The scene at the Goddess Tower in chapter 9.

[Anacybele]

Y'all know what I'm talking about here, right? Where Byleth unwittingly meets someone up there during the ball. I think it's cute! Who did you all meet there in your playthrough(s)?

I found I was wrong about how that works. XD But I'm glad I did!

When I went Golden Deer, it was Claude. So I figured you just met your house leader there. But nope.

Because now in my Blue Lions playthrough, it was my favorite redhead cutie! ❤️ I was like "OH! SYLVAIN?! Oh my gosh." *SQUEE*" lol

Spoiler

And he said he loves Byleth! More or less. Like, legitimately too. The kind and devoted Sylvain, the one I think is the real him, is coming out big time. He was basically "no more games. I'm going to be a man you can trust." He literally says he never regretted his behavior until Byleth turned him down just then. I picked the option that said "Marry you? I can't even trust you." Because...well, even if that one part of me adores him...I naturally don't trust people easily. And I felt it was the most realistic answer anyway. But I loved this version of the scene not just because of Sylvain, but because it turned out to be a huge moment for him. This is surely the first time he's ever actually been serious about a girl instead of messing around. It's character development and letting what I believe is his real self shine. And when THAT Sylvain shows...he's just so charming and cute, I swear. A teacher/student relationship is still awkward to me, but...I've made exceptions to my preferences before.

Whoever you meet here actually seems to be the character you have the most support points with or the highest support level or whatever. That just makes it more interesting to me! Much more interesting, because seeing your house leader all the time is repetitive. You can try for someone different each playthrough if you want! Of course I won't now...XD

I apologize in advance if I'm bringing up Sylvain a lot in this board...he's the newest addition to my favorites lol, and I'm obsessed with the game too, TH is amazing. Frederick and Ike have to share the spotlight now. 😛

Edited September 12, 2019 by Anacybele

[Humanoid]

You can talk to the Gatekeeper earlier that month and he'll just flat out let you choose who you want to meet (students only though). Otherwise it defaults like you experienced, sounds like you got lucky in that the default just happened to be someone you liked. 😛

Edited September 12, 2019 by Humanoid

[Ertrick36]

I do enjoy some of these little things that expand the characters and your relationship with them further.  It's no longer simply just a matter of the characters having a few conversations throughout the course of the game or there being just that one moment where everyone gives a big hoorah, you get to talk to them all the time and bond with them through actual events.  You chat them up during the weekends when you explore the monastery, participate in activities with them, listen to their opinions for various missions, and witness scenes like the Goddess Tower scene, not to mention helping them out with their own issues when they arise in paralogues.

And I will say, on the matter of Sylvain, it's surprising how my feelings about him have developed.  I went from thinking I might enjoy him to disliking what the Japanese Twitter for Fire Emblem said he's like to being pleasantly surprised at the depth of his character when I actually played the game and saw how his character arc played out.  I feel I've been pleasantly surprised by a number of characters in this game, actually, including the house leaders.

I think FE:TH has set a nice new standard for the series in terms of elevating the characters beyond mere scripts that you read.  In Fates a lot of these more slice-of-life type of things felt like tacked on gimmicks that only served to give you the illusion that you're living a life with the rest of the cast, but in FE:TH it feels more akin to actual bonding with characters and gaining insight into the lives they live day-to-day.  Even if it's just little things like a meal between three getting awkward because two of the table guests got into a bitter argument recently or what-have-you.

[Anacybele]

26 minutes ago, Humanoid said:

You can talk to the Gatekeeper earlier that month and he'll just flat out let you choose who you want to meet (students only though). Otherwise it defaults like you experienced, sounds like you got lucky in that the default just happened to be someone you liked. 😛

Nah, I did build a high support level with Sylvain tho. So it had to be that. I had the A support unlocked (it just can only trigger after the time skip).

But I see. Didn't know about that thing with the gatekeeper!

[Etrurian emperor]

2 hours ago, Anacybele said:

But I see. Didn't know about that thing with the gatekeeper!

always be sure to chat with Gatekeeper-kun. He's a very good boy. Its a shame we can't meet him in the goddess tower.

[DragonFlames]

1 hour ago, Etrurian emperor said:

always be sure to chat with Gatekeeper-kun. He's a very good boy. Its a shame we can't meet him in the goddess tower.

Screw Sothis, it's Gatekeeper who needs an S-support.

On Topic: My first meeting in the Goddess Tower was with Annette and it was freaking adorable. Almost as adorable as the S-support at the end of the game, perhaps even moreso when taking both of these events together. In the Goddess Tower meeting, Annette and Male Byleth make a vow to stay good/best friends forever and by the S-support (spoilers for said S-support)

you find out that Annette had practiced confessing to Byleth. Awww.

It's a cute friends-to-lovers deal, which I like.

To my knowledge, Annette is also the only girl who actually makes a vow with Byleth.
Not that it means anything should it be the case, I just thought it was interesting to point out.
Do feel free to correct me, however, as I haven't seen these events with everyone yet.

