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fiction-box · 2 years

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Okay I know you haven't finished my other request yet so I feel a little bad about sending in another one but I am having so many thoughts about my children dsfjagdhdh

I don't wanna monopolize your time so please don't feel rushed at all!! I'm just so glad that someone is making my silly little daydreams a reality <3

Anyway, I recently got to the white heron cup on my replay of 3H which gave me some more ideas 👀 this one is with Felix and Ferdinand:

The professor chose Felix to represent the Blue Lions in the White Heron Cup, despite his very vocal protests (I did this to him on my first playthrough bc I wanted him to have the sword evade skill lmao). Reader was chosen as his practice partner. Reader was never all that passionate about dance—it was just one of those skills they had to learn as a noble—but they're realizing now that maybe it's about the partner? Bc dancing with Felix always leaves their heart racing in the best way possible

Alternatively, reader was chosen to represent the Black Eagles and the one and only Ferdinand von Aegir was assigned as their tutor/partner. Although the professor saw reader's great potential, reader, as a commoner, had never been formally trained in the dances of the nobility. During these practice sessions, reader gets annoyed at Ferdinand for being so particular about everything and for going on about the history of various dance styles. Little do they know though, that this is Ferdie's way of saying "I love you, please spend more time with me."

Feel free to go wherever your inspiration takes you!! I can't wait to see what you write :D

Sorry this took me so long! My life suddenly became quite busy, so I was unable to find the time to write for everyone. Happy October to you and all the others reading this!

I think I did a fairly good job with following your request this time, my lovely! I felt railroaded in a way that still allowed me to provide my own ideas and experiment. Your specificity made things slightly easier on me, and this was such a wonderful idea to write for! I know I say something similar to that line each time, but it's true. These prompts help me indulge in my mind and my hobby without needing to commit too hard to forging a dream out of a few strung-along thoughts.

So, after what must have been a month, here is the fulfillment to your request. My inbox is open, so anyone that wants to send anything in is invited to do so. Until then, enjoy this work!

The stories will be continued under the cut.

Felix:

“Are you considering me as our representative for the White Heron Cup?”

You paused, your walk to your dorm from the library interrupted by what sounded like Felix and Professor Byleth conversing through the walls of the training grounds.

The professor’s voice was muted, but Felix’s reply was all you needed to hear to understand what was going to happen.

“I was joking. You really couldn’t find anyone else?”

So, your teacher had chosen Felix to dance for the White Heron Cup, then? Things could have been worse. She could have elected you, instead.

As you continued your trek back to your dorm, you let out a small sigh. What reason did Professor Byleth have for choosing Felix of all people to participate. Surely there were more eager, more experienced candidates. Annette and Sylvain came to mind.

Whatever her reasons, it really was none of your concern. So long as nothing bad came of it, you were certain she knew what she was doing.

You came to the entrance of your dorm on the second floor, setting down your things on your bed with a sigh (the desk was rather messy from personal notes). Maybe you ought to clean up a bit. It would not do for someone to come into your room, what with it in such a state.

But time got away from you while you tidied up, and soon it was time for lunch. You had no classes today, which was a blessing both because you needed a break and because you needed more time to study for your upcoming certification exam the next weekend.

The trek to the dining hall was much less eventful than this morning’s small commute to your dorm. Everyone else was probably interested in eating, too. Just as you thought, upon entering, the hall was filled with students and knights squeezing in a meal before getting back to work.

You walked up to the line, grabbing your own meal and heading to find somewhere to sit. Scanning the cafeteria, you noticed Annette and Mercedes sitting together in one area, and Sylvain, Dimitri, and Ingrid were sitting together in another. There were Adrestian nobles near them, and the Golden Deer were scattered around the knights.

Maybe it would be better if you just sat alone. Interrupting anyone’s conversation would be rude, after all.

A small table near the back of the room was open, so you took a seat and began to consume your meal. It wasn’t anything special today, just something made with vegetables you suspected your own professor had harvested. Good, but not worth the breath to say so.

Not that there was much else for you to think about.

Lifting your head up, you decided to pay more attention to the people in the dining hall. People watching had always been a small hobby of yours, but getting caught doing so tended to leave you embarrassed.

There was a group of knights sitting at the table across from yours laughing about something. You wondered what it could be. Nothing to do with their job, you hoped.

Marianne and some green-haired Alliance boy were discussing something fervently. Well, it was more like the boy was talking to her and she was just nodding along. The poor girl.

And then here, coming toward you now, was Professor Manuela with her own lunch.

“Hello, dear! What are you doing back here all by yourself? Surely your friends didn’t give you the cold shoulder, now, did they?”

“Oh, no, of course not,” you assured her, “I chose to sit here of my own volition. I have a free day, and I suppose I have been choosing to spend it alone.”

She gave a small sigh, moving to sit across from you, “I hear that. Some days, a girl just needs some alone time.”

You nodded, taking another bite of your meal.

“You know, if you aren’t too busy, would you mind if I asked you a small favor? I need someone to head to the greenhouse for me and grab a few herbs for the infirmary. I just so happen to have a list with me here,” she noted, pulling out such a list from…well, you didn’t want to think about that. “Why don’t you go take a trip to collect them, hm? It would be nice and therapeutic, and I’m in no rush to get them sorted. Take your time in there and enjoy yourself, dear. Just so long as they’re in the infirmary by the end of the day, I’ll be happy.”

As she handed it to you, you accepted the scrap of paper from her hands and scanned over it with your eyes. Nothing too stressful or complicated to grab. Some of these were quite common, and the list was not long in the slightest.

“I would be happy to help! What a wonderful idea.”

Wasn’t it? You would get some much needed relaxation, and once you had more peace of mind, you could focus better on your studies.

“Wonderful! Oh, and there’s no need to let me know when you’ve finished. I’ll be in tomorrow morning to double check everything you collect.”

You finished your food, cleaning everything off the table and preparing to leave, “You can count on me, Professor! I hope the rest of your day goes well.”

Leaving the dining hall, you headed back to your room to get some gloves. It would probably be best to have some form of protection on your hands before handling any of these herbs.

What you did not expect, however, was to run into Professor Byleth instructing Felix on his dancing.

Thankfully, it seemed they hadn’t noticed you yet. Felix was moving with practiced ease as the former mercenary tipped him off on the smallest of errors. He really was doing quite well for what looked like such a simple, boring dance.

Unfortunately, you must have been staring a moment too long. Flicking her eyes away from her student, the professor’s eyes met your own

“Ah, perfect timing! I was just thinking about having someone stand in as a partner!”

Stand-in?

Before you could process what she meant, your teacher had approached you and was leading you by the arm further into their practice area.

“Professor, what are you talking about? I’ve been watching for a moment or two already; Felix was doing just fine on his own! You’ve been working for this long, and I know he’s no stranger to dancing. What is having a partner going to change?”

Quick as ever, she responded, “A partner brings life and flow into a dance. Think of it as communication; we aren’t meant to do it alone. It’s unnatural.”

“Oh…wow, I…did not expect that from you,” you managed.

“It’s something you pick up on by your third festival.”

“Okay then, I guess I don’t really have an excuse…” you began. “If it’s for the house, I’d be happy to help.”

Felix scoffed, “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“Oh?” Professor Byleth challenged, “And what is it you have to say?”

“Maybe I’d rather not be seen doing any of this? I didn’t choose to be here, and I certainly don’t need an audience.”

“Better get over it, then,” she frowned, placing you in front of him, “you’ll be having a larger audience than two people when you actually perform.”

He muttered something you couldn’t quite make out.

“Not to interrupt, Professor, but I don’t exactly know the dance he’ll be working on.”

“Oh, that. It’s just an easy foxtrot, nothing too difficult. We’re just working from the ground up, so we’re refraining from implementing other steps until he gets this down.”

“You said I had it down. An hour ago.”

“Felix, I promise you we have not been out here for half that time.”

At the professor’s count, you both began. One of your hands rested on his shoulder while the other was supported by his own hand. You followed along with ease, only slipping up twice in the countless cycles you were made out to perform.

It was strange, though. You almost felt nervous about slipping up, which was different from the nonchalant waltzing you put on with your previous partners. No matter; it was probably just because the house was relying on you both to get this right.

That, and Professor Byleth had more scrutiny in her expression than you thought possible.

Even when you thought you were getting used to the feeling, though, the butterflies never quite went away. It was a simple four step, so what was the big deal?

Actually, what was the big deal? You both had been doing this a long time, and neither of you had received so much as a comment from the professor for at least a few minutes.

You turned to look at her, still remaining in the rhythm of the dance, “Um…Felix is really good at this, professor. He looked fine before and he’s doing well now?”

She gave a tense smile, “Just making sure it stays that way. Doing “well” isn’t going to impress any judges.”

Allowing yourself a small sigh, you turned back to Felix, whose face had turned a light shade of pink. It was surprising. You didn’t think Felix would be tired just by repeating the same four-step.

“Alright, fine. We’ll go with that,” she waved her hand in the air flippantly.

You both stopped, moving apart to stretch and give your legs a small break.

“Okay, now that you two have the base steps, it’s time to incorporate the other aspects of this dance.”

You were practically pushed back into one another, the Professor relentlessly rattling off instructions.

Both of you needed a natural sway. Then, you had to maintain that while spinning continuously throughout the four-step. Relax a bit more, move closer, let your arms look more fluid.

“Thank you for cooperating, so far. The last step is to incorporate the dip at the end of each four-step cycle.”

A…dip?

Felix raised his own brow, “What?”

“What do you mean, “what?” Go on.”

You chimed in, “Professor, I don’t know what a dip is…”

Felix gave a curt nod in agreement, and the two of you waited for an explanation from your instructor.

“You genuinely have no clue what I’m talking about?”

“Would you just get to the point?” Felix scowled. “I’ve wasted enough time out here like this.”

“Maybe it just isn’t part of any traditional Faerghus dances?” you offered. “I can honestly say I have never heard of it.”

It was your professor’s turn to sigh as she put her thumb and middle finger at her temples, “This is going to take longer than I thought.”

She lifted her head, walking toward you and offering her hand, “If I may?”

You took her hand, and with that, Byleth demonstrated the whole dance you both had learned so far to Felix. Then, the time came for whatever this “dip” was.

“You’re going to have to trust me to hold onto you for this to work, do you understand?”

Hold onto me? “I’m not so sure that I do, but I do trust you.”

“Wonderful.” She then turned her head to Felix, “Now, you’ll want to end up with a sort of complimentary stance. One of your feet should be somewhat between the two of hers. This is both for balance and flow; otherwise, this next part will be awkward and unstable.”

Felix allowed himself a moment to study both of your stances, but then your teacher faced you once more and said in a voice loud enough for both of you to hear, “As for you, you’re going to lean back on my hand as I lean forward into you. You’ll keep your feet on the floor and try to balance yourself slightly throughout, but your partner will be the one supporting you. It’s my job not to let you fall.”

You nodded, hoping you understood.

“Okay. Here we go.”

Your grip on the hand holding your own tightened in nervousness as your professor began to lean you back. The further you went, the less balance you seemed to have, you noted. Fortunately, Professor Byleth stopped lowering her arm the moment before you thought you would lose your ability to balance.

“Just remember to relax,” she smiled. “You don’t need to waste energy on holding unnecessary tension. Try easing your grip on my hands and loosening your arms.”

You did so, immediately feeling a sense of ease. It was much better to hold your balance like this.

Slowly, she lifted you back onto your feet, “So there. Hopefully you were watching closely enough to understand, Felix. Now, it’s your turn.”

“Honestly, couldn’t I do this on my own? How hard can it be to bend down and rise back up?”

“Funny. Those sound like the thoughts of a runner-up. Second place is only first for losers, Felix. From the top.”

His brow furrowed as he swapped places with her.

The dance was going wonderful as usual (but that wasn’t normally usual, was it? You remembered feeling bored with your partners at the last party you attended.) until the professor made you both pause. Professor Byleth instructed him as you went through the motions of relaxing and leaning back.

But somehow, this felt different than your dance with your teacher. You knew it wasn’t just because you were being watched, either. Felix was watching you earlier, and the butterflies didn’t appear then, did they?

Perhaps it was the tinge of pink returning to his face, but…

No. No no no. Don’t even go there. He’s just tired, like I must be! You two had been dancing for quite a long time, now. The sun had made considerable progress on its trek through the sky. Not to mention…

You were certain your own cheeks were dusted a similar color.

“Excellent!” your teacher’s voice permeated your thoughts with what must have been the nicest comment on your dancing she had given all day. “Just like that!”

“Again, I-I could have done this without a partner!”

The green-haired woman brought a hand to her chin, “No, no, you have a point.” She turned to you, “Do you think you could get out of that position without Felix moving? I want him to know what this exact pose would feel like if he were actually performing.”

That could prove difficult. The only exit was turning out of his arms, which would mean letting yourself fall to the ground. You weren’t afraid of a little fall from such a short distance above the grass, but Felix would still need to shift his hand to accommodate the movement of your body weight. Not to mention there would be movement required to let go of his hand.

“Sorry,” you answered after looking around for another solution, “I just don’t see how that would be possible.”

A bit of air came from her nose as her lips pursed ever so slightly, “I feared as much. Okay you two, why don’t you come up and we’ll have Felix dance alone one final time before we call it a day?”

“Finally,” Felix groaned, lifting you back up as you quickly recovered from a twinge of vertigo.

