How to "Fix" Azure Moon

[@hhhcontent3930]

I hate saying it but I actually really like sylvain, when he’s not being a meme he’s actually really intelligent and thoughtful. His supports with Dedue in particular are great where he basically just explains why duscur isn’t responsible for the tragedy of duscur

[@BIGstonks]

I always love when the "dumb" chars are secretly smart. For the most part Sylvain is a chad. Hilarious that he hates women so much that he dates so many of them

[@teddysquid103]

big fan of Sylvain agreed; he’s a surprisingly deep character and I just love the detail of most his supports with women only going up to B, showing how he’s unable to form lasting connections

[@joelsasmad]

I want a support between him and Hanneman where he goes into Hannemanns backstory and he becomes his aprentice the way Lysithea can since he apparently has a hidden talent for magic and shares a very similar motivation to hate the crest system and seek to invalidate it. Speaking of Lisithea I feel like her support with Sylvain is completely wasted. As it stands he goes to her to help him learn magic because it is his hidden talent and she's a genius, she assumes he is flirting with/insulting her and throws a hissy fit over nothing. He comes back later to apologize and sooth her ego. It is so vapid and nothing of a support when similar to Hanneman they could have easily played off of the fact that Sylvain is something of a magical prodigy and both characters have serious reasons to hate crests.

[@datonebri5361]

Sylvain is my favorite character because of his hidden intelligence, and his immense nihilism regarding his noble stature

[@Eshyyyyy]

I hate his supports because he becomes a borderline incel. I think they could've taken them a different way besides "women bad cause they want my crest"

[@sophitiaofhyrule]

Chris Hackney as Dimitri is some of the most impressive voice acting I've ever heard.

[@derekmaullo2865]

It's crappy

[@andrewnguyen664]

You all can't lie, chasing daybreak just hits differently with Azure Moon. Like it was made for the Blue Lions when they reunited, played all the other routes and chasing daybreak just doesn't fit as well as it does in Dimitris route.

[@LeshenLord]

Can you explain why that is? My first run was CF and Chasing Daybreak fits incredibly there, especially since the first time you hear it is on a plot-important battle as opposed to fighting some random bandits that no one cares about.

[@shadowsquid1351]

@@LeshenLord the whole situation is very dire in AM that's why it fits the most: - Dimitri & Byleth are alone fighting bandits to save the civillians in a war torn monestary, the track portrays desperation which is what their situation was. - the entrance of the blue lions was amazing specially knowing that they though Dimitri was dead. - The feeling of us against the world; since Dimitri lost everything so you're basically fighting the bandits but also the invading empire. It's a very subjective thing ofc but generally in the fandom most ppl say this fits Dimitri the most & I agree.

[@andrewnguyen664]

@@LeshenLord You gotta really play Azure Moon to really understand or if you did I will try to explain. Dimitri post-time skip is a man who has lost everything and is a shell of his former self. He barely sleeps, barely eats and is barely clinging to life. Now a revenge-crazed beast who has seemingly abandoned all his morals, titles, and personality. Every day he is that much closer to death, constantly hunted by the imperial forces and being on his own all Alone. He has only survived through sheer willpower and hatred all these years by himself. You can see it is killing him and tearing his sanity apart, he has nothing left to lose, however once he realizes Byleth returns and we get the chapter where everyone comes back, we get a sign of new hope that things will get better for everyone as Dimitri slowly realizes all his friends survive and he hasn't lost everything and they in turn realize their lord isn't dead and Faerghus/Fodlan isn't doomed to world domination by the Imperial Order. Chasing Daybreak perfectly captures this entire mindset as now the darkness is over, and there is indeed light at the end of the dark tunnel hence the term daybreak and now all that is left is to seize it and press on to a brighter future hence the term chasing. Hope that explains it, that's really all I got but at the end of the day it is just my opinion.

[@LeshenLord]

@@andrewnguyen664 Well of course I played AM. I wouldn't be watching this video or commenting on it if I hadn't played it. I've played all routes. Anyway, more to the point. I guess if your first run is AM, you will inevitably feel that way. But I must say that the name "Chasing Daybreak" fits Edelgard's perspective much more. The whole "reaching toward [chasing] the new dawn [daybreak]" theme is all about Edelgard. She says that phrase many times and it's what her entire ambition is about. Beyond that, the instrumentation is more geared toward a militaristic feeling, and Edelgard is leading the invasions, so I think Chasing Daybreak fits more in that context. If anything, I'd expect people to say that the sad and somber "The Long Road" is the one that is more closely identified with AM rather than Chasing Daybreak (although I do think Long Road also fits CM and the rest more or less equally, but that's beside the point).

[@stanliu6885]

I wish they made Edelgard a boy instead of a girl. And Claude a girl instead of a boy. Claude has the best route and he doesn't get any credit because he has a pènis.

[@randalgelinas848]

Azure moon was the first route I chose and I cant imagen choosing different. the early chapters feel special for this rout. Its not some noble rebelling against the church its Ash's adopted father. Its not some bandit taking a family treasure its Sylvain's older brother. The other routs have there own take on the same chapters but I love how personal azure moon's rout is to its characters.

[@zhengwenyu1587]

Me too, Azure Moon was the first route, and now I finished it, I really don't want to play other routes and end Dimitri.

[@KingofAwesomness14]

agreed. Crimson flower with those feel....blegh

[@BreakinBoog]

I feel like they hit a lil different for CF too. It feels like Edelgard is just pointing constantly, like "see? this is the shit im talking about, jfc". Less personal, but it feels like you're witnessing exactly what she's talking about.

[@joelsasmad]

Azure moon is probably the best starting route, it has the best self contained story and does the reveals best while hinting at the fact that there is more going on here than you know since no answers are provided for dragon Rhea or TWSITD. CF should go next as it starts giving incomplete answers, and VW finishes things off with finally getting the full story and the most climactic final bods battle against the one behind everything that was shown from the opening cutscenene of the game.

[@imperiousrex128]

@@joelsasmad And then SS just hurts. There's a good chance everyone you didn't recruit is dead, the house leaders are dead or missing, and you have to kill Rhea, meaning that YOU have to put Fodlan back together. You're the only one the people can look to now.

[@starcat1533]

Something I noticed with azure moon is that I appreciate a lot more the characters in it, and its because White Clouds feels kinda made for the blue lions, you really get attached to sylvain and ashe in particular while the other houses doesn't really get that privilege, and maybe that's why its fine for the students to give the spotlight to dimitri since they already had one before.

