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    Fire Emblem Study Session with the Golden Deer House

    November 03, 2019

    Fire Emblem Study Session with the Golden Deer House

    Study Session with the Golden Deer House

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 08:47 AM PST

    Trick or Treat Celica [Original by: @ksmxnb2 Translated by: raiho_80 (me)]

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:20 AM PST

    tabris_k as Catherine at Anime Weekend Atlanta

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:24 AM PST

    Dancer Bernie with floof

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 11:18 AM PST

    Imperial Dragoon Edelgard (Edelgard in an alternate armor)

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 10:38 AM PST

    Here’s my handmade timeskip Dimitri cosplay!

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 05:05 PM PST

    I met Petra

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 09:57 AM PST

    Petra and No Nut November

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:41 AM PST

    Matching

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 03:03 PM PST

    Dancing through the streets of Enbarr, the final dance battle for the fate of Fodlan is finally upon us...

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 04:04 PM PST

    C'mon Dimitri

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 01:35 PM PST

    I cosplayed as Bernadetta for this weekend's Youmacon!

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 04:42 PM PST

    The English version of Fire Emblem on GBA was releases today, 16 years ago!

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 09:47 AM PST

    Seteth won't allow Flayn to fish by herself anymore

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 06:54 PM PST

    Sothis, I don't think we're in Fodlan anymore... (My Byleth cosplay for Halloween featuring Lion Dimitri!)

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 03:52 PM PST

    The Golden Deer Class Plays Animal Crossing (New Leaf)

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:02 PM PST

    Flayn and Rhea at AWA 2019!

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 05:02 PM PST

    Vintage Sigurd & Deirdre

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 05:28 PM PST

    Anna decides to move to Morioh and sell Stand Arrows

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 10:12 AM PST

    So I made this stop motion for fun, what do you think?

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 02:33 PM PST

    Brigid's kids

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 04:53 AM PST

    The Themes and Messages of Edelgard's Character

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 02:26 PM PST

    This post is meant more than anything as an exploration of what the game is trying to thematically convey through the story of Edelgard, done from a more personal/philosophical point of view rather than a strictly factual one. I am in no way trying to label what I say as 100% objective. At the end of the day, these are just my interpretations and a way of expressing why I think this character is so impactful. Needless to say, anyone is welcome to agree, disagree, or not care at all.

    From the start of the game, Edelgard seemed like a sort of enigma. Her attitude and character beats just rubbed me the wrong way, especially when compared to the charisma of Claude and Dimitri. However, I held a subconscious admiration towards her mentality without really knowing why, and upon uncovering her inner workings, that admiration grew ever stronger. I believe that the weight of Edelgard's thematic role and compelling characterization is encompassed by a single word: sacrifice. Every major aspect of her story can be related to sacrifice in one way or another. This idea is precisely why I think Edelgard is, in spite of her grey morals and actions, a tragic, admirable, and surprisingly inspiring character.

    It is obvious that the biggest representation of sacrifice through Edelgard is, of course, her motivation for starting her conquest across Fodlan. Edelgard believes that progress and sacrifice are ultimately two sides of the same coin, and she is right on a fundamental level; no matter what task you choose to carry out, you inevitably must sacrifice at the very least your time in order to do so. Achieving greatness at something requires dedication and thus the sacrifice of other endeavors. Nothing can be born out of nowhere. Such is a principle of our universe. Edelgard lives and dies by these principles, mainly due to her experiencing them first-hand. Sacrifice holds a key role in her upbringing, and thus she learned its significance by force. I believe that the deaths of her family upon experimentation culminating in her acquisition of the Crest of Flames, beyond the heavily traumatizing consequences, served as her way of learning the more optimistic implications of sacrifice. Her family was ruthlessly killed, but that does not mean their entire beings died with them. In a way, their strength and hopes and wishes live on through and within Edelgard. El understands this, and with admirable willpower chooses to leave her sorrow and stride onwards. The core of her determination is neither justice nor revenge. It is the honoring of a sacrifice and the desire to make sure all sacrifice and effort gets honored properly-- hence her plans for the world. There are some other details that hint towards this mentality. One of her victory quotes is "Your death is not in vain", possibly either alluding to her family or commending the enemy for dying for what they believe in/serving as a means for Edelgard to strengthen herself. She commends the militia following Lonato for this very reason, and also sees rather grim merit to the destruction of Arianrhod as a valuable source of information, even when it honestly seems like a stretch to push such a belief when looking at the terror of the event. It is both dutiful and gratifying.

