers that would be neat to think about too. When I write canon and have to keep canon events/dialogue style/dynamics in line, it takes a bit more effort on my part. Which is not too much extra effort and it can be really rewarding to explore those things, but a lot of my unfinished fic has ended up being canon setting stuff because fic plot in general can already be tricky, especially if I’m trying to balance that other stuff on top of it. When I write non-canon compliant stuff, there’s not as much pressure to be. Well. Canon compliant!)

(Also. Big confession here. I love Owain/Odin. He’s my absolute fave. But!! I hate writing his dialogue so much because it’s often so off the wall and dramatic, and I feel I often pale in comparison to his canon dialogue. Like, the reader can tell I’m trying too hard, and I can always tell it isn’t exactly correct. So I often use any excuse to get out of doing it. But that’s such a big part of his character! I can’t just avoid it! I’m lucky because whenever canon setting Leo is in a scene, I can use the excuse that he makes Odin talk “normally” with him. With a modern world, I get a little more leeway with that, and I use that excuse every chance I get.)

tl;dr When I change the canon setting to a modern setting, I get to tweak behavior and dialogue so they’re easier on myself as the modern person writing it. (Also, excuses like cars or phones come in handy a lot.)

Additionally! It’s not that I love writing Modern AU as a default. But!! A lot of tropes I really enjoy fit into a Modern AU setting easier than canon setting for me.

For example: Reincarnation AU! I’ve written a few of those and enjoy them greatly. While a Reincarnation AU could absolutely happen in a canon setting--say, 20 or even 100 years post-canon--I feel like I would have to account for a bunch of gradual changes that happen over time, in that case. What does Nohr look like in 20 years? 50 years? 100 years? What does Hoshido look like? How has technology changed? Who is in charge? What do inter-kingdom relations look like? Do people remember the war as it actually happened still? Why would Trio be reincarnated in Nohr instead of Ylisse? Why would Nohr native characters have been reincarnated in Ylisse vs Nohr? I think these questions would be fascinating to answer! But I’m also... very lazy sometimes, OTL. And sometimes I feel uncreative and unsatisfied with my own explanations/justifications for things. If I want to write Reincarnation AU, it’s just way easier on me as the writer to make it a modern setting, even if I’m missing out on other interesting concepts I could be exploring as well. This holds true for other tropes I like to write as well.

tl;dr2: As a reader, I like to read a variety! As a writer, it’s often easier on me to write a modern setting rather than a canon one. I like writing canon stuff a lot too, but I feel like I often have to juggle a little more with them, and that’s why most of my unfinished work is in canon settings.

If you’re not a fan of modern AUs, however, there’s nothing wrong with that! It’s just not your cup of tea.

I hope that makes sense! :D

#my text #my writing #asks #long post

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astraseason · 4 years

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𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻

repost, don’t reblog !

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

full name. princess araceli of hoshido, nohr, & valla. pronunciation. ah-ra-selly. nicknames. ara, celi, little princess, traitor. height. 5′5″. age. physically 22, mentally 300+ due to several repetitions of the hoshidan-nohrian conflict. zodiac. leo. languages. common, nohrian, hoshidan.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair colour. periwinkle blue. eye colour. red. skin tone. pale and rosy-cheeked. body type. petite and slender, with lightly toned muscles. some slight curves. accent. early on, araceli spoke with a distinct nohrian accent. over the years -- from her perspective, at any rate -- she has since lost it. dominant hand. ambidextrous, but favours her right hand. posture. straight and proper, befitting a princess. she has a habit of slouching when alone, though. tattoos. none. most noticeable features. pointed ears, her left eye is missing and has been replaced with a glass one. she is uncomfortable with displaying the false eye, however, and covers it up with a black eyepatch. almost always wears a big, silver butterfly hairpin. occasionally, dragon horns, a tail, or some other draconic appendage.

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth. the kingdom of valla. hometown. unknown; though likely valla’s capital. birth weight / height. unknown. first words. likely ‘mama’ or ‘papa’. siblings. lilith ( younger biological sister, self sired by anankos or in the case of canon divergence mothered by mikoto ), any other custom my units ( can be older or younger, but always her biological sibling ), high prince ryouma, princess hinoka, prince takumi, princess sakura ( hoshidan step-siblings ), crown prince xander, princess camilla, prince leo, princess elise ( nohrian “adopted” siblings ). parents. anankos ( biological father, first dragon, will eventually die by araceli’s hand ), mikoto ( second princess of valla & later queen of hoshido, deceased ), king sumeragi of hoshido ( stepfather, deceased ), king garon of nohr ( “adoptive” father, disowned ) parental involvement. uh. let’s see here. biological father sent her and her mother away from valla to prevent them getting caught up in his degeneration... and set her up to be the one to kill him in the end, to the point of meddling with time magic to ensure his defeat. her time with her mother and stepfather was cut short thanks to garon ambushing sumeragi, murdering him, and kidnapping her. he then proceeded to quite literally beat any traces of hoshido out of her to the point where he had her memory wiped entirely, and even then continued to be abusive. when she finally got to reunite with her mother over a decade later, mikoto was murdered before her eyes. so uh... i’d say they weren’t really involved in her life.

