Apr 24, 2025
archbishop!!
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archbishop!!
i dont think i've ever formally introduced her but this is my bylethsona, mailyth (lmao get itttt its lame ok) she started as a shitpost but she now has a gallery of close to 300 pieces of artwork in the past year and half i started playing FE3H, and over 100 of them include claude in some way (my no.1 love....) she isn't the brightest tbh, but her heart is in the right place and works her hardest everyday to better the lives of those around her.
sillygoofy bylethsona ! they thought rhea was joking when she told them to pick a class but now everyone’s calling them professor and they have to wake up at 8am
i think he needs a good cry actually and i know everything ever so of course i am right
Thoughts on Byleth (or perhaps Siyn in your case?) being a dragon?
One of my personal favorite AU concepts. I have yet to find a way to fit them into the main body of my work, but I do try to keep some Dragon!Byleth head cannons tucked away for a rainy day. Watching the daily goings-on of the students and villagers from the monastery roof, for example.
I tend to write Byleth as being incredibly watchful over her students, so writing her as being a dragon fits right in for me.
We were robbed.
As someone who has Nabatean blood and who was meant to be the reincarnation of the Goddess herself, any and all flavor of Byleth deserve to have their draconic form. To me, this is due to their very nature: they are both human and Nabatean, both mortal and divine. They are what I affectionately call Byleth interminatum. And philosophical matters aside, it makes sense that they'd at least have a partially draconic form due to genetics, much like Corrin in FE: Fates. To me the question is, when and how would it first manifest ?
First off, I don't think it'd depend on Byleth being fused with Sothis, because whether they might have:
given up their divine powers by rejecting the identity they feel is pushed on them in Crimson Flower, ie being Sothis
not fused with her yet
They are still just as Nabatean! I don't discriminate between Byleth-s, and they are equally beautiful in each and every route. So if Byleth's draconic form doesn't depend on Sothis fusing with them, how does it work ?
My guess is, while they would have always had something going on (let's say, for instance, pupils that look a little too much like reptilian slits or weird acne butons that just won't go away but are really just sparse scales), they would need to experience some big emotional shock, or to be stuck in a seemingly hopeless situation, in order to have that first thing that would make them transform. In which case, they would not have had any time to prepare nor process whatever the fuck is going on. I'm thinking of a few things that could trigger their inner dragon to come out:
Jeralt dying. Byleth just loses it and transforms. They are completely out of control and confused and need their respective house leader, and perhaps their fellow students, to calm them down. Can make for a very emotional bonding moment where they can share their own experiences of grief- for instance, Ashe, who has just lost Lonato. Basically help them through the shock.
A joyous circumstance. The emotional shock they go through doesn't have to stem from a negative emotion ! Since their character development is made through their ability to love, it'd make sense that a feeling of connection and happiness would help them unlock that part of themself. For instance, winning the mock battle of the Eagle and Lion with their newfound family; getting Seteth to open up to them; or simply meeting up with their favorite student at the Goddess' Tower.
Fusing with Sothis. As I said before, I don't think it would be a requirement, but in case they had truly never transformed before, the immense shock to their organism would be preeeeeetty sure to turn the scales on.
So, basically, my guess is their first transformation would be likely to happen pre-timeskip, and since they wouldn't have seen anything coming, they would not know what to do with themself.
That's when Rhea comes in. I think she would have suspected that this was a possibility, albeit a slim one before Sothis took over if her efforts bore fruits. But Byleth isn't Sothis, and this would be their first draconic rodeo: as such, she would be of capital help for them to get the hang of it. I'm not sure how she'd be able to justify how knowledgeable on turning into a giant dragon she is, but she'd probably find a way. She would be the one to help Byleth wind down enough that they can transform back into their human body (if they can turn back) and to start discreetly teaching them how to use this newfound side of themself to the best of their abilities. That would also definitely get her hopes up regarding Sothis' revival.
