#(do not think fourchenault is a narcissist I just mention narcissim)

[lookbluesoup]

My Take on Fourchenault (complicated)

Making this my own (very long) post and want to say right out the gate that even though seeing several other posts about him inspired me to write my own thoughts out, I'm not here to tell anyone else they're wrong! This is fandom! You're valid! While I don't expect a lot of people to read this and mostly just need to get it out of my head, if I get a bunch of notes on this bashing other fans or parroting hate for specific characters, I will turn reblogs off, and will block people if they try to make this into Drama. Whether you like Levidad or not, be nice.

I also think characters and their actions can mean different things to different people, that's partly the beauty of fiction. Especially in FFXIV, there's a big cinematic element. There's a lot of characters, and background information, that is either left vague or only implied, because they're not relevant to the Main Plot. There's also a lot of subtlety to the FF story, a lot of showing rather than telling, and a lot of different people writing the dialogue, translating it, and building off it. And that leaves gaps that every player will have to fill in for themselves, based on their own reference points. What stands out to one player might be insignificant to another. We are all playing a different game, at the end of the day. I'm not here to tell you, reader, or Fandom at large, what to think. I'm just invested enough in this character to want to share my own thoughts about him!

Overall:

I think he's complicated. I believe he loves his children a helluva lot, but I also think he abusive (partly out of ignorance.) I don't think he's a villain, but I do think he makes some very harmful mistakes and that some of his behavior is very selfish. Which makes him interesting. And I'm very curious what role he'll play as MSQ continues in years to come, what else we might learn about him.

Because this is SO LONG I'm putting my expanded thoughts under a cut!

On Needing Control / Criteria for Abuse

So mostly what I'm going to talk about to start is... warning signs. I'll acknowledge my own bias here in that I'm a psych student who's had to do lots of research, research papers, reviewed case studies, etc. with a particular focus in trauma and abuse. I've spent years IN therapy, coming out of an emotionally abusive home as a neurodivergent and physically disabled person with several (clinically diagnosed) narcissists in my family, and yeah, the issue of parents who are... Overly controlling. Stubborn. Self-certain. And applauded by the outside community, seen as Respectable people in their insular social groups... Hits close to home. So what Fourchenault means to me is absolutely influenced by this background.

A parent can be affectionate a lot of the time, can love their children, be very devoted to family, and still absolutely be abusive. Especially in emotional areas. And, also important - the abusers usually do not see themselves as abusers. They are Protectors. Lovers. Family. Leaders. Victims. Heroes in their narrative. They can believe this so much and so loudly that they convince the people they are abusing, too.

Additionally, doing abusive things does NOT automatically make someone irredeemable, evil, or a villain. It is a flaw, a behavior that can be unlearned, and can be performed out of ignorance and without deliberately trying to hurt someone. I do not think Levidad (Look don't ask me to write out Fourchenault every time this is a long enough essay already) is trying to hurt his family, or that he wants to. And I do think he recognizes some of his mistakes by Endwalker's finale and is on a path to improvement.

But in emotionally abusive homes, you often see dynamics at play where affection becomes a tool for control. Children are given moments of unfailing devotion and love and care as long as they do what's expected of them, but when they misbehave (according to that parent) the affection is withdrawn, or threats are made, even or especially threats the parent doesn't mean, because it's really only about having the child obey. I've seen and experienced this in real life, where parents would threaten to kick their kids out for even minor infractions, just as a scare tactic to keep control, despite having no intention of actually kicking the kid out.

And fear? Is an HUGE motivator for this kind of abuse. Parents can do absolutely wicked things to their children because of a 'greater good' mentality, because they're trying to prevent what they see as greater harm.

People who need control, who are stubborn, who have a temper, might be prone to these tactics. All things Levidad is shown to possess in spades. (I'll expand on some of this further below)

And this dynamic often teaches kids and spouses to desire the affection they know is there, and want, while also being afraid to lose that affection by displeasing their loved one. It may sometimes cause them to become argumentative and self-righteous in their own way (cough, ARR Alphinaud, cough). It can make them belligerent, or insecure and uncertain of themselves, or their worthiness to be loved (Alisaie.) It teaches them to keep secrets, and go behind a loved one's back (Ameliance.)

Some other important aspects of this kind of dysfunctional dynamic is that... the people being abused can be very protective of their abuser. Make excuses. Focus on the good things and minimize the bad. They want to have that relationship, they do genuinely care about the person mistreating them. That doesn't make them incompetent, nor is it meant to infantilize them. It's just a thing that happens to people because of how our brains work and how much most people are wired to need other people and have loyal social bonds. It's a trait to be aware of. It means that just because Fourchenault's family is permissive of his vices, doesn't mean they aren't vices.

AND, to add even more nuance to that, abuse isn't a 24/7 thing. It can be inconsistent. It can vary with the state of mind people are in, other experiences they had that day, and so on. Just because there are a few good days or good choices does not negate all the other bad ones.