ADULT LIFE

occupation. princess of hoshido/nohr/valla, commander of the united hoshidan & nohrian army. in the postgame, she becomes either the unwilling queen or an ambassador of valla. current residence. upon refusing to pick a side in the hoshidan-nohrian conflict she becomes a vagabond, later the rebuilt kingdom of valla. close friends. aqua, felicia, lilith. i want to say jakob too, but he makes her very uncomfortable nowadays... relationship status. verse dependent, but typically single. she will not get romantically involved with anyone in the birthright or conquest timelines. the pain of losing that relationship to a timeline reset and the other party not remembering anything of it is too painful for her to bear. financial status. despite being a princess of two ( three, really ) kingdoms, not very wealthy thanks to her decision to remain neutral. driver’s license. in modern verses, yes. jakob might act as a chauffeur, though... i don’t think much about modern aus tbh. criminal record. "treason”, if you want to consider refusing to pick a side in a war treason. xander and ryouma sure did. plays it straight in birthright or conquest, given she is picking a side there.

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation. pansexual. romantic orientation. panromantic. preferred emotional role. submissive | dominant | switch | unsure I equal preferred sexual role. submissive | dominant | switch | sex repulsed libido. this is a sfw blog, so we’re done talking about this. turn ons. kindness & intelligence. tends to gravitate towards people she feels she can take care of, perhaps out of a desperate desire to “do something right”, but also has a weakness for ‘knights in shining armour’. turn offs. being an irredeemable dick. that’s... honestly it. if you’re not the best person out there but you’re willing to put in the work to better yourself as a person, she’ll give you a chance. she also finds jakob’s almost obsessive devotion incredibly off-putting and scary, though that’s more a problem specific to him. love language. words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch in the case of family or a significant other only. relationship tendencies. a little too self-sacrificing and slow to lower her walls, but incredibly affectionate and loyal. has difficulty accepting that her significant other actually does love her, however, due to the trauma she has endured... or that she even deserves the affection to begin with. but she will still move mountains for them.

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song. arsonist’s lullaby - hozier, no light, no light - florence + the machine, point of no return - starset. hobbies to pass the time. reading, sleeping, busywork around camp. mental illnesses. undiagnosed anxiety, ptsd, & depression. physical illnesses. n/a. left or right brained. right brained. fears. going underground, xander, takumi, jakob, making important decisions, abandonment, being misunderstood, losing control of her draconic form, anankos, garon, her immortality, being seen as property or a possession. self confidence level. practically nonexistent. vulnerabilities. dragonslaying weapons.

tagged by:@stormsiris tagging: you, if you haven’t done it yet.

#✽ ― 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. ﹙araceli | study.﹚#✽ ― 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. ﹙araceli | headcanon.﹚#long post //#✽ ― 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐬. ﹙dash games.﹚#ngl my brain started going foggy halfway through this so i might go back and edit it later #but this works for now

