#count varley

[starlightreign]

[asmontosborne]

Leopold and Waldemar might be... nice, actually?

Kinda crossposting from Bsky but whatever

I feel like my stance on Leopold and Waldemar is pretty different from the norm. Obviously I like them more than the average person, and I especially love Leopold to death, somewhat undeservedly on his part.

One thing I find myself disagreeing with regarding these two is the idea that they are political opportunists who only sided with Edelgard because it was the most convenient option. I don't think that is the case, or at least not the biggest reason.

In Hopes specifically, which I feel holds more weight for the dads because they had to put some thought into them, Edelgard makes a huge gamble that even Hubert tries to talk her out of at first. They act much sooner than they had planned, make more enemies than they had planned, and Rhea warns them of what could happen to them should their accusations regarding Arundel prove false.

This doesn't sound like the most "convenient" situation, and the two counts receive minimal forewarning, but they still choose to go along with Edelgard's plan when they could've just as easily taken Ludwig's side.

This leads me to some unassuming word choices from their very first appearance in Hopes, in the pre-battle segment of Scarlet Blaze chapter 3.

It's short - just three lines each - but I want you to pay attention to Leo's third line.

Edelgard allegedly "caught [them] with [their] breeches down", which is some strange wording.

The game never elaborates on how they actually came to ally themselves with Edelgard, and I don't actually believe it's ever stated whether it was Leo and Wal or Edelgard who made the proposal: the former would lend more credence to the idea of them being opportunists, but it's clear enough that whichever way things went, Edelgard wanted them around more than she wanted them gone because they're powerful assets.

In Crimson Flower, Leopold is even made governor of the entire Leicester region despite Edelgard having no reason to choose him specifically (granted, neither he nor other potential candidates are well-explored), and in Scarlet Blaze, both she and Hubert of all people never hold back on praise for him: they certainly don't need to curry favor with him, and they even do so when Leopold is not around.

Leopold also calls Aegir and Arundel "dastards". I kinda want to check the Japanese script, but the word seems to imply animosity between him and them. This could be due to various reasons:

Aegir and Arundel being generally unpleasant people

Aegir and Arundel having slighted him in some way before or after the Insurrection

Aegir and Arundel having coerced him (and potentially Waldemar) into joining the Insurrection

The third option feels like a stretch, but considering that Leopold and Waldemar are specifically about to take to the battlefield to undo the effects of the Insurrection, I think it has merit. I also want to point out that Scarlet Blaze sees a safer Adrestia than Crimson Flower, due to the fact that TWSITD are pushed out of the court before the timeskip along with Ludwig.

My headcanon - and this is just that, a headcanon - is that Leopold's and Waldemar's families were threatened to force them into the Insurrection. It would make sense if it were just these two of the revolting nobles:

Ludwig stood to gain the most, as he would become emperor in all but name

Volkhard was replaced and became a non-issue: you could even interpret this as him refusing to join so forcefully that TWSITD was forced to kill him outright (he was also in a unique spot, as the brother of the emperor's favorite concubine)

Grégoire might've been threatened, but given how little he cares about Bernadetta as a person and how his wife straight-up lives in Enbarr, I think they just threatened him and he folded

we have the least amount of information on Duke Gerth, and the man lacks a known heir, but he stands out from the others in being a younger man (at least apparently - his portrait is generic) and having earned Petra's respect, which is no small feat given that his country colonized hers

This leaves Vestra, Bergliez and Hevring. Vestra is the important one here, as we do have one Support which tries to tackle his involvement in the Insurrection: Hubert/Hanneman in Houses. Regardless of whether you believe Hanneman's theory that Marquis Vestra may have joined to protect his family, this is the game at least opening up the option of nobles being coerced into the Insurrection.

We already know you kinda need the Ministries of Military and Domestic Affairs on your side if you want to rule successfully in Adrestia: it seems reasonable to assume that Ludwig & co. would've needed Leopold and Waldemar in order for their coup not to get overturned immediately, just as Edelgard would need them years later.

