Fire Emblem Three Houses (Spoiler Thread)

If you think about it, Marianne and Hilda are diametrically opposed to Edelgard's ideals. Her thesis is that merit should dictate who rules, and that the church holds people back with their ideology. Then we have Hilda, who is lazy and, unlike Linhardt, who is brilliant but has some unusual quirks and needs, Hilda doesn't do well in any particular area because she just doesn't want to. Claude can work with that because he and Hilda are buds, they know how the other ticks and she likes him enough to work with him. Hilda doesn't like to have expectations thrust into her, which is what Edelgard wants out of everyone in her world.

Marianne, meanwhile, is all about lack of self-worth, she finds solace in religion and animal husbandry, feeling that her life is so worthless she should spend it helping others as she waits for death. As a pious person, she'd be considered one of the "weak" in Edelgard's world, a moniker she would wholeheartedly accept. Yes, her tragedy stems from having a Crest, but how she deals with it and how she gets over it goes against everything Edelgard stands for.

Speaking about Marianne, if she joins the empire after the Holy Tomb event, she will admit she's fascinated over Edelgard's willingness to throw the status quo into the trash dump if it means destroying the stigma the crests generate on people, something Marianne actually apreciates and envies. I legit did a double take when I learned that because I did not expect her of all people to admire Edelgard in any timeline.

Despite that however, she does mention at one point how Edel's goal of removing the church bothers her, and yet despite that, she will keep believing in Sothis regardless if that makes her look weak or not.

EDIT: Something interesting I want to point out is that some students can develop quite differently depending on the routes, so in this case Marianne sympathising with Edelgard is not something she always comments on in all paths.

Edited by Blackress on Apr 1st 2020 at 8:03:14 AM

Generally, every recruit has to comment on why they decided to side with Edelgard in CF, because they're betraying their homes and families to side with a conqueror who's willing to kill whoever stands in her way. Not exactly an easy sell for most of the cast. There's no similar need to justify siding with the Church, the Alliance if Dimitri is MIA, or the Kingdom if they're the only ones actively opposing Edelgard.

But the house-switch thing reminds me of a similar fic I read a while ago, with a retainer swap. Edelgard got along swimmingly with Dedue because he was quiet, loyal, and didn't ask questions, Hilda felt bad about the way Dimitri would always do what she wanted and never call her on anything because he had no reservations about taking on all of her work, and Claude and Hubert formed a strong friendship out of constantly trying to out-scheme each other.

Edited by IniuriaTalis on Apr 1st 2020 at 11:24:52 AM

Some of them are done better than others. Like Ignatz deciding he thinks it's interesting to watch Edelgard burn everything down.

I easily see Marianne being swept in by Edelgard's personal charisma even if their ideals don't really match. Whether Edelgard wants it or not, her actions essentially demand a strong sort of loyalty not too unlike that of a religious figure.

Alright fine there's nothing stop Edelgard and M Arianne from getting along.

Would everybody just get off my back for once?

You feeling okay? I know the times have been hard on everyone...

? I didn't get feeling that everyone disagreed with you or were being rude about it

(...Anyway, I don't really see Edelgard and Marianne getting especially well along, besides on level that all students get along with each other even when they don't have supports. Almost everyone of the students are too nice with each other anyway.

The way I see it, even if Edelgard's anti religion bias and Marianne's religiousness don't conflict and even if Marianne is taken back by her charisma, Edelgard wouldn't really get that well along with Marianne since she is doormat and Edelgard seems to approve of independence and force of personality :p)

Edited by SpookyMask on Apr 1st 2020 at 7:15:03 PM

, I'm just feeling a bit on edge with everything. And I'm probably up too late.

I don't see them being friendly on a personal level, but that doesn't need to happen for Marianne to be a loyal general in the quest to overthrow the false church.

Edelgard doesn’t treat Bernie badly for being a doormat, and even admits her fear of the the ocean to help her. So yeah that and her interactions with Manuela do make me think Edelgard would actually get along with Marianne, like the line about Marianne admiring Edelgard for her desire to upend the status quo got me thinking.

From what I’ve written, Edelgard is attempting to convince her that her crest won’t define her.