You moved a few paces away and turned back around to watch as the professor counted Felix off. He was much more skilled at the dance than he was when you originally observed him. That was saying something since he was already skilled when you first saw him. For the swordsman to perform even better? There would be no mistaking the winner for anyone but the Blue Lion House.

At the end of it all, you said your goodbyes to your teacher and classmate. The greenhouse was still owed a visit, so you scanned over the list once more on your way there.

Maybe Manuela was right. Studying for certification exams could wait. You had already done so much today, so committing to relaxation would be a nice break.

Needless to say, you spent a lot more time with the flowers that afternoon than you had in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ferdinand:

“That wraps up our time for this morning’s class!” Professor Byleth announced. “I just have a few notes for you all, and then you’ll be free to go.”

The overall mood in the Black Eagles’ classroom seemed warm to you as the sun peeked through the windows. Sure, the seasons were meant to be getting warmer, but Garreg Mach’s central location resulted in only minute climate changes.

“Edelgard. As the leader of your house, you are expected to compel everyone to come to class. Please find a way to ensure Bernadetta arrives next time.”

“Of course,” the Adrestian heir nodded. “I will make a more compelling case in the future.”

A sigh escaped the professor, “It isn’t your fault. I would do something about it myself if Count Varley hadn't sent a notice to the Church about his…displeasure with a commoner's teaching.”

“The rest you already know. Lindhardt, don’t sleep during class…Caspar, don’t shout during class. Dorothea, remember that your seat is next to Ferdinand and not Lady Edelgard.”

As everyone packed their things to leave, Professor Byleth called you to speak with her privately.

“Good morning, Professor,” you greeted. “Was there something you needed?”

“Yes. Do you know anything about the White Heron Cup?”

“The White Heron Cup…? I think Dorothea was telling me a bit about it, earlier. Isn’t that the dance competition held before the Garreg Mach Ball each year?”

“That would be the one.”

“Good to know I’m right,” an amused look was shared between you two, “but I doubt it’s important enough to single me out and talk with me about it.”

“Correct again. For the dance, each House is to choose one representative to compete. I was just informed that I would need to pick someone last night, so I’ve done a bit of thinking.”

“A…representative? Surely you aren’t intending to choose me. I don’t even know how to dance. The most practice I have is from the festivals in my hometown, but even then I tended to sit out and watch.”

Professor Byleth began to ready her own things to leave, “I do intend to pick you. Don’t worry about that too much, though.

“No. I can’t. I refuse, actually, so you’ll just have to go and choose someone else. Have a wonderful day, Professor. Good luck find-”

You were interrupted by your teacher’s hand on your arm pulling you out of the classroom, “Glad to see you’re on board. Now, I’ve already spoken to Ferdinand about helping you learn the waltz. He agreed so quickly I almost thought I misheard him. You know him, though; always ready to do something elegant and noble. Like helping a lady learn to dance.”

“Ow! Wait, you can’t be serious-!”

As you approached the practice area Professor Byleth cleared for the two of you earlier, Ferdinand was already waiting.

“I expect you to know the dance well enough to perform by tomorrow. It’s rather simple, so I can’t see you having any trouble with it.”

“Tomorrow?”

“It will be no problem, Professor! She will practically be an expert by nightfall, I assure you!”

“Nightfall?”

She practically already took her leave, “Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”

“Shall we begin?” Ferdinand turned to you with a small bow, offering his hand.

It all happened so fast you almost thought you had dreamt up the whole encounter, “Begin? I…I’ve never danced before. Not in a way that counts.”

“There is no need to be nervous. We can start slow, and I will tell you everything you need to know!”

You took his hand, and the lesson commenced. He positioned you so that one of your arms rested on his shoulder while the other was held out to your side. Apparently, men led forward with the right foot, so it was your job to lead backwards with your left foot. Back, left, forward, right. A simple box.

But there were other things you needed to remember. The two of you always spun in a circle. Ferdinand always took the same stride, which you would have to match in length to avoid stepping on him.

It all felt like too much, in the moment. Your results were not poor, so long as you gave all your energy to your awareness of your body.

“You are a natural! Surely you have performed this waltz before?”

At the shake of your head, he continued, “Perhaps you are aware of its history, then? This dance was originally created…”

That wasn’t good. Back. Left. It took practically every nerve in your brain to manage shaking your head while staying in the waltz. Now he wanted to ramble about its history? You’d never be able to pay attention…Forward. Right…and learn well simultaneously. Why did he care how good you were at picking it up, anyway?

None of it mattered. There was no way you were going to stay here listening to him go on until nightfall. You would dance until he said you had it down, and then it would be time to leave.

However, with how caught up you were in your thoughts, you hadn’t realized how that affected your dancing.

“S-slow down! It is a dance, not a race!”

“Oh. Sorry,” you weren’t sure if you meant it. “I can’t really focus on what I’m doing when you’re giving me all this information.”

Hopefully, he could take a hint, you thought. But if Ferdinand von Aegir was anything, he was dense. He did not take hints, and throughout your time at the Officer’s Academy, you’ve constantly found yourself cursing him for it.

“That is alright. I am sure you will get it eventually,” the two of you finally managed to bring the tempo back to normal. “After all, this is quite a late age to be learning formal dance for the first time. In fact, I myself began my first lessons when I was…”

Wonderful. Honestly, did the noble do anything but talk? You were sure he heard you when you spoke, but he never actually listened to what you were saying.

Back. Left. Forward. Right. Always spin ever so slightly. Do not step on Ferdinand’s feet. Lead with your left unless you’re moving right. Your arms-

“...that is how the White Heron Ball came to be a Garreg Mach tradition! Interesting, is it not?”

“Wh-what?” just how long had you been dancing? You could have sworn he was just talking about his own history of dance.

“What is it? Is there something wrong?

Back. Ri- no…Left. Forward. “Ferdinand, I don’t know how to put this lightly, but it is really hard to focus with you talking about all of that. I can keep up a conversation, or I can dance. I can’t do both yet.”

“But as I have told you, it is easy! You simply need to count through the beats, match each step to a number, and then keep continual rules in mind.”

At this point, you had lost the rhythm of your waltz. The heel of your boot landed on the toe of Ferdinand’s own, and the two of you stumbled awkwardly until Ferdinand caught his balance. Unfortunately, you weren’t as lucky and fell backwards onto the ground.

“Not quite like that-”

“You don’t say?” you cut him off. At least he was kind enough to help you back to your feet.

He brought you back into your initial position, preparing to pick up again, “Remember to lead backwards with your left foot.”

“I was remembering. Until you distracted me, that is.”

“Distracted you? I have only been helping you this whole time, have I not?”

You took a breath. It would be so easy to blame him for this, but you knew nothing would be solved through an argument. The sooner you figured this out, the sooner you could leave. No reason to hurt one of your allies over it.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just a little frustrated.”

The Adrestian noble began again, prompting you to follow suit almost immediately, “You must adjust your steps to that of your partner’s.”

A frown painted itself on your lips, “Good thing I won’t ever have one.”

“What are you talking about?” he questioned, “This waltz is commonly played at various events. Surely this will not be the only time you will partake?”

You sighed, “Ferdinand, enough. I’m a commoner, remember? I don’t go to…events. We don’t even have dances like this.”

“All the more reason to learn! It would be helpful to incorporate this into the skills of the common people so as to create a more refined society as a whole. Then-”

“I said enough!” you snapped, pushing away from him.

The shock on his face was nothing compared to the anger you felt at his ignorance.

“E-excuse me?”

“Stop talking about commoners like they’re…beasts! We are not animals to be tamed, Ferdinand, we’re people. Real, actual people.”

“I was not trying to imply otherwise-”

“But you did. You do it all the time! Humanity is not found solely within tradition, noble or otherwise. We can be civilized without being formal, you know!”

He didn’t seem to know what to say anymore, it seemed. Good, then. Maybe he would choose to listen for once.

“Take this practice as an example. You’ve been doing this waltz with me for how long now? And I haven’t hurt you or acted without considering you this whole time.” You paused, your throat closing up, “Honestly, I’ve been pitying us both for this position we’ve been placed in. Is an uncivilized, unrefined society capable of pity, Lord Ferdinand von Aegir?”

Nothing. Again. Maybe this was too much? But it wasn’t as if you were going to let him keep talking like that.

You stepped back farther, “Sorry. Here I go ruining it. I talk about being civilized, but I can’t even keep myself in check to verbally defend the people I grew up knowing and loving. Let’s…we can be done, now. I’ll go find the professor and tell her I won’t be able to perform tomorrow.”

So much for relations between allies. Your mind wandered to what you were going to say to your professor. It would be a bad idea to blame it on Ferdinand; Professor Byleth might do some digging, and you didn’t trust him to keep his mouth shut.

‘W-wait!” you had only made it a few paces before the knight called after you.

As you turned to face him, you gave a tight lipped smile, “Don’t worry about it! Really, I’m sure it won’t be any trouble for her to find someone else. I can probably talk Dorothea into it if she isn’t already interested.”

“That is no excuse. Whether you are our representative or someone else is, that does not make up for the things I said,” regret filled his expression, and your own turn came to respond in silence.

He made his way toward where you were standing, his eyes never leaving yours, “I am deeply sorry. I truly did not mean to insinuate such terrible ideas. Perhaps you can help me to…be more aware of these things in the future?”

At last, he had listened to something you told him. Even if he didn’t pay much attention to anything else you said to him, you were glad he at least chose to react to this.

“Of course,” your smile went from tight lipped to full and genuine. “You could start by focusing on teaching me the dance rather than its significance.”

“But both are equally important!” he argued.

“Are they? I am going to have to know this dance for the competition, but I can’t imagine any future where I would need to know the history of it. Or that of any other waltzes, for that matter.”

As soon as the words came out of your mouth, something in his face seemed to fall.

“You…cannot? There is no future where you would see yourself dancing more waltzes?”

“Quite frankly, it doesn’t seem to matter what I imagine. Once my time here is through, I’ll be sent off to lead some noble army. Not much waltzing in that future, I’d guess.”

“I see…”

Why was he acting so weird?

“But,” you tried to cheer him up, “at least I’ll have this one. I can pretend for one night that I have the ability to choose my future. So long as I would be happy in it, I don’t see the problem in dreaming of a life where all I do is dance at formal events like this.”

“Really?”

“Sure!” you laughed, “Though I don’t think I’d be as comfortable dancing with anyone else. I might not be able to get used to a different rhythm, yet.”

That seemed to get his energy back, “Of course! I will be ready whenever you wish to dance, and we can go at whatever pace you wish.”

“Let’s make sure I can actually do the steps correctly, first?”

“Right,” he led you back to the practice area.

The two of you danced a few more times before you finally got the hang of the waltz. Sure, the ball was not for another several days, but you had a feeling Professor Byleth would be pleased with your progress.

Eventually, when the time came, you knew you would need to learn a new dance for your classmates.

But you were getting ahead of yourself. First, you needed to win the White Heron Cup.

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genshingorlsrevengeance · 1 year

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House Isekai: Subnautica AU Masterpost

House Isekai Masterlist Here

**This was from my og blog, but this is all the Subnautica crossover posts from the OG House Isekai into one place! Hope you get a good laugh out of this!

The adventures of House Isekai brings them to an utterly alien planet, and are forced to fight for survival underwater in the horrific and beautiful world of Subnautica!

===

Anononymous asked: Laura will probably fare well in Subnautica

(Rean) “Hey, has anyone seen Laura? I haven’t seen her in the lifeboat or the base.”

(Ainz) “I think she said she was going to go swimming as practice.”

(Rean) “What?! We were told to stick together!”

(Ainz) “I doubt she went far. Besides, it’s Laura we’re talking about. She’s not stupid.”

MEANWHILE

(Laura)

AGGRESSIVE BUBBLING

===

unknownsymbol367 asked: Imagine aqua attracting some of the bigger, scarier, dangerous sea beasts all by accident in subnautica.

(Kazuma) “WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU TELL US THAT YOU ATTRACT FISH YOU USELESS GODDESS?! NO WONDER THESE FUCKING THINGS HAVE BEEN ALL OVER US!”

(Aqua) “B-Because these are ALIEN fish, Kazuma! How was I supposed to know it applies to aliens!?”

(Megumin) “Uh, I think they’re trying to break through the windows-”

(Darkness) “Ooooh, I wonder how sharp those teeth are-”

(Kazuma) “AQUA’S ABOUT TO FIND OUT FIRST!”

(Aqua) “SCREW YOU KAZUMA, I’M SORRY OKAY!? I-I DON’T KNOW HOW TO MAKE THEM GO AWAY…Wait, that’s it! I CAN CALL IN A REALLY SCARY FISH TO MAKE THEM GO AWAY!”

(Kazuma) “Wha-NO NO NO NO! DON’T YOU-”

“Warning. Leviathan-class lifeform is approaching the base.”

(Minato) “Uh, guys?”

(Minako) “HOLY SHIT!”

(Yu) “I don’t think our swords can go through that.”

(Akira) “Morgana, can you turn into a submarine?”

(Morgana) “YOU IDIOT, I CAN’T BREATHE UNDERWATER!”

- Doomguy looked at his wristblade, then back at the Reaper Leviathan. He repeated this process a few times.

(Yuuri) “Everyone, we need to get our oxygen tanks!”

(Albedo) “Lord Ainz, what do we do?”

(Ainz) “MY GOD THAT’S HUGE-…ahem…WE PREPARE FOR BATTLE!”

(Byleth) “…Why is it when something happens its always you four?”

(Kazuma) “GOD DAMN IT AQUA!”

