#adopt the scion

[fatedroses]

Man doesn’t know what he’s doing, is trying his best (for once) anyways.

[candycryptids]

OOOH BUDDY WHEN I FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT THIS THOUGHT INTO AN ORDER THAT MAKES SENSE TO THE COMMON FUCKIN MAN……

I cracked Tangy’s background :3 at least a little? Somewhat crunched it. The very early stuff is still fuzzy and I’m still juggling oranges on some details but I feel like i smashed a pot in Legend Of Zelda and found 5 rupees in it :3

[foundfamilyhq]

[jakey-beefed-it]

“Most of my friends are dead,” a photocollage

Alternately: How Varian deals with his Ongoing Traumatic Stress Disorder: thousand-yard-staring into the distance until exhaustion finally wins over trauma

(also, drinking)

[anarkhebringer]

My mind palace has been on one with thoughts now and like. what IF we say goodbye to the Scions forever eventually? Because if I'm honest I kinda want to jsdihuogiyfh

[zachdanielswhisky]

Wait he's been my DAD this whole time???

He's your dad later

[ichoric]

minifilia meeting the wol: are we family too

[aeide-thea]

my tolkien revisitation has involved many big thoughts but my small thought from tonight's grocery-run-by-bike is: WHAT is up with that one 'hive of ants' simile. like. my guy. i am very sure hives are for bees. ants have hills, or nests maybe, or like, a group of them is a colony. but gandalf at the council of elrond is all:

I came to Buckland and found it in uproar, as busy as a hive of ants that has been stirred with a stick.

i mean. radagast would never!!

[bitterseadrop-a]

uHhhuhhHhH i talked with violet abt this already but me thinks i might move milou's ffxiv verse to a side blog bc . . . i feel like her wol verse ( the wol in general ? ) has so much potential that it'd deserve it's own space . . .

[seaseren]

oh also

Alan de Gagnon, circa ARR, age 17. I'm still deciding whether or not to change his face around stormbloodish to be more adult- I can make some of the other ones work well enough but the mouths. look wierd somehow?

anndddd Jeannie de Gagnon, circa Endwalker. She wanted to join the Ilsabard contingent, but was busy retraining her body after her growth spurt and couldn't go, which she's still very disappointed by

[soulpunchftw]

The Scions of the Seventh Dawn are a great group of characters because they’re canonically a bunch of weird postdocs, the two kids they adopted, an admin assistant with probable mafia connections, and an angry himbo, and they all freeload off of their only employable friend (you)

[mercymornsimpathizer]

per request of (checks notes) two people….the premises of my interpretation of the plot of gideon the ninth vis a vis cytherea and john are as follows:

i. the actions taken by cytherea and john are not consistent with their stated motivations

ii. this is on purpose

iii. we can work backwards from these characters' actions to determine their real motivations

because i am a funny poster and because i love my followers i will explain further under a readmore. abandon all sanity ye who enter here etc.

why canaan house: john and john's motivations

while john does not appear "on screen" in gideon the ninth, his actions set the plot into motion and shape the conflicts the arise. (1)he sends letters to the scions of each house, requesting that they come to canaan house with their cavaliers and no one else. he does not request the leaders of each house, or the best necromancers of each house, or the most experienced. (2)he does not provide information of what the lyctorhood trials will entail, either in the initial letters or upon arrival at canaan house. (3)during the creation of the first lyctors, he did not inform anyone that the death of the cavalier is not necessary, and (4)he interfered in the ascension of anastasia/samael, (5) the pair who spent the longest studying the lyctorhood process and (6)who we can presume were closest to achieving "true lyctorhood," which we can presume is (7)more powerful than "normal lyctorhood" and (8)does not kill the cavalier.

(9)the stated purpose of the events at canaan house is to create new lyctors to replace those that have (really or apparently) died to the resurrection beasts. (10)john further states that he did not intend for any unwanted deaths; (11)that he intended for the necromancers and cavaliers to enter into lyctorhood willingly; and (12)that, if the necromancers and cavaliers decided not to enter into lyctorhood, he intended that they should have been allowed to leave peacefully. (13)we can presume he also intends that any new lyctors created would be loyal to him, or at least not a threat to him.

are these actions consistent for these motivations? in my correct opinion, they are not. the secrecy of what the lyctorhood trials entail and the choice of very young, competitive people as postulants do not lend themselves well to the postulants making wise, well-informed choices. if john wanted the postulants to enter into lyctorhood willingly, and leave peacefully if not, he could have informed them of what the trials and lyctorhood entail, encouraged cooperation between the houses, and stated explicitly that they could leave at any time.

one way to interpret this mismatch is that john was careless or negligent in how he set up the trials, which is possible but not consistent with his characterization otherwise. another interpretation is that john was not sincere in stated motