As joy surrounds, comfort abounds
and I can feel I'm breaking free
For just this moment lost in time
I am finally me
I've actually come up with something that'll avoid spoilers for the most part, though later on it'll probably be unavoidable. For all intents and purposes anything that happens after White Clouds will be considered a spoiler. Please leave spoilers in a hider until then!!!
and just in case people skim:
PLEASE PUT ANY SPOILERS IN A HIDER TAG! SPECFICIALLY ANYTHING AFTER WHITE CLOUDS REGARDLESS OF ROUTE!! THANK YOU!!!
Before I delve deeper into the confines of the plot I have in mind for this, I'm throwing down an interest check. I have 3 different ideas/stories in mind depending on how I go about things, but all stories have several things in common that I've taken creative liberties on in regards to canon. For one, most canon will be used as a basis but not set in stone. For one, this 'alternate universe' is essentially taking place some vague amount of years after the original, as unlike the game where Sothis intervened to prevent Byleth from getting cleaved after protecting Edelgard, Sothis never awakened and poor Byleth kicked the bucket. The very messy aftermath of not only losing the hero but also the three heirs caused a lot of issues that may or may not be addressed in-game, but as far as the present day is aware, it was thanks to the Archbishop Rhea that Fodlan remained united during these trying times.
That said it's my lame excuse to essentially reset everything and put things where I want them: keep the last names, have fresh characters. There will be three house leaders and an assortment of students ranging from commoner to noble, all eager to attend Garreg Mach for their own reasons. Nobles already have a surefire way to get in but commoner players will likely have to be more creative about it, though both are going to be judged pretty equally. I'm hoping for reliable players for the house leaders, but that role will likely be the last decided as I'm still on the fence about actual royalty (with the exception of the Alliance--their house leader will be one of the five nobles, I don't want to restrict it to Riegan, but I'll figure it out otherwise). The church faction will be in my hands for the sake of ease, but I'm always open to people wanting to play teachers if there's enough of a demand or a really, really good CS. I will say the only thing I won't be convinced on is the Underground house--for all intents and purposes Abyss probably still exists, but being a student from there isn't an option.
With all that aside, the plot so far starts as a relatively simple "year at Garreg Mach"--your characters have their reasons for attending, ranging from duty, a chance at rubbing elbows with other important people, maybe they're looking to reinforce their piety, or any other reason you can come up with. Of course, whispers about a power struggle within the Church of Seiros has taken Fodlan by storm, with an odd rumor here and there about a greater darkness looking to once again manipulate things from the shadows.
There'll be territory-specific events that people should note and may be effected by: (Please note this will be cleaned up and more detailed in the future)
Not sure how many I'm looking for, though there'll be a hard cap of 10 people by merit, not on a first-come-first-serve basis. That said, despite the game having those without crests, I'm gonna ask that peeps have one for a future plot related purpose. Maybe try not to overlap, or fight over the same one, either way is fine. All but the crests of Flames and Ernest (or whatever Anna has) are allowed, though whoever claims the crest of Seiros will probably be judged harsher so just a heads up there.
Please ask as many questions possible because I'm sure I've missed a lot and that'll help me clarify/add, thanks.