===

Anonymous asked: I bet the Slayer's Cyclops is named "BFSub" while his seamoth is "SFSub"

(Byleth) “You know Slayer, You seem to use the letters “BF” for a lot of your weapons and vehicles. What does that even stand for?”

- Doomguy grabbed his PDA (Handheld PC) and typed on it for a moment before giving it to Byleth.

(Byleth) “Big fucking-OOOH. So your sub is Big Fucking Sub. Okay, got it…Then the little one must be…Small fucking sub?”

- Doomguy nodded.

(Byleth) “…Well, I’ve heard worse names.”

===

Anonymous asked: Imagine House Isekai using a submarine.

The Bridge

(Cocytus) “DO ANY OF US ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO DRIVE THIS…MACHINE?”

(Sara) “Psh, absolutely not. I don’t even know how to use orbal cars.”

(Sharon) “I am afraid my training did not cover controlling submersibles.”

(Cocytus) “…THEN WHY WERE WE PUT IN CHARGE OF DRIVING?”

(Sara) “I mean, all the staff are in charge. Byleth, Megunee, Towa and Angelica too. If we put our heads together, we can think of something.”

(Sharon) “Lady Sara, do you honestly think that we can get the hang of driving before we crash straight into a rock?”

(Sara) “…Probably not.”

Storage/Entrance

(Akira) “It’s pretty impressive that we all got a Cyclops now.”

(Yu) “Yeah, it took a couple days but it’s really cool seeing this in action. Though, should all of us be packed into it? It’s big, but not that big.”

(Minako) “Well, it’s to get familiar. We’re going to get more submarines for each group. Soon us Persona Users will get our very own sub!”

(Minato) “I’m not exactly sure that’s a good idea. I trust tech savvy people like Futaba, Aigis, and Naoto but…people like Ryuji and Junpei worry me.”

(Yu) “I guess we’ll find out.”

(Akira) “…I think I’m having second thoughts about being a part of a Cyclops.”

Engines

(Ainz) …How the hell are we supposed to make this thing work?! I’ve never even seen a submarine before when I was still in the real world! More importantly there was never anything like this in Yg-

(Albedo) “Lord Ainz?”

(Ainz) “Hm? Oh, Albedo. What is it?”

(Albedo) “Demiurge and I have finished looking at the engines, and we have confirmed there will be no trouble in maintaining it.”

(Ainz) “HM?!”

(Demiurge) “It was a bit of trouble at first, but combined with our magic and the PDA’s assistance, we can safely traverse whatever the ocean may throw at the Cyclops!”

(Ainz) “Ah…G-Good work. I can always rely on you two no matter the situation.”

(Demiurge) “T-Thank you Lord Ainz!”

(Albedo) “You are too kind!”

(Ainz) No, really. I’m pretty sure we’d explode if I got something wrong, it’s a miracle that you managed to make heads and tails of this thing…Thank god Kazuma’s group isn’t working the engines…

Loading Bay

(Kazuma) “What, Aqua?”

(Aqua) “A-Are you sure this thing is safe?! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

(Kazuma) “Hell no I’m not sure. None of us here has even been in anything remotely like this. Well except Doomguy, but he’s on bodyguard detail.”

(Aqua) “THEN WHY ARE WE IN THIS DEATH-TRAP?!”

(Kazuma) “You wanna be swimming out there with seaglider where something can eat your sorry ass whole instead of this massive titanium reinforced hull?”

(Aqua) “I…ugh!”

(Yuki) “Hey, hey! Come look at this Megunee!”

(Megumi) “A-Ah! Please don’t run, Yuki!”

(Kurumi) “Even on an alien world, she’s still having fun.”

(Yuuri) “A little TOO much fun. This entire place is terrifying!”

(Miki) “I mean, I find this trip fun as well. I’ve always wondered what it was like to scuba dive.”

(Yuuri) “I’d rather have done so in a coral reef on Earth.”

(Kurumi) “Technically, our first base was in the Shallows where there are coral reefs-”

(Yuuri) “Don’t get technical on me, Kurumi.”

(Miki) “Hah, well I admit it’s scary, but it’s a sense of terror and amazement!”

(Kurumi) “Agreed…Except the Leviathans…I wonder if I can hit them with my shove-”

(Yuuri) “No.”

===

Anonymous asked: Megumin is gonna have a blast when the aurora explodes.

- Megumin stood on top of the lifeboat, eyeing longingly at the Aurora in the distance.

- Futaba poked her head out the hatch and raised an eyebrow.

(Futaba) “Oh, hey. What are you doing here? I thought you were with Kazuma and the others.”

(Megumin) “I was but now I’m about to watch some fireworks!”

(Futaba) “Fireworks?”

(Megumin) “Yeah, the Aurora’s about to explode!”

(Futaba) “…W-What? I thought our timeframe was 2 hours!”

(Megumin) “Apparently it reached critical state only a few minutes ago-”

(Futaba) “AND YOU JUST NOW TOLD ME?!”

- Futaba’s clothes changed as she got into her Persona and frantically reached for the screen.

(Futaba) “EVERYONE, GET BEHIND COVER OR TO THE LIFEBOAT RIGHT NOW!”

- Everyone stopped what they were doing in the waters and reached for their PDA’s.

[Radio](Byleth) “Huh?”

[Radio](Akira) “What’s wrong?!”

[Radio](Kazuma) “Wait hang on, why?”

Emergency: A quantum detonation has occurred in the Aurora’s drive core.

[Radio](Rean) “Ooooh crap!”

[Radio](Byleth) “SHIT!”

The reactor will reach a super critical state in T- 10,

[Radio](Ainz) “DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!”

[Radio](Megumi) “EVERYONE, IN THE CAVE!-”

[Radio](Yu) “LIFEBOAT, NOW!”

[Radio](Minako) “SHITSHITSHIT-”

[Radio](Minato) “OVER THERE, GO!”

- Doomguy shrugged and continued looking for resources.

[Radio](Darkness) “K-Kazuma! You’re so rou-”

3-3-…

[Radio](Kazuma) “SHUT THE FUCK UP, DON’T SAY THAT OVER THE RADIO WHERE EVERYONE CAN HEAR-…WHERE’S MEGUMIN?!”

2-2-

(Futaba) “MEGUMIN, GET DOWN HERE NOW!”

(Megumin) “ARE YOU KIDDING, I GOTTA SEE THIS!”

O-

KAFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

(Megumin) “Explosions are such a beautiful thing! If only I could be so grossly incandescent…-”

(Futaba) “KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN, SHOCKWAVE INCOMING!”

(Megumin) “…Shockwa-?”

On Kazuma’s Cyclops: The Wiz…

- Kazuma drove the Cyclops in the open waters, calmly watching his sonar and hearing the hum of the engine.

- Darkness watched the engines alongside Kurumi and Yuuri while Megumin and Yuki were in the vehicle bay.

- Aqua and Miki were in the bridge with Kazuma, watching the status of the ship quietly.

- Until Aqua spoke up.

(Aqua) “OH MY GOD IM SO BOOORED!”

(Miki) “Um, isn’t quiet in a place like this a good thing?”

(Kazuma) “Yeah, having nothing to do in a killer planet means we’re solid! And besides, we said we were going to get copper and stuff, why did you even tag along if you knew nothing would happen?”

(Aqua) “I don’t wanna be left alone at the base!”

(Kazuma) “Then quit bitching.”

(Miki) “That’s a bit harsh, Kazuma.”

(Kazuma) “Oh don’t you start too, Naoki. You’ve been here long enough to know how I am.”

- Miki sighed.

(Miki) “Fair enough. Oh Aqua! Why don’t you read one of my novels?”

(Aqua) “And fall asleep? No thanks. Ugh whatever. At least nothing bad can happen as we’re going back.”

Warning. Entering Ecological Dead Zone.

(Aqua) “HUH?!”

- The waters in front of Kazuma’s bridge went from a clear blue into almost pitch black as he slowly turned to face Aqua.

(Kazuma) “You gotta be fucking kidding me, Aqua.”

(Miki) “M-MULTIPLE TARGETS APPROACHING THE CYCLOPS BRIDGE!”

- Kazuma reached for the mic they installed near the bridge.

(Kazuma) “HEY EVERYONE, STRAP IN, AQUA GOT US INTO SOME DEEP SH…CRAP!”

(Yuki) “Huh? What’s happening?”

(Darkness) “LEVIATHANS?!”

(Kurumi) “Please don’t make that face.”

(Aqua) “HEY WHY IS IT MY FAU-…”

- Aqua’s face suddenly went pale as she looked out the windows.

- Kazuma and Miki turned to the direction Aqua was facing.

(Kazuma) *a noise that can’t decide whether its a swear or gibberish*

(Aqua) “WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN?!”

Anonymous asked: Everybody gangsta until the warpers speak English.

(Sothis) “Hm? Child, we have a new message from the radio.”

(Byleth) “Oh, we do. Heads up everyone, we got a new message coming in. It could be someone responding to our distress signal.”

(Yuuri) “I hope it is…”

(Ainz) “It could be another lifepod, maybe we could find survivors.”

(Minato) “I sorta doubt it, considering all of them have been torn open.”

(Minako) “That’s optimistic…”

(Yu) “But he’s not wrong for thinking it, is he?”

(Aqua) “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s going to be friendly!-”

Playing partially translated broadcast.

▀▖┗▛New biological subjects designated. Mode ▄▖▜▚┣: hunting/analyzing. Sharing subject locations with other agents.

(Everyone) “…”

(Akira) “…I don’t think that was human.”

(Sothis) “What was your first hint?!”

(Kazuma) “What. The. F…Hell, was that?”

(Rean) “You just HAD to open your mouth, huh?”

(Aqua) “OH COME ON, NOW WE’RE BEING HUNTED?!”

(Yuuri) “How do we even know if they’re watching us?”

“…”

(Yuuri) “Put more camera drones everywhere, are we in agreement?”

(Everyone) “Yup.”

===

Day 1 with the Konosuba Gang

(Rise) “Okay, so from what we’re able to scan, this shallow reef seems to be safe to explore, so we’ll split into groups, grab whatever you guys think will be useful!”

(Byleth) “We’ll be going into our respective groups that we came in with. House Reps, you will be the leader of your group.”

- Kazuma and his group nodded, and dived into the water.

- The first area they went into was a somewhat small cave.

(Aqua) “Oooh, this weird tube thing looks pretty!”

(Darkness) “Is it edible?”

- Kazuma put a scanner to it and read the name.

“Acid Mushroom”

(Kazuma) “…Nope.”

- Kazuma continued to swim off as Aqua stared at it.

(Aqua) “Hm…We could use it for something. Right?”

(Darkness) “I will go find the most hostile fish in this area and…hehehe, fight it!”

- With an insane look in her eye, she swam away.

(Kazuma) “Megumin? Find anything in there?”

- Megumin was inside the cave and found a small red-plant like creature.

(Megumin) “I think so?”

- The plant revealed an eye, which made Megumin jump.

(Megumin) “K-Kazuma?!”

- A creature with a giant eye made an unholy noise as it bolted towards Megumin.

HUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

- A massive explosion could be heard from across the entire shallows as it jolted Aqua and Kazuma into attention.

(Kazuma) “What the hell!? MEGUMIN!”

- Megumin swam out of the cave with her scuba gear clearly dented as a crazy smile took over her.

(Megumin) “THESE CREATURES! THEY KNOW THE ART OF EXPLOSIONS!”

(Kazuma) “You gotta be- KAMIKAZE FISH?! THAT’S GREAT!”

(Aqua) “Hm…”

- Aqua purified the mushroom and looked at it curiously.

(Kazuma) “DO NOT EAT THAT MUSHROOM! Where’s Darkness?!”

(Darkness) “How disappointing.

- Kazuma and the group saw Darkness getting bitten by some shark-like creature.

(Darkness) “These predators will not provide the stimulation I crave.”

- She punched it so hard it flew into the nearby coral tubes, splitting it apart as if it were paper.

(Kazuma) “OH FOR FUCKS SAKE, DON’T GO PICKING FIGHTS WITH THE PREDATORS-”

(Aqua) “K-Kazuma?!”

- The fish began to swarm Aqua, which eventually led to those same shark creatures headed her direction.

(Kazuma) “RETREAT! RETREAT!”

(Aqua) “Psh, it’s just a buncha fish! THEY’RE NO MATCH FOR THIS GODDESS-”

- The predators began to bite Aqua.

(Aqua) “OWOWOWOWOW-”

- Kazuma began swearing loudly and incoherently as he brought up his knife and tried to save Aqua as Megumin and Darkness took care of the exploding fish being drawn to Aqua.

30 minutes later…

(Sharon) “Welcome back, Master Satou.”

(Kazuma) “Ugh…”

- Kazuma flopped onto the lifeboat’s floor, dragging up Megumin, Aqua and Darkness.

- Sharon helped them up and calmly got a towel while Kazuma continued to groan.

(Sharon) “May I ask what you have found?”

- Kazuma reached into his pocket and put them near Sharon’s feet.

- A fish, several teeth from the shark-like fish, some acid mushrooms, and 1 piece of titanium.

(Sharon) “Would you like some tea?”

(Kazuma) “Please?”

===

New Class VII visit the back of the Aurora

- Altina drove the Seamoth forward while the rest of Class VII tagged along on their seagliders.

- Juna kept looking around left and right until Kurt spoke.

(Juna) “Juna, are you alright?”

(Kurt) “Ugh…No, not really. I don’t like this place is all. It’s so…alien.”