    Moving forward, Edelgard lives by contemplating sacrifice when facing her ambitions, with the added particularity that these are freaking gigantic. She knows damn well how arrogant it is of her to possess such a grand dream, but she also knows that the only way of reaching said dream is through sacrifice. Needless to say, Edelgard's cause is far from noble, even more so when judged by our contemporary moral standards. Edelgard had no real right to seal so many fates, yet she did it knowing what it entailed and what it would turn her into. Her understanding of this is mostly implicit though; the game as a whole is generally and faultily scarce in tangible explorations on Edelgard's justifications and accountability. Still, just look at all the shit this mere girl was willing to sacrifice for her cause (even though one might have to operate under the premise that her cause was indeed worth fighting for). I don't only mean the lives of innocents and soldiers alike; she willingly sacrifices her own happiness, identity, and selfish desires for the sake of this greater purpose that she is bound to. And it is so damn meaningful to find one's purpose not in getting what you want, but in fighting for what you know is right and letting others realize that they can do so too.

    The lyrics to Edge of Dawn are of course a huge piece of evidence of all that El leaves behind and suffers from. She longs for peace, to stay in the place she loves with the people she loves and finally break free from the demons that burdened her all her life. Yet still she hides, behind the mask that she's become -- behind the facade of a strong-willed leader with no regret whatsoever, meant to lead the world into a better era. She lies and acts knowing it will hurt others. Edelgard hides herself so well not only because of her severe trust issues and self-destructive trauma, but because anything less than what she shows would not allow her to see things through. Resolve is her greatest weapon, but wielding it properly means she must abandon her feelings; her life is but another stepping stone on the path to a brighter future, and thus does not matter before such a prospect. While harsh, I believe this portrays the importance of prioritizing solutions over feelings. As mentioned, Edelgard also sacrifices, albeit temporarily, her desire for justice against TWSITD. Hard as it may be, the people who wronged her are not an immediate threat, but a possible advantage. It comes to show how grudges are generally unnecessary distractions and hindrances that hinge on a selfish feeling of righteousness. Still, no amount of assurance can overcome the taxing nature of Edelgard's choices. And no one will ever understand her.

    "Only we will know, All that was lost, Scars that we can't erase, Show us life's true cost"

    The tragic element of her tale and her philosophy is encompassed perfectly in this part of the song. No one will see the scars Edelgard bears, the myriad of things she has lost. But it matters not, for that is the cost of life. Her being a rather flat character throughout most of the story also works as a perfect point of contrast that highlights just how lonely she truly is as others develop around and because of her.

    Honestly, I think it wouldn't be a stretch at all to call Edelgard's actions generally selfless. In my opinion, it really does feel like everything she does stems from a genuine desire for good, even if it doesn't seem that way on the surface. Yes, it could be argued that all actions are selfish at their core and Edelgard actually has some sort of savior complex that bloats her ego, but such a premise is rather dismissive of a person's actual intentions. To be fair, perhaps all I've said so far can be turned on its head and interpreted as dangerously egotistical. But in all honesty, which perspective is ultimately more.. moving? Sacrificing her happiness is, ironically, Edie's way of asserting her strength and taking pride in her persona, not to mention her idea of a worthy purpose, thus breeding fulfillment. This is a very powerful message in itself: sacrifice and pain correlate directly to strength and willpower, maybe even leading up to happiness. As such, Edelgard is appropriately the single most resilient character in the game, for she is the one who has sacrificed the most.

    Even so, the path to apparent strength is not for everyone, and it is not even established as worthwhile. There is no telling whether Edelgard could have been "happier" by resigning to a more peaceful and simple existence in the few years that she had, and there's the ever present possibility of her actions turning out foolish and in vain, as she readily admits they could be. Ignorance could indeed be bliss. The questionable nature of her actions in itself is a portrayal of another theme: eternal uncertainty. One never knows for sure which choice is right, but Edelgard has decided her answer and trusts her judgment. She's way past justifying herself as she knows everything she does is unjustifiable and comes down to each person's agency. However, as established beforehand, us humans cannot help but doubt, fear, and regret. Bottling up our emotions is outright destructive and can wind up causing one to stray from the right path, with the only alternative being to seek release through empathy. Edelgard isn't immune to this either, as much as she strives to fight back. Fortunately, Byleth, being El's confidant and source of emotional relief, prevents her from falling into darkness. The value of human connection when chasing ambitions or facing hardships is a theme present in all routes, but I think CF nails it home most endearingly because of how it all ties together. While human connection in times of need is far from a guarantee, that only means it is our duty to reach out our hand whenever possible.