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giratinalove3 · 5 years

Text

Different Mom prompts for Siegbert

Nobody asked of this from me but I’m going to do it anyways because Siegbert is undeniably one of my favorite characters in Fates and probably Fire Emblem. And I’m going to do one for Shiro next. ———————————————————— •Peri: He got ot her amazing cooking skills and a bit of her temper. And is a lot more bloodthirsty when it comes to fighting. Though he destests needless death, he’s not okay with innocent lives being taken for unjust reasons. He’s most likely to throw objects at people when he’s mad. Is probably one of the most hardest cryers, like Peri, out of the Siegberts. Outsiders can’t hurt him when they say something, unless they are about his mother; he will eviscerate them. ——————————————————— •Selena: He’s slightly more petty and sarcastic. One time he was feeling particularly petty he named one of his swords Xanfried to get back at his father for nameing him after his sword (though he soon learned that’s wasn’t the reason for the origin of his name. He still kept the name Xanfried for his sword though). He’s insecure about how his red hair looks on him. Is slightly a compulsive shopper. Which annoys his father to no end that both his wife and son love to go shopping. ———————————————————— •Effie: He’s undeniably one of the strongest versions of Siegbert. He likes to push himself to the limit. He is the most self-conscious about his body than other versions of himself since he works out so much; To bad puberty is weird stage of life that messes up your body. Can definitely out bench Xander, which makes Xander both proud and scared of his own son. He stress workouts and probably loves food(minus Azura Version) the most. Can likely crush a skull with ease with just his elbow. ———————————————————— •Corrin: He has more of lighter outlook on life(though the Xander part of his puts a damper on that). Is disappointed in himself that he can’t trasform like his brother or mother. When he does transform for the first time he will most likely scream then find it to be fun in a dragons body and runs for a little while before he collapses due to exhaustion. Is crazy protective over his brother. Sometimes when angry he snarls showing his teeth unconsciously letting his dragon claw grow. Is the most pacifistic out of the Siegberts. He trust people more often which gets him hurt a lot(both mentally and physically). Acts like a total cat when he’s happy; Purring, rubbing his head on you, sometimes you can even hear a little tiny baby mew. ———————————————————— •Nyx: Has very low immunity to magic which makes his constantly sick (explains his bad stats). He wants to wield Siegfried so, so badly but easily starts to get sick when constantly being near the divine weapon; He works hard to overcome this. He does know that his parents don’t want him to wield Siegfried for this very reason; he acts like it doesn’t bother him but it really does. Has the lowest self-esteem out of all of them. He has shown great magical prowess towards the dark arts. ———————————————————— •Beruka: He’s the most paranoid. He is also the least expressive. He has thought of every possible attempt on his life and has a very dark outlet of the world around him, for his mother drilling into him that since he’s the crown prince he’s a high target and once he becomes king he will have to constantly look behind his shoulder. Keep friends close and enemies closer after all. (Sorry there isn’t a lot, I don’t really ship Beruka and Xander together). ———————————————————— •Azura: Has the best singing voice out of all the Siegberts,though he’s to shy too demonstrate it. Like his mom, has to be bribed into coming to social event. He doesn’t want to take the throne but since Shigure has shown clear signs that he CLEARLY doesn’t want to be king leaves only him to become the king. He hates everything having to do with social events. Is a total wall flower that has extreme social anxiety that will be that one introvert at the party that stays near to food and drinks. ———————————————————— •Felica: Is the most clumsy- DEAR GOD HE DID IT AGAIN!😱 DON’T WORRY OTHER MOTHER or sister HAS COME TO SAVE YOU! He doesn’t have a good grasp on his height; Constantly hits his head on the door frames, walks into low hanging lights, trips on his own legs or trips someone with his legs, accidentally runs into door frames or walls, etc. Tries to keep his powers in check, seriously the boy’s hands are always freezing (LIKE ME BECAUSE IM A WALKING CORPOSE IN THE REAL WORLD) a room always has to be pre-heated before he enters because it gets cold real quick. Forrest makes everyone wear sweaters when entering into his cousin’s room. He gets hot extremely quickly. Doesn’t have a good grasp at how cold he can get let alone feel the cold weather natural or magic related. The only good that has come to the poor boy is that he has a very high pain tolerance. ———————————————————— •Charolette:He has the biggest lying and manipulative streak out of all the other versions. Fits in best with court. He also has his own version of Charrolette’s creepy smile, his is less harsh but it can still freak people out. Cares most about his looks, always keeping up with the lastest trend. Is the least trusting of people and doesn’t like opening to those that will abuse that power against him and shows his true colors sparingly. Like Effie!Siegbert, can out bench Xander, but not as much as Effie!Siegbert. ———————————————————— •Mozu: This Siegbert has his own garden and enjoys the slower pace of life. He serves foreign dignitaries some salad from his garden. Sometimes slips into Hoshidan when he’s either excited or lying. He has freckles on his face and his ma loves to call them angels kisses. He can out bench Xander but he can’t out becnh Mozu. He has a Saint Bernard and a lot of little annoying birds that come stop by Krakenburg from time to time. Hates those who talks bad or does bad things to the lower class. ———————————————————— •Hinoka: He trains the most out of all the Sieggy’s. Is probably the harshest in himself when it comes to training. Has to physically be stopped to end training. Has the shortest temper out of the Siegs. Doesn’t as along as well with his Hoshidan cousins as Sakura!Siegbert. Butts heads with Shiro a lot. Stubborn as hell. Headstrong. Has a bit to much pride to be healthy, though he isn’t cocky. (Also don’t really ship Hinoka and Xander together) ———————————————————— •Sakura: Got her stutter. Extremely shy. Can’t be bribed as easily into coming to social events. Extreme social anxiety. Gets along best with Shigure. Tried to play to koto but was bad at it and hasn’t tried to play an instrument since. ———————————————————— •Oboro: He’s always updated with the latest fashion in both Hoshido and Nohr. Knows how to sew. Takes pride in both his cultures. Has a different version of Oboro’s demon face, only shows it to people he truly despises (haters of Nohr or Hoshido will see his wrath, people who talk bad about the lower class, those who abuse their power, etc) ———————————————————— The one thing all these boys have in common is that they are total mama’s boys and would do anything for their mothers.I got really lazy on the last few.

#Siegbert #Selena #Charlotte #Effie #Beruka #Xander #Mosul #Obote #Hinoka #Sakura #Felica #Azura #Corrin #Nyx #Peri #why can’t the enter button work on this cite?#FE #Fire Emblem Fates #FE14

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victim-on-main · 5 years

Note

Yandere takumi x reader where he discovers his love is in a secret relationship

Surprisingly, he doesn’t take it very well. I hope you enjoy the drabble, anon!

It was a special day.