(Ash) “Well yeah, it’s another planet.”

(Juna) “Bah, you know what I mean! We were never trained for this, surviving underwater!”

(Musse) “Neither was the original House Isekai, but they still survived!”

(Altina) “Instructors Rean, Towa, Aigis, and Kazuma seem to have sufficient knowledge of the planet, despite how much time has passed.”

(Juna) “I wonder how the others are doing right now…”

(Kurt) “If I had to guess, like us. Especially the Garreg Mach students, I don’t think they ever anticipated on going on a journey like this.”

(Musse) “Hm…I don’t think the original three houses ever went on this planet, did they?”

(Ash) “Don’t think Rean mentioned it…Er, Altina where are we going?”

- Class VII only now realized where they were. The waters had changed from a blue-green tint to almost brown.

- They couldn’t see very well in front of them.

(Altina) “I was told to search for blueprints. The back of the crash site seemed like the most likely area to find some.”

(Juna) “Wasn’t this the one place all the Instructors told us NOT to go?”

(Ash) “Eh, I’m sure it’s fi-”

GROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR

- Altina looked to her right and almost stopped breathing when she felt her Seamoth shake violently.

- The Reaper Leviathan grabbed her Seamoth and swam towards the sand cliffs, slamming it down.

(Juna) “OH MY GOD, ALTINA!”

(Kurt) “We have to help her!”

(Ash) “GET THAT BASTARD!”

(Musse) “Arcus, activate!”

(Altina) “I REQUIRE ASSISTANCE-”

…

(Diluc) “…Hm. Class VII still hasn’t returned.”

(Elizabeth) “Oh dear, you’re right. Should we go look for them?”

(Venti) “I’m sure they’re fine. They’d just call us if they were in trouble.”

(Amber) “Still, this place looks pretty dangerous.”

(Helena) “I think we’re underestimating their skills. They’ll be back.”

…

- All of Class VII was on the Reaper Leviathan, stabbing it with tools and weapons while Altina was still in the seamoth, getting crushed.

(Altina) “CLASS VII, I AM PINNED HERE-”

(Juna) “DIE, DIE DIE DIE!-”

(Kurt) “THE SWORDS WON’T GO THROUGH!”

(Ash) “COME ON YA SON OF A BITCH!”

(Musse) “This rifle is going STRAIGHT INTO YOUR EYE-”

…

(Diluc) “…You’re probably right.”

===

Garreg Mach Students getting used to the ocean

The Garreg Mach students flew out on their seagliders around the safe shallows, being instructed to grab whatever copper they could find.

Sitri followed them since everyone who had been here before was required to stick with a group.

Not to mention she had been here with Byleth before.

(Elizabeth) “Ugh, this is quite unpleasant…”

(Helena) “What, don’t like the ocean?”

(Elizabeth) “Helena, dear. I enjoy the ocean as much as any girl would-”

(Kairos) “Could’ve fooled me.-”

(Elizabeth) “Shut up, Kairos. And I like walking near the beach, and even swimming. But living inside it and fighting nature? No, I do not like it at all.”

(Stefan) “Y-Yeah this is a bit much for swimming.”

(Astrid) “Least we’re all getting our exercise!”

(Kairos) “…Sure.”

(Helena) “It’ll give us experience in case we ever need to swim underwater.”

(Elizabeth) “Where in Fodlan do we possibly need to swim?!”

(Helena) “With all the places the House keeps dragging us into, it might be handy. Hell, it came in handy for Sitri.”

The group stopped swimming and looked at Sitri, who was gliding right behind them.

(Sitri) “Well, I learned it on the fly like you all are currently. But it is helpful that we’ve been to this world before.”

(Stefan) “Just how many have you been to, Lady Sitri?”

(Sitri) “Let’s see…Here, that one world in the far future, the one where we had to hunt ghosts, the one with the talking animals…”

(Helena) “See? She now has skills that’ll be helpful for surviving in another world.”

(Kairos) “How many times has she been underwater for it?”

Sothis appeared behind Sitri, though the students didn’t seem to notice.

(Sothis) “If only they had met Aqua…”

(Sitri) Yeah, I bet they would’ve been terrified of Leviathans…

(Astrid) “Anyways, this place is seriously freaky. The giant sea monsters trying to eat us, and we can’t even use magic here!”

(Helena) “We could always visit the back of the ship like Class VII did.”

(Kairos) “A-ABSOLUTELY NOT, HELENA!”

(Elizabeth) “Do you have a deathwish, dear?!”

(Stefan) “It’s not so much them I’m worried about, as I am about the dark…”

Everyone shuddered.

(Helena) “That’s true, we can’t really see if something’s coming up from behind, and it might just emerge from the-”

(Astrid) “GAAH, SHUT UP SHUT UUUUP! Ugh, I wanna go back home…”

(Elizabeth) “Sitri, ma'am, how did you survive here last time?”

(Sitri) “Well we all took our own Submarines. I think if you ask Kazuma to ride with him on ‘The Wiz’ he’ll let you.”

(Kairos) “Does Professor Kazuma even know how to drive it?”

(Sitri) “Better than most of us did. The only other ones were the old staff.”

(Stefan) “Then what about you?”

(Sitri) “Um…”

(Helena) “Great confidence there, ma'am.”

(Astrid) “C-Come on, you can be a little nicer.”

(Kairos) “Let’s just go back inside, I’m suddenly feeling a bit queasy…”

#House Isekai #House Isekai Subnautica AU #House Isekai ARR #crossover #fanfic

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a-pale-azure-moon · 4 months

Note

Ask game 🙌 Okay I'm just doing propaganda bc this idea has been haunting me recently and need to spread the memo 👉👈: Have you watched (or read) "the last unicorn"? That but it's the Last Dragon and of course such dragon is Byleth and all of the Nabateans are gone thanks to Supreme Leader who turned into a monster with those sheep horns. Dimitri situation is a mix of Snow and AM where he just lost his kingdom and instead of vengeance, he keeps a low profile as any commoner and works for Cornelia who collects random animals to make them pass as "Mystical creatures" with magic and fool ppl. And of course, she captured Dragonleth but everyone mistakes her for a wyvern. She turns into human at some point. I imagine this could be by Annette's magic (and Felix helping the one who he suspects is the lost prince and his "wyvern" friend)

I love that movie! I think I was maybe five when I first saw it and the Red Bull scared the crap out of me, but I loved it all the same. Been a long time since I've seen it though, so my memory of it isn't the greatest.

I do remember the part that only a few people could recognize the unicorn for what she was; most people just saw her as a pretty horse. I also remember that when she gets turned into a human, she slowly starts to lose her memory of being a unicorn.

Maybe this is something Dimitri and Byleth share. Nearly everyone sees her as a wyvern, but Dimitri recognizes her as a dragon. Meanwhile, Cornelia cast an enchantment on him so no one recognizes him as the prince (maybe he's not even human), and he's even mostly forgotten it himself. But Byleth recognizes him for what he is, and maybe they both try to help each other, her with helping him reclaim his lost kingdom/regular form, and him with helping her find out what happened to the rest of the Nabateans.

Maybe Dimitri's enchantment breaks after they kill Cornelia, but even with his memory back, he's more concerned with helping Byleth than reclaiming his throne. But it turns out the two are connected, as the person who usurped his throne is the same person responsible for all the dragons disappearing.

They meet Felix and Annette along the way and learn about the Red Emperor keeping all the Nabateans imprisoned. Annette unintentionally turns Byleth into a human in an effort to protect her from the Red Emperor. Human Byleth falls in love with Dimitri and starts to forget about her original mission, and Felix has to be the one to keep them both on track with their respective goals (much to his eternal exasperation).

I imagine Thales would have to be King Haggard in this verse. If we want to get darker, he's keeping the dragons imprisoned so he can use their blood for nefarious purposes. Faerghus has been reduced to a barren hellscape and people get turned into Crest beasts.

Dimitri is wounded (or temporarily killed) protecting Byleth after they find the Red Emperor, and she becomes a dragon again and kills the Emperor. The dragons are released and they kill Thales and free Faerghus, and Byleth uses her dragon magic to save Dimitri and he can reclaim his rightful place.

...But in the movie/book, the unicorn and the prince don't get to stay together at the end! So um...maybe after freeing the rest of the Nabateans, Byleth learns how to shapeshift so she can be both human and dragon, and that way she and Dimitri can have their happily ever after!

#ask game #my writing #my ramblings #dimileth #fanfic #rorah

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raxistaicho · 1 year

Text

Attacking the Alliance and Edelgard the puppet

More Analyzer!

So in Three Houses this is blatantly false, it seems the Empire just moves through the southern Oghma Mountains to reach Garreg Mach. If they marched through Gloucester territory then the BESF wouldn’t need to take the Great Bridge because they’d be already over the Great Bridge.

As for Hopes, in Scarlet Blaze Edelgard concludes some manner of agreement with Lords Gloucester and Acheron to allow the Imperial troops free moments through their territories. In Golden Wildfire, Claude rather jumps the gun in rushing to secure the border, forcing Edelgard to take a more offensive approach.

As for House Burgundy...

So they sided with the group with which Edelgard had declared war. They chose a side.

Yeah, more or less. Needs must; she’s trying to usher in social reforms and new opportunities for the people of Fodlan.

She doesn’t believe in land ownership as a sacred right (this necessarily would include her if she lost whatever leverage she had over the Empire, mind you.)

Fire Emblem has toyed with the idea that a country is made up of its people and nothing else before:

Caeda: My father has a saying: “A kingless country is a country still; but a king without subjects rules naught but hills.” If you disobey your king to ensure his subjects’ safety, how is that a betrayal? You are protecting his reign.

A country is its people, not its imaginary lines on a map. The difference here is that Claude and Dimitri do view national sovereignty as something to be upheld at all costs, while Edelgard believes in breaking it if that’s the cost to help people that have been suffering under an oppressive aristocratic hierarchy for a millennia and with no end in sight.

Yeah, we’re back to this again. Aymr means Edelgard’s a puppet because muh Devil Arcana.

Including the one where she successfully turns on them??? Okay.

This time the Analyzer is actually correct: Edelgard using Aymr there is symbolic of her being under their control. So he got his one W!

youtube

Also, in case anyone needed a reminder, the Analyzer believes Edelgard’s horrific final state in AG represents her being “cleansed” of corruption.

Wait, the good route where Byleth and Sothis don’t die is the one where Edelgard gets the mark of her corruption? Isn’t that a little backwards?

That’s actually not true because Edelgard never gives them what they want. Ever. The closest she can ever come is killing Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn in Crimson Flower (and the latter two are optional). Their plan wasn’t “kill Rhea then we can die happily,” it was “kill every surviving Nabatean, purge the surface dwellers, and recolonize our land.”

It’s not exactly a successful plan if your pawn completes steps 1 and 2 and then turns on you and kills you with steps 3 through 10 not even started yet.

Edelgard’s not Dimitri, she doesn’t need to take violent revenge on her abusers to be happy. Whoever does it, just knowing Thales is dead would be enough to put her past to rest.

And also, whether or not the player defeats the Agarthans isn’t relevant to whether Edelgard turns on and defeats them. The point is that in CF and SB she successfully turns on and deals the Agarthans crippling blows.

Uhh no, CF ends with the Agarthans losing. Unequivocally. SB, eh, I wouldn’t even say SB ends because the writers of Hopes deliberately structured each route to end on a cliffhanger.

#Fire Emblem Three Houses #fire emblem three hopes #edelgard von hresvelg #edelgard discourse #edelgard positive #The Analyzer

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heclingmuzik · 1 year

Text

@schleckermaul

Text to Break:

Just checking up on you.

let me know if you need anything? I'll be there in a heart beat you know

Love ya! ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Ismael sets her phone down on Sal's bed and rolls over to her side. Her memories all returned (except for the one she had already had returned to her by Sal) to her immediately after a certain time. It looks like everyone's memories did. She's in a fetal position, hand to her chest and the other playing with the empty side of the bed. Sal's out. Went out to run some errands. She half regrets telling him that she's okay. That she'd be fine. Maybe she should text him to hurry? No, no. She'll be okay. Rolling back over to the other side, she grabs her phone and huffs.

She sends a text to another person this time.

@fellstcr

Text to Byleth:

I hope you're alright.

I'm doing okay, I'm at Sal's. Did you get to see Dimitri?

Be sure to take care of yourself okay? <3 <3

She wonders, if she did, were they able to talk about some things. Was Dimitri okay? Between what happened when he came to her home and then the whole memory wiping thing...She hadn't seen him. She hopes he's okay.

#schleckermaul #fellstcr #THIS ISN"T REALLY A SPONTY STARTER #but feel free to reply if you want

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gorematchala · 2 years

Text

So I wish I had the full body artwork to go off of but I've been staring at what they showed for like 6 hours total by now and I need to ramble about Fire Emblem designs.

Let me start by establishing my position on this series. I played Awakening and I dont care about any of the gameplay or plots of any of the games at all. My opinions are about the character designs and nothing else. Other than I think the child soldier void and the incest shit in Fates is kinda really fucked up. But anyway.

I'm okay with protags all looking like Marth. It really doesnt bother me. The Breath of Fire series has a blue haired dragony hero man and a blonde angel girl as the protagonists of every game and thats fine. I think its neat to have reoccuring character concepts like that sometimes. And I think that Marth, Sigurd, Ike, ect. are cool individual designs. Blue haired Lord class protagonist. Love it, totally fine.