TL;DR: Annette is best girl

[timon]

I actually found it quite out of place, it's like a half assed support conversation in the middle of nothing. The conversations should've been more relevant to the situation imo.

Edited September 12, 2019 by timon

[bethany81707]

My first run I wound up getting Dorothea, who I was steadily building up my rapport with. I don't remember when I learned Dorothea was a gay option, but she was working on staking her claim to my marriage pick by now.

I did know about the gatekeeper trick at the time, I believe, but I had only heard it phrased as talking to "the guard", and since there was no guard in the vicinity of the Goddess Tower, I had no idea what they meant. The guard on the literal opposite side of Garreg Mach was the answer, apparently.

[The Roger The Paladin]

Let's see. Ended up with Annette in Blue Lions, Ingrid in Golden Deer (she'd been my MVP in Blue Lions, as I've probably told too many times on this board, so I wanted to see if it was a fluke. She did it again), and then Bernadetta in Black Eagles, Edelgard edition (who by coincidence ended up my MVP in that run).

As it goes the Annette and Bernadetta ones were better in my opinion than the Ingrid one. Why? Annette's one relates to the whole "making a wish" idea that started the tower gag. Bernadetta, being a recluse, hasn't heard of it and is there to try and avoid human contact. Yet Ingrid's is just her being there to stuff her face for some reason. I know it's kind of a thing that she likes food but it feels like I walked into a 3DS era game by mistake. (That is mistaking quirkiness for being a developed character). Something this game had usually avoided. Kind of a disillusioning moment for me.

[Eltoshen]

8 hours ago, Anacybele said:

Nah, I did build a high support level with Sylvain tho. So it had to be that. I had the A support unlocked (it just can only trigger after the time skip).

But I see. Didn't know about that thing with the gatekeeper!

I'm starting to think it is very likely you missed the ring on your first run through lol.

[Anacybele]

24 minutes ago, Eltoshen said:

I'm starting to think it is very likely you missed the ring on your first run through lol.

Yeah, I think I did. I now seem to remember having a choice whether to take the ring or not and I must've said no because I wasn't planning to S support anyone yet.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Anacybele

[Gregster101]

In my first run with the Golden Deers, it was Lysithea because she was who had the highest support points with Byleth at that point. In my second run with the Blue Lions, it was Lysithea again cuz I used renown to buy her A support so she could join for free, and I didn't know that you could talk to the Gatekeeper to pick who you would meet at the Goddess Tower.

[xchickengirlx]

in my GD run, I spoke to the Gatekeeper and chose Linhardt, and he showed up.

in my BL run, spoke to the Gatekeeper again and I chose Dimitri, but, and unless my brain is mis-remembering this, but I got a cut scene with him and F!Byleth after leaving the dance hall? Then when I went to the Goddess Tower, Dimitri showed up again. So if you are doing a BL run but pick someone else/have a higher support level w/someone who isn't Dimitri, will you still get the cut scene with him after leaving the dance hall, and then when you go to the Goddess Tower the character of your choosing/the one who have the highest support with will show up?

[daisy jane]

for me, I spammed conversations. - so i got to see a TONNE of them. 
Dimitri's was heart-swoony. 
I really did love Ferdinand and Sylvain's because it really comes out as if they were starting to fall in love with you a teeny tiny bit

Felix's was brutal LOL

[CyberNinja]

1 hour ago, xchickengirlx said:

in my GD run, I spoke to the Gatekeeper and chose Linhardt, and he showed up.

in my BL run, spoke to the Gatekeeper again and I chose Dimitri, but, and unless my brain is mis-remembering this, but I got a cut scene with him and F!Byleth after leaving the dance hall? Then when I went to the Goddess Tower, Dimitri showed up again. So if you are doing a BL run but pick someone else/have a higher support level w/someone who isn't Dimitri, will you still get the cut scene with him after leaving the dance hall, and then when you go to the Goddess Tower the character of your choosing/the one who have the highest support with will show up?

You get a cutscenes with dimitri regardless after the ball in blue lions.

[Landmaster]

I saw Dimitri in BL, which was great because I didn't talk to Gatekeeper-kun~ Everyone else, I chose manually~

GD - Claude

BE - Edelgard

Church - Petra

[Fabulously Olivier]

I met Bernadetta in my BE playthrough and was happy with that.

 

 

This playthrough, I met Lysithea and wasn't pleased. I really do not care for her. She's so bitchy to everyone.

[Lack'd]

I got Bernie on my first walkthrough, was Ok. Got Marianne on my second, it gave me feels to the point I dare not choose anyone else on my future walkthroughs.

[Anya]

I saw Raphael on my GD run somehow because I didn't even know that the gatekeeper even existed at the time. I ended up save scumming and choosing Ferdinand though (curse his pre-timeskip stop at C support 😞 )

Edited September 15, 2019 by Anya