• Breaking News

    Friday, February 7, 2020

    Home Unlabelled Fire Emblem Headcanon: Rhea Doesn't Like Sothis Puns

    Fire Emblem Headcanon: Rhea Doesn't Like Sothis Puns

    February 07, 2020

    Fire Emblem Headcanon: Rhea Doesn't Like Sothis Puns

    Headcanon: Rhea Doesn't Like Sothis Puns

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 10:40 AM PST

    The hardest choices require the strongest wills

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:36 AM PST

    I drew Lucina

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 03:29 PM PST

    Height is not a sign of leadership

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 02:22 AM PST

    Someone has a crush on Byleth

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 03:24 AM PST

    The Video Game of Thrones [OC]

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 05:56 AM PST

    I drew Sothis and Byleth, hope you like it !

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 04:31 PM PST

    Shamir is just so effortlessly cool...so of course I had to draw her

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 08:05 AM PST

    A scheme with the position of the room of each student. I thought that some of you might find it useful

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 02:26 PM PST

    First Day of School (feat. the Golden Deer siblings)

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 09:23 AM PST

    Illustrations of Claude and Dimitri for an AU I'm working on.

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 08:31 AM PST

    Transfer Students DLC when?

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:56 AM PST

    Hubert Sketch (OC)

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:25 AM PST

    Masks, identity, and responses to trauma in Three Houses

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 04:55 AM PST

    Three Houses is concerned greatly with questions of identity, and how individuals present themselves to the world. The game does this in some really great subtle ways-one of my favorites is how Ferdinand talks in an overly proper cadence and eschews the use of contractions to more properly exemplify what he sees as "noble" behavior. Felix and Ashe's support reveals that Felix's Navarre-like persona is lifted almost completely from a childhood story about knights that they both read. Dorothea's flirty personality is a cover for an individual terrified of being abandoned and forgotten. There are many, many examples in this game that mark this as an explicit theme.

    I've written in the past about how Three Houses is a game that has to be viewed in the context of previous games in the series. One of the most long-running and consistent tropes in Fire Emblem is the idea of the masked individual. Camus/Sirius, Lucina/Marth, Black Knight/Zelgius, and Conrad/Masked Knight are some of the most prominent examples. These characters hide their identity due to logistical concerns related to the exposure of their identity. Three Houses even has a character concealing their identity in a similar way: Jeritza/Death Knight. However, like much of the game, Three Houses does a really interesting deconstruction of the concept. I'd like to draw attention to the lords and Rhea, where these characters are forced to inhibit alternate identities not out of a logistical need, but as a natural consequence of the trauma and external pressures that each of these characters experience.

    Rhea

    I'll start with Rhea, who in her telling of the Red Canyon massacre in Verdant Wind, takes on the Seiros identity, "the sword of the goddess" as a response to losing everything and everyone she cared about. This is not a dissociative identity break or an alternate personality; it is a persona that Rhea takes on to accomplish her goal of revenge. Following her brutal slaying of her tormenter Nemesis, she discards the identity, instead taking on the role of peacemaker and leader-one she truly wishes to inhibit. However, Rhea struggles with her fears of losing control. This is best exemplified by her comments about how attacking the church "is akin to pointing a sword at the goddess herself", and noticeable in her speech when placed in stressful situations in her Rhea identity (Rhea's voice acting is so good in both versions of the game).

    When she is "Rhea", she is in control of her environment and herself, but when things do not go according to her expectations-Byleth refusing to hand back the Lance of Ruin is a very good example-she is immediately triggered and lashes out in a completely different tone of voice. The serenity of archbishop Rhea is gone-replaced by a frightened and angry woman who feels backed into a corner. Upon Byleth siding with Edelgard, undoubtedly a traumatic moment for Rhea, she seems to almost immediately default to her Seiros persona, threatening to rip Byleth's heart from their chest. I think it's incredibly significant that Rhea is the only adult member of the cast to be given a redesign for the timeskip. Like the students, she's changed drastically. In Crimson Flower, the woman of peace is completely gone-there's only the vengeful Seiros left.

    Dimitri

    I wish that Dimitri and Rhea had more time to interact, because Dimitri's problems appear very similar to Rhea's. Dimitri's loss of his family in the Tragedy, and exposure to the subsequent genocide of the people of Duscar left Dimitri with a massive amount of cognitive dissonance. On one hand, Dimitri believes that what he calls "senseless bloodshed" is wrong, yet "the strong must not be allowed to trample the weak". Dimitri's upbringing in Faergus reinforced a view of nobles like himself with Crests as weapons first-"blades" that protect the commoners. It's why after the Miklain chapter he argues that Crests-and by extension, his own capacity for violence-are a necessary evil. This leads Dimitri, like Rhea, to divide his life into two diametrically opposed halves. There is the principled leader who despises violence and its impact on the "weak", and the traumatized individual who when presented with a trigger, lashes out violently out of sense of responsibility to the dead.