    Either way, Edelgard only wants others to reach their full potential without paying the same price as her, albeit through a somewhat harsh outlook. This is where what is probably her biggest flaw comes into play. While Edelgard is certainly compassionate for the weak, she lacks the sympathy to act based upon the possibility that her way of living might not be another's cup of tea. Subjectivity will always be a factor when it comes to deciding what's right, and even though she respects that, she still tries her best to sell her philosophy as the better one. That is not inherently a bad thing when backed by her good intentions; however, it can make her arrogant and inconsiderate. Even though she genuinely wants to share her "power", she's not willing to be flexible regarding the path towards it, believing the choice of trust to befall exclusively upon each individual.

    Edelgard is a very unconventional heroic figure precisely because of this. A selfless determination to save everyone is a common trait of saviors, and it is pretty much a necessity when facing a straightforward physical conflict. However, when matters turn towards saving people on a psychological/ideological/moral level, one must face the inevitable truth that the ultimate choice of salvation lies within each individual, and failing to acknowledge this fact is simply a massive burden far from which any human could realistically handle. As such, Edelgard does not concern herself with it. She tries to give people a choice by letting them realize the power they inherently hold. But she is not arrogant enough to think she has the right to choose for them. She respects their choice and their will, and dutifully strikes down anyone who challenges hers, for she knows (or rather believes) her cause to be the Truth. I don't blame her though, as most people more often than not have no idea what's best of them and for others. It is up to personal interpretation whether her course of action is a hypocritical way of taking said choice for others or a necessary response to the challenges she and the world would undoubtedly face; I personally like to wholeheartedly believe the latter, but therein lies the beauty of her character and her thematic implications. It is really fucking hard to be certain about this sort of thing at all times though. Maybe the greed to see things through without sacrifice and with collaboration does have its occasional merits. Maybe it could save a life or two...

    Pretty much the final presence of sacrifice in Edelgard's story comes with the final CF cutscene, where Byleth seemingly dies upon losing the Crest of Flames. After having been unexpectedly blessed with the thing she wanted most, Edelgard would tragically and unknowingly have to sacrifice that very thing, and it devastates her. By saving El, Byleth becomes probably the one thing she is not willing to give up on. The implications here are beyond tragic. Edelgard's renewed vulnerability and Byleth's newfound will would be short-lived moments of bliss. But that is the cost of life; it always has been. So of course what happens next is naturally a miracle. In a cathartic conclusion, after all her willingful, relentless, and lonely sacrifice, Edelgard is granted that little, selfish hope she was unable to let go of. It is as if the universe is telling her, "you've fought enough". This optimistic culmination of the tale is not necessarily... appropriate. It sort of "guarantees" it will all be worth it in the end, or simply utilizes hope as a driving force. As established, uncertainty does not vanish with hope, trust, or company. However, whether Byleth lives or dies is an insignificant detail in the grand scheme of the story, for various inmutable things remain in the end: Edelgard's resilience to move forward, her acknowledgement of her either flawed or righteous path and its cost, her gratification for human connection, and her choice to breed her own fulfillment. And I personally believe these to be some of the fundamental principles for us humans to achieve, and hopefully transmit, the virtues of growth, strength, and happiness.

    Well, to close off, I know this post was basically a reaaaally unorganized clutter of ideas that I could've probably expressed and formatted better, but I hope the message pulls through nonetheless. And of course, anyone is welcome to disagree. This is just my interpretation on Edelgard, and it is likely to be unconsciously biased and riddled with easy to debunk contrivances that serve to paint her in a better light. I guess that beyond any tangible evidence, what matters most is what the figure of Edelgard, accurate or not, represented to me, and the important lessons to be learned from her; that's what I'm humbly trying to share here. Not through justification or fact, but through appreciation for what I chose to believe, or at the very least, for the thought-provoking essence of the questions it raises. That's the beauty of art isn't it? It kinda yields the certainty that you are never really alone.

    submitted by /u/Psy-1
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    Me and my friends Halloween costume

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 01:14 PM PST

    wanted to share my felix cosplay i wore to AWA! i was so happy to see so many fire emblem cosplayers from all different generations this weekend

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 09:40 AM PST

    Faerghus, Duty, and Dimitri's Sense of Self

    Posted: 03 Nov 2019 03:41 PM PST

    Alternatively titled: Faerghus is Whack (but you already knew that)

    A while ago, I made a post on how Dimitri's inability to perceive the future and lack of personal desires came as a result of the Tragedy of Duscur, and I still think that's somewhat true. But, replaying the game and reading other people's thoughts on the matter has made me come to a new conclusion; namely, Dimitri never had a good sense of self, not even before the Tragedy (though the Tragedy of Duscur did make it exponentially worse).