[@4Tom4lepus4]

White Cloud is super weird imo, because a lot of the settings are Blue Lions, while the overall vibe and "the Church/Rhea is shady" themes are suuuuuuuuuper Crimson Flower... which then makes it weird that Claude's route doesn't work with either really.

[@allura9163]

@@4Tom4lepus4 I think that’s kinda the point. Claude doesn’t like the Church, but he’s also not the type to tell people what they can and or can’t believe in, unlike Edelgard who wants to destroy the church and the religion, or the Kingdom, who seem very devout.

[@4Tom4lepus4]

@@allura9163 Edelgard doesn't have a problem with religion, she has a problem with the Church because of Rhea. That's an important difference. And Claude does want change just as Edelgard does. He actually says so himself. That's why it's weird to me.

[@jameswest6232]

Honestly, would of loved some White Clouds chapters focused on non-BL students. Show the corruption in Adrestia and how Ferdinand wants to be a noble who's above all of that. Have the students investigate rogues in Ordelia territory, foreshadowing the location of Shambala.

[@xHeyItsCami]

@@jameswest6232 they could've given black eagles and golden deer different missions in place of Lonato and Miklan imo.

[@catm6161]

I would say that Byleth's reasoning with staying with Dimitri is that he declared to them that they are with them to the bitter end, and likewise Byleth is with him as well. Dimitri is the only leader to confront Byleth in Jeralt's office and offer them advice in moving forward (live in what you believe in) and that it's ultimately okay to grieve during this time (later on Claude prompting the journal and taking no for an answer vs. Edelgard dismissing emotions and still working with the same people who killed their dad just doesn't look good compared to Dimitri's scene) Dimitri ultimately encouraged Byleth to express themselves more because he saw that they weren't 'human' at first, and despite not trusting them in the beginning, he saw little by little that the professor was slowly becoming a supportive and caring person that he can trust; which is something he doesn't have now a days. In short, Byleth's journey in AM was a demon becoming more human, which is something that correlates with Dimitri struggling journey, AM highlighted their relationship really well that it's safe to say it is the heart of the story which is ironic given how Dimitri never cared enough to focus on Byleth's lore - he knew Byleth as Byleth and not just a vessel like the others wanted. Rhea/Claude/Edelgard all wanted to use Byleth in someway for their campaigns vs. Dimitri who confesses to Byleth his goal in pre time skip on a path he plans to die alone. Although he claims to use the army till they perish (lmao) it's clear that he complies to Byleth and doesn't meet his death compared to the other routes, unlike Edelgard whose goal is succeeded in some way in every route, Dimitri never gets his answers in the end but he accepts to move forward for the future. Despite Byleth being silent, I think they worked the best in AM because Dimitri just needed someone to stand in his way, while Byleth needed someone to see them as human.

[@KingofAwesomness14]

all of this, it is a magical thing you have made. Well freaking done!

[@shadowsquid1351]

Great comment, that's it pretty much, Dimitri has a unique relatioship with Byleth unlike the other 3 & Byleth even as a silent MC grows alot with him compared to the other 3. He stood by her & helped her in her time of need in part 1 so now she stands with him. What edgy Dimitri says in part2 is literally bluffing to push her & his friends away because he doesn't want them to get hurt by his decision (he knows it's a personal goal & doesn't want to involve them), just minutes before he said he'd use them he was calling out on Byleth very scared warning her because he thought Randolf might hurt her, the moment Rodrigue dies he breaksdown & changes his behavior, so yeah he was bluffing to push them away since if he wasn't he wouldn't warn Byleth nor care about Rodrigue.

[@toriwork8891]

I wish I could do more than upvote this comment. Dimitri being the only main character who never sees Byleth as a powerful tool is such an underrated part of this game. I also think it's underrated how Dimitri encourages and helps Byleth express and understand emotions, and then Byleth returns the favor when he/she helps Dimitri get control of his.

[@herooftwilight5534]

This comment was made six months ago and it’s beautiful 😭 👏

[@roaringthunder115]

Preach

[@liamtreat5194]

One thing it did need was a chapter in duscur, and not just dedue’s paralougue. Like an actual proper map. The route focuses on duscur so much and we learn so little about it. Fleshing out the generic duscur general in dedue’s paralougue into an actual character would be nice, since while i like dedue, he is a terrible character for exploring duscur as a place, since he’s cut ties with it by the start of the game. I good place to put this would be inbetween gronder and fhirdiad, allowing it to show Dimitri’s character in transition, and at the same place his character arc started.

[@pickyphysicsstudent201]

This is a great idea. Dimitri returning to the place of the tragerdy can work well for his character, at any point in the story. You could also work in everyone's thoughts on it. Make the Blue Lions seem like characters with opinions.

[@chirnosans]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS LIKE FOREVER

[@wombologist1]

SAME

[@TheBelt]

A man once said: “I’ve been waiting for this”

[@chirnosans]

@@TheBelt yummy protein

[@Lixenixen]

The biggest problem with Azure Moon is how little it reveals about the Tragedy of Duscur. The Tragedy is obviously the biggest motivator for Dimitri's actions before and during the war, but it also directly or indirectly affects the character arcs of almost all the Faerghus-related characters: Dedue, Ingrid, Felix, Gilbert, Annette, Ashe, Catherine... Only Mercedes' and Sylvain's stories are not at all affected by it. But despite all this, we learn very little of why it happened and who was behind it, especially since the second half of Azure Moon drops the Those Who Slither in the Dark subplot altogether. So Dimitri and the others whose lives were altered by the Tragedy never get any closure on it on Azure Moon. And while you can recruit the other characters in routes where the machinations behind the Tragedy are revealed, you can't do that with Dimitri and Dedue, so they'll never have that closure. That's a major flaw in the narrative.

[@ray0064]

Yeah even after hopes it’s implied that Lambert was killed because he wanted reforms but never stated what kind they were

[@goldenglaive8078]

The BEST route is finally here!

[@kevinbach7148]

Nope. Horrible route.

