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[fe3h] So I'm gonna do some pondering about House Vestra in here
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so house vestra as been serving house hresvelg since the empire existed, we know that, that's canon
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we also know that vestra has no lands and no crest associated with it
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the oldest noble houses are all otherwise associated with crests, though there are smaller houses now as families split off and people gain favor and therefor land over time, so nOW there are nobles who also aren't associated with a specific crest
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but that likely wasn't teh case when house vestra was formed
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so it's likely house vestra was raised up from a trusted advisor or ally of Wilhelm
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now looking at their minister position as the heads of the Imperial household- now we know NOW that the imperial household ministry runs the empire's spy network but I have to wonder if that was always the case
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cuz their 'offical' duties are basicly running the entire empire when it comes to the day to day functions, as well as, interesting of note, handling the royal concubines and overseeing rituals and festivals
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some of those latter duties probably got split off into the ministry of religious affairs later
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since even if back then the rituals and holidays were probably closer to the orginal people of fodlan, eventually they would probs all be tied to the Church
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so I have to wonder if the spy thing was more just a natural growth of 'protecting and nurturing the royal house' and not originally a assumed duty of house vestra
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but getting back tot eh orginal Vestra- I almost have to wonder if the title of Household Minister was a cushy job for Wilhelm's friend/ally and they just
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kinda took over naturally over time, lol
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like this is pure conjecture of course but it's fun to speculate on the world building
Calliente
Do you think at any point the idea of having a close advisor/ally who explicitly was not tied/beholden to a Crest might have been a factor?
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oh def
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I 100% headcanon that the Vestra house purposely NEVER Marries in crested people for this exact reason
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they are completely, in theory, supposed to be with no personal ambition
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or alliance to the church, goddess or any land other than the Emperor and their family
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in theory, of course. Hubert's dad alone already proves it's far from infallable
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but how Hubert talks of the un blemished record of the house befor ehis dad you gotta assume this is culturally a hUGE part of their family and legacy
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I also headcanon that house vestra, since it doesn't have to worry about bloodlines or how any other house views them probs adopts in WAY more than other houses do
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oh this random kid has acceptional talent they can use? Well congrats kiddo it's your lucky day hope you don't mind murder
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tho considering how, erm, entangled Wilhelm was with Seiros who can say if he would have considered having someone without a crest and therefore less prone to her influence as an important role in his court like, intentionally
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also fun headcanon I don't particularly subscribe to but do like, enjoy?
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That Vestra was a Agarthan plant that went native
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and that's how the house got it's higher than normal knowledge of dark magic
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it WOULD kinda align with the likely fact of Pan being a plant after all- don't replace the people in charge, replace their advisors
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but there's nothing to suggest it for Vestra other than 'why are you the only natural dark magic user who wasn't experimented on Hubert '
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real answer: sometimes you're just that goth
Infychu
I've never heard that headcanon, interesting 
Infychu
I always assumed it was a matter of Know Thy Enemy, in an attempt to protect Edelgard from getting fucked up by them again.
Infychu
Cause I can't imagine her getting nabbed DOESN'T eat at him. Or the rest of her siblings dying, if he was expected to look after all of the royal kidlets and not just her.
Infychu
Makes me wonder if he had a ton of siblings too, if they did attempt to make it a one to one personal servant thing.
pumpkindrink
Oh I def think the actual answer is he just researched it after she got kidnapped/experimented on, but the idea is cool
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As for that, I can never quite personally decide if he's an only child or not. it being traditional for the emperor to have an assload of kids mean if that IS the case there must also be a a huge number of Vestra kids every gen too
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And honestly I can't see that being practical from a training angle. BUT Hubert makes it clear he was assigned to her before her siblings died
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And if he IS an only child you'd think he'd be assigned to the eldest. UNLESS El maybe was the only one with a crest?
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or the oldest with one
Infychu
It is~
Infychu
I don't know if we know one way or the other for the case of the crest? If they didn't, they might not have been super useful for the experiments, considering. 
Either way, it's kinda weird.