May I recommend getting more sleep? And some chocolate to cool down the nerves.

@Damian Hilda not doing well at anything? Are you blind? Hilda is a monster in the battlefield, or have you been screwed over by the RNG?

Edited by RedHunter543 on Apr 1st 2020 at 10:02:44 AM

Edelgard-Bernie conversation is about Bernie seeking contact with Edelgard due to reasons, Edelgard isn't really actively looking to talk with Bernie in that one

Still they get along quite well though. Like just because Edelgard didn't actively start the conversation, doesn't mean they don't form a friendship.

Edited by RedHunter543 on Apr 1st 2020 at 10:25:07 AM

I think I know that “retainer swap” story, although I lost track after the first couple chapters.I also like Red’s idea and would enjoy giving it a shot, whenever he might post it... It’s fascinating to contemplate, how different dynamics could be explored with some characters, especially interhouse bonding.

Here’s an idea - for every character that doesn’t Support with at least one person from each of the other houses (and maybe Church-aligned characters), who would you like them to Support with. I was specifically thinking on how Claude can Support both Eagle and Lion students, while both Edelgard and Dimitri only Support with their own and with some of the Deer and Church units. Meanwhile, Hubert IIRC only talks with the other Eagles, and Dedue has no non-Lion Supports BUT he does talk with several Church units; also, Jeritza has at least one with the Eagles and Lions, but none with the Church or Deer; and Gilbert has no Eagle or Deer convos.

So guys, here’s the mission, should you choose to accept it: Discounting the House Leaders between themselves, share at least one person from each faction(s) that characters doesn’t have Supports with, which you would like to see (you don’t need to limit yourself to the limitations of canon Mutually Exclusive Party Members, though). For my part:

• Edelgard would Support with Felix and/or Sylvain, in both cases just to B(+); maybe Mercedes, although it would probably hew to how she talked with Manuela about faith.
• Hubert is a hard one, although Lysithea as a fellow Dark magic specialist could be good, and maybe Lorenz (especially after the timeskip where Gloucester doesn’t side with Claude); maybe Ashe or Annette (because their cheery optimism would be funny, plus the former could discuss more to do with Lonato in lieu of Catherine, and the latter’s hard work... hmm). Could do Dedue and Catherine, as far as incompatible-with-canon discussions go (Red examined the latter).
• Jeritza with Manuela and Hanneman, because teachers, and Shamir because they’re both pragmatists. For Deer... I dunno.
• Dimitri with Bernie and... Caspar, maybe (we need SOME reason to recruit him besides “obscure paralogue requirements”!)
• Dedue with Bernie (again), possibly Petra, also Hilda (...come on, tell me you can’t see it. His culture inspiring her creative steak and such, Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl dynamics, etc.)
• Gilbert...? Eh, I’ll get back to y’all on that one. ^.^’

Edited by CaellachTigerEye on Apr 3rd 2020 at 6:40:32 AM

• Edelgard- I can see her bonding with Ingrid about the two of them as the most tomboyish girls in the academy.
• Hubert- Since he does have Supports with Hanneman and Shamir, I won't speculate church pairings for him. I think he'd exclusively have supports with the other retainers. He and Dedue would explore each other's concept of loyalty while he would admonish Hilda for her lack of work ethic.
• Jeritza- He'd have to have some supports with Manuela and Flayn since they're his victims in the main story. As for the Deer, Raphael would be a fun choice where he tries his best to get him to loosen up.
• Dimitri- To expand on your Caspar idea, maybe pre-skip, Dimitri tries to get Caspar to cool down on the bloodlust but post-skip, Caspar has to do the same thing to Dimitri.
• Dedue- Hubert for the Black Eagles as I discussed, and I can see him having a support chain with Claude for reasons I explained.
• Gilbert- Ferdinand because they share advisory roles and Marianne because they're both sadsacks that are faithful to the church.

I'd like to see a Flayn-Edelgard support, where Edelgard keeps reading something sinister into whatever Flayn does. I'd also like to see how Edelgard or Claude would interact with Alois.

Flayn: Hello Edelgard, i'm spending free period counting fish. Would you like to join me?