This means that Byleth would greatly benefit from their fellow Nabateans' guidance in order to get the gist of their draconic form. In SS, AM and VW, Seteth and Flayn's guidance, and later Rhea's, would help them ease into it- and let's be honest here, Flayn would absolutely love to teach her professor stuff. In CF however ? Things would be more complicated (this is going to allow me to talk about Siyn, who is my own version of CF!Byleth, my Bylethsona if you will !).
In CF, Byleth would lose contact with the people most adequate to teach them what they need to know. They would have to essentially figure it out by themself, which would... not always be pretty. There would be a lot of trial and error involved. However. Byleth being a dragon would grant Edelgard the Most Amazing Marketing Opportunity™ (thought of you @ninadove): that of making the people doubt whether Sothis really is on the side of the Church. Sure, the Immaculate One appeared in the battle of Garreg Mach but, isn't this other big *ss dragon a sign that the Goddess favors the Empire ? They would literally become the Wings of the Hegemon.
In the other routes, of course, Byleth being a dragon would definitely sway the religious people of Fodlan over to their respective army's side.
I am now going to make a quick tangent here and talk about Siyn, whom I'm really glad you mentioned ! ^^ When I developed her, I really wanted to dive a little more into what it meant for Byleth to reject the role that Rhea wanted to impose on them in CF. In particular, Siyn struggles a lot with her sense of bodily autonomy: this starts when her physical appearance is altered by Sothis fusing with her and only goes crescendo with what follows. Basically, she doesn't really know how much of her really is her and how much of her is someone else- as such, she starts out by refusing to use her divine powers which she feels might chip away at her individuality. Her character arc revolves around accepting and using all parts of herself equally- stepping into both her mortal and individual self. I kind of feel that if she were a dragon, she would have a psychological block and wouldn't be able to transform until she made peace with herself. This might happen to CF! Byleth in general, although I did dive more into that precise aspect of things than the game does.
As for their physical appearance, I do think that it'd be incredibly cool that after their first transformation, Byleth keeps some draconic characteristics. For instance, white scales on their weak zones like their necks on something. Their nails grow sharper now. Their eyes most definitely look reptilian. If they're fancy, maybe one or two baby horns. Maybe said horns grow bigger as their power grows. Also, you are absolutely right, Byleth as a dragon goes incredibly well with their being protective of their students. They would most definitely keep an eye out for them from the roof of Garreg Mach. Their treasure has always been their class, after all.
I also have a feeling that Byleth being a dragon would drastically help Marianne feel better about her own "curse" ! They would also, obviously, occasionally take Claude on a ride. Just imagine a Claudeleth wedding where Claude rolls in on a giant dragon and then said dragon turns into their spouse-to-be. The ultimate power move. In SS, Byleth displaying their draconic form as the new archbishop would most definitely help Rhea show herself as the Immaculate One a lot more, instead of hiding that part of herself. There would be chivalrous legends of the mystical dragon which lent its support to the Savior King in AM. In Crimson Flower, the tale of the sinner Emperor who convinced the Goddess to come to her aid would help tremendously in pacifying Fodlan, discrediting the central Church, scaring the fuck out of TWSTID and laying the groundwork for the reforms to come.
So, yeah ! Sorry if my answer isn't as complete as it should or if it's just incoherent ramblings- the idea is incredibly cool but I had never dived into it that deep before ! =) Also:
i accidentally clicked on the poll button so i'm asking you this: which byleth should i make a dragon!portrait of ?
f! byleth who slays
byleth is byleth and they have never seen a gender in their life
m! byleth who is oh so gender
But seriously, how do they communicate when they are like 200m apart ??? I mean, sounds like an obvious solution to me.
[sees the fodlan MUs] you could make ocs out of these!
left: Anthea Marcus Eisner. A quiet indivual who spends more time on her own than with others. She has trouble emoting and reading people's emotions. She does try to be kind to others, and make friends on the way. However, she holds disdain for Rhea. She may be hiding a lot more deep down...
right: Shez Perseus. An upbeat mercernary who charms people around them. They've known Anthea since childhood, and she treasures their friendship dearly— eventually, she fell in love with them. They left to teach at Garrag Mach ages ago, but no one's heard from them since... Anthea claims they're still alive, but that can't be right.
are these still a trend?