Either way, it's kinda weird.
Infychu
If they did have it, it would've been more sensible for him to get assigned to the heir apparent, she wasn't even remotely in the running at that point. And if they didn't, I'm not sure what they would've wanted the sibs for, unless they were trying to figure out inducing double crests by first inducing one in someone without one.
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Yeah it feels kinda like a writing oversight
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UNLESS Hubert had siblings he just NEVER mentions
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older ones in fact
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who have to be either gone by the time they take over or he kills right aling with his father
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along^
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And I feel if the purge of house Vestra was intended it woulda been more explicitedly said, not just his father
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I read a fic once I think where he did have at least one elder sibling that kinda washed out of murder school
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also there's the chance that he had siblings who died when their charges were taken away but Hanneman implies Dad Vestra joined the insurrection to protect his family so I can't see that being the case
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I think the odds are he's an only child and the intention was for him to look after all the kids
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And he was just closest to El cuz they were closest in age
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And when he was an adult he'd take over direct emperor tending duties, whoever that would be, once his father died/retired
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which Hardcore Babysitting duties were supposed to prepare him for/get him attached emotionally to the family
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... only unfortunately for Dad Vestra it worked kinda TOO well
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hilariously it's probs like how you raise sheepdogs
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you just drop the puppy in the herd and it'll see the sheep as Its Sheep and will protect them like it's family
es un elote
I think Hubert is described as the eldest child of the Vestras implying younger siblings
es un elote
Honestly I think it’s funniest if he has a younger sibling who noped out of all the murder and decided to become a normal civil servant somewhere
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God I hope so
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And yeah I remember reading that in his profile now that I think of it
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reminds me of Ferdie's mention of being the legitimate heir of house Aegir while implies he has half siblings
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And I'm like always "yes implications" and half "I am over reading this"
Infychu
LMAO that's incredible. Flunking out of murder school.......
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tho I mean ludwig gives off the vibe of a man with mistresses so-
Infychu
Didn't Edelgard have like 12 or 13 siblings? Can you fucking imagine this poor toddler racing around attempting to mind his fuckjillion charges?
Can you fucking imagine this poor toddler racing around attempting to mind his fuckjillion charges?
Infychu
Oh excuse me, ONLY 10. Much more manageable.
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YEAH and considering how much of a fuck beast her dad was .ist of them were probs a good few years older than him too
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picture six year old Hubert trying to wrangle a 13 year old
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He's probs win
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^he'd
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just picture a tiny Hubert running around like an anxious herding dog puppy around a gaggle of children
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Border Collie herding 5 kids
Infychu
LMAO YES, exactly this video
Infychu
Kinda similar to my headcanons for Seteth as a kid, since Nabateans were supposed to guard and guide humanity IIRC? Just furiously attempting to grow up as fast as possible and learn as much as possible, he needs to be Prepared!! To be a Good Mentor!!11
Infychu
Too bad all that hard work didn't pay off vOv
pumpkindrink
God I get mechically why they can't support but it would be fasinsting wouldn't it?
Infychu
RIGHT?
Infychu
If they fucking talked, they would break the game and force the plot off the rails, that's why.
Infychu
That support chain would unlock the golden route.
es un elote
God Seteth and Hubert would have a fucking fascinating support
Infychu
We were ROBBED
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like a mix between Bert's support with hanneman and and setheth and felix's
Infychu
Yeeeeeah
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also can I just say his support with setheth is one of Felix's best ones
Infychu
It iiiis
Infychu
One of these days I'm gonna do a ship or found family with those two and it's gonna be buckwild
pumpkindrink
God my brain is trying to wrap around it and it's very very good
Infychu
/pats the brain
sword gremlin 🔪
AGREED Seteth’s support with Felix is one of my favorite in the game and I use it as the basis for my hc that Seteth became basically Felix’s primary father figure since his relationship with rodrigue was so fraught, and then when rodrigue died, Seteth was the only person felix talked to about it other than Byleth 🥺
sword gremlin 🔪
also I’m just chinhands at all this juicy Vestra stuff