Other weirder designs are also welcome. Robin being a weird dragon cult wizard clone thing was awesome. Corrin being a metal deer dragon, fantastic. Beyond the protagonists I dont even hate the non functional boob armor and such like Camilla in fates. Its a video game it doesnt have to be practical. But whats important about any design is about its functionality in terms of action. That the costume is cool to look at and consistent with what the character does or how theyre themed. You wouldnt give a thief character Black Knight armor, and the Black Knight would look weird fighting with a rapier. But Lucina wants sweater armor? Fine, shes supposed to be agile and she fights with a straight sword. Shes cute, let her be. HOWEVER.

While Robin is really great, and Corrin is extremely interesting, and Alm/Celica are absolutely perfect in their redesigns, FE3H introduced some of the worst character designs maybe in video games as a whole. I'm not just talking about Byleth but I could write a book about how bad Byleth's costumes are. I wont cuz I'm gonna do that for the new one. But the long and short is you've got monotone grey costumes that are half batman armor half cutist robes, with weird desaturated pink trim which doesnt match anything else on the design, with grey blue hair, and a neon purple dagger. The color theory alone is infuriating. Then the models in game make it worse by looking horrific in their own right. My complaints about their amor are too specific to explain without me pointing at them and gesturing wildly so suffice it to say there is a way that armor should be shaped to create a nice visual flow and theirs does not do that.

Now with Alear... I'll start this one by establishing that on a base level theyre better than Byleth. I think in terms of hair the female Alear looks less like a yugioh zexel character which is good. The split color isnt the biggest problem for me but it is *too* saturated and kinda obnoxious to look at, and the heterochromia throws it over the top into being fully annoying. Female Alear has the giant eyeball problem that female Byleth had. I dont get why her tiara is grey when every other accent on both of them is gold. The guys hair would be fine if it wasnt glued together in the front creating this bizarre forehead window. They both have confusing bowtie/ scarf/ neck tie things going on. His disappears under his vest but of course her is suctioned between her balloon tits because of course. I like her skort thing but I dont get why they created visual lines that travel down to become the skirt pleats, bu then they have a belt creating a hard horizontal break in that flow, and why they decided to make the skirt blue because it wouldve looked better white? It wouldve been the same blue to white ratio as the male version because of her thigh strap things. And speaking of straps!! This guy has a strap attached from the end of his jacket to the knee guard on his greaves, and then his belt has a weird cross shaped offshoot that is like sewn to the back of the boot jacket strap??? The gold trim on their arms is kinda meandering and formless, it looks like they should have some kind of gauntlet covering the stuff on the forearm.

Like it isnt as awful as Byleth in terms of it being nothing, but now its too much, and whats there is kind of stupid. Additionally once again whoever is doing the modelling and animations is not doing the game any favors because they all look like mid quality porn models. Something about the placement of the eyes and mouth on all the female characters screams 3d hentai to me. It's also weird how much higher detail their heads are from the rest of their bodies.

I dont really have a point or a conclusion here but I'm just baffled as to why this series has had such a drop off with their character designs since 3H and its been eating my brain for a day now so here is your peak into my psychosis.

#fire emblem #fe engage #alear fire emblem

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sxnburst · 1 year

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@fellstcr

With his returned senses to its 100%, he was able to read Byleth a little better. Not as great still, she was so good at keeping her walls up whenever she needed to, but it was this particular moment RIGHT here that he saw a crack. She was scared. She was scared because she knew they'd both have to make such a huge LEAP.

"JUMP!" Sun says as he holds tight onto Byleth's hand and they leap RIGHT off the cliff to dodge the ginormous boulder that would not break no matter how many times the two strike at it.

Sun and Byleth were so high up that the trees below seemed so tiny for just only a second. They were crashing down and they were crashing down FAST.

Sun pulls Byleth in close to him and reaches out the moment they get through the branches, twigs, and leaves from the trees. "ho-Hold on tight" he says through a grunt and with his free hand he's putting his nails into the trunk of the tree and then his other hand as well in hopes that him clinging onto the tree no matter the fact they are now sliding, will slow down their descent. Feet digs into the trunk and barks digs into nails but eventually they finally stop descending and he's latched himself onto the tree. All the while his tail had played as extra security for Byleth to keep her upright. "A-Are you okay?"

#fellstcr #isola event Down You go #ALRIGHT here we go

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singingshutin · 2 years

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wow turns out two weeks off of school gives me time to go nuts with self-indulgent writing

Hilda is a nosy lady and Byleth doesn't really know how to flirt (which to be honest is okay she needs her one-crit-wonder* alive with no exploded arteries).

I have been consumed by Byleth/Ignatz brainrot recently and my two-week break before summer school has given me far too much time to indulge myself so here's a fic

also what even is dialogue lol

(*i realize this implies he was useful once and never again which is the furthest thing from the truth he CARRIED through my last maddening run but it sounds funny)

(**also no beta readers here boys my irl bestie/beta reader is an artist with a master's degree and i was not gonna go through the judgement of my attempt to write an artist as someone who cannot draw a stick figure lol)

Read here on a03 or down below the cut!

Take a deep breath. Hold for five heartbeats. Exhale for three.

The sun beat down hot and hard on the Garreg Mach training ground. Heavy air buzzed with the sleepy hum of summer beetles. Steaming warmth rippled off the packed dirt in waves, casting a dreamy haze of heat across the spectacled vision of its lone occupant.

Ignatz pulled his glasses off and wiped the crystal lenses on the thin linen of his undershirt.

No matter how many times he had marched out to the battlefield, it was always the same - stomach burning tight and hot with the secret dread that he might not make it back. That one of his friends might not make it back. That the professor might not make it back.

Breathe. Hold. Release.

If he couldn’t even shake pre-battle nerves before training, what kind of protector could he really be? Not one worthy of the professor, surely- but no.

Ignatz pushed his glasses securely back onto his nose with a shake of his head.

He couldn’t do this. Not today. Not now that she had returned to them. Five years of desperate prayers finally answered by the Goddess-

Breathe. Hold. Release.

The archer lifted his bow and pulled back, peering down the shaft of his arrow. At the end of the training yard, the brightly painted target blinked at him in the afternoon sunlight; red and blue rings stood stark against the wooden stand's light burlap skin.

He would begin practice like he always did.

Take a deep breath. Hold-

-and release!

Schick!

Thunk.

One perfect shot: dead center of the target.

Ignatz huffed quietly to himself, a half-smile on his lip as he pulled a handful of arrows from the quiver at his waist. A loose roll of the shoulder, an easy shift back of the foot-

One!

Two!

Three!

Almost faster than the eye could perceive, the arrows shot one after the other from his bow, whistling in harmony through the air as they hit the target with a thunk, a thock, and a splitting, splintering rip!

Torn goose feather fletching drifted softly to the packed dirt ground of the training yard. A scattering of splinters ringed the target, and, split straight down the middle, the very first arrow of practice was peeled back and open like a morning glory to face the man who had so meticulously stripped and bound and sharpened it.

A direct hit.

Thock! - Thud! - Thunk! Three more arrows found their marks in the training dummies lined up along the wall - shoulder, chest, and head.

Ignatz sucked his upper lip against his teeth, grabbing another handful of arrows.

One kill shot out of three? Not good enough. This time, he had to pull stronger. Shoot straighter. And always faster, faster, faster-

Hilda’s voice cut across the training yard. "Apple incoming!"

The archer whirled, dropping to one knee, arrow trained to the azure sky. A glint of brilliant scarlet flickered against the glowing sun- and he fired.

A juicy thud echoed across the training ground as the fruit in the sky jolted back, before beginning its rapid tumble back to earth. Ignatz tossed aside his bow and dove forward into a headlong dash, hand extended, reaching up, up, up-

-and he caught it.

He caught the arrow, dripping with sticky juice, and weighted by the speared fruit. Ignatz let out a quiet sigh of relief, a tiny smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

A round of applause broke out behind him. Ignatz turned to greet the two women at the training yard gates, a pleasing warmth tingling in his stomach at the praise. Hilda and Byleth clapped harder as he approached.

"Thank you, Iggy!" Hilda hummed, skipping up to throw an arm around him. "That was amazing!"

Ignatz gave his bubbly friend a good-natured eye roll. "It’s been a while since I last performed that trick, Hilda. I’m lucky I didn’t miss."

"Oh, nonsense!" Hilda held out her hands. "Split it for me, will you?"

Ignatz wrapped his fingers around the apple. "I can give it a try, at least."

Deep breath. Hold. And-

He exhaled and gave the fruit a sharp twist. A loud crack, a splatter of juice: two clean halves of the apple rested in his palms as the arrow dropped to the ground.

"Ooh, good job!" Hilda beamed, taking the proffered snack and retreating back to the shade.

"Very impressive. You’ve kept up with your training." The professor added, rewarding the archer with a small smile. "But let me see…"

She reached up to his face. Light fingers tickled against his cheek, and for one short moment, Ignatz let his heart buzz at the sensation.

"You’ve got some juice… there."

A happy warmth flickered in his face and he smiled back. "Thank you, Professor."

"It’s just Byleth," she corrected him gently, wiping her hand on her sleeve.

"Sorry- Byleth." A tiny blush broke across Ignatz’s cheeks. Oh, how easily her name slipped off his tongue, sweet as the nectar of dripping honeysuckle. "I can finish up if you needed the training grounds-"

"No, actually." Byleth shook her head. "I was hoping you would work with me."

"Of course! Let me get my sword-"

She held up her hand. "I meant archery. I want to brush up on my bow skills, and I’d like you to coach me."

"M-me?" Ignatz squeaked. "That would be an honor, Professor-"

"Byleth."

"S-sorry-"

Ignatz just about choked on his own heart as Byleth’s hand came down on his shoulder with a gentle squeeze.

"No more apologies."

"Yes ma’am."

Byleth smiled. "That’s better."

If only to hide his steaming face, Ignatz looked away and over at Hilda. "Will-" Deep breath, hold, release- "...will you be joining us, Hilda?"

"Oh, no- I’m just here to cheer from the sidelines!" She gave him a lazy wave and a foxy, mischievous, all-too-knowing grin. "Go, Byleth!"

The former professor clicked her tongue and shook her head- oh, Goddess, her hair had brushed his shoulder. Was brushing his shoulder. Even through his shirt, the sensation was like magic exploding beneath his skin, a spiderweb of spells racing up his neck and down his arm into his hand-

Snap out of it, Victor!

He swallowed hard and pointed over his shoulder to the weapon rack.. "I- I’ll go get a training bow."

"Thank you," Byleth nodded, stripping off her coat and tossing it aside. Freckles and silver scars co-mingled on her skin in an intricate dance, the faint patterning stretching across her shoulders like fading sunlight through leaves. She was cool and soft like the evening breeze, but with a strength in her stoic quietude that radiated from her minty eyes. Dangerous eyes, she had.

Dangerous to the painter’s heart, anyway.

Pull yourself together!

Ignatz spun on his heel and darted across the field to retrieve the weapon. He shouldn't be thinking this way. He couldn't be thinking this way. He wouldn't let himself be thinking this way.

Oh, Goddess, forgive him. Forgive him and his stupid fantasies of love.

"Need any help?" Byleth called after him.

Yes. Help my heart to stop pounding, help me to let go. I’ve grown weak, I’ve given up fighting this - even allowing myself to think of you this way.

"No-" was what he called aloud as he dug furiously through the rack of weapons, "just- looking for the right bow!"

"I’ll clean up the target, then."

"Thank you-" Deep breath. Hold. Release. Banish the blush from his cheeks and the butterflies from his stomach. Spend a moment to calm his heart, to let the crowding thoughts subside.

With one last quick shake of his head, Ignatz grabbed a training bow and made his way back to his former professor. She offered him his own weapon with a smile.

"I figured you didn’t want this left on the ground."

"Yes, thank you."

He pretended very hard that he didn’t notice the brush of her fingers against his as they exchanged bows. He wouldn’t dwell on it. That would only make the ache stronger.

"Now," she gave the weapon an experimental pull, "shall we begin?"

"Yes! Yes- of course." Ignatz cleared his throat. "Um- what did you want to work on, specifically?"

"My form could be better," Byleth looked up at the archer beside her. "Accuracy depends on a strong foundation, right?"

"Just like the textbooks said." Professional smile, just like his father and brother. Warm and friendly and inviting- but never too close.

It made business complicated.

Not that he wasn’t already dealing with complications of his own making.

"Then, if you don’t mind- will you demonstrate for me? How you shoot?"

Byleth nodded. A tiny puff of dust sprang up at her boots as she shifted her stance apart, a ripple of strength running down her arms as she pulled back on the bow.

The sleepy chirp of birds slowly faded out, the nervous ache in the painter’s chest dissipating with it. He could see it as clearly as if he had the canvas in front of him: the very portrait of the Goddess was standing before him now. The brushstrokes of nature depicted the calm dignity on her face as she trained her eye on the target, her shoulders painted square and strong to bear the prayers and fears and worries and hopes of her children. Hands, soft and gentle for those who sought solace in her arms, were clasped fierce and firm over the grip of her weapon to protect those who cried out to her for help.

Her posture, though- it was a bit awkward. Her shoulders were too high, too tense- her bow arm angled a little too far toward the sun. Without thinking, Ignatz reached out, laying a hand on Byleth’s arm.

The surprised shiver underneath his fingers brought him screeching back to reality.

"I-I’m so sorry-!"

