Lyn/Florina
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Lyn/Florina |
| Alternative name(s): | LynFlo, Rinflo, Rinfurori |
| Gender category: | yuri |
| Fandom: | Fire Emblem |
| Canonical?: | yes (player determinant) |
| Prevalence: | popular |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Lyn/Florina is a popular pairing in the Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword fandom.
Canon
Lyn is a plainswoman who is revealed to be the long-lost heir to the Caelin throne. Her noble mother eloped with a Sacaen nomad and the two had Lyn when they settled down on the plains. Florina is one of Lyn's closest and oldest friends. The two met when Lyn rescued a frightened Florina, who had fallen from her pegasus and landed in a tree only to be accosted by a swarm of bees. The two bonded, and Florina has been strongly attached to Lyn ever since. The two were reunited early in Lyn's path of Blazing Sword, when Florina learned Lyn had left the plains with Kent and Sain to meet her long-lost grandfather. Lyn rescued Florina and her pegasus from bandits, and the two stayed together from then on.
At the end of Lyn's tale, the two have a scene together where Florina announces her intention to be Lyn's new retainer, and when Lyn accepts Florina tells her she loves her. [1] They have a paired ending in which they return to the plains together after the death of Lyn's grandfather and Lyn's entrusting of Caelin to Ostian rule, feeling she is not fit to be the new Marchioness.
Fandom
Lyn/Florina is not quite a juggernaut, but is and has been extremely popular among fans since the game's release. The relationship has a lot of "buttons" it pushes for fans: loyalty kink, best friends becoming more, lady and retainer, and tomboy/girly girl. The fact that Lyn is so protective of Florina and that Florina looks to her for guidance and protection early on help the pairing's case, as does Florina panicking when her teasing sister Farina threatens to tell Lyn embarrassing stories about her, as opposed to Florina's only possible "canon" love interest Hector.
The pairing shows up in a lot of fanart and fics where everyone is made gay; refreshingly, though, it is not a case of pairing the spares or getting the women out of the way but because these fans genuinely enjoy their interactions and dynamic. From the very beginning Florina is clearly attached to Lyn, giving fans reason to believe that if nothing else, Florina has a onesided crush on her that can be requited depending on how the player sets up their supports.
Despite its popularity, however, the pairing has received criticism from fans who believe pairing Florina with Lyn not only perpetuates the stereotype of an androphobe being a lesbian, but limits Florina's character development by not letting her try dating men. [2] Some fans will also point out the resemblance of Sue from The Binding Blade to Lyn, reasoning that Rath/Lyn is canon even if they prefer Lyn/Florina.
Threesomes aren't super popular, but not unheard of. Hector is a common "third" for the pairing, as both Lyn and Florina can marry him and have ship tease in Hector's route (Hector saving Florina, his extended interactions with Lyn). Others prefer Kent, who has a crush on Lyn and whom Florina seems comfortable with.
Common tropes in fanwork
- Working around or with their paired ending - canonically, their ending states that Florina returns to Ilia after staying in Sacae with Lyn for a while. Fans either ignore that and have her stay forever, or relocate Lyn to Ilia. [note 1] [3]
- Pre-game - Florina and Lyn met on the plains when the former was still a pegasus knight in training, and the latter rescued her from a tree branch.
- Smut
- The pair adjusting to Lyn's noble status and Florina's retainership the year between Lyn's story and the main story
- Flying through the skies on Florina's pegasus, Huey
- Fempreg
- Deathfic - early in the fandom, it was common for fic to kill Florina off and explore Lyn's grief. One such fic was Borne on Wings of Angels by Blacken.
Fan works
Fanfiction
- Lyn/Florina works on Fanfiction.net (incomplete due to earlier works not using the naming system)
- Lyn/Florina tag on AO3
Fanart
Fan Sites
References
Notes
- ^ This is based on their English ending; their Japanese ending states that they remained side by side living in both Sacae and Ilia.