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    Fire Emblem (Inktober: Enchanted) A rare expression

    October 11, 2019

    Fire Emblem (Inktober: Enchanted) A rare expression

    (Inktober: Enchanted) A rare expression

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 02:04 PM PDT

    I'm making some derpy FE3H charms

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 01:25 PM PDT

    Straw hat Marianne

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 03:38 PM PDT

    A Robin and Tiki piece I had commissioned

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 04:06 PM PDT

    "Time for Seconds" implies that Raphael *ate* at least one other person before this crit

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 05:31 AM PDT

    Marianne is a certified princess

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 02:17 PM PDT

    Me and the bois went bowling

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 05:16 PM PDT

    Fire Emblem Black Ink - Roy

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 04:56 PM PDT

    It true though..... Inktober FE Day9

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 09:14 AM PDT

    Saw this in the dining hall and thought it was really cute

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 01:09 PM PDT

    Inktober Day 5

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 11:46 AM PDT

    Felix means "happy" in Latin and Felix does not live up to his name

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 05:01 PM PDT

    verdant wind ch17: alternate end

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 05:39 PM PDT

    Inktober Day 4

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 10:59 AM PDT

    Weed Eater

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 03:29 PM PDT

    Ashe from FE3H with a Furret

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 06:42 PM PDT

    Inktober Day 7

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 01:51 PM PDT

    Corrin cosplay

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 08:45 AM PDT

    [OC] Felix!

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 11:12 AM PDT

    I drew Bride!Robin

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 04:03 PM PDT

    At the request of many wonderful commenters on my female Byleth redesigns, I doodled a male Byleth in her original outfit.

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 07:22 PM PDT

    Dark mirrors: how the lords of Three Houses parallel and subvert previous FE heroes

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 05:26 AM PDT

    Deconstruction is one of the words that gets tossed around a lot when talking about media. Every reboot of Batman is a "dark deconstruction" of the character, which is usually just an excuse to be edgy and give us such wonderful takes as Leto's Joker with a "Damaged" tattoo. However, Three Houses really does challenge many long-standing assumptions fans have of the franchise in service of a point about the hero and villain narratives implicit in much of the series.

    Certainly, this subversion can be seen with many of the secondary characters in this game. The flirty cavalier is covering up deep-seated issues toward women and his status. The precocious child genius wants to be seen as mature due to her dramatically reduced lifespan. The jolly meathead isn't a simple character- he's the one person in the game to process his trauma in a healthy way. Other examples include Felix's subversion of the Navarre archetype, Dorethea's dark backstory giving context to her "flirty" behavior, and Hubert, who initially appears to be a untrustworthy sorcerer in the tradition of Gharnef, but whose devotion is more reminiscent of Ishtar.

    However, nowhere are these parallels more explicit than in the three lords and Rhea. The writers were preoccupied with showing the realistic emotional consequences of inhibiting some of the common roles characters play throughout the series. There was a great recent post by u/dialzza that talked about how the three lords are subversions of common villain archetypes. However, I'll go further and argue the three main lords and Rhea act as dark mirrors that challenge portrayals of previous lords in service of the game's overarching point about the thin line between heroes and villains.

    Much has been discussed of Edelgard's subversion of the "Red Emperor" archetype, particularly Arvis. However, Edelgard also exists in dialogue with two popular FE lords- Lucina and Micaiah. Lucina, like Edelgard, experiences unimaginable trauma that hardens her while interfering with her emotional and social development. Both characters hide their true selves both literally and figuratively behind masks and false identities, and commit themselves to doing whatever is necessary to accomplish their goals. Edelgard's hair color and secret Crest of Flames draw strong aesthetic parallels with Micaiah's silver hair and secret branded status, but it is in their motivation that the real commonalties are found. Edelgard and Micaiah's pride in their nations and single-minded focus on a vision of a future motivate all their actions. Both characters are obsessed with correcting the injustices they feel have been propagated on their societies. In Awakening and Radiant Dawn, both Lucina and Micaiah are able to be talked down before crossing moral lines in service of their goals. Edelgard can never be dissuaded, and without Byleth, her vision devolves into a fanatical tyranny.

    Dimitri's presentation calls back to issues raised in the Jugdral subseries. Without Byleth's emotional support, this game's dethroned prince, unlike Seliph or Leif, does not lead a noble rebellion to avenge his family's death with dignity and moral clarity. Instead, he becomes a traumatized, brutal "boar" warped by his black and white morality, desire for vengeance, and his father's final words. These actions are a consequence of the heavy responsibility Dimitri feels due to the divine mandate of his nobility. This responsibility to protect the weak and the common man is similar to previous lords such as Chrom, who believes that his role as leader is to be a "Shepherd" for the common people. As Dimitri articulates when asked about crest users, the nobility are "blades" to protect the people of Fodlan from threats. Dimitri's mental state is worsened because his upbringing reinforced that he is a weapon whose position includes a responsibility to destroy his enemies-and that them being "bad" makes it safe to do so. Dimitri is a good and sweet person who abhors violence, and the cognitive dissonance between his peace-loving nature, typical of previous Fire Emblem lords, and the demands of his position play havoc with his psychology, leading to his mental breakdown.