A few things that have been stated in canon, which are worth considering to me

He does not read the letters the twins send home, only Ameliance does. While this could mean a lot of things, it can't be argued that he has little to no idea of what is actually going on in his children's lives despite having the opportunity to find out (Ameliance specifically says how she's seen them grow up through their letters!) But in his mind they're still inexperienced children, and he chooses to keep it that way.

Ameliance has been financing the twins and Scions behind Levidad's back. There is no reason to keep this activity a secret from him in a healthy relationship with good boundaries. That could speak poorly of Ameliance instead of Fourchenault, but it's hard to argue for a case where he would have been supportive of her spending. Given his opinions on staying out of other city-state's affairs, and given her behavior compared to his in-game, I'd argue this was more her trying to avoid his ire. Especially because:

I personally find it impossible to justify taking this out on the servants. Are the servants expected to treat his wife as subservient to him rather than an equal, and bar her guests entry? Is he unable to discuss or plan with his wife and trust her (implying a lot of disfunction in the home?) Is taking it out on the servants a roundabout way to punish her? And/or is he going to punish an "acceptable target", the servants, rather than express his anger at his wife or at you, who actually did the thing he's upset about? The servants? Really? People who can't rightly argue back or defend themselves because he is their employer and they are servants? This kind of abuse of power is not the behavior of a benevolent, well-adjusted man. Honestly, for me this line of dialogue alone is a massive warning sign that Fourchenault's need for control can manifest in extremely harmful ways. I'll avoid speculating on just how much that could affect with his family but in this line of dialogue alone there is a lot to unpack.

Alphinaud liked to argue with his dad. Their rows would cause scenes in the house. Alphy is a little shit before Heavensward but assuming he doesn't have some kind of Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Narcissism (he doesn't), I suspect that behavior most likely comes from emotional neglect or abuse. Either seeking attention even if it's negative, or modelling after his dad in argumentative/self-assured approach for approval, or attempting to claim some kind of independence because his home life has been so controlling.

Levidad claims he will do anything to protect his kids, and that he would have forced them onto the Ark even against their will, even if they hated him for it. While that could be read in a touching way, for me it was just another sign that he would do anything to have control. Because to protect his children, he needs to be able to control them. He can love them and use that love to justify infantilizing his children and trying to take their agency away.

While Levidad does let the kids leave Sharlayan (though as they are considered adults, I'm not convinced he actually could have stopped them), it could have been under the assumption they'd come running back soon enough. Since he doesn't read their letters, he may be entirely oblivious to the actual amount of danger they found themselves in. He let them spend time with their grandad, which is good, too. I don't think Levidad demanded total 100% uniformity of belief from his kids, it wouldn't fit with their culture. But at the end of the day I think he still wanted to be assured he was in control.

As far as disowning them. Yeah, I think it was a control tactic, too. I think the only thing he new how to do was Escalate in his disagreement with them, because that's what he did when they were children and they fought. I think the significant moment when Levidad slams them with that excommunication is the fact that Alphinaud does not argue with him. He lets his dad go. And even tells Alisaie not to try, either. Alphinaud has grown. He doesn't need to prove himself to his father anymore, not really. And that means Levidad can't control Alphy anymore, either.

I think if their dad had disowned them as a way to get them a message and pique their curiosity, he would have explained so when the vow of silence was lifted, and apologized for that, explicitly. I don't think he would have been so opposed in the Forum to having the Scions help with the Ark and get involved, because at that point, why continue fostering ill will with the children you love, or potentially risking turning the forum against them?

I could see him being so callous to misdirect the Eorzean Alliance because he does not trust them or want their interference as the Ark will only be able to carry so many people, he doesn't need an army beating down Sharlayan's door, and is baffled/frustrated by his children's opposition in front of everyone, because again, he doesn't know how much they've changed and matured. But disowning them was still about control, in my mind.

Lost in Translation?

It's entirely conceivable to me that Japanese Levidad could be very different from English Levidad. The cultural expectations around behavior, good or bad, are different. And we know, from stuff like how differently Haurchefant's lines were in English vs Japanese at first, that sometimes stuff does change in translation to make it carry better for different audiences. Or because the translator interprets something a specific way. English and Japanese are really different languages and how ideas are communicated or assumptions are made are different, too. Let's also not forget Nael van Darnus's whoopsie gender swap. So if there's parts of Levidad's behavior that seem inconsistent, it could, quite literally, be lost in translation.

I think this makes who he is and why he does things very open for interpretation, so I will reiterate that everyone is free to read him however you like. Your story is yours, and mine in mine, and that's a good thing!

Not a Villain.

Levidad loves his kids. He acknowledges that they've grown in the finale. He relinquishes some of his control. If he hadn't, his kids would have been able to move on without his support. I think he has the capacity to learn to treat them better and that ultimately his love for his kids and desire to have a relationship with them will win out over his need to have control, and I am very curious to see where the story takes them all.