    Only in Azure Moon is Dimitri able to resolve these two diametrically opposed halves of his personality. We see this dichotomy manifest in the identities of the "Boar Prince" and "Savior King". These titles for Dimitri throughout White Clouds are titles that trap the young prince. In truth, Dimitri is neither the monstrous "Boar"-as Dedue says, his anger is because he cares too deeply- or the perfect "Savior King" his people demand him to be. These two facets isolate Dimitri and prevent him from reaching out to others for the help he needs. In fact, Dimitri's inability to discuss his capacity for violence-best glimpsed in AM when Dimitri unconvincingly insists he's fine before the battle of Gareg Mach-that allows his issues to fester and leads to his mental breakdown. Dimitri feels trapped by both his own moral code and his responsibilities as king. This is why Rodrigue's dying advice define his own identity is so impactful for Dimitri-he is ultimately responsible for his destiny and identity, not others.

    Edelgard

    Edelgard is probably the most explicit example of this phenomenon. Obviously, there is her masked persona of the Flame Emperor that allows for her to conceal her plans during White Clouds. However, the real "Flame Emperor" persona is the "mask I have become" she sings about in the lyrics to Edge of Dawn. Edelgard, due to her position as Emperor is never allowed to express weakness or to be "El"-the lonely girl whose position and abuse isolated her and forced her to distance herself "from the ordinary world". As she states to Byleth, "It was lonely. Terribly lonely." Without Byleth's support, the girl who "died years ago" remains hidden by the icy, ruthless facade of the Flame Emperor. Edelgard is terrified about expressing vulnerability and dropping her mask, because it was the only way she could survive years of sustained torture. Allowing others in allows her to be hurt again.

    This is why it's so important that Edelgard is given silly humanizing characteristics in Crimson Flower such as liking stuffed animals, doing impressions of Hubert, and drawing pictures of her crush. These demonstrations of her quirks and vulnerabilities certainly enhance the tragedy of the Flame Emperor we see in the other routes. But more importantly, they express that behind all the ideals and poise, there is still the identity of "El" who longs for someone to value her for who she actually is. The title of the Japanese version of the main musical theme-"Girl of Hresvelg"-positions this tension as arguably the main motif of the entire game. Edelgard, ultimately, is willing to sacrifice the last remnants of her humanity-"El"-in service of her vision of a future where no little girl ever grows up to be like Emperor Edelgard.

    Claude

    You may be saying-how does Claude fit into all this? Well, like a fair amount of things in this game for him (and Edelgard) it was lost in translation. In the Japanese version, when Claude is telling stories about his own life and past, Claude consistently refers to himself in the third person. His Marianne support is the one time in the English version that he retains this character quirk. Claude talks about "a boy" who grew up being "hated simply for existing" and ultimately decided that since he didn't belong anywhere, he would "destroy the boundary between the inside and outside worlds." The ongoing and pervasive impact of the hostilities between Fodlan and Almyra (which is the whole reason behind the creation of the Officer's Academy) caused the biracial Claude immense suffering. Claude deals with it in a very human way-by deflecting in a manner very different from the emotional Dimitri or intense Edelgard. When Claude tells stories about himself, it's just like how he treats his classmates-he keeps everything at arm's length.

    Like a lot of Claude's writing, it's portrayed in a very understated way. His support with Leonie shows a cautious man who is (rightfully) concerned that his lack of belief in the goddess will be marked as "heresy". He outright refuses to admit to Lorenz that he's Alymran at all-I'm not a racial minority myself, but having to deny one's heritage and identity, particularly for a biracial person, must be incredibly painful. Ultimately, like Edelgard, his mask is in service to his goals-in White Clouds, he wants the Sword of the Creator, which he says can "split a mountain in half" to, as he admits in Crimson Flower "become Fodlan's supreme ruler myself" and open up Fodlan so he, and others like him, will have a place to belong. (Quick note here: Claude has some really fantastic nuance that was lost in translation-if you're interested, check out this really great Claude analysis by u/SigurdVII)

    So what's the ultimate takeaway?

    What each of these personas do is callback to an archetype we've seen previously in the series. Dimitri is the displaced hope of a kingdom (Roy, Seliph, Leif), searching for vengeance. Claude is the shifty Travant-esque schemer. Rhea is the "voice of the goddess" similar to Tiki in Awakening. Edelgard is the ruthless, conquering emperor, similar to Walhart or Arvis. None of these people want these roles, but they're thrust upon them anyway. Each of these characters believe they only can follow a certain path that others or circumstances have chosen for them. Dimitri and Edelgard aren't the roles that Faergus and Adrestria, and the series at large, want them to play-they are people, first and foremost trapped under the weight of these archetypes. But Byleth changes everything. Why?

    This is where I find Byleth to be a brilliant character/narrative device. In previous FE games with an avatar character, there's been running jokes about how Robin was more the army psychologist than the tactician. Byleth is, as many people have complained, a blank slate avatar, even compared to previous characters like Robin and Corrin. But why I like Byleth so much is that this tabula rasa effect is baked into the game's narrative, and is precisely why they are able to so positively impact the other characters. Edelgard probably expresses it best: "No one spoke to me as an equal or met my gaze without flinching. It was lonely." Because Byleth, an isolated, emotionless mercenary, grows up divorced from the greater social context of Fodlan, they don't treat Edelgard as a "Peerless Emperor" or Dimitri as a "Savior Prince". Instead, they can find the real person hidden underneath all the pressure and expectations.