Edelgard: Are those fish secretly some form of genetically altered breed to install mind-control on the student population?

Flayn: Genetically altered? Goodness no, all those fish are imported.

Edelgard: THEN HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE GLOWING PILLARS!!!!??

Flayn: I think Seteth dropped some magic books. You should see Seteth when he's hungry, he has feasted on many-

Edelgard: ON THE FLESH AND OR HEARTS OF THE CHURCH"S ENEMIES?

Flayn: No, of many wild boars.

Edelgard: Oh.

Edited by RedHunter543 on Apr 2nd 2020 at 7:13:14 AM

This was inspired by me recently reading the Chronicles of Darkness book "Dark Eras 2," but I've been wondering what kind of Chronicles of Darkness characters the Three Houses cast could be. I've once compared Anankos to one of the True Fae, so I thought it'd be fun to do the same for the Three Houses people.

• Lysithea would definitely be one of the Remade. Specifically, she'd be an Exomorph Coactive, being a person unwillingly experimented on and turned into someone bursting with strange powers.
• Those who slither in the dark would be the conspiracy that created Lysithea. I considered making them demons, since Descent demons are a blend of mythology and technology, and because the Shambhala theme is perfect for Descent...then I decided none of the Agarthans are competent enough to be demons, so they're a conspiracy instead.
• Edelgard is a little harder to pin down; she'd definitely be an Exomorph since she was forcibly experimented on, but she's not quite bursting with power like Lysithea, so a Coactive doesn't seem appropriate. For now, I'll stick her as a Chimeric, as a reference to her final boss form in Azure Moon.
• Post-Holy Tomb Dimitri is a Slasher of the Avenger undertaking, motivated by vengeance against all those he blames for the Tragedy of Duscar. Five years later, Ratboy Dimitri is now a Legend, a one-eyed demon that slaughters any unfortunate Adrestian soldiers that run into him.
• Claude would definitely be a Hunter, probably from the Fodlan equivalent of Network Zero due to be a seeker of the truth.
• Rhea could be an Apex Begotten who became an Incarnate by slaying the Hero Nemesis so resoundingly that it created a Myth: the Immaculate One who protects those who venerate the Goddess and destroys those who threaten the land that the Goddess blessed and loved.

Leonie: I'M A GIRL TOO YOU KNOW!

Anyway...

Dimitri and Ferdinand could work. Ferdinand has all these hifaluting ideas about proper nobility, and Dimitri just thinks he should turn it down a notch. Bernadetta, too, since he recognises she, like him, has been through some shit.

It's a crying shame Dedue doesn't have a support with Petra, since they're both the outsiders of their respective Houses. It might be tricky to avoid their support being a rehash of Dedue and Mercedes, but it can definitely be done. Also Claude and Cyril, again for outsiderness. He might also discuss the concept of loyalty with Balthus, and he and Raphael could compare notes on bodybuilding.

Hubert with Claude or Yuri could be find due to the potential for schemes and counterschemes. A little thing I came up with when pondering a variant of Red's idea in which Claude leads the Black Eagles (though it also moslty works for Yuri):

Hubert: What is this?!
Claude: Oh, Hubert, you accidentally left your pet cobra in my bed. I returned it for you. You should really be more careful with it. If those things bite you, you'll die in a few minutes.
Hubert: Ah, yes, thank you. I see you know much about ways to make people dead, eh?
Claude: Yeah, but listen, I want us to get along. As a peace offering, here's some of my personal tea, imported from Almyra.
Hubert: I appreciate the offer, but I do not drink tea.
Claude: Oh? But you were messing around with my supply earlier. I just figured you wanted to to try some and didn't want to bother me. Come on, I'll even show you the right way to brew it.
Hubert: That won't be necessary. I'll save it for, ahem, a "special occasion."
Claude: Well, if that's what you want... by the way, I ran into your friends with the weird masks earlier.
Hubert: I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.
Claude: I told them we'd sorted out our differences and you had called off the assassination order. Weird thing is, they didn't realise it was a joke. Almost seemed to take it seriously. You should be more careful with your friends, Hubert. A less trusting individual might think you were trying to murder me. (Leaves)
Hubert: ...quite.