    I think it's a pretty general consensus that Faerghus is screwed up. The writers essentially said, "Let's take the generic knightly kingdom template and show off all the terrible things about it." I could spend hours talking about how Faerghus deconstructs the concepts of chivalry and its own strict culture, but for the sake of this post, I'm going to zero in on one particular aspect of Faerghus's messed up culture:

    Faerghus is atrocious at raising children. There's a problem when kids are being taught to fight before learning to read, and I don't think the general emotional-stuntedness of the Blue Lions, especially the childhood friend group, is a coincidence. When you're teaching kids how to be soldiers, you're not teaching them how to cope with emotions in a healthy manner. In particular, the nobles never really gave their children a chance to be anything other than knights, even if that's not a path they would've followed naturally. Dimitri, for example, is not someone who I would've seen going down that path if he hadn't been raised in it. He doesn't have the sort of mindset that being knight or soldier requires (some people are more mentally equipped to taking lives, while others aren't), and this takes a heavy toll on him.

    Dimitri really didn't have another option. His Crest ensures that the vast majority of alternate, less violent hobbies are out of the picture (he can't exactly sew when he bends needles without trying), and combined with being raised as the Crown Prince, he didn't have a choice but to go down the knight road. We see in-game how Dimitri is very self conscious and acutely aware of how he's perceived by others. He has a teatime line where he admits he's not good at facial expressions and asks if his current smile is passable. He sidesteps or straight up lies about his ageusia, and he does it so smoothly that it's clear he's much better at/more experienced at lying than he lets on (credit to marezaha on Twitter for pointing this out, which inspired this whole post). The ageusia thing is particularly interesting because it's not something you would think Dimitri would try so hard to hide. It's outside his control, and it doesn't really affect how well he can rule. The fact that he goes to such lengths to hide it shows the kinds of expectations Dimitri puts on himself; he feels he has to be the perfect prince, and so even something like his ageusia he views as an inadequacy that must be hidden.

    My first Blue Lions run, I remember being struck by how often Dimitri apologizes pre-timeskip, often for little things that don't really matter. It goes to show how self-conscious he is, that he feels the need to apologize for anything that would even slightly warp his perception as a "perfect prince."

    This all plays into how he responds to the Tragedy of Duscur. He doesn't ever deal with his emotions or reveal how much it affected him because it's his duty, as prince, to put on a brave face. Him taking up the mantle of revenge is a natural shift for him; he goes from fulfilling his father's desire for him to be the future king to fulfilling his father's desire for revenge (whether his last words actually happened or not). He's constantly molding himself to fit other people's expectations of him because he thinks it's his duty, and this is only strengthened by the fact that it works.

    Pre-timeskip, we see how Dimitri playing the role of the perfect prince is legitimately helpful. People frequently bring up how they believe the kingdom will change once Dimitri takes the throne (Sylvain explicitly states this in his Paralogue, for example), and there's a distinct expectation that he will "fix things." Him revealing how much the Tragedy broke him wouldn't fit into this, and the people who were putting their hopes on him would no longer have that crutch to lean on. Dimitri playing his "role" is crucial for the people of Faerghus to be able maintain some sense of hope/optimism.

    This is why Rodrigue's last words are so meaningful. When he tells Dimitri to live for what he believes, he's not just speaking to a Dimitri that spent the last nine years following the wishes of the dead. He's talking to a Dimitri who spent his entire life fulfilling what he thought was expected of him, and he's telling him that it's okay for him to have his own desires.

    We see that, even after he begins to recover, Dimitri still struggles with this. In his Mercedes A support, for example, he's uncomfortable with expressing what he wants and asks Mercedes to say her own desires first. He even falls back to his old habit of hiding perceived deficiencies, like when he says that his missing eye doesn't hinder him in a teatime line, but admits in an advice box that it actually does cause significant problems for him. He even continues to avoid talking about his ageusia, excluding when he tells Flayn, as his A support with Annette is locked to post-timeskip, and he still avoids it there.

    That's not to say he doesn't make any progress; Dimitri is markedly more honest and open when compared to pre-timeskip. It often takes coaxing, but he does share his genuine feelings more frequently (he reveals his survivor's guilt to Gilbert, his self loathing to Mercedes and many others, his ageusia to Flayn, etc.) We also see him finally learning to act on those bits of personal wants/opinions that we saw poking through pre-timeskip (his distaste for killing resulting in a desire to seek a more peaceful resolution, for example). Learning to open up and be honest, both to himself and others, and develop a better sense of self is a difficult process, but we get to see that he is, slowly but surely, recovering.

    Dimitri is, essentially, a 22 year old man who never learned the basic childhood lesson on how to have your own wants and be your own person, and that, combined with his many other layers, makes him an incredibly fascinating character to me.

    submitted by /u/Cnidarianartisans
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