#felayn

Happy Valentine's Day to you anon! I'd been so busy this past winter with other things, so I've been relatively quiet on a lot of things. I have many drabbles and writings to get back to.

Your message actually reminded me that they had supports, so I took a moment to go back and rewatch them. And I think I know where they should go.

I've put them on the same tier as ships like Edeleth, Ferdithea, and Claude/Flayn. The vibes on these two are really well done, and I'm kind of sad I didn't revisit them sooner.

I think what I like most about their dynamic is that it plays on two fronts; the first being Felix's hidden enjoyment for showing off. He has great skills with his blade and it's not often he gets to show them off outside of battle. And its something that certainly grows outside of war when he's with the right people (Leonie comes to mind).

And second: it's one of the few instances where someone actually meets Felix on HIS terms and HIS philosophies in an attempt to reach a mutual understanding.

Something I noticed with some of his supports is that some of them come off as the person he's interacting with trying to get him to agree with their viewpoints rather than try to really understand his and take what he says to heart (I have a lot of thoughts regarding this aspect of Felix's character but that's a story for another day). Even some of my favorite Felix ships and supports are guilty of this. There are a lot of instances where it feels like, from a narrative standpoint, Felix is being painted as the party in the wrong.

But during their discussion in their A-Support, Flayn doesn't disregard his views or tell him he's entirely wrong. She even agrees with him on a few points he brings up. What she wants to express to him is that, in the event that times came to pass that he needn't wield his blade to kill, that he can find a new purpose with those skills that don't take lives. She's making a suggestion that compliments his views and allows him to potentially see a new path forward. And he readily agrees once she's made her points well understood. He's not wrong, but he's not seeing the whole picture her arguments paint at first. Once he does, though, he's more than willing to hear her out more.

Felix and Flayn come off as equals meeting each other in the middle of a debate. And this results in them reaching an understanding you don't get with some of his other ships. This is also probably one of the few instances where I'd say he'd be happier in an Azure Moon ending rather than the other routes. They have a nice balance here that I kind of wish was more present in their other supports.