[@it-a-go]

@Daren Fliflet You're reason on why you like this route is interesting but I also have a reason why I liked azure moon more then the other routes. It characters and it story. It is self contain story and an out of all the routes it feels the most complete and less rushed. Their characters contribute to the story, more so in part one then in part two but they do add on to their world seen in their supports, and I liked their interactions with each other. Not to mention that utility as units were very good. Especially units like Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid, Dimitri, and Mercedes. Out of all the houses students that were the most commonly recruited in my playthroughs were the ones from blue lions house. Suffice to say it is my favorite route.

[@shadowsquid1351]

@Daren Fliflet yeah that's pretty much the best comment of the year, not to mention all of your points are actual facts & no opinion 👍

[@Hyperversum3]

@@it-a-go AM Is my favorite because it feels like a twist on traditional FE formula but still built on the concepts of the series. Rather than just some noble Hero, Dimitri is a traumatized and lonely boy trying to become what he is meant to be, yet facing hostility from all sides. Then he gets betrayed again by one of the few ties to his positive childhood and goes nuts. Yet, he manages to recover himself and become the leader his people needed and that his Friends hoped he would prove to be. He is a troubled man, yet manages to return to be a positive figure. It's a tale of heroism, but from the perspective of someone that really hit his lowest several times and know how It feels.

[@hannemanisunderrated5610]

Yeah I agree! To me this path feels like the most complete one story wise :) and Dimitri’s character arc is just so good.

[@benackermann6328]

It's SUPER rare in this community to hear someone say "I like THIS route the best, but I think THIS is the best one in terms of quality. Very refreshing, and attached to an excellent video to boot. Keep up the good work.

[@naurrr]

I used to be bored with Ingrid, Ashe, Sylvain, and Annette, but once I started actually going through their supports, they mostly totally stole my heart. Sylvain has a lot of trauma from growing up with an abusive older brother without a crest, ends up having to kill him in AM, and has serious self-esteem problems he hides by projecting confidence and chasing women. I think he even refers to himself as a stud horse at one point, because other women (and presumably other noble houses trying to marry him to their daughters) treat him like a way to obtain a child with a crest for clout reasons. In some of his supports like with Bernadetta, you can tell that he does have hobbies and interests besides just skirt chasing, and he does like to just have friends and people he can talk to, instead of hitting on absolutely every woman in sight, but most people only see him as a vapid, shallow playboy, and I think it's kind of a defense mechanism so that he doesn't have to deal with his problems. he is actually pretty intelligent and emotionally intelligent as well, you can see that in his supports with Felix and Annette usually. ouch my heart.

[@claudevonrunningman]

What would’ve made Rodrigue’s death scene better is if Dimitri’s suicidal strategy was actually getting him killed (SS & VW) and Byleth was spamming divine pulse to save him over and over to the point of exhaustion. Byleth faints since using Sothis’s power takes a huge toll on their body (return from Zahras) and doesn’t recover until well after Rodrigue is dead

[@mr.humblecup8229]

"Missile launching Mole people" is such a better name than "Those who slither in the dark"

[@Reuventhal]

MLMP>>>>TWSITD

[@emmettracine8310]

Sorta unrelated but, they just, shouldn't have made Divine pulse a story mechanic.

[@MrToonlink53]

I like them making it a story mechanic but my issue comes in when they brought it up, dropped it, and never touched it again after. Leaving it to the fans to justify why Byleth doesn't use it in the story more lol.

[@mobiusloop339]

For sure, time travel is already super iffy to tie into even the best written stories. Fire Emblem should have stayed away from it.

[@lorddragonskin3603]

I love how Echoes implemented it, so I'm really, REALLY baffled at the way 3H butchered it. TURNWHEEL Basically, the Turnwheel in Echoes just gives visions of a possible future to Alm and Celica (remember the graveyard scene, from Act 1, and Celica's nightmare cutscene, from Act 2). Note the word "give", that is, they cannot force the visions. (That's why we love hard magic systems). Also, they are the keys to Duma's temple... pretty cool Fire Emblem (the object) proxy (its a proxy cuz Archanea has the real deal, and well, they are not exactly a Fire Emblem). DIVINE PULSE Meanwhile DP is just Sothis giving you the power to arbitrarily turn back time. Or you know... not use it at all. In giving more agency to the protagonist regarding the time rewind ability, they butchered it. (DP is an example of a REALLY bad soft magic system). Also, it would be cool if from chapter 11 onward, any map with Edelgard as an enemy would halve your DP charges (cuz Crest of Flames and whatnot).

[@chirnosans]

@@lorddragonskin3603 yeah I agree I think silk said something really cool like "you don't use it, it uses you"

[@javgamer722]

@@MrToonlink53 Yeah I think that either they never should have made it one, or made it an actual major part of the story. Not trying to half ass it where they get a cool moment in a cutscene that amounts to nothing and then never bring it up again.

[@pickyphysicsstudent201]

Glenn (Felix's brother) should've been shown to us, in flashback cutscenes. He is kind of like Holst but Holst was never important to Verdant Wind's plot or a serious impact for the characters motivation or thoughts. Glenn is most of what drives Ingrid & Felix and was a casualty of the Tragerdy of Duscar. If they had time to make a model for Dimitri's dad, for one scene, then they could've made one for Glenn.

[@sasir2013]

but... he's dead. Is it really necessary?

[@kirin1230]

@@sasir2013 So is Lambert

[@sasir2013]

@@kirin1230 yeah, and I wouldn't consider it necessary I don't mean it isn't good, I mean necessary

[@kirin1230]

@@sasir2013 True, I'd rather another cutscene (cough cough, Verdant Wind Dimitri's death), but I think Glenn could have had a nice flashback. Lambert's flashback could have been done with a picture imo.

[@teddysquid103]

Despite not being my first, AM is currently my favorite route. Love Dimitri and all the small details around him like his loss of taste and how in a second playthrough you notice it with his meal options/convos or Dedue weeds. Also think that the Flame Emperor reveal is far superior to Crimson Flower or any other route, with the player and Dimitri knowing at the same time My only issue would be how Mercedes’ cutscene with the Death Knight (important for her character and unique to AM) was locked behind a paralogue which was locked behind recruiting Caspar

[@ibuprofeno6554]

There's a strange theory that explains azure moon was made as the original rout of three houses, because nearly every chapter in the pre-time skip that features students involved are from blue lions, for example the ones with miklan or lonato. Or maybe they thought about adding different ones for the other houses and ran out of time. Another point that though blue lions students are not as connected as the other houses, the bonds they have in smaller groups are very important to the plot: Dimitri, felix, Ingrid and Sylvain grew up in the same time and they knew each other well. Then later there's an explanation of why dudue joined (more specific than hubert's one). Annette and Mercedes went to the same magic school (which explains their friendship) and then Ashe ends alone after lonato is tricked and killed

[@LeshenLord]

Didn't the devs say that Silver Snow was the first one that was written?