Ignatz sprung back like he’d been burned, face white as a sheet. She was red- oh, Goddess, like a rose. He had embarrassed her. She was embarrassed and he was the one to have done it-

"I should have asked- I’m so sorry-"

Byleth lowered her bow and looked him in the eyes. "No, go ahead."

"...what?"

The former professor shook her head "Correct my form as much as you need to. You are the expert here."

"W-well, I'm no Claude, but-"

"I don’t need fancy tricks." Byleth’s solemn face twitched into a small smile, blush fading. "He may have the energy to spare, but I don’t. I prefer your style of shooting. Clean. Efficient. More accurate, to be honest."

"I won’t tell Claude you said that," Hilda giggled.

"You'd better not," Byleth called back.

Once again, she drew back on the training bow. The wood creaked, string taught and vibrating against the tension in her strong shoulders.

"Go ahead," she nodded, "fix my form."

Deep breath. Hold. Release.

Ignatz swallowed and stepped forward. "Okay."

With a timid care that mimicked the handling of a porcelain teapot, Ignatz held Byleth’s elbow, tilting her outstretched arm ever so slightly down.

“More like this-” he murmured. “Then-” His free hand gently pushed her arrow arm up. “In a line with your shoulder-”

This was something he knew. Something he could do and could do well. Ever so slowly, his stomach began to untie itself as he tapped his old professor - no, her name was Byleth - into proper form. One hand on her arm, the other on her shoulder-

Hilda chuckled quietly to herself. It was a shame that, even with glasses, Ignatz was so blind. Was he really the only one who couldn’t see the way their old professor looked at him? The blush dancing across her face as his hand cupped her arm, the smile twinkling on her lips as he leaned over her shoulder, his cheek pressed against her pink ear.

"Now, deep breath.” Ignatz said. “Hold.”

Byleth’s smile could have melted the sun.

“And release."

#is hilda even really in this #kind of #shes here to eat popcorn and watch awkward hijinks ensue #but she does love her little brother ignatz #ignatz victor #byleth eisner #byleth x ignatz

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amiah-fanfic · 1 year

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Works and Updates

Hello, I'm amiah at ao3. I'm working on Fire Emblem: Three Houses fanfiction. This is my list of current works. Please check here for updates if you like my writing!

FE3H: The Wrong Way to Be a Rival

FE3H: The Three Courts (soon)

See further details about my projects below the break.

12.13.22

To be published soon-ish:

The Three Courts is a dark, modern, urban fantasy au where the Agarthans won the battle for supremacy in the middle ages. The current era, nearly 800 years later, is a cold technocratic government that cares more for its bottom line than the needs of the people.

The Courts of the Moon, Wind, and Flower are what remain of the Goddess' children, their gifts waning much like their relevance. Old money has kept the Crested safe in modern society. This matters little when a simple house call turns into something far darker.

There are few who know the truth, and everyone holds their own piece of the puzzle. For the first time in centuries, the Courts must come together to protect their legacy. Or choose a new path entirely.

The kids are mostly here in an ensemble cast that I'll need a graph to keep track of. Those that haven't... ya know... 🗡 ahem.

BUT! Big feels! Gruesome battles! Sexy times! Rampant murder! A few fluffy flashbacks. And secrets of course.

I needed a reason for Claude to be there. :)

I have a great beta now, but the more the merrier. If you're interested I'm willing to do the same for you!

12.06.22

Chapter 4 of Rivals is up! Yay!

"Chapter 4: Commander of the Resistance

I returned to Garreg Mach after five years, dusty and saddle-sore and met immediately by Byleth. Everyone around him had changed, grown, wore shadows under their eyes. Myself included. He was the same, a demon with a sword and a man of few words.

Yet now, countless others listened for those words. At long tables, in lecture halls, and on the battlefield.

He was no longer responsible for only himself, or a small classroom. The Resistance Forces followed behind the Crest of Flames.

He was finally here, in my sights, yet further away than ever.

Not that I'll ever stop running to meet him."

11.19.22

I am actively working on chapters 4 and 5 of Rivals! I know it hasn't been updated in awhile but I plan to update with Chapter 4 in early December. My readers sweet comments are fuel to me, so thank you!

ALSO: Looking to obtain some PAID fanart of my story. Would love to talk to a reader of my fic or FE3H in general that also does commission work. I have ideas but open to suggestions! Creative direction is totally up to you and I'm excited to see what you'll create. Send me a message if interested.

....

The Wrong Way to be a Rival

Language: English; Words: 17,807; Chapters: 4/6

Last updated: 12.06.22

Rated: T

My Unit | Byleth & Leonie Pinelli, Leonie Pinelli & Claude von Riegan, Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Leonie Pinelli, Jeralt Reus Eisner & Leonie Pinelli. My Unit | Byleth/Leonie Pinelli, Leonie Pinelli, My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius. Jeralt Reus Eisner, Claude von Riegan. Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem)

"Did you ever notice him like, picking legs off of bugs or anything like that when he was a kid?"

"Goddess, Hilda, NO! He's weird but not in that way."

"So. You have met him before!"

"Yeah. He's Captain Jeralt's son. Of course I have."

"Why don't you ever talk about him then?"

"Well. There's nothing to talk about."

Okay, that was a small lie. There are certainly things to say about Byleth Eisner.

Captain Jeralt is his father, so greatness should run in his son's blood. But the guy barely speaks. He has the presence of a log. And he calls his own dad by his first name! How damn rude can you be? He has a lot of nerve for someone who ran around with a lopsided bowl-cut as a kid.

I just hope we don't bump into each other much over the next year. Thank the Goddess he chose Black Eagles…

A light-hearted FE:3H AU where Leonie did, in fact, know Byleth from childhood and thinks he's the worst. Until she doesn't, of course.

....

The Three Courts

Language: English; Words: 4289; Chapters: 1/?

Last updated: 12.13.22

Rated: M

Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Blue Lions Students (Fire Emblem), Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem), Black Eagles Students (Fire Emblem), Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Rhea (Fire Emblem), Claude von Riegan, Hilda Valentine Goneril, My Unit | Byleth, Hubert von Vestra, Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Sylvain Jose Gautier, Mentioned Blue Lions Students (Fire Emblem), Mentioned Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem), Mentioned Black Eagles Students (Fire Emblem), Drama, Romance, Horror, Action/Adventure

The Goddess is dead.

The church is a mockery of Her former glory.

And the ones who once Slithered now perch in high places.

Tales of battle mages and Sacred Beasts lie in dusty books, ancient history to the greater populace. But relics of those times still exist within the dwindling societies of The Three Courts. Some within the Courts still carry the torch of tradition, while others work to see its flame gutter out. And those who merely watch events unfold will soon be forced to take a side. Or create something else entirely.

It is Agarthan Year 788 and war returns to Fódlan once again.

An original modern AU/urban fantasy using the Fire Emblem: Three Houses world and characters. Ensemble cast, multiple POV throughout.

#fe3h #fe3h leonie #fe3h byleth #fire emblem three houses #fe3h fanfic #byleth eisner #leonie pinelli #🧡⚔💚#twwtbar #rivalsao3 #byleth #three houses #fire emblem

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dmicld · 2 years

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how obnoxious is this? be honest. notes under the cut jddgsjsjdh

ride or die: LITERALLY we all already knew there’s nothing to add I just love them <3333 wish I could give them every single color and ten extra lines connecting them.

OTP: all i really have for this is to say that in general i tend to prefer f/f ships and i think that shows here. dmcl are more of an exception than a rule in that regard. there are a few pairings that could conceivably go here or really really like you a lot but i was trying to be discerning for the sake of creating an actual hierarchy.

really really like you a lot: <3 hmmm.... dmvn and dmfx are complicated because i like them both a lot it just varies how much. i always really like dmvn but usually not enough to feel compelled to write about them/seek them out unless its a v specific flavor. dmfx feels like the worlds most ship but they can be. a lot sometimes and putting them through the mortifying ordeal of learning to be close again is sometimes too much for me fdhsjfksd. again, they’re a lot, but i love them. favorite in house bl pairing by far. other than that i guess merceleth is kind of unique as it’s the only byleth/student pairing i ‘get’ as like it’s own thing. but i also believe in setleth/lettuce family rights so i usually tend toward that direction fhdsjkfs.

see the appeal but you do nothing for me personally: i like you IN THEORY but the actual emotions you bring me are essentially zero. i do enjoy fan art etc that gets made for these pairings, but i typically won’t seek out content fic etc.

platonic: i prefer the lord/byleth ships platonically tbh. dimitri has a really good s support scene (claude’s is so funny? like i'll be seeing you later i guess?). some of the scenes in cf make me uncomfortable regarding el/byleth so that’s kind of my issue there. i’ve seen cute art for all of them though which i support <3 i prefer claude an hilda as the worlds most besties but i understand ppl who like them together as well.

okay so i actually have no feelings...: this is the sly/vix category bc idk what to do with them fdhsfjksdfkjs. i see you guys so much i wish i liked you but there’s just nothing!!! i don’t even dislike like it either. anyways i still come across it a lot esp as a background ship and im always like okay you’re fine you can stay but unfortunately im not really invested for your sake :( also as an aside felix kind of reads to me as like. in love with dimitri on every route so there’s that too i guess hdfjksdjfsd. that being said i think this ship is a W for women for taking two of fodlan’s biggest misogynists off the market and into each other’s arms.

don’t really like: not a fan of lorenz/marianne tbh and enough that i felt the need to say it. that’s hilda’s girlfriend </3

good situationally: BUT CAN BE SO BAD. like so so bad it’s almost not worth it to try fhdsjkfs. dmdue especially people can be freaks about. which is unfortunate. bc again it can be so good.

i don’t want to see you together but i want to see you get divorced: would love for any of these couples to have an unhinged toxic relationship and then have the messiest break up ever. i think it would be so funny. no actual thoughts here just me laughing.

NOTP: i hate these couples and i don’t really even want to talk about it because i think i’ll start getting mean fhdsjfskd. cl/rz i dislike on principle and ed/el/cl/de is a combination of that and how it often gets... portrayed.. in fan works/spaces. either way i do not like them fdhsfjkdsf.

honorable mentions that didn’t make the chart: dimi/gard ???? just baffles me bc dimitri literally thinks of her as his sister but also idk it’s boring on top of that. thinking of their relationship through the lens of family/el’s connection to dimitri’s romanticized vision of the past is more interesting. i don’t like it generally but really i just need to emphasize that it’s boring on top of that. and then the other one would be ferdinand/lorenz which i don’t ‘go here’ for but i read it done REALLY well in a fic once. so i like them very much in the context of that fic’s canon/world.

#the text was loading weird so if u saw me repost this no u didn't dhfjksdfsd #perhaps they are cringe but they're my cringe #x

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derekscorner · 1 year

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Fiery Opinions: Warrior Hopes~

haha It’s been nearly a year since I’ve done one of these but not for lack of playing Fire Emblem but because I haven’t played anything new. It’s my own fault for not tracking down older titles but that’s a bridge I’ll worry about another day.

Well, okay, that’s a half truth. I have played both Warrior spin offs since then though I never made a post for the first Warriors game because I didn’t get too far into it. Something about the game just did not hook me.

I actually had a similar issue with the first Zelda Warriors title. Something about the first LoZ and Fire Emblem Warriors titles do not draw me in. I almost started this by saying that the stories they offered were dull but I didn’t play them far enough to truly judge them on a subjective level.

In fact, it wasn’t until beating the main endings of 3 Hopes (with and without Byleth recruited) that I realized the issue. Focus.

More Focused Outings

Age of Calamity and 3 Hopes take an established, specific, entry in those series and expand it. This is what I needed since I am more interested in seeing what these specific groups do in new settings as opposed to making a new setting then throwing series legacies into it with time/space excuses.

I also think I gave this title more love than the others because 3 Houses was my first Fire Emblem. I have a greater investment in seeing what lives these kids live and what new interactions I will get.

Granted, I am still a little disappointed that this spin off was a warriors title. Even if unlikely I had hoped for a spin off similar to the base game, ie a tactical rpg. An alternative story to take Byleth through but that didn’t happen or even just the devs picking one route to flesh out.

Alas, this did not come to pass but speaking of story~

3 Hopes Story

Despite what I had hoped to get this game had a decent story. Shez offered a believable break in the timeline and I do think the way each route plays out from that break works.

Shez’s presence not only causes Byleth to miss their fated meeting with the house leaders but causes ‘Those who slither in the dark’ to be exposed far earlier due to Edelgard seizing that opportunity.

From there each leader has to rush home for events sparked by Edelgard’s actions as she forced the Agarthan’s to retaliate. The only leader that feels a bit weak in this regard is Claude.

I’m sure the Agarthans are the cause but it still feels random for an Almyran invasion to happen in this timeline when it didn’t in the base game. I only say that because I find it hard to believe that the Agarthans would have a means to spark such action when both they and the church of Seiros only care about Fodlan.

To the extent that the church’s doctrine pushes isolationism. Agartha itself only cares about revenge and leaving Fodlan in chaos as well. Oh well, it’s a minor issue at best since I do know they’re masters of infiltration and instigated incidents in Duscar and Sreng respectively.

I just find it hard to believe that someone as pathetic/desperate as Shahid would even need Agarthan prodding to invade I guess. If he invaded in 3 Hopes for vanity I see no reason he wouldn’t have in 3 Houses for similar.

Likewise, I highly doubt there’s any Agarthan that’d bother to infiltrate the Almyran upper class based on what I just listed.

More Story yet Less

I also do not wish to sound like I’m complaining. I do think the story was good. The whole point of this spin off was familiar cast in new situations and I enjoyed it for that reason.

