#fe almyra

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¡Viva Almyra! LATAM influenced Headcanons about Fodlan's Eastern Neighbor

Climate and Geography: pretty consistent with the canon description, except that "Fodlan's Throat" is in fact a T shaped mountain range, and said mountain range partially bisects the country, with northwestern Almyra having arid deserts with little rainfall, and southwestern Almyra being more humid, with plains that receive substantial amounts of rain. The eastern region, as canon states, is dominated by large pine forests.

Language: much like Fodlanese resembles modern English, Almyran resembles modern Spanish. Spanish has plenty of influence from Arabic, so the canon Middle Eastern coding of Almyra can be consistent even if Spanish is their language.

Religion: a blend of Arabic and Mesoamerican influences. Since Claude dances around the idea of praying to gods in various supports, Almyra must be a polytheistic country with a whole pantheon of gods. Considering that native Almyrans place much importance on celebrating bravery in combat, their most important deities would be war gods, with their most important deity probably resembling Huitzilopochtli or Illapa,

Clothing: much of the clothing seen in Almyra shares similarities with Middle Eastern garb, but more utilitarian garb for commoners in the country would include Mesoamerican clothing like ponchos and rebosos.

Food: Almyra's main crops are corn and wheat, grown in the southern part of the country. Tortillas are a staple across the country. While Almyra's gods forbid eating what would be the equivalent of haram meat, they've still got tons of variety in what they can eat, from beef barbacoa cooked slowly in pits dug into the ground, to roasted chicken, to savory and spicy salsas made from native chiles and vegetables. There's a reason Claude/Khalid, and most Almyrans, never pass up on an opportunity for a good feast.

(I'm going to be honest, this whole thought exercise was just an excuse to have Mexican and Central American food present in the Fodlanverse in some form. It's one of the things I can say with pride I love from my home country)

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Claude is up next for these headcanons.

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¡Viva Almyra! LATAM influenced Headcanons about Claude/Khalid, El Rey De La Unificación.

Parentage: born in Imperial Year 1162 to Tiana von Riegan and the King of Almyra (whom I can't think up a good name for, give me your headcanon names in the tags).

Childhood: Khalid was raised in a mixed household, living with his father's two children from a past marriage (his father divorced his wife a few years before meeting Tiana). His older step brother Shahid, as established in Three Hopes, didn't respect or care for him due to his mixed heritage, as did his older sister Zakiya (who would move out of the palace at the age of 16 after she married another Almyran noble). This abuse would escalate as Khalid grew older, and unfortunately for him both of his parents were too busy to discipline Shahid or his friends, but instead encouraged Khalid to defend himself.

Education: Khalid was educated in both the physical and liberal arts by the royal scholars of Almyra. His mother, going against the wishes of his teachers, made sure he would also learn Fodlanese as early as possible in his development (which is why Claude can speak without an obvious accent, though if you pay attention he enunciates certain words differently.) He's given a crash course in Leicester politics after crossing the border with his grandfather Oswald.

Identity: Khalid is proud to have been born Almyran, but resents the fact that his Fodlan ancestry is seen as a detriment by Almyrans like his step siblings or other members of his father's court. Likewise, Claude does enjoy living in Fodlan but hates that his appearance causes many, especially the Gloucesters, to suspect his character, just like in Almyra. His dream of breaking down barriers between the two nations is a more selfish dream than you'd think.

Claude at Garreg Mach: regardless of route, upon arriving at Garreg Mach, Claude is very skeptical of Rhea, seeing her and her Church of Seiros as an analogue of the priesthood in Almyra, which preaches nationalism and racial supremacy proven in combat as the principles Almyrans should live by. In the Hopes timelines where Claude leaves the monastery early, this perception festers into a hatred of Rhea strong enough to have him cooperate with Edelgard in her war against the Church, but in the Houses timelines he grows out of this preconception after first hand experience with Rhea and Seteth proves to him that the Seiros faith isn't directly reinforcing Fodlan's shortcomings as he can say for Almyra. Byleth (in my playthroughs named either Rorann or Katrina), and their appointment as professor also raises questions for Claude, specifically what Rhea sees in Byleth, but theses stay unanswered in all routes other than Verdant Wind.

(many of these headcanons are based on personal experience as an immigrant myself. I think Khalid/Claude experiences both the best and the worst aspects of being an immigrant due to his status as high ranking nobility which does not change when he crosses the border, but also being visibly of a race deemed inferior by many in the country he lives in.)

Up next: specific Verdant Wind Claude headcanons featuring my male Bylethsona, Rorann Eisner.