    Claude's portrayal is a subversion of the tactician archetype most closely associated with Robin. In Awakening, Robin and Virion have a support conversation where it is revealed that Virion bests Robin in war games because Virion makes sacrifices that Robin will not. I always appreciated this support conversation, because realistically, how would a "master tactician" like Claude or Robin actually view relationships? If Robin's decisions allow Sumia to die instead of his wife Cordelia, how can Robin claim to make impartial decisions in the best interests of the army? A realistic tactician would maintain emotional distance, which is exactly Claude's behavior throughout White Clouds. His disarming and cheerful front belie that he really fails to open himself to his other house members, and views others as pawns in his ongoing plans. Without Byleth, Claude fails to inspire individuals with this approach to leadership (almost half Claude's house-Marianne, Lorenz, and Raphael-don't show up in Crimson Flower, for example). In fact, his "tactical thinking" allows him to abandon his responsibilities to the people of Leicester, most egregiously in Azure Moon. Claude's portrayal shows how thin the line between a tactician like Robin and an opportunist like Michalis can be.

    Rhea's abandonment issues seem to be a clear callback to the trauma that Tiki undergoes. Tiki's distant relationship with Naga and Rhea's relationship with Sothis parallel one another rather closely. Like Tiki in Awakening, Rhea stands as the medium between humans and the divine and takes on a protective, nurturing role, providing stability and peace. However, since Rhea's relationship with humanity is one marred by bloodshed-lacking the formative influence of Tiki's beloved Marth-Rhea's understandable distrust of humanity informs every decision that she makes. Tiki, despite being used as a weapon by scum like Gharnef and being abandoned by her mother, takes centuries of personal isolation amazingly well. From her plan to overwrite Byleth with Sothis, to her continued support of a millennia-old caste system that has oppressed millions, Rhea's actions reflect an individual whose unfathomably long time alone has caused them to lose perspective. Even the "dragon madness" trope that has been used throughout this series is handled differently. It isn't old age, as in the case of Duma and Anankos, which causes Rhea to snap, but instead the intense psychological toll of seeing the reincarnation of her mother side with Edelgard, who is Nemesis reborn.

    Even the nature of how the lords relate to one another is a subversion. Dimitri and Edelgard's backstory is a dark funhouse mirror of Alm and Celica's relationship. Edelgard and Dimitri are raised together in a pseudo-sibling relationship. They develop a deep bond until tragic circumstances separate them. Both characters grow to take on leadership positions, and develop drastically different viewpoints on morality due to their experiences. In a gender subversion, it is the female Edelgard who is ideologically similar to the more aggressive Alm, and the male Dimitri who argues against the destructiveness of war like Celica. Alm, like Edelgard, is a "Conquerer" who overthrows a corrupt nobility and takes back power from the gods. Celica, like Dimitri, is deeply affiliated with a religious organization and is deeply concerned with the maintaining of peace.

    Much of Echoes was spent under the lingering shadow of the prologue, where the first thing a player sees when starting the game is Alm stabbing his childhood friend. Questions were continually raised about Alm and Celica's future, with the characters promising to never fight like Duma and Mila did. These ideological differences were obstacles for the characters to overcome, but in the end their love for one another results in a (very sweet!) fairy-tale ending. Three Houses utterly rejects this. Neither character, due to their ideological beliefs and the manipulation of TWSITD, can coexist, despite their clear bond with one another. Dimitri's death is the one event prior to the Crimson Flower ending that shows Edelgard dropping her stoic facade and actually crying. Dimitri can't even bring himself to refer to Edelgard by name in his S-support with Byleth.

    For both Edelgard and Dimitri, compromising like Alm and Celica would represent a betrayal of both their ethical beliefs and their dead loved ones. Both Edelgard and Dimitri come to realize this in Crimson Flower and Azure Moon. In Crimson Flower, Edelgard states that Dimitri could have been a great king in times of peace, and laments what the conflict has made him become. Dimitri completes his character arc in Azure Moon by forgoing vengeance by offering Edelgard his hand in a reconciliatory gesture. However no fairy-tale ending is possible and their relationship is destined to end tragically.

    So what is the point of all these references? Well, I think the answer comes by looking at this subreddit over the past couple of months. For example, I have seen many claims that a certain route (almost always Crimson Flower or Silver Snow) shouldn't exist because it hurts a character's portrayal as a "villain." I believe that this is utterly antithetical to the themes presented in this game. Every main lord can play a role of "hero" or "villain", and both portrayals are accurate pictures of that individual's character. For example, as someone who has been vocal about my appreciation of Edelgard, her portrayal in Azure Moon-as a cold tyrant who dehumanizes herself in pursuit of her ideals-is just as valid a glimpse into her character as the sweet, lonely dork we see in Crimson Flower. Claude is both the self-sacrificing hero who truly believes in the power of friendship in the Verdant Wind ending, and the opportunist who hands over a nation's sovereignty in Azure Moon. The same is true of Rhea and Dimitri. We as players are the only ones to see the full spectrum of possibilities, providing dramatic irony and pathos when playing each of the other routes.

    By making the characters dramatically invert previous Fire Emblem characters, it challenges the player to deconstruct the hero-villain narrative-where one character is "right" and the others are simply "wrong". The lords have many admirable qualities we respect from previous characters in the series. However, they also share many faults with previous villains, or react in a more realistic, damaged way to experiences that previous Fire Emblem heroes went through. It is only through Byleth's guidance that these characters can become the best possible versions of themselves. By presenting every side of the conflict, and allowing the player to choose, the game refuses easy categorization of its main players. The player is left to wonder what a character like Zephiel or Walhart could have been with support, or how easily someone like Leif or Micaiah could have lost his or her way.

    submitted by /u/captainflash89
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    I have a type and it's cheerful redheads who like singing and have complicated relationships with their fathers

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 02:38 AM PDT

    Three Houses hidden dialogue: Dimitri in Remire Village (minor spoilers)

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 11:38 AM PDT

    [OC] I did a mural of my favorite class + my favorite recruits! Bonus version in the comments

    Posted: 11 Oct 2019 12:34 PM PDT
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