It had been exactly one year since you’d first started dating your boyfriend Lucian- one year since he’d finally worked up the courage to confess his feelings, shyly, under the moonlight like something out of a romance story. You’d never been one to celebrate anniversaries before him, but- it seems special, with him.

The only hard part was that no one else could know. The two of you had decided early on that no one could know anything about your relationship- for one reason in particular. Takumi.

Takumi was one of the princes of Hoshido, one of the best archers in the entire army, and, to everyone else, a very esteemed and respectable royal. He was also entirely obsessed with you.

You weren’t sure exactly when or how it started- he hadn’t seemed to like you at all at first, actually, and then one day it was just the opposite. He’d confessed to you first, before you’d even met Lucian, in a grand, romantic gesture, over a candlelit dinner he’d prepared himself, with flowers and declarations of love.

It made you… uncomfortable. Of course you’d accepted the invitation to dinner- he was a prince, after all, and your comrade. But you hadn’t expected anything like this, and you didn’t know how to deal with it. You turned him down, as politely as you could under the circumstances.

That should have been the end of it- but it wasn’t. He kept spending time around you, and at first you were glad that you could stay friends, but it became clear pretty quickly that he hadn’t accepted your rejection, alternating between pretending that you were in a relationship- that you hadn’t rejected him at all- and trying to impress you, win you over to him with grand romantic gestures.

He reacted badly whenever you spent too much time with anyone, even just friends or family. Neither you nor Lucian wanted to figure out how he would react to you being in a relationship with someone else. And what else could you do? Tell someone? It would be your word against the word of a prince, and a respected soldier.

No, for now, you both decided it was best to keep things a secret.

It was night, now, and the moon was high in the sky- it looked an awful lot like the night Lucian had first confessed to you.

It was time to go.

You push open your window, and swing your legs over, dropping down outside. You don’t bother propping your window open as you leave- tonight, you’re not coming back.

What better night to run away together than tonight, the night of your anniversary? Everything you have is in a bag you carry at your side, and you left a note atop your pillow before you left- explaining everything, but excluding Takumi’s role. You don’t want anyone to worry about you.

You’re meeting Lucian at your normal meeting place, by the lake, and from there you’ll head north together. Somewhere new, where the two of you won’t have to hide, and where you can start a new life.

It’s going to be perfect.

It doesn’t take you long to get there- you know the path by now like the back of your hand now, tracing through tall trees and past a rocky outcropping, just before you break through the line of trees to the lakeside. Your spot is somewhat secluded despite its location on the lakeside, mostly shielded from view by dense underbrush with just a small area of clearing where the two of you have spent many late nights sitting up and talking, laughing, and just- being together.

He’s not there when you get there, so you set your bag on the ground and sit down. It’s not often you get there first, but it does happen- especially tonight, he might be taking extra time with getting everything prepared.

It’s a windy night, and the leaves on the trees and bushes around you rustle loudly, filling the night with noise. You don’t hear him approaching until you hear a branch snap, and you’re not alone anymore.

The sound came from behind you, and you stand, turning around with a smile on your face.

Your smile drops quickly. A pit of dread forms in your stomach in its place.

Lucian isn’t the one standing opposite you in your clearing, not tonight. The man standing there is exactly the last person you wanted to see- Takumi. His clothes are a bit mussed from the trek through the forest, and there’s dirt on his pants, but other than that he looks exactly as he always does. His bow is in his hands.

In the shadows of the clearing, his eyes look pitch black.

“Waiting for someone?” He asks. You swallow hard.

“Just out for a walk,” you answer, lamely. No one is convinced.

He nods at your bag, still on the ground beside you. “You’re pretty well packed, for ‘just a walk.’” He toys with the bow in his hands. “Besides, you shouldn’t be out here so late. It’s dangerous to walk alone at night.”

Your anxiety is building, and you realize there’s no point in playing dumb. “Where’s Lucian?”

“Funny you should ask, I just ran into him earlier tonight. Seems like he was planning on going somewhere too- he had a bag just like yours.”

“Takumi, what did you do?”

He shrugs, all too casual for you while you verge on a panic attack. Your chest feels tight, and it’s getting hard to breathe. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Your plan was supposed to be perfect. “We talked. He had some things to tell me, apparently,” he takes a step forward, and you take a step back in response. He steps forward again, and you try to take another step back only to find yourself pressed up against the trunk of a tree. Quickly, you try to spin to the side and run, to get out of there, but Takumi is faster- his arms are on either side of you against the trunk, caging you in. You can’t stop the whimper that escapes you as you take in your situation. You didn’t have your knife on you- god, why didn’t you have your knife on you?

You don’t look at him, keeping your eyes fixed on the ground. He doesn’t let you avoid his gaze for long, though, grabbing your chin roughly and forcing you to meet his eyes. His fingers are sticky against your skin, and deliriously you know it’s blood- Lucian’s blood.

“I didn’t think you were the kind of person to cheat on me, Y/N,” he mutters, and the barely contained fury is obvious in his voice.