Vestra is deceased, so we don't get to see his relationship with Hubert firsthand, but we do get to see Leopold's and Waldemar's with Caspar and Linhardt respectively, which could be summarized as "pretty alright" (if you disregard Caspar's one Expedition line which seems to paint an entirely different picture of Leopold than the rest of Hopes). They are at the very least okay dads, the kind who wouldn't want their kids to die senseless deaths (see Caspar and Leopold's conversation in Azure Gleam Ch. 14).

In Leopold's case, his family is canonically kinda big: his eldest son + Randolph, Fleche and their mother makes at least four confirmed people, plus his father if he was still alive (but sick) at the time, and obviously Caspar. That's a minimum of five people TWSITD could've used to blackmail Leopold, and it wouldn't be the first time in fiction an incredibly strong person is threatened through their vulnerable loved ones.

This next part might be another stretch, but I don't think it would be too farfetched for a person to become nicer or less demanding on people they almost got killed: it would help explain why Leopold's eldest is still the heir despite the fact that he's a lazy bum and Caspar is Leopold Jr., or why Randolph and Fleche are still part of the Bergliez family even when Leopold's inheritance was at one point in question despite him being the legitimate heir (that is, if Leopold ever had any animosity towards them or his father's second wife).

Leopold could have refused to join the Insurrection, but who knows what could've happened to his family then. He'd be a difficult target to kill and replace for TWSITD, but the same cannot be said about his family.

Am I biased in my analysis? Totally. Am I reading too deep into this? Hell yeah. However, I feel like the word choice is suspicious and worth considering, even if the topic never gets touched upon again. It's pretty clear that the writers didn't quite know what to do with some of the Hopes additions: remember, Leopold and Holst were designed to be background NPCs from a very early point in Houses' development. It certainly makes you wonder why Hopes ended up being (Non-Playable) Dad Galore.

[fireemblemtournament]

Round #1 — Match 20 of 42

Grégoire von Varley

No propaganda submitted.

vs. Hilda Valentine Goneril

"She understands her own image really well and uses it on purpose, which makes her entertaining immediately, but there’s also clearly a reason she leans so hard on that unserious, helpless persona. A lot of Hilda, to me, is about wanting to dodge expectations before they can land on her too hard. She’d rather be dismissed as lazy than risk really trying and being measured against what people expect from a Goneril. That’s why she works for me. The charm and the deflection are part of the same package, and when the game gives you moments where her genuine loyalty and capability come through, they land harder because of it."

"i really like that she can be selfish and affectionate and kind of sneaky and genuinely caring all at once. it makes her feel real. plus she just has great chemistry with people. put her in a support and chances are i’m gonna have a good time. and honestly i do think the gap between how she presents herself vs how much she actually does care about people is a huge part of why so many people get attached to her. she’s fun!! she’s cute!! she’s more layered than people give her credit for sometimes!!"

Who should win?

Count Varley

Hilda

Voting ended onApr 12

[feshippingpolls]

Count Varley x the dad from chicken little

FE: Should they kiss?

Count Varley x Buck Cluck

Do you ship it?

OTP

Ship

Don't ship

NOTP

Ship it platonically

Haven't considered it but interested

Don't know them enough

Voting ended onDec 25, 2024

[blorbo-court]

Submitted by Anon

Count Grégoire von Varley (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Innocent

Guilty

Voting ended onApr 1, 2025

[russieraholic]

The spectre that haunts your youth casts a looming shadow around every corner. Will you succumb to his wrath, mortal? Or will you prove that you are worth more than he thinks you are?

[gardenergulfie]

YOU

[writer-of-worlds]

*Count Varley is attacking Bernadetta, when suddenly, a hand slaps him. He gasps, before turning to Byleth*

Byleth: ...Don't. Touch. My. Child.

*Varley ignores her and goes after Bernie, only to be slapped three more times*

Varley: STOP IT!

Caspar, running up: WHO IS TOUCHING THE CHILD?!

*Everyone points at Count Varley*

Edelgard, slapping Varley: DON'T TOUCH THE CHILD!

*Yells and screams ensue as everyone began to beat the shit out of Varley for touching the child. Byleth stares at the insanity before she began glancing around. She then spots Rhea in the distance*

Byleth, pointing at Rhea: SHE IS TOUCHING THE CHILD!

Petra: YOU ARE TOUCHING THE CHILD?!

Rhea: No--

*She gets cut off as everyone began to beat the shit out of her as well*