[@ibuprofeno6554]

@@LeshenLord maybe, idk Still, it is strange that in all routs you fight lonato and miklan

[@Underworlder5]

i somehow misread lonato as "tomato"

[@YightLagami]

@@ibuprofeno6554 Individual characters can be written but not be representative of the overarching story as a whole. Ideas like nobility revolting or crestless nobles becoming bandits aren't really particularly unique ideas. It's mostly an extension of the central ideas of Church or crests which are one of the main themes explored in FE3H as a whole. Ultimately, these plot lines don't add too much to the overarching story as much and just serve to fulfill the central ideas to give you an opinion on them. Silver Snow could be the main story written with Blue Lion's characters coming up as one of the starter characters to fill in for some of the story elements. Personally, I think they probably came up with Edelgard/Rhea as one of the first few central characters thought up of or created

[@l.n.3372]

The devs have said that SS was the first route created on the unique premise of: What if your lord betrayed you? What if the red emperor archetype was actually female for once? That became SS entire premise. 3H was built around this concept of Edelgard as the surprise red emperor who betrays you despite being your lord. It seems like AM came about as the means to further flesh out Fodlan as a whole while delving into Dimitri's past with Edelgard. Idk where VW came from but it was primarily a copy paste of SS. CF was last because some devs wanted a route where you can join Edelgard instead of killing her.

[@Thenumber1yoshi]

Azure Moon is basically just a Fire Emblem version of Hamlet with a less tragic Lion King style ending where the prince lives and ascends the throne.

[@MaggieCandy999]

Funny because Lion King is actually based on Hamlet.

[@Thenumber1yoshi]

@@MaggieCandy999 Yeah that’s why I used both of them as examples!

[@BoneyGaf]

I played Azure Moon first and my favourite part about it is how the 'Tragedy of Duscur' has heavy repercussions for all of the cast and you see it always popping up and having different contexts and reinterpretations for all the different characters. So even if they don't have an important role to play in relation to Dimitri's recovery, they all have a sense of guilt an obligation for being there. They also do a great job at establishing a heavy personal relation between protagonist-antagonist and a believable reason for Dimitri going crazy. Sadly, it does feel a bit incomplete because of how the different routes took to explain and show some key aspects that seem deliberately omitted in others. I can excuse stuff like 'why Edelgard would start the war' being absent, because it gives the last scene of her suicide a lot of impact and it's understandable that you wouldn't just get a random note explaining everything. But stuff like Rhea and Nemesis's roles, due to how they all have the shared exposition of Part 1, do feel like dropped plot elements.

[@deltawind.]

Chris Hackney did such a brilliant job with Dimitri’s unhinged attitude. I could listen to Dimitri’s crit quotes for days.

[@ZeldagigafanMatthew]

All I wanted to do in the first half of Azure Moon was hug Dimitri the way a parent would when their lost child is found and returned.

[@cocoabeanzwantstopuzzle]

Honestly I felt like I had a lost child come back in Chapter 13 when I saw him again. Throughout the pre timeskip all I did was find myself in an increasingly parental role towards the Blue Lions to the point where I just started calling them my kids lmao

[@chronoxtreme2427]

Honestly you nailed this on the head. Great analysis, and I agree with the flaws, especially Rodrigue's slide show death scene. My dude deserved better. ;-; Almost all of Gilbert's "issues" that the fandom has with him is the result of him being a character that makes a lot more sense to a Japanese society than to a western one. Most JP players think of Gilbert as a tragic figure, because if you do screw up that badly in Japanese society, yes, you *are* expected to leave your whole family behind and leave because you don't want to burden them with the shame of your failure. It still happens to this day. The issue is that the West places a much higher emphasis on supporting family members in crisis no matter what they've done (barring issues such as committing crime) so Gilbert's actions not only don't make sense in a Western sense but actively piss people off because they think he's being a deadbeat dad. Which he is, but for reasons that make a lot more sense to a Japanese audience. There's no easy way to fix this for a western audience because the whole point is that he did leave his family behind for the sake of pride. It's something that I've thought about a lot in terms of how to make Gilbert's storyline have the same impact as it does to a Japanese audience, but in the end it's not as big of a deal as some of the other things wrong with the game, so it's something I'll leave to someone else to try and theory craft.

[@MysteriousOne1616]

Fascinating, so this is a case of cultural differences. If that is such, then it be best to accept this reality and simply appreciate learning something new about someone else across the sea.

[@tribacioustee2846]

The 'best' fix might be to emphasise how this is an expected part of Faerghus' culture of chivalry, since 3H writes chivalry from both a Japanese sense and a Japanese perspective of the medieval sense. Tie this to how Felix hates praising people dying like true knights. Tie it to good civilian men following Lonato to a pointless death. Show that honour is integral and necessary to what makes Faerghus strong, but they must be careful of being 'too' strong. Perhaps Annette could have made that case

[@l.n.3372]

The problem is that many western fans view FE thru their American, Canadian or European lens. But it was a series that was created thru a Japanese lens first. Western fans often forget this. The church of Seiros is a casualty too. It was an eastern based religious philosophy but every western FE fan calls it FE church of catholicism instead. Yet the Japanese devs have mentioned that it was created with eastern spirituality and philosophy.

[@AdamWielgosz]

All that remains is Cindered Shadows. I’m quite curious on how you’ll fix the route. I’m especially curious if you’re going to make it longer or not.

[@Timothy_-ve2zp]

More Jeralt

[@generalkenobi3609]

REUS (Jeralt's middle name, who decided this?) VALT

[@Tom-vx7qh]

I think the route could've used more monsters, there weren't really that many you know

[@Timothy_-ve2zp]

@@Tom-vx7qh nah f*ck monsters I hate them

[@donniejefferson9554]

I always hear people talk shit about Felix but he was easily one of my favorites of the house. Sure he's a bit of an edgy boy but how could he not be. Look at all the shit he has to put up with. Plus he had one of my favorite supports with Annette. He's pretty great

[@absollum]

Helps that he's a really strong unit. He's rarely sidelined in my playthroughs due to how strong he is.