“I did- I didn’t- we’re not…” We’re not in a relationship, you try to say, but your breath is coming short now and you can’t make the words come out. You’re shaking, and you’re certain you wouldn’t even be standing were it not for Takumi.

He shushes you in a way you think is meant to be soothing, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to your forehead. His free hand comes to stroke your side, like he’s soothing a scared animal.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he whispers in your ear. You shudder. “I’ve taken care of it. He won’t bother us anymore.”

“No…” you whimper, despair hitting you all at once like a wave, only to be ignored as he continues.

“I forgive you. You still have to be punished, Y/N, but I forgive you, it’s okay.” He draws back some, smirking at you. “It was good of you to leave that note,” he says. “And packing all your things up. Now we don’t have to worry about anyone coming looking for you.”

“You made this so easy for me.”

#yandere #male yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere drabble #yandere imagines #yandere fire emblem #fire emblem #takumi #fire emblem takumi #Anonymous

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nowis-scales · 3 years

Text

Rating: Mature Audiences

General Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide

Fandoms: Fire Emblem IF/Fire Emblem Fates

Relationships: Romantic relationships will be added as the story progresses — M/F, F/F, & M/M all included

Additional Tags: Revelation Route, Childhood Abandonment, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Family Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Therapy, Post-Canon, World Building, Character Death, No Deeprealms

Chapter Word Count: 4,109 words

Summary: High Prince Ryoma of Hoshido, now dubbed his majesty, was always believed to be the perfect leader and big brother. But when a long-standing lie is exposed following the Silent War, the perfect shell reveals a self-destructive interior. Now, broken and vulnerable, Ryoma finds himself having to learn to be more than a blade forged in war’s fires. Between political clashes, family conflict, and scars left by a lifetime of pain, there are more than just a few things that need taking care of in the wake of the war… and it’s hard for the king to accept that he just might be one of them.

Read it on AO3

Chapter 1: Hanging Balance

June 11th

In one fell swoop, I have made my worst nightmare come alive.

Everyone I know and love hates me.

If they don’t yet, I am certain they will soon. After all, if I can make so many people hate me so rapidly, it must be another thing in my life that I am naturally skilled at. Not nearly as charming as lying and manipulating, I’m sure, but still something that ruins me nonetheless. There is nothing quite like your youngest brother, whom you have raised like you were his father since he was three, telling you that he hates you with the fire he used to grant only to your enemies. Perhaps the sight of your youngest sister’s tear-stained cheeks might compare, or the eldest sister’s face that turned as red hot as her hair as she screams at you. If you’re lucky, it might even be your sister – sorry, step-sister – telling you that you are a lying asshole.

I’m not proud of who I am. I have not been for a long time. I don’t have it within my person to say that I am deserving of a single thing I have. I am well aware of how much misery I am owed, in spite of all of the pleasures the Dawn Dragon blesses upon me. I suppose I just… scarcely realized how much damage I have done to the people who love me. Sometimes I forget how selfish I can be. Some might argue that as a crown prince who gave up childhood, autonomy, and love, I have some right to behave in a selfish manner. They would paint me as martyr; a man who has given everything he has to his people… A falsehood. Propaganda to idealize the royal family, just as the people of Hoshido have always done. My family knows me for who I really am. Especially now that they know what I am really like. How long might it be until the rest of the country knows, too?

I thought I did the right thing. Bad people always say that, don’t they? I suppose it’s fitting. Not telling Corrin what I knew about her parentage just felt like the least I could do for Father. I certainly thought it was, considering that I’d already been so useless to him as he lay dying. Was it so wrong to want to protect a dead man’s wish? He trusted me with the information, and told me not to tell another soul. Knowing what I know about my sister, I thought everything would be alright. If it ever came up, I assumed that she would forgive me, because Father willed it so. Because it was Father’s wish, and that I had already failed him as a son that day in Cheve, and I was just doing the least I could do to protect what he left behind. Of all people, I expected Corrin to understand. It was a horrible shock to me when she failed to, and instead shifted the blame onto me.

“You are not the victim,” The prince mutters to himself, glaring at the inked words of his sorrow, “This is what everyone meant when they called you manipulative. Nobody feels sorry for you. You should not feel sorry for yourself, either. You do not deserve pity.”

Perhaps that’s not the right way of putting things. I do not think myself as blameless in the situation as I once did. If I held the secret of her parentage from her until the right moment after her return, and used it as something important for her to know that Mother couldn’t share… I imagine it would have been fine. Takumi and Sakura had been alright when we told them that Mother wasn’t biologically ours. I thought perhaps Corrin might be the same, should I ever have decided to tell her the truth. If our paths in life had been different, perhaps I might have, but... Such a situation could only have come together if Corrin had simply sided with Hoshido in the first place. That’s what I wanted then, yet I do not feel as if I should fault that decision for peace now. As horrified as I am by the events of tonight, there is much that I feel I managed to protect by following the path Corrin chose.