However, I also can’t deny that 3 Hopes (like 3 Houses) suffered a little from splitting the story three ways.

Sure, on my first route (I chose Golden Deer) I enjoyed seeing Claude reshape the Alliance into a Federation. I liked the side mission that ended with Claude telling Judith the truth and I liked Nader’s bullsh*t excuses to keep tagging along whenever he could even if I found his presence unbelievable for most of them. (he fully broke my suspension for disbelief when he “borrowed” a navy lol)

I even liked seeing cast in situations they didn’t expect or didn’t want. Ignatz is a good example since he couldn’t follow his painter dream in this timeline.

Next I chose Edelgard and enjoyed routing the Agarthan’s early. I enjoyed Monica’s down bad lesbian antics and I even enjoyed watching Bernadetta’s father squirm in constant panic. (As Hubert said; it couldn’t have happened to a better man)

However, it was half way through Edelgard’s story that I noticed that the major story beats weren’t all that different.

The stories will have differences along the way or different endings but they do not truly diverge. For example, in Claude’s route he becomes a king and the alliance a federation.

Yet in Edelgard or Deimitri’s route the major actions Claude takes are the same. He’s just not a king in those timelines. It’s still an alliance but the major outcomes the nation takes do not differ.

House Glauster’s betrayal is always temporary, Arianrhod still swaps hands a few times, there’s always a distraction that forces the leaders to rush home, etc.

Hell, even the endings technically end on the same note whether you recruit Byleth or not. The war doesn’t end with only Claudes story ending on a possible note that they will.

Some characters will live or die based on you, and Rhea’s fate may vary, but the major plays are always the same and Fodlan stays locked in war in all endings.

It was only on Dimitri’s route that I realized the story is the same and what’s really changing is your perspective in that war. Whoever you side with as Shez gives you a front row seat and thus exposes you more to each nations dealings but the major events won’t shift.

Even recruiting Byleth only seemed to save one key support character each route. You’d get more supports and minor stuff but nothing world shaking.

The closest I got to a divergence was Edelgard being left mind-broken at the end of Dimitri’s route. In other routes Rhea and/or Thales always die, the war never ends with a clear victor.

And I admittedly found that disappointing. I had fun going through each story and seeing the personal shifts but I could not escape the feeling that I was just replaying the same story from different angles. I wish the house I picked at least won the war in their respective endings...

As for the Byleth aspect, I thought I’d complain more but it’s fine really. I hoped they’d impact change more and there’s even some routes that make more sense with them dead or alive.

But I just can’t bring myself to nitpick it because I enjoyed Byleth the most. I liked all the new interactions and situations the characters were in but Byleth was by far the best one.

They have an actual personality now. I genuinely can’t tell you how much I liked having Byleth speak, express stuff, try to human, or their supports with Jeralt.

Byleth

It was weird at first but good lord I wish this was the Byleth I got in 3 Houses. They still do not talk or emote on what you’d call a normal level but that is within the confines of their backstory.

Byleth is a plank by circumstance. What made it tolerable in 3 Hopes as opposed to 3 Houses is that they visibly try. They talk. They have likes, dislikes, etc.

The supports with Jeralt make it even more endearing as he elaborates on Sitri and how alike Byleth is to their mother. Both even remark on slight changes or being recruited to your army.

There’s even a paralogue where Jeralt, Byleth, Alois, Leonie, and Shez go on a mission and banter is made among them. Alois and Leonie mostly blow smoke up Jeralt’s ass but Byleth does chime in and all three agree how they’re akin to siblings due to Jeralt looking after them at some point.

I also enjoyed seeing Byleth talk to Sothis. They weren’t fully amicable nor hostile. Just them having shared voice lines was nice.

Of them all, I enjoyed Byleth talking to Shez the most. Their C support is hilarious!

Speaking of Shez~

Shez

As far as insert characters go I genuinely like Shez but I’d also argue they’re their own character. In fact, I’m glad that could be.

The insert characters seemed to grow weaker each title starting with Robin who had a semblance of a personality all the way to Byleth who flat out didn’t speak. I found this a shame, I won’t lie.

Sure, Corrin also had a personality but they’re so naive that I just can not place myself in their shoeless steps. This made Shez easy to play in the story. There may be a few optional dialogue prompts here and there but they act more like chances to increase support than anything else.

For the entire game Shez expresses their own personality, dialogue, and goals. Shez and Arval both are actual characters in my eyes and it made me wish for future leads to be their own character.

Hell, I finished my first route with Byleth recruited and wished that the Byleth I got in 3 Hopes was the Byleth I played in 3 Houses. I’ve repeated this desire once but that’s just how much I preferred the emotional stunted, but vocal, Byleth.

Fire Emblem truly should have actual characters as leads in my opinion.

Arval

All that praise said, I do have issue an with Shez’s role in the story and it boils down to Arval. I do not feel they properly explain what Arval is. Sure, I now know he’s a creations of Epimenides, an Agarthan. Arval’s desire to slay Byleth is rooted in that creation.

You even get hints that Shez was possibly implanted with Epimenides “core” at some point. My issue is that you learn little else beyond that. We get hints or comments about Shez’s adoptive mother and we can assume she’s Agarthan due to in-game dialogue but they never expand on these facts.

Did Shez’s mom implant Arval into Shez? Was Shez made into Epimenidies vessel only for their foster mother to disagree and runaway with Shez? Or was Shez and their adoptive mother some part of a long term plan Epimenidies himself created?

We do not know. All that we know is that Arval is Epimenidies method to escape death. We know that Shez’s biological family does not exist and we know that the woman who raised them was Agarthan or served them.

The very fact that the Agarthans themselves do not know what or who Shez is also raises flags. The only one to recognize Shez’s powers is Myson and even he doesn’t understand why Shez has them.

The two extra chapters you get when recruiting Byleth also answers very little. Epimenidies just...randomly appears? Decides he’s going to fulfill his goal and essentially hijacks Arval. Annoyingly, Arval doesn’t even resist it.

Then Shez and the house leaders get sucked into the darkness of Zaharas to battle Epimenidies, you win, and go home. It’s this random ass detour in the plot and doesn’t answer anything.

Shez, somehow, keeps the powers and everyone goes back to their war all hunky dory. The only one who remarks anything substantial from this is Byleth themselves. Having their own inner voice to fend off they at least offer kind words and forgiveness.

It all just feels so random and I felt like it obstructed the story flow with no reward. Even if they offered DLC later I don’t think it’ll fix this issue.

If anything, I wish Arval was a non-factor. Shez on their own would’ve been a fine way to split the story.

Did we even need Shez?

Is a question that my feelings on Arval kept instilling in me. I do not hate Shez, I hope I made that clear, but I do wonder if they were needed. They’re easily the best player insert in ages precisely because they have their own personality but I also felt their (and arvals) backstory weighed it down.

At times throwing the story off beat randomly.

I also have this bias of 3 Hopes Byleth. The Byleth 3 Hopes gave me was so welcome that I just wish Byleth was the lead of this spin off. I can’t help but imagine how fun it’d be to have this story and it’s three routes but with a Byleth that talks.

However, given that “fighting the Ashen Demon” was a draw of this spin off I also feel like this would only be a slightly better change.

Objectively, I finished my final route wondering why the house leaders themselves weren’t the leads of this spin off. It’s not like 3 Hopes needs a deep reason to branch it’s timeline. The house leaders just have to avoid meeting Byleth in Remire village.

There’s lots of ways to make this not happen. You could’ve still have Byleth as an enemy you could recruit as well since the Jeralt Mercenaries are hired by opposing armies several times.

I think I would have preferred this the most. Three routes in which I control the actual leaders of those routes. Seeing more of their backstories first hand, seeing their characters in new situations without their professor to guide them.

Most importantly, since the story is nearly identical in all three routes it would’ve made more sense to just be seeing each route from the leaders eyes. Shez works perfectly fine but if you’re going to do the same story from three perspectives I’d rather just be the central characters of those perspectives.

I wanna be Claude trying to change Fodlan, I wanna be Dimitri seeking the truth, I wanna be in Edelgards shoes as she plots her war. etc.

It’s weird since I like Shez but I earnestly think the story would’ve worked better to just have the house leaders as...well the leads of their routes. Or pluck out the Arval subplot and I think the story would’ve flowed fine with just Shez.

Still, as is, Shez and the story are fine. I think such ideas would improve it but my only objective gripe is the lack of diversity in the story or that said story doesn’t really end.

I did very much enjoy the new supports or situations these characters were in so I’ll end the story impressions here.

Game-play

As for game-play I feel that I can’t add much. I suck at Warrior games. I often play them on easy due to this. There’s just something about the panic that makes it hard for me to enjoy the game-play.

I literally can’t stand or resist minor panic when I’m doing one thing only for the game to scream at me that some objective on the opposite end of the map needs attention. I will rage quit if this objective is mission ending because I feel like I got blindsided.

I also find it difficult to manage the vast cast a Warrior title gives you. One reason I stopped Fire Emblem Warriors was due to the sheer number of characters, stats, and rpg elements it threw at me all at once.

Thankfully 3 Hopes takes some pity on me by restricting your roster to the route and those you recruit along the way. But even then I felt overwhelmed at first. I am not a man meant to micromanage or control large groups.

I also have to praise 3 Hopes for it’s classes since I could swap out a units class if I didn’t like the gameplay style. (I hated playing mage classes)

Then there was the three renown characters. You can buy them after finishing one run but I quickly abandoned them because they’re limited to your mission select.

You can’t buy Arval and take him through a story route meaning you can’t use the Training Center or Activities to increase his supports or class levels which disappointed me greatly.

I know they aren’t technically story canon but if I’m on NG+ and have unlocked them I want to use them. I simply do not have the patience to grind their supports and classes in mission replays.

This only hit me harder when I unlocked the Gatekeeper and seen that I could use him in any route. I was both happy and sad at the same time.

I hope they remedy that one day but who knows if this game will even get DLC. If it does get DLC I think it needs story related updates more urgently anyway.

Another thing I am of two minds on is the base. On the one hand, I like having a hub to walk around and talk to characters. On the other hand, it’s a real grind to get your base facilities all leveled and I was often drug back to base in the early game which irked me.

My only gripe with the 3 Houses hub was the calendar but 3 Hopes hub wore me down over my play-thoughs. Looking back I think it’s a game that would’ve benefited more from having a menu navigation similar to what Age of Calamity or FE Warriors 1 did.

Some tedium would remain but it would’ve been a bit more snappy. Perhaps it would’ve also been wise to not lock some base functions behind a leveling system.

I didn’t manage to unlock the effects of relics until the end of my first route which was sad in terms of mechanics and my own ability managing the facilities.

To be honest I feel like I should add more but, as stated, I suck at these titles and only play Easy so I don’t have a grander grasp to judge deep mechanics. At best I can say that I really like how 3 Hopes and Age of Calamity make the hallways of maps more narrow.

Trying to manage the vast expanses of FE and LoZ Warriors 1 added to my stress. So their successors having more narrow hallways helped. lol

Conclusion

I think it was a fun what if but I have trouble enjoying Warrior game-play. I wish the story was a bit more varied and while I like Shez I question the necessity.

In the end, there is one thing that I truly loved from the entire experience, and that was seeing Byleth be an actual person.

I wish I had a 3 Houses game or even another spin off with this Byleth. Let them be their own being. Let me see them slowly become more lively like how Jeralt said Sitri did.

At the very least, give this game another story route so that I can play this Byleth. Please, I am literally begging here!

P.S. My fave unit to use was Gatekeeper btw. Truly best boi!

P.S.S. Also the new designs for the Fodlan crew are so good, why didn’t Byleth get one!?

======================================================

Editors Note: This is part six of my trip through fire emblem. You’ll find the others here: Fiery Opinions <–(link)

#fiery opinions #fire emblem #fe #fe warriors three hopes #fire emblem warriors

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vgbellylover · 2 years

Text

World of Belly - Chapter One

The first chapter of a story I'm writing based on a Fire Emblem Heroes RP I'm currently doing with someone. Unlike some other pieces I'm working on, this one took less than a day to write. Quite a bit of the dialog was pulled directly from the rp and all in all, I think it turned out rather well.

Send me your favorite part I wanna know.

Chapter One

Kiana, the Askrian Hero Summoner, sat at her desk in the palace, reading a thick book of powerful spells. Her window was open as the sunset, filling her room with the amber tones of twilight.

There was a light knock on the heavy wooden door. The summoner answered and the door cracked open. It was Camilla, the Nohrian princess. "Kiana, honey, have you eaten yet? Overexerting yourself won't do you any good. Come, take a break."

Kiana shook her head. "Not yet. Let me finish this chapter." She turned back to her book. She had only just started a new chapter.

The princess stepped into the room and walked to the desk. "Now, that won't do," she said, taking the book from the young woman's hands and closing it. "You need to keep up your strength. We need you and you won't be any help if you're too exhausted to stand up. Now, come." She took hold of the summoner's upper arm, hauled her to her feet, and led her out of the room towards the dining hall.

Glancing back at her desk, Kiana struggled to get free, but Camilla's grip was firm. "But... my studies..."

"They're not going anywhere, honey. You can go back to them later." They soon arrived at the dining hall and found a couple of open seats among some of the more prominent members of the order: Marth, Ike, Corrin, Byleth, and others were talking and laughing amongst themselves at a table overflowing with food. Camilla pushed the summoner into the open chair next to the Radiant Hero, then took her own.