[@wikidwisurdzzz49]

The only mention of the Agarthans during Azure Moon, that I can remember, is Dimitri and Hapi's ending together.

[@alastairrowe2496]

However, incidentally Thales their leader is killed during the route.

[@gabrielemblem605]

Dimitri killing agarthans without realizing for X minutes straight

[@Josh10Force]

@@gabrielemblem605 Literally gets revenge without even trying, what a chad.

[@gabrielemblem605]

@@Josh10Force Thales was lucky Dimitri never discovered how deep his conspiracies went, i dont think he would have gotten a quick death had he knew

[@kitelanford]

@@gabrielemblem605 Even if it was the case, the Power Vaccum left behind (more or less) would give a feel we haven't seen the last of the Agarthans... Azure Moon is more smaller scale and personal really, Dimitri and his demons being the main focus adds up to well more or less making Agarthans a non-entity for awhile... well outside of one of the possible revised endings if you get Dimitri married off to Hapi... Rags to Riches for Tanned Nepgear... Spear to nuts for the Agarthans

[@roaringthunder115]

I’m so glad I chose Dimitri’s route first. He reminds me of what I could of been because I lost my father like him, so I want to help him go on the right path. Chris Hackney was a great voice actor. Also I love Felix’s role.

[@IcedCoffeeGaming]

Dmitri route best rout plot wise, the Eldegard reveal was HUGE as well as the finale/symbolism for final mission. Pretty sick :)

[@pepeelghetto1231]

Except you don't get to understand anything about Byleth, Rhea, the church and TWSITD... And you have to play other routes for that... whereas if you played any other route there's no particularly any need to play AM other than just completing the game...

[@tayloryork8185]

Rodrigue: dies* Mercedes, Annette, Flayn, and Byleth: still have heals left

[@shadowsquid1351]

That was a good watch! I liked the part about handholding lmao, anyway this is just some ideas I have about BL path: - Rodrigue's death SHOULD have been a freaking cutscene, not a slide show that explains nothing, that's why it is a confusing point in AM. - Rodrigue & Gilbert are 2 of the best written characters & with some of the best developments, but fandoms want young cute boys & girls. - btw the missiles weren't fired in AM because it is the only path where u kill Arundal before he's able to fire them, also Dimitri & Hapi take care of the remnants of TWSitD even though it wasn't needed since it is the only path where we kill all of their leaders in game (SS/GD we leave Cornalia & CF we only kill Cornalia). - part 1 is mostly about BL/kingdom & the BL team is the only ones who are connected to their house leader (Sylvain, Felix, Ingrid & Dedue are old friends with Dimitri), that's mostly why they stuck with him during his "phase", also he's the rightful king even if he's antisocial & violent lol. - Dimitri is the only MC in 3H who gets the canon unit of "great lord", which is reserved for "blue lords" in the prior games.

[@dinterdos]

I honestly really like Rodrigue and Gilbert, because of the fact that they are bad fathers It makes them very flawed and for me it makes them interesting

[@shadowsquid1351]

@@dinterdos tbh I only think Gilbert is a bad dad but it goes much deeper since he suffers from severe guilt so he punishes himself by staying away from everything or everyone he loves (fishing, serving the kingdom, Annette, his wife..). Rodrigue on the other side is not a bad dad at all imo, it's Felix who is extremely harsh, edgy & downright abusive at least verbally to anyone he disagrees with including his dad, he "hates" his dad because he disagrees with him about knight's duties & his opinions in general as well as what he said after Glenn's death which always seemed very weird (teenage Felix behavior is understandable since he's still a kid but adult Felix should've fixed his behavior). Rodrigue saying Glenn "died like a true knight" or whatever is his way of making sense, coping or giving any meaning to his son's death otherwise he'd have to believe his son died for nothing, just like how Felix shitting on the knights codes of honor (which Glenn believed in) & imitating Glenn's personality is his way of coping. I don't know but Rodrigue tried alot to get closer to Felix & I really liked him for it, I'm not saying all 100% of truth is with Rodrigue but he tried lol.

[@dinterdos]

@@shadowsquid1351 Couldn't have said it better myself

[@toriwork8891]

@@shadowsquid1351 Felix is actually physically abusive towards Rodrigue too. He's got an ask box saying he regrets striking his father. I ADORE Felix and Rodrigue, but I HATE how the fandom has boiled it down to "Felix right!" and see some people put Rodrigue in the same category as genuinely awful fathers like Bernie's. Why Felix is so great is that he is right, but he's also an abusive asshole towards everyone around him (exception being smallish women). I also un-ironically think Rodrigue did nothing wrong. Having a different belief system than Felix isn't wrong. Not knowing how to raise an emotionally unstable son in a world with no concept of mental illness, self help, therapy, etc . . . What else was he supposed to do? I think most people forget that Rodrigue lost a son, a best friend, and a king that day and inherited two emotionally wrecked kids. All things considered, he's a stand up guy. It's just most of this fandom finds it easier to relate to the edgy kid who hates their dad more than a parent who's written like a person and not just "bad parent" or "good parent."

[@shadowsquid1351]

@@toriwork8891 great comment & I absolutely agree, majority of this fandom shouldn't be taken seriously tbh when talking about FE lol, I mean they're in it for the cute girls & sometimes for the cute boys. Oh & you reminded me of the Felix question about hitting his dad which really broke my heart yet Rodrigue never punished him or took it against him or even brought it up later. Rodrigue is such a chill character with a very down to earth personality, u even see the soldiers under him have tons of respect & love for him, he even feeds the poor of the kingdom outside of his territory & Yuri has great respect for Rodrigue if u recruit him he speaks about him a bit. What is hilarious to me is that Felix is mostly always wrong, majority of his supports are him being called out by the other character & him being proven wrong because he judged others in a very shallow judgemental way, he still makes sense sometimes ofc but not always, ig edgy boys in general are well liked in JRPG fandoms. Another thing is that Felix wasn't at the place where the tragedy took place, Dimitri was, he saw it all, lost everyone he ever loved in gruesome ways & yet outside of his violent behavior towards anyone who tramples on innocents or anyone who had a hand in the tragedy (part 2 Dimitri was more antisocial towards his friends than abusive or violent), he's pretty much nice to everyone & doesn't let the edge leak towards others. Rodrigue lost a son & a dear friend at the same day yet he continues to try to protect the kingdom, looks after Dimitri, tries to reconnect with his son & is pretty much kind & loved by everyone. Then there's Felix who yes lost a dear brother but wasn't there like Dimitri nor was Glenn his son yet he's acting like a brat & is visibly violent against everyone for just literally having a different opinion! That's why his support with Seteth was a great one because Seteth singlehandidly puts him in his place & calls him out for his behavior towards ppl with different views. Felix is fine I don't dilike him at all & he's a Navarre archetype so he kinda has to act that way, but Rodrigue imo is much better written & essential to the BL story in ways that Felix can never be.