Ryoma’s hands tremble as he stares at the page. It’s hard to know what he should say. Words have never come easily to him in conversation, and almost never when it comes to talking about his feelings. Writing is better. Still hard, but better. Especially right now, when all his nerves are jumbled. He can barely ignore the pounding of his heart in his ears, and the lump in his throat that feels much too strong. For the first time in a long time, he’s afraid he might actually burst into tears.

I wish Corrin had never been forced to make that choice. I would not have said what I said if that were the case. I would not have hurt her the way I hurt her if I did not have to convince her to stay. She has always been my sister. I have always loved her. Even knowing what Father knew, she’s always been mine. I never thought of her as anything different. The secrets, and the kidnapping, and the years spent apart did not change that for me. I could never have imagined that thinking of her as my own flesh and blood would be the problem. Gods, I don’t even remember what I said that day.

How pathetic does someone have to be, to lie to a book?

“You would discard your true family and side with those who stand against us?”

He very much remembers, although he wishes he didn’t. How had he said that so comfortably that day? The pressure of those words on his lips now created a pounding in his temples. Was he going to break down, or was he just… hurt? Confused? They felt right at the time, but bad things so often do. Were they full of malice, or was it fear that drove him that day? Surely, he could at least convince himself that the words were not a calculated move. It was certainly possible to be accidentally manipulative… Maybe not for him, though. He knows he should own this if he ever wants to get better, but it’s hard to admit that he’s done something wrong. He’s not used to it.

I suppose I did lie to her. Not as plainly as she made it seem, but she is not exactly wrong. It’s comical, almost – Scarlet used to tell me that I had these honest eyes. “When I look at you, Ryoma, I just trust you,” She told me once, with the loose lips of a drunk, “Everyone can just take one look and see that you’ve got good intentions. I knew that the day you first came to Cheve looking for help.” She misread me. It hurts me to think that I am not the person she thought I was. If she were still alive, she would be disappointed in me. Perhaps she’d even hate me, like all of the others do.

I truly, genuinely thought I did the right thing. The thought of Corrin returning to Nohr drove me mad. There was this… pain that I remember. Something that shot straight through my chest when she first said she would side with neither Nohr nor Hoshido. I recognized the feeling in some way. It mirrored the pain I feel after a nightmare, my heartbeat running rampant. At the time, the situation laid before us encompassed my being so greatly that I ignored it. Every word Corrin said, I clung to. My whole chest squeezed tight, and for a minute or so, it felt as if my head was spinning. I almost couldn’t keep my bearings as I tried to stare down the face of Prince – no, King – Xander; I loathed the idea of letting him know I was faltering.

I remember wanting to reach out. I wanted to take hold of somebody’s hand, as if to steady myself. Not that having anyone there would have done me any good anyway. I remember how numb my hands felt. My palms were slicked with sweat from proximity to Raijinto, but I could barely feel it. It was as if all sensation in them had just gone away. My mind raced. Do I even remember what I was thinking? All I can recall is being afraid that Corrin was going to turn her back on us. The thought repeated like a mantra; it swirled in a constant loop. I’m not certain that I could tell you any more of what I said. I know that it is pathetic of me to not remember, yet I cannot recall. All I recall is being afraid. Gods, I don’t know why.

Ryoma slouches, and thinks maybe it’s time that he tosses the brush aside. Most of the time, recording his thoughts makes him feel better, but it seems to only be getting worse this time around. His head is throbbing, and there’s still this awful lump in his throat, and these irritating tears that are threatening to spill from his eyes because gods forbid, he confronts this without manipulating something somehow! Even with no one around to convince or play for a fool, he still finds ways to cause trouble. How pathetic is he? His hands curl into fists, and he feels the urge to hit something.

No. He should keep writing. Mother always said it was better to use words than violence to sort things out.

I wish I had someone to talk to. As I said before, I have always been a better writer than speaker, but to have someone who would answer back would be nice. Give me some advice, tell me who I am… At the moment, I must admit that I have no clue. It’s all wishful thinking, however. All of my siblings are angry with me. Even Sakura seemed disappointed in me; she was so unwilling to meet my gaze. Kagero is not better. She’s the only retainer that I have as of right now, but I know she won’t give me the answers I need. She’s more likely to convince me to interpret it for myself, but if tonight has proven anything… I should not be allowed to do that. Part of me supposes that I could try to ask Felicia for her time, or perhaps Jakob, but they are both affiliated with Corrin, who is angry with me. The same goes for all of my siblings’ retainers, but Jakob and Felicia are actually probably the worst bet. Jakob, I know would sooner spit in my face than talk to me, and Felicia… well, she and I are close, but she can hold her anger. I doubt she’d be willing to say a word. She’d looked so heartbroken when she heard what I did. Who could blame her? I’m horribly disappointed in myself too.