    What's interesting about this is that Byleth's journey is also about forging their own path, outside of other's expectations. They start off as the "Ashen Demon" who lacks the ability to express emotion-Jeralt's diary states that as a baby, they "never cried." This is a consequence of Rhea's implantation of Byleth with a crest stone. Rhea, throughout White Clouds, does not view Byleth as an individual person , but instead as a vessel for Sothis' reincarnation. In fact, she expresses to Seteth after the Holy Tomb her hopes that Byleth will eventually merge with Sothis. However, Sothis, low-key the wisest character in the game, will not let the player progress past the prologue until Byleth admits that they are not the "god" Rhea expects, or the emotionless "demon" they have been up to this point, but instead a "mortal." The friendships and emotional growth that Byleth experiences-demonstrated through support conversations and cutscenes like Jeralt's death-are part of Byleth's journey to follow Sothis' command in the prologue to define their own destiny, outside of other's expectations.

    Ultimately, Byleth's support allows the chosen house leader to redefine themselves outside of the series archetype. Dimitri reconciles both halves of his identity into a greater whole, Rhea finds peace, Claude finds a comrade-in-arms who matters more to him than his plans, and Edelgard and Byleth reject their destiny together. What Three Houses says, in the end, is the difference between losing to one's inner demons and finding love and validation can be a single person meeting you without judgement and reaching out their hand.

    submitted by /u/captainflash89
    [link] [comments]

    Anyone sad there are no good or neutral Agarthan characters?

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 12:59 PM PST

    I know this is a frequent complaint when it comes to Three Houses, but the Agarthans characters are bland as all hell. They're bad guys for the sake of bad guys and don't fit in a morally grey story. What makes it worse is that it could work if they had some other Agarthan characters who were on your side, or at least not part of the major bad guy group.

    They could've easily had a separate Agarthan faction (or factions) to flesh out their society. Plus it could give some lore on things like why the Agarthans still bear a grudge against the Nabateans, or how their magic works, or why they have such advanced technology compared to the rest of Fodlan. Not to mention, it could lead to some interesting characters and very interesting conflicts (I.E Seteth and Rhea bearing a grudge against any Agarthan even if they're not part of the group that killed Sothis). But this is just some fan's ramblings, take of that what you will.

    submitted by /u/TheGraveKnight
    [link] [comments]

    My big problem with the DLC classes.

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 09:21 AM PST

    Constance and Hapi are apparently supposed to be a Dark Flier and a Valkyrie.

    They live in the Abyss.

    How the hell are they keeping and training horses and pegasi *underground?!***

    submitted by /u/RaisonDetriment
    [link] [comments]

    Sigurd, Duke of Chalphy

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 03:00 PM PST

    A letter to IntSys, continued. Photos of the package I sent, with commentary. Thank you to everyone who signed!

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 12:36 PM PST

    I cross stitched the Crest of Flames for my phone case

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:15 AM PST

    I drew Sothis!

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 03:47 PM PST

    Why a Golden Route is Impossible in 3H

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 07:25 AM PST

    This is something many hoped for since people don't like how Fates Revelation went, yet now also partially hate, as some do now wish there was some golden route. And while there are many, many, many factors as to why it's not possible for everyone to just talk and work together, Sylvain basically sums it up in the best way possible in Chapter 17 of Crimson Flower:

    Sylvain: I've been thinking about how we've got our own ideas about justice...and so does the Kingdom. And what's coming, it's not just a battle between us and them. It's our ideals that are fighting. Whoever wins will say they were right and the other side was wrong. And I get it. That's how it goes... But nobody's willing to talk or compromise, so we'll fight to the death to prove the other guy's wrong. It won't be an easy battle, but let's make sure we come back alive. Right, Professor?

    Everything that happens overall stems from a personal belief, ideal, or desire, something that drives their actions for the most part and why they will see things through to the bitter end.

    • Edelgard desires for Rhea to step down from power in the Church, and for everyone to stop worshipping Crests that enable nobles to maintain the power that they bear so that the world can be built where people have to strive to earn power, and not be born from it.
    • Dimitri, at first, fights purely for his desire for vengeance, before regaining his sanity and bringing up an ideal of people of different status being able to acknowledge each other and work together to build a better world.
    • Claude wants to unite Fodlan and tear down the borders between it and Almyra.
    • Rhea wants her mother back desperately and just return to the "golden age" of when everyone was led by her mother.

    They each have their ideals but refuse to acknowledge the others, even if it's compatible because it clashes with their own in some way. Their own emotional growth and ability to trust in others are limited until they've gotten to develop, but even when they developed, that does not mean that the others have as well.

    There's only one Byleth to go around, after all.

    submitted by /u/Omegaxis1
    [link] [comments]

    Fire Emblem: Three House Cindered Shadows information thus far compilation

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:24 AM PST

    How Three Houses Should've Ended

    Posted: 07 Feb 2020 07:34 PM PST
    Read more
    at

    No comments:

    Post a Comment