[@carltonpowell5313]

I’d argue that Azure moon is the most complete route in 3H And tbh it’s my favourite Just love it alllll, every character, story, maps, etc I just think it does it best but that’s cool if you think differently :)

[@Angel-Wulff]

Love the video man! But... 10:44 . . . . You don't like Sylvain!? Damn bro... that kinda hurts me.

[@jowoman7799]

How dare you disrespect Revenge of the Sith! But as someone who loves Anakin Skywalker, Dimitri was basically the perfect character for me. No other route in this game comes close to what Azure Moon did.

[@gengar2272]

I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR A YEAR

[@Tom-vx7qh]

I can't help but think back to when I first got the game, and how my thinking went in regards to picking a house. "Claude seems like a very interesting character, but blue is my favorite color" I went with blue

[@toriwork8891]

The only part here that I disagree with is that, other than Felix, the other students have nothing to do. While I do wish they got involved more, I think AM does a much better job than most routes at both making students feel relevant and giving them the spotlight. Every route suffers from characters doing nothing but standing around and saying empty lines (CF Ferdinand being one of the most disappointing characters in how much he did and said absolutely nothing of substance despite his build up), but Sylvain and Ashe get their own chapters, Annette has the stuff going on with her father, Mercedes has drama with the Death Knight, and Ingrid is at least tied to the same tragedy that connects the majority of the students. Dedue is really the character who got shafted by AM's writing the most because his survival is optimal, but his supports being stellar all around (and getting badass moments in EVERY route) makes up for that. Without Dedue, Dimitri dies during the timeskip so he's pretty essential.

[@rockowlgamer631]

Now i'm gonna be honest about the dagger Dimitri gives Edelgard, contrary to how everything ended up for the two of them I think if life would've went normal we could've seen Edelgard live a normal life and not start this war in the first place Dimitri basically meant follow your dream and stick through anything that comes up that's what I believe anyway, also Gilbert is a shit dad for leaving his wife and daughter to go sulk after failing his king much to the dismay of his family

[@bingomiingo8428]

In AM Ch21 Edelgard thanks Dimitri because he never let her heart dies so this implies Dimitri was the reason why she Survive those experiment she want to rise and meet him again. The dagger more than a dream is The bound of these two.

[@sasir2013]

funny story:I did not watch the trailers, since I don't like to be spoiled. I picked blue lions only because my friends had chosen black eagles and golden deer and it seemed fun to have a different house. God, did I feel interested and surprised throughout the whole route. And did I feel disappointed when I played golden deer next

[@kevandre]

imagine disliking Annette, that feels illegal somehow

[@Strobyyy]

It really does to be honest

[@kirin1230]

Am I the only one who finds her annoying?

[@l.n.3372]

I dislike Annette lol. She's my least favorite Blue Lion.

[@BeautifulGaston]

I have thought for a while about the apparent fumble that is Rodrigues death considering that Byleth is standing RIGHT THERE. I think the only way that it makes sense is if Byleth somehow understood that Rodrigue's death was instrumental to returning Dimitri to his former self. But I can't really say that this is intentional cause Byleth never once alludes to this (gotta love silent protagonists)

[@selfsustainedautocannibalVampi]

I was sick of using divine pulse to save Rodrigue in Felix's paraloge, so thats why I didn't save him and Byleth wanted Dimitri to go through character development. I don't think mr. "He died like a true knight" minded dying there anyways. Byleth not saving Rodrigue makes sense.

[@galacticgrandmas]

8:55 AND reach for my hand is the first lyric of edge of dawn!

[@Jotari]

The ghosts Dimitri sees can't be real, as he also sees Dedue when he thinks Dedue is dead.

[@eddiec9756]

I remember rewatching the previous videos over the summer and then asked where is the final route. Glad to see the video final came out.

[@keybladeaprentice]

I would argue the dlc fixes the issue with Slither in Azure Moon cause Hapi takes care of them in her epilogue Edit: I love this choice for Dimitri's route cause in the grand scheme of things in Dimitri's story they don't really matter. Whil they were responsible for the tragedy, Dimitri getting back revenge was never the point of his character

[@HD-gz2ge]

Well then... it’s been a minute. Now fix my character arch and I’ll think about giving you above a C+.

[@bingomiingo8428]

You are a character?

[@HD-gz2ge]

@@bingomiingo8428 old comment, this account used to be a byleth parody one, and didn’t feel like makin a new one

[@CrazyPills-465]

The less we talk about Hisame the better

[@ravina6686]

What I would 'fix' in AM is I would give the supporting characters a bigger role in the post-time skip plot. Unlike in other routes, most of the Lions have prexisting connections to each other so it feels like they should be more active in pushing Dimitri's recovery and fighting him on his choices. They feel a bit too passive given their bonds with Dimitri. They do voice concerns, but it doesn't really push Dimitri or the plot. I especially think this should have been done with Felix, since he's known about this 'side' of Dimitri and lost his brother in Duscar (and his father later). I understand the emphasis on Byleth as the player character, but with such a vibrant cast with built history with Dimitri, I feel like their contributions would feel more impactful than a Byleth-driven plot. Like it isn't just Byleth reaching out. Its Sylvain, your childhood friend who've you've witness grow and suffer through the death of his brother. Its Ingrid, your loyal knight who's fiancee died in your name. Its Felix, who's father and brother both died for you. Idk it feels Deeper (not that Byleth shouldn't have a role at all. Byleth also developed through interacting with Dimi)

[@Underworlder5]

i think the issue is the lack of plot armor. the story has to account for the possibility of characters being dead, so that limits the impact they can have on the plot. if sylvain helps dimitri snap out of his fury, what happens if he died in battle earlier and is not present for dimitris redemption arc? that is something that has impacted every FE game, where non-lords simply disappear from the plot after you recruit them. even when echoes did its best to fix that, optional characters are still a non-entity even in places they could be relevant