I really do wonder if I should be disappointed, though. After all, I’m the fool who did this to myself. I’ve known since I was a child that something was wrong with me; there was just always some part of me that refused to believe it. What kind of child makes his mother kill herself? What kind of child does nothing when his sister is taken, and his father slaughtered before his eyes? What kind of man watches his step-mother, who raised him knowing he was a flagitious creature, die and rather than avenging her, is beaten back by her murderer? What kind of man lies to his little sister to get her to do what he wants, and attempts to hurt her when things do not go his way? I’m horrible. I’m vile. Everything everyone’s told me tonight, I already know. I deserve their anger, their disdain, their hatred. I wish they had never loved me.

I wish no one had ever loved me.

Ryoma sniffles softly as a rogue tear finally manages to trickle down his cheek. Gods, how can he be so feeble? He should have known that there would never be any hope for him. Mother and Father and Mother left, and so would everyone else. He cannot do anything about it. He knows he deserves this. There is nothing to cry about.

There is nothing to cry about.

Placing the brush down on the table, he reaches up to wipe his face. He can only humiliate himself further by breaking down like a child. It is much better to stop the pity party before it starts; he needs to put the brush down and walk away. Gingerly, he reaches over and places the lid on his jar of ink. He is careful to twist it shut, lest he knock it over in the morning and spill it all over the freshly written pages. If he dies from loneliness or heartbreak, he figures they might like to have historical records of what happened. At least, this is what he decides as he screws the lid on. Honestly, keeling over and dying sounds pretty good right about now, but he doesn’t want any of the others to blame themselves for it. He remembers how much being responsible for his mother hurt, and he would never wish that on any of them. In his heart he knows that no matter what they would still hate him, but he still loves them too much to wish them that pain. It is much better for them to get to watch him suffer with the consequences of his actions, and laugh as he only grows more and more alone. Perhaps that will be the retribution they deserve.

For once, he thinks he will actually be going to bed early. Most nights he spends frantically working through as much paperwork as he can until Sakura or Felicia comes stomping in to scold him for his disregard for his health, but tonight he doesn’t have the heart for it. He has already lost so much energy mourning his inevitable future. It is better to go to bed tonight, and wake up tomorrow with a new life. His sorrow cannot bother him while he sleeps. In a best-case scenario, perhaps he might even wake up in the morning with today having been a terrible, horrible nightmare.

Pushing himself up from where he is sitting, he wanders over to his bed. He can’t help but stop and stare at it, as if it’s something completely unreal. Lit up only by the moonlight that pours through the window, he supposes it kind of does look strange. Foreboding, in a way. Beds are usually supposed to be comforting, he thinks, but it’s not exactly as if he deserves anything like that. If this bed is secretly some monster that wants to swallow him whole, well… okay then. He crashes into it without a second thought, praying that the promise of rest will not dangle over him like a carrot to a hungry pegasus. What he needs now is to just try to forget. If he truly has lost everyone, the best thing to do would be to learn to let it go. It’s not like he didn’t know this day was coming. He’s just a little surprised that it took so long to get here.

Shutting his eyes, he wills himself not to think. Demanding tears are still pushing relentlessly at his eyes and throat, but he’ll be damned if he lets them get the best of him. He sniffles once more, swiping at his eyes to make sure that he’s alright. Nobody will, yet there’s a part of him that worries someone might come barging in and catch him like this. How in the gods’ names would he explain the influx of emotion, especially if it was to someone like Sakura or Takumi? It’s been ages since they last saw him cry. Not since they were all younger… Ugh, the thought of his younger siblings, sweet and innocent like they used to be, makes his heart twist.

Back when Takumi was young, he adored Ryoma. He talked about his big brother like he hung the sun in the sky. As Sumeragi died when the boy was no more than three years old, Ryoma was the only father figure that he ever really knew or remembered. When he was little, he’d come toddling over to his big brother the second he entered the room, grabbing hold of his legs and giving them a big hug. Ryoma would reach down to ruffle Takumi’s hair and ask him about his day, and of course little Takumi would tell him everything. The memories of his little brother’s stories faded over the years, but he could still remember bits and pieces. Tales of the epic adventures his and Sakura’s dolls had taken, lessons he’d learned from only the best tutors, and questions he had for his all-knowing big brother about the world… those were just a few of the commonplace occurrences. He’s not sure when or why all of this stopped as Takumi grew, but he misses it. He misses having his little brother be so happy to see him when he comes into a room. It all seemed so simple growing up, but now Takumi hates him. Hell, he hated him long before the Corrin problem came to fruition. They both just decided it would be best for them if Ryoma pretended not to see it, and Takumi pretended not to feel it. But everyone knew it was there.

