I think the writing adjustments make both his role in the story and the self-reflection he eventually reaches feel more consistent and satisfying. To that end, the rewritten cutscene has Fernand still in denial and blaming everyone but himself at this point in the story, lashing out and blaming Mathilda for “changing” Clive and taking him away, even though he’s the one who’s changed drastically and pushed them both away here. I thus felt that Fernand’s character arc had firmer ground to stand on with the intensity and turbulence in his relationship to Clive, and also would be more impactful with a slower burn that incorporated more of that additional material. He has no such dynamic moments regarding Mathilda even in his more volatile state after the tragedy. What upsets Fernand to the point of screaming and losing his composure is always Clive drifting further away from him and his convictions. the DLC Siege of Zofia Castle also shows a recently bereaved Fernand having an explosive bout of jealousy towards Lukas when Clive chooses to confide his battle plan only to Lukas, feeling that he has been usurped as Clive’s most trusted person.the memory prisms in the DLC that include him (both set before his family’s murder) heavily imply he’s infatuated with (or at least overly attached to) Clive, to the point that Mathilda says the only time he looks truly happy when he’s talking to her is when he’s talking about Clive.the DLC focuses heavily on Fernand’s backstory to paint him as a sympathetic character deserving of the big dramatic redemption arc and death cutscene SoV had for him.leftover voice lines from when Fernand was planned as a playable character in the base game include a special grieving quote for Clive, but not Mathilda, despite both being characters returning from Gaiden.His death scene doesn’t even mention her, and all his final apologies (aside from one for Alm) are spent on Clive instead. the implied crush on Mathilda is never referenced outside of this one scene.Fernand doesn’t even mention Mathilda when he tells Clive he “only joined this damned army because YOU were leading it!”.Given the heavy focus on Fernand’s backstory in the Rise of the Deliverance DLC, it’s clear there was some attempt at establishing more of a sympathetic tragic character who follows SoV’s themes of “Love Redeems, Love Revives”… yet (perhaps ironically, perhaps intentionally?) all of that new writing ends up making a much stronger case for Fernand’s redeeming love being for Clive rather than for Mathilda. As a result, the redemptive ending Fernand’s writing was meant to build toward felt shallower than it should have. It fell flat for a lot of players because the original scene with Mathilda objectified her in a really uncomfortable way (moreso the fault of the original art direction, but the writing there reduces her to a prize to be fought over). Fernand is meant to have a redemption arc, and in SoV that cutscene is supposed to be the turning point of said arc–a point which, for the following reasons, I found to be both unconvincing and poorly paced. There were some rewrites to Fernand as well as additional screentime. Not really a complaint but more of a curiousity, why? Was there a massive rewrite for him like with Faye? In this map, the player controls Clive, Fernand, 2 generic cavaliers, and a generic soldier. He also doesn’t mention his love for Mathilda. Battle of Zofia is the first map from the Rise of the Deliverance DLC for Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. You will not regret it.Hey I’ve been playing the hack and realized Fernand’s talk with Mathilda in Desaix’s fortress is pretty different, he even calls Clive a cuckold (lol). Though who would expect anything less from true nobility?" (5-6 stats up) "You may be a complete stranger, but.you have my trust."Seeing children about the castle grounds, I'm reminded of my- Ah, it is better to forget."."Imagine me taking orders from some wretched farmchild. "I am Fernand, a son of Zofia-but my ties there are in the past.".For now, however, you have my lance." (Upon reaching level 40) Someday I shall quell the doubts in my mind. I can't say I enjoy being under your command, but it is a distraction, and for that I am grateful. I blamed Clive at first, but perhaps the fault is my own. We fought as one heart and mind for Zofia, inching ever closer to our shared goal.
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