Jeritza and Dimitri could talk about trying to hold back their inner monsters.

Yuri and Claude could have a fun support chain based on scheme and counterscheme, with Yuri coming to appreciate Claude's mission to break down barriers between people.

Balthus and Bernadetta could talk about living life on their own terms.

Contance with Lorenz and Marianne, because Constance is a female Lorenz in the shade and Marianne^2 in the sunlight. Lorenz would obviously have various noble ideas about helping to restore House Nuvelle and in the process improving the relations of House Goucester. She should also have a support with Annette because they're both friends with Mercedes.

Hapi could also support with Marianne due to their withdrawn natures and interesting relationships with animals. She should also have a support with Annie because Coco and Mercy are such good friends, plus Hapi and Annie have such opposite personalities it would make for a fun clash.

On that thought, in the main Fire Emblem thread a while ago I pointed out that an all-Commoner house would be gender-balanced with all the specialisations and archetypes that are found in at least one of the main houses. To wit:

• Leonie: cavalry
• Raphael: tank
• Ignatz: archer
• Dedue: outsider, also tank
• Ashe: archer
• Mercedes: healer
• Dorothea: offensive spellcaster
• Petra: outsider, flier (if you're willing to stretch things a bit)

I've also been pondering what additional supports they might have.

I figure Leonie and Ashe should talk about whether knights or mercenaries are cooler.

Mercedes/Petra might well be a rehash of Mercedes/Dedue, but with Petra being more enthusiastic to talk about her homeland.

As I mentioned above the break, Dedue and Raphael would swap tips on bodybuilding, and Raphael would appreciate Duscuran food. Also tragic loss of parents.

Raphael would see Mercedes carrying some medical supplies into the town to help people, and offers to carry them because there's no sense having muscles if you can't lighten someone else's burden. In their B support, Mercy makes Raph some energy bars out of grain, dried fruit, and honey, which are so tasty Raph doesn't even notice there's no meat in them.

Dedue and Petra bond over being oursiders.

For Ignatz and Dorothea, Ignatz hears Dorothea singing and gets inspired, but he can't capture the essence of her voice. Well, not entirely. There is one weird painting that doesn't look like anything, but Dorothea likes because it captures a feeling. They get a paired ending where Iggy goes to work at Mittelfrank with Dotty, and becomes known as the inventor of abstract art.

Dotty and Raph start with Raph asking Dotty to sing a song from one of her operas so he can write home to Maya about it; since it's not like they'll ever see a real opera, this is the next best thing. Dotty is impressed with Raph's devotion to family. In their A+ support, Dotty broaches the subject of marriage; Raph thinks there's no way a woman as fancy as her would ever be happy with a plain bloke like him, but Dotty reassures him she really just wants to be secure in her old age, and part of that is being with someone as nice as Raph. In their paired ending, Maya decides to turn the inn into an opera house.

Edited by VampireBuddha on Apr 2nd 2020 at 3:55:19 PM

For what it's worth, Heroes made Petra a flier (with daggers, but Three Houses wouldn't be that far off if she just used bows).

Oh, you made it. Welcome to the spoiler thread.

Enjoy wacky conversations, and fighting over who the best leader is.

Hint, it's Edelgard. Hahahaha.

Normally, i'd have like 2-3 pages worth of battles against Omega and Iniura, but that hasn't happened in a while.

We'll just have to wait if the game has more to tell.

Edited by RedHunter543 on Apr 2nd 2020 at 9:37:47 AM

Yeah, I finished Cindered Shadows on Sunday and Azure Moon just a week before that, so I no longer have a significant amount of things to be spoiled on.

Always fun to have more perspectives. This place has a slight Rhea bias. Which I approve of, but am also surprised given that Edelgard is a proper main character and Rhea isn't.

Pretty sure the consensus here is Edelgard bad, Rhea good. There's like 2 tropers here who support Edelgard.

Ehhh, Edelgard is controversial, while Rhea is shrouded in ambiguity, it also helps her case that she's off camera for the second half most of the time.

Edited by RedHunter543 on Apr 2nd 2020 at 11:28:38 AM