Once upon a time, he might have taken some comfort in the fact that he at least had Hinoka and Sakura to love him, even if Takumi didn’t. He had been close with Hinoka since childhood, and when the world tried to tear them apart piece by piece, they were always there for each other. There were many nights he recalled feeling like he never would have gotten through without Hinoka’s comfort and reassurance. Their shared fixation on bringing Corrin back and fighting for peace allowed them to knit a close bond, which Ryoma might have been proud of in different circumstances. Now, all he could do was wonder if she felt as gutted as he did that they would never have that sort of relationship again. It didn’t take any stroke of genius to know that Sakura would definitely feel the same as he in her own relationship with him. Like Takumi, Ryoma was the only father she knew. She looked up to him and loved him in that unconditional way that kids do. She was always by his side, greeting him with compassion when he felt broken, and treating him to her smiles when the pain seemed unending. Truthfully, Ryoma would have always loved to be closer to his baby sister, but it wasn’t like they had much of a chance. Duty stole him away from her and Takumi at every turn, and gods did it get infuriating sometimes. His heart aches at the thought that he is unlikely to ever have that opportunity again. Even if she forgives him, she will never trust him again. Rightfully so, he thinks bitterly, grabbing the nearest pillow to squish over his head. He knows it won’t drown out the thoughts, but it’s a welcome comfort to at least feel as if he’s shutting himself up.

He doesn’t dare let his mind drift to Corrin or Azura. Both girls are a weak spot for him, and should he consider how they make him feel, he knows he will erupt into the breakdown he has been so desperately trying to suppress. Just forget, he commands himself. Just close your eyes and forget. Nobody loves you anymore. Nobody loves you anymore, and you deserve it. Just forget it. You are better off alone.

____________________________

When Ryoma’s eyes flutter open, he knows he’s not awake. On nights like these, he’s not enough of a fool to think that he is. He knows this moment, this feeling, this dream. Silence is what tips him off, just as it always does. With siblings like his, the castle is scarcely ever silent. In his dreams, however, it is quiet as Setsuna’s mind. It’s much more torturous this way, and that’s the way his demons like it. If loneliness would be his killer, then it is noiselessness that would accompany it like a tragic melody.

It’s not something worth thinking about, he tells himself. Shaking off the insects of his anxiety is easy when it comes to quietude. Gaining the courage to overcome what he knows will happen later is more of a mountain to climb, and it is absolutely vital that he saves his strength for that. Nobody can be conscious of that kind of thing in their sleep, yet somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows his siblings will not be there to comfort him when he wakes. This throe of nightmares is one that he must defeat on his own. No other options are available to him.

How fast can he kill this and be done? Sweat has already slicked his palms as he lifts his head from the pillow. He can’t help but wonder if anything will happen if just this once, he chooses not to leave his room. Could wakefulness come before the reawakening of traumas? No, he decides, it will not change a thing. If he were to neglect them out there in the hallway, they would simply come into his room. But who first? His head spins as he tries to recall the faces he would rather just forget. His mind’s favourite will always be Sumeragi, with a head and body mutilated in death. Face frozen in a snarl, his blood and pus oozing from the massive gash spanning across his stomach and chest, the arrows sticking out of him like quills on a porcupine… It’s the simplest to remember. In all honesty, it wouldn’t shock Ryoma to see it here again tonight. Given the broken promise from earlier that evening, it would have been more surprising to not have him be the main event. Still, there was perhaps a chance that someone else wanted to take that honour. Maybe Mikoto desired his head on a platter for revealing her truth. Perhaps Scarlet would come crawling back, charred skin and all, to make him pay for deceiving her.

Does it even matter who it is? Ryoma thinks not. Whoever it is, they have already died a thousand times over. All they’re doing is staring him down, whispering bitterly about how it is he who has done this to them. Like he isn’t already aware of that. In a good dream, he might be able to find Raijinto somewhere in his bedroom to protect him. This is a bad one, however, so the sword is gone. Likely finding a home in his father’s hands, one can imagine. It’s best to shrug it off and leave, he decides. If Raijinto isn’t there, then maybe he’ll actually have a chance at this going by faster.

He stands and walks towards the door, not a whimper of hesitation threatening his demeanour. If he can fight through a day in the castle with this same grace, he knows he can do it in a nightmare. At least, he likes to think he can. Every time it feels as if it’s getting worse and worse, but he soldiers through it. A cold sweat and panicked breaths are awaiting him in his real bed, and if he can just get through this pain, he won’t have to worry anymore. Just handle it with grace, he orders himself. His hand finds its way to the door and slides it open, the stench of a rotting body filling his nose immediately.

Just as expected. Someone is waiting for him.

“How many times do I have to kill you before you leave me alone?” The statement is a joke, but nobody laughs. Not even Ryoma himself. They won’t move until he does, and all he can think to do is turn his head to stare at them. Just as expected once more. He locks eyes with his father and smiles painfully. “Do you miss me as much as I miss you, and insist on coming back for that reason?”

Sumeragi doesn’t answer. He just stares at his son with dead fish eyes.

“That’s just as well,” Ryoma sighs, “Here’s to another round, I suppose.”

#if you listen closely you can hear me screaming at the mortifying ordeal of people reading my work #anyway I hope you like it! and if it’s annoying in the tags I am so sorry my darlings #implied/referenced suicide tw #FE Blood-Splattered Child #fire emblem fates #hoshido #fire emblem fates revelations #fe corrin #fe hinoka #fe ryoma #fe takumi #fe sakura

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