[@ravina6686]

@@Underworlder5 This is very true, and an excellent point. I was thinking it would work the way that Frederik and Lissa worked in Awakening where if they die they have a 'retreat' dialogue and you can't use them in game, but they still appear in cut scenes. But I guess since 3H is about war itself it kinda might be less impactful if people 'die' but don't 'die'

[@Underworlder5]

@@ravina6686 no real easy answer, huh? having everyone just retreat after losing would diminish the whole permadeath thing. my only answer would be to have two separate occasions, where if the relevant character dies, someone else takes their place. how they wrote matthew in blazing blade could be a basis for it

[@kevinbach7148]

My recap kill in Azure Moon (2nd playthrough) : - Pallardó (By Dimitri) - Randolph (By Caspar and Dimitri) - Gwendal (By Dimitri and Lysithea) - Acheron (By Ingrid) - Ferdinand (By Lysithea) - Lorenz (By Sylvain) - Ladislava (By Ashe) - Leonie (By Lysithea) - Bernadetta (By Felix) - Ignatz (By Ashe) - Raphael (By Annette) - Cornelia (By Dimitri) - Hilda (By Lord Arundel) - Judith (By Lord Arundel) - Hanneman (By Lysithea) - Manuela (By Ingrid) - Linhardt (By Caspar) - Death Knight (By Dimitri and Mercedes) - Dorothea (By Sylvain) - Petra (By Ingrid) - Hubert (By Dedue) - Myson (By Ingrid) - Hegemon Edelgard (By Byleth and Dimitri)

[@orangejuice782]

to be fair, if i started seeing ghosts i would also begin to experience symptoms of mental illness

[@elderberryva9282]

8:19 R E A C H F O R MY H A A A A A A N D-

[@IcedCoffeeGaming]

Dedue comes back after the paralogue because it is implied saving the Duscar soldiers indebts their leader to him, and their leader saves him. Basically if you don't dedue is paralogue he is dedone.

[@fish0648]

THANK YOU I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED THIS, BUT I NEEDED THIS

[@BlackCatCards]

IVE MISSED YOU SO MUCH I JUMPED OUT OF MY SEAT WHEN I SAW YOU UPLOAD

[@joeyjose727]

Wow I can’t believe it’s here! Good thing I played FE3H finally to see this sexy content from you I think Azure Moon is my favorite route, and also the best one... it’s a simple-ish story (moreso than any of the other routes) but also a very tight one. White Clouds feels made for Blue Lions since Ashe and Sylvain have family members who we need to kill, and most of the BL paralogues are pre-time skip. And even post time skip, there’s little bits of lore to read that FEEL connected to the plot at least, like Ingrid’s house being connected to Judith’s house, and Mercedes having the Jeritza plot line throughout the entire game. Annette and Gilbert too! I was hesitant about choosing BL for my first run, but now I think it’s the best choice for the first playthrough... I went BL > SS > CF > VW. But if anyone wants to skip Silver Snow to watch the cutscenes instead, that’s okay lol

[@redviolet5158]

i have returned to this video multiple times to rewatch the into. it's perfect.

[@PrincessSailorBlaze]

I really wish Caspar had a special set of dialogue after Dimitri threatens to torture Randolph. It feels so ingenuine that he doesn't have any sort of reaction to that entire thing happening.

[@rakurai4953]

I really wish Claude and the lady whose name I can't remember at the moment could have joined Dimitri when he gives you the Failnaught. I mean, United Effort and all that. Thanks Claude, see you in Golden Deer, I guess.

[@BowserGuerrero]

Omg I waited so long to see your new video!

[@JosepiThe13th]

I hope you’ve since these “how to fix Three Houses” videos played Echoes. That is my wife and my husband.

[@Dennis_Ryan_Lynch]

The most glaring problem with Azure Moon: needs more Mercedes content

[@QueenAleenaFan]

>fixing Azure Moon It's perfect, though. Nah just kidding, but it's still pretty good, looking forward to seeing what your opinion is.

[@BardockSkywalker]

2:53 i know you likely got this answer already, but just in case, i think this was supposed to be a "mocking" kind of smile.

[@JosepiThe13th]

How dare you not like Ash and Ingrid. I took that personally.

[@GreenWolf2k]

Hell yeah glad you were working on this video man. I have been waiting for this.

[@perr0263]

Dedue's paralogue is important because the people you saved will help him to scape prision

[@Yeye-gz2bv]

the AM route already finished off a lot of the slithering in the dark cronies during pre time skip and after even without them knowing it lol

[@Cure-Skywalker]

The only thing I can think of for Byleth not even trying to use Divine Pulse in cut scenes was the stupid, "It must have been fate" thing Sothis said when making excuse for why divine pulsing couldn't save Jeralt. Like they just tacked that one to excuse Byleth never trying again in any future cutscenes.

[@SoupWizard776]

the return on the king

[@aleisterleopold6229]

I like the videos man. Other fire emblem games' stories that would need fixing would be Radiant Dawn, Awakening, Fates, and maybe the Cindered Shadows route. I would say that Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn has the most potential with its story

[@lordoz2578]

We should get a Duscur level, and a level about Shambala. As you say, we cannot just ignore the Agarthans

[@cocoabeanzwantstopuzzle]

I’ve always said we should have had 23 chapters in Azure Moon instead of 22. Put it between the real Chapters 17 and 18, and make it the new Chapter 18. That’s Duscur, and Dimitri’s recovery arc. Shambhala I don’t think we can yoink in so easily…

[@flamepit9269]

Thx for the uploaded, can't wait for the next one👍

[@justalonglongtime]

Return of the king

[@lorddragonskin3603]

*Insert Dimitri's personal theme whose title I totally forgot but it probably has something to do with lions*

[@bingomiingo8428]

@@lorddragonskin3603 What is that Kirby?

[@Super_Spectral]

This route is by far the best one, and without a doubt my favorite. Maybe make a “how to fix cindered shadows” video, I know it’s not a main story route but it’d be interesting to watch

[@LFPman]

One big problem I have is the Grondor Battle (Ch. 17). On Verdaint Wind, you’re sceptical of Dimitri and he clearly doesn’t want to aid you. Here in Azure Moon, we don’t trust Claude because of unproven slayed Kingdom soldiers where even assuming the Empire is a dialogue choice. It should’ve played out with Byleth talking to Claude and the Alliance becomes ally units. I will also say, Rodrigue was done dirty… like, i’m sure we didn’t squander all our divine pulses man. We did it for Jeralt, but not Rodrigue?