"Where have you been? We were worried about you." The hero finished the turkey leg in his hand, dropped the bare bone onto his plate, and patted his belly in satisfaction. His shirt was stretched tight across his gut, which churned loudly as it worked on its cargo.

Kiana stammered out an apology, a little intimidated by the Hero's presence. "S-s-sorry, I've been b-busy with my studies l-lately."

Ike laughed. "There's no need to be so nervous. I'm not gonna hurt you, but geez, you're just like Soren. Always with your nose stuck in a book." She responded by sticking her tongue out at him. He smirked at her and leaned forward to refill his plate, dropping a few bits and pieces into the young woman's. "Eat up. You're so small."

Sighing, the summoner picked up a bright red apple and bit into it. Camilla watched her, engaging in idle conversation with those around her when Ike, who had just downed another tankard of ale, belched loudly.

"Ike," Marth said, exasperated, "that's disgusting."

Several in the vicinity laughed. Corrin and Byleth seemed to disagree, with Corrin suggesting it was sexy. Byleth, her eyes occasionally flicking down to his stomach, was staring at the legend, a light blush across her cheeks. He smirked at the young royal. "Sounds like you're outnumbered, princeling."

Kiana finished her apple, placed the core on her plate, and reached for a dinner roll.

Marth sighed. "I've asked you not to call me that."

"Yeah, and I told you that I'll stop when you beat me."

The summoner inhaled sharply, nearly choking on the bite she had just taken. She coughed, pounding her chest. The others at the table turned to her, concerned. "You okay? I've found it's not a good idea to inhale your food. It goes in your belly, not your lungs."

She hacked up the food that had caught in her throat and was breathing heavily. "I'm f-fine, I just..." she swallowed hard, "w-what you said simply s-shocked me..."

The hero blinked. "What was said that was so startling?"

"I'd... rather not say..." she mumbled, looking away.

"Is it that I've kicked Marth's ass? More than once?"

"That shouldn't be surprising, Kiana," Camilla said. "you know he's one of the most powerful heroes here."

The summoner flushed. "In my defense... I d-didn't even know you would f-fight each other..."

"It's training, not fighting," Byleth said from the other side of the table. "There's a difference. It improves skills and teamwork, and gives insight into allies' strengths and weaknesses."

"And since Ike is so good, a lot of swordsmen to spar with him." The young Altean prince glanced at the Radiant Hero, who was still smiling, then closed his eyes in resignation. "He... has yet to lose a match."

The two of them started arguing again, the summoner waited for a chance to slip away. As she stood up, ready to make a run for it with a basket of cookies in her hands, Ike caught her by the elbow. "Where do you think you're going? There's no way you're done, you just got here."

She tried to shake off his grip, nibbling on a cookie. "Uh... to go s-study?"

Camilla rose and took the basket of sweets from the summoner's hands. "Kiana, honey, your body needs more than just fiber and sugar."

"You might as well back down," Soren called from Ike's right. "I don't think they'll let you leave until they're satisfied with your intake." He turned back to his commander. "Can I go now?" Ike agreed and he stood up. As he turned to leave, he spoke to the summoner again. "They're doing this because they care about you. Believe me, I speak–" he belched suddenly, holding his stomach with both hands– "excuse me, from experience."

Kiana pouted and sank back into her seat. Her stomach gurgled loudly as Camilla placed a large plate with steak, baked potatoes, grilled mushrooms, fresh salad, and warm bread in front of her. She begrudgingly began to eat. Her pace increased rapidly. She was apparently more hungry than she thought, shoveling several bites worth into her mouth before forcing them down her gullet.

"There's a good girl," the hero next to her commented, laying an arm across the back of her chair. He began filling his plate again. "Don't even think about leaving anything behind."

Marth stared at him. "How are you still hungry? Dear Naga, how much of our budget goes into feeding you?"

Ike shrugged, laughing. "I wouldn't know."

The summoner had stopped eating and was watching the hero. "Ike, please remember you're not my father. At least... I don't think you are..." She trailed off. Who were her parents? She couldn't remember anything prior be being summoned to the World of Zenith.

"Pretty sure I'm not," the hero was saying, "but–"

"Ike," Camilla cut him off, shaking her head. He put his hands up in defeat. The Nohrian princess laid a reassuring hand on the young woman's shoulder. "It's alright if you can't finish everything, honey, but try to eat at least some of everything."

She nodded and resumed her meal. Slower this time - she was getting rather full by this point - absently listening to the surrounding conversation.

Ike had turned to Byleth, who had snatched Soren's empty seat almost as soon as he had left, laying her head on the Radiant Hero's shoulder. She had pulled up the front of his shirt, revealing the tight globe of flesh beneath.

"That appetite of yours is super hot," she whispered to him, running her fingers across his pale skin.

"Yours is pretty cute, too," he teased, reaching over and poking her in the belly.

She squeaked, blushing furiously. Then, she quietly resumed her exploration of the Hero's gut. "Ike?" she finally asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you... free later next week?"

The hero though, scratching at his cheek. "I... don't think I have anything planned, why?"

"There's... a tournament in the city that's accepting applications right now. It's a team battle and I was wondering if, maybe, you'd... want to enter... With me."

The legend had cocked his head, a look of mild confusion on his face. "Byleth... are you... asking me out on a date?" He glanced down at her. She nodded shyly.

He held her gaze for a minute or so, then he smiled. "Sure, why not? I like you."

She smiled faintly, then rested her head on his shoulder again, stroking his massive muscles.

Kiana finished her second plate and leaned back in her chair, rubbing at her taut belly. She was full now, her stomach bulging beneath her clothes. A light burp escaped her. Ike and Camilla glanced at her, then at each other, nodded once, and hauled themselves out of their seats.

"Let's get you to bed, honey."

"Ok, Cami," the summoner said, following the princess out of the room. The two of them went one way, Ike and Byleth went another. Kiana absently noticed they were holding hands.

When she and Camilla reached her room, the princess turned to her. "Go to sleep, Kiana. I'll come get you for breakfast in the morning."

The girl nodded as the older woman walked away. She entered her room and closed her window, drawing the curtains closed. She pulled several books off one of her bookshelves and sat down at her desk to leaf through them, trying to find some hint as to why she had been summoned to this particular time and place, and where she had come from.

—————————

She must have lost track of time. Before she knew it, sunlight was streaming through the slit in her drapes.

Camilla knocked on the door again. "Kiana, honey? Are you awake?"

The sudden announcement caused the summoner to start violently, setting off a fire rune on the open face of one of her books, and the world went white.

There was a sudden rush of footsteps as the Nohrian princess was blown backward.

"Hey!" Ike called as he rounded a corner. He and Byleth dug Camilla out from under the remains of the door. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine–" she pressed a hand to the side of her head– "I think, but Kiana..." She glanced at the time of the summoner's room. Just about everything that happened to be wood had caught fire, and debris from the collapsed walls and ceiling filled the room and hallway. Byleth led the princess down the hall away from the smoke.

"Somebody put this fire out," the hero commanded, carefully stepping through the hole in the wall. "Kiana?"

The girl coughed. Her ears were ringing and her body ached from the force of the explosion. "I-Ike?" She coughed again, her voice hoarse. "Is that... A-are you okay?"

"Yeah. My ears are ringing a bit, but that's about it." He cleared away the rubble she was buried under and knelt beside her. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

"I..." She accepted his aid to her feet, but her knees bucked beneath her, and she collapsed against him clinging to his clothes. She was shaking pretty badly.

He sighed. "I'll take that as a 'no'." He leaned down and scooped the tiny girl into his arms and easily carried her out of the smoldering ruins to a bench some ways down the hall. Byleth followed them. He lowered her to the seat and knelt in front of her, his expression serious. "Now, tell me: what happened"

The gaze he fixed her with was direct and she squirmed under its intensity. "G-got surprised... accidentally set off a fire rune..." She wiped her face. Her hand came away bloody. Byleth sat next to her, taking her face in one hand while touching the wound on her forehead with the other. Kiana felt a slight surge as the professor healed the wound. She turned back to the hero in front of her, then looked away again.

"Everything, Kiana. What were you doing when it happened?" She didn't respond. He sighed. "You were up all night again, weren't you?"

She hung her head but still didn't respond. Shakily, she did to her feet, ready to run.

Ike caught her by the wrist. "Kiana, listen to me. This is about your parents, I understand your want to know more, but this–" he gestured to the wreckage at the end of the hall– "is exactly why you can't push yourself as hard as you have been. No one was seriously hurt this time, but we may not be so lucky if this happens again." He gripped her firmly by the shoulders. "Do you understand?"

Kiana was struggling to hold back tears. A tumult of emotions coursed through her. Mostly a mix of frustration and guilt. She conjured a small portal and ran to the castle courtyard. A bit of fresh air should do her good.

The two older heroes watched her disappear. "Ike," Byleth said, a little reproachfully. "Don't you think that was a little... harsh?"

The hero sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I warned you I'm not very good at talking." He sat down next to her. "Maybe I should have let you deal with that."

"Ike!" a voice called from the other end of the hallway. The Asker royal siblings, Alfonse and Sharena, were sprinting towards them. "What happened?"

"Kiana accidentally set off an explosion."

"Kiki? Where is she? Is she okay?" the young princess asked, her green eyes full of concern.

Ike sighed and leaned against the wall, regarding the ceiling. "She teleported off somewhere. She was a bit shaken but otherwise unhurt. Except maybe a few cuts and bruises.

"Why would she teleport?" the prince asked, skeptical.

The older hero shook his head. "I... may have been a bit short with her." He fixed Alfonse with an apologetic stare. "She trusts you two, right?" They nodded. "You should go find her, then. Get some food in her belly, then get her to bed. I think she needs rest now than anything right now."

The two siblings nodded again and turned to go find their friend. "Let's start with the courtyard."

They found the young summoner under a tree, knees pulled up to her chest with her head resting on her arms. Her shoulders were shaking with grief.

"Kiki?" Sharena called from the arched doorway. "Are you here?"

Kiana raised her tear-stained face briefly and quickly returned to her contemplation of her sleeves, pulling her hood over her head.

The two siblings sat on either side of her. Alfonse silently took his friend's hands in his own as his sister wrapped her arms around the trembling girl's shoulders. "Hey," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle and caring. "Are you alright? Tell us what happened."

The summoner stared at him, then broke down in a fresh wave of tears. "Wh-what's the p-p-point?" she cried. "I'm s-s-supposed to be the s-strong one..." She couldn't continue, her grief consuming her once again.

"You are strong. You just made a mistake. We all do that. But don't think you have to shoulder everything alone. We're here for you. All of us." The young prince kissed the back of her hand.

The two royals held her until she had calmed down enough to speak again. "...I hurt them... I destroyed your castle because of my ignorance. I do my best to push through everything to be there for them and I hurt them!" She wiped at her face. Her sleeves were soaked through.

Sharena spoke softly, stroking her hair. "That's why we want to help you. So we can avoid as many mistakes as we can."

It took a few more minutes for Kiana to stop crying. "Are you feeling better?" She nodded. Guilt still gripped her heart, but its grasp had loosened somewhat.

Alfonse stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on, then. Let's get you something to eat."

She sighed as he pulled her to her feet. "Was that Ike's idea?"

"If it's what he said that mage you feel this way, I'm sure he didn't mean come across the way he did. He had the best intentions at heart." The prince smiled, then. "Besides, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, regardless of what Ike says." He reached down and prodded her in the tummy. She squeaked, stepping back and wrapping her arms around herself. Her face was bright pink.

The two siblings laughed, leading her to the dining hall, looking for enough open seats. Alfonse caught sight of several, and the three of them made their way toward them. They were intercepted by Ike, Byleth, and Soren halfway there. Sharena offered to go ahead and save enough for them as the Radiant Hero addressed the summoner.

"Hey, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I realize I may have come off as cruel, but I promise that's not what I meant. I've made plenty of mistakes as a leader and I want you to understand that I'm only trying to help you from making the same mistakes more than once. Can you forgive me?"

Kiana didn't move at first. Then, she threw her arms about his waist. He returned the gesture. She was barely chest-high on him and she suddenly felt very safe in his strong embrace, his calm, steady heartbeat filling her ears. Her heart had warmed at the sincerity of his words and a small flicker of confidence bloomed in her breast.

"If you ever need anything, kid, don't hesitate to ask. I'll help however I can," he said, releasing her and ruffling her hair. "You've got a good head on your shoulders. Try not to lose it, yeah?"

"That was nicely done," Byleth whispered to him as they and Soren found some open seats among the Greil Mercenaries.

She and Alfonse then joined his sister and began to eat. Aside from accepting a plate of waffles covered in chocolate and heavy whipping cream, Kiana didn't pay much attention to what she put in her belly. She simply ate until her stomach was good and full again. She felt much better now what she had eaten.

Once the three of them had eaten their fill, they left, returning their dishes to the kitchen on their way out. The royal siblings led the summoner to her new room, where Commander Anna was shelving an armload of scorched books. She turned to them as they entered. "You'll be staying here, now," she told Kiana. "We saved what books we could, but most didn't survive, sorry. You should try to get some rest. We can look for your parents after you've recovered."

The tired girl nodded, stuttering another apology. "You don't need to apologize. Just go to sleep." And with that, the commander ushered the two siblings out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Kiana sat on the bed, trying to finish restoring books, but her mind was too muddled to focus. Her eyelids drooped and her head nodded. Eventually, she toppled back onto the bed into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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