[@FubukiTheIcyKing]

My only issue (besides the maps later on) is that there's no option to call out Felix and get a more nuanced reason why he calls him a boar and how he viewed his carnage. That and the stupid Claude somehow not knowing his colors and shooting the Blue Lions without being provoked. Ehh, I still like the blue lions the most out of all the kids.

[@ResonaNSS]

8:57 *jaw drops* gasp, it all fits!

[@redviolet5158]

that intro is magical

[@alextrin683]

Your deadpan tone/humour mixed with flippant, silly editing mixed with the low-effort (as a style, not to say you were necessarily lazy!) character portraits and edits presents your arguments in a way that's so darn amazing and funny dude. You really deserve so many more subs! Also yes I'm also super happy with how Felix actually feels like a character contributing to the AM narrative as a whole, challenging Dimitri's bloodlust so vocally. I also agree that if would be cooler if the other Blue Lions also felt like that. I mean, technically Dedue kinda counts if his paralogue was completed but he just gets that one reunion scene with Dimitri then pretty much fades away, and you'd think Dimitri would have reacted a bit more happily from thereon having his closest friend back if their A support is any indication but sadly that's not really the case. If Dedue tried to help snap Dimitri out of his troubled state a bit more that would have been super cool as well. Heck, Dedue isn't even there for the scene where Dimitri lets the rest of the Blue Lions in on his relationship with Edelgard. In that scene, Ashe is the one who suggests that Dimitri talks with Edelgard to end the war, which would have been a perfect time for Dedue to chime in with suspicion, concern or approval, had Dedue not been the one to suggest it himself. Azure Moon ain't perfect, but I still love it for its attempt to have a "fallen hero" as a protagonist. After I finish VW, CF will be my last of the four routes played but like you said AW sets Edelgard's history up well enough for me to not make me feel like I have no attachment to her (disregarding my time with her on SS, ironically I almost feel like I've learned less about her there than I did in AW) yet I still really want to explore the nitty gritty details of what her motivations about the church and stuff entail after that heart-to-heart convo she has with Dimitri before the finale.

[@StefanIsReal]

It's actually insane how good your content is

[@CaravanNoobs]

First routes really do influence one’s opinion on the others. I really slogged through AM just cause I didn’t care about Dimitri or Edelgard from how VW presented their significance compared to other issues. At the very least I wouldn’t want any changes to AM compared to making best route VW better.

[@Jfam11638]

Yeah that's true. My Silver Snow run was my first, and I loved it upon finishing it (still do, I'm pretty biased), but it didn't do much for Dimitri and Claude, heck, I might have even forgotten their names before starting an NG+ lol

[@maxlane8774]

Just finished AM on maddening and agree with pretty all of this. Except after playing CF first I thought AM explanation for why Edelgard is at war was so shallow and injustice to Edelgard

[@AlphaC0re]

LETS GOOOOO the swag inconsistent uploader made azure moon video im happy

[@BluSteel_]

Ferdinand's B support changes slightly in non cf routes. He didn't want to accept his role of being Edelgard's puppet after what she did to house Aegir. So he defected to your army in hopes that he could take down the empire.

[@RaidenKaiser]

Azure moon is my favorite route its a rare revenge redemption story done right, but so say it's flawless isn't true and fixing it could only improve it more. To me the Canon route is silver snow and while i may personally not like the route as much as Azure moon I admit it fits the theme of the game the most lore wise.

[@GreenBeanDragon]

8:21 this actually started to make me tear up.😢

[@auraguard0212]

To give you an idea of how much of a FLUKE Three Houses was (sandwiched between Fates and Engage), Silver Snow was the story Intelligent Systems actually wrote, and the only route they had completed when they handed it off to Koei.

[@mrconga6701]

1:33 I mean at least this proves my point about how Dimitri is basically diet Anakin Skywalker

[@akb2582]

Good video, AM is also my favorite. I don't like how they handled Claude though; there wasn't any threat to the Alliance, he just decided to throw the Alliance and Failnaught at Dimitri and go to Almyra for some reason.

[@toriwork8891]

Doesn't Claude do that in every route? Even in VW he leaves for Almyra - in SS and CF if he survives, he does that too (except he doesn't like you enough to give you his weapon).

[@poobix1300]

Azure Moon is best route because it’s the only route where Gilbert is not only playable and supportable, but also one of the main 3 characters in the story.

[@not_joshua_f8050]

BRO THANKS IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG

[@Zakk1224]

This is my favorite route

[@yukil.spencer3848]

ngl the memes are one of the reasons i enjoy your vids, I enjoy stupid silly jokes

[@randalthevandal4170]

Based Dimitri Enjoyer

[@ckrow123]

The king has returned

[@charismacaster2429]

I think Sylvain, Ingrid, and Anette are some of the best characters, and Ashe is very wholesome. His supports with Ingrid in particular, they'd be cute together.

[@dyrr836]

Excellent video, very well articulated overall. But I just can't say I share your opinion on Azure Moon. To me it felt so disconnected from everything else in the story, and so tunnel visioned on Dimitri at the expense of everything else, that I couldn't enjoy it at all. Maybe I'd feel differently if Dimitri was a character I liked but I don't really. Like you said, the students basically don't matter, so I didn't really feel invested in any of them except for Sylvain and Felix. I'd change a lot more than you did, but I still greatly enjoy listening to your thoughts and ideas. For example, the fact that Gilbert asks you for your input of where to march post timeskip but the answer literally does not matter and changes nothing. Or the entire route split that they programmed into the game and didn't finish. Azure Moon definitely has a lot of love put into it, but I think it's a bit disingenuous to ignore these things.

[@pepeelghetto1231]

Finally someone! AM does a good job with dimitri, great even... But when It comes to everything else, and I mean everything, It does nothing. I can totally see people that don't particularly enjoy Dimitri as a character not playing the route ever again, cause It literally offers nothing more. To me It's easily the worst route cause of that, but to each their own Ig.

[@Magic_Ice]

It has been years my teacher

[@knightmarin]

I can’t wait for the “how to fix Three Hopes”

[@Jfam11638]

He has returned! Can't wait to watch through this, do you think you might do a "How to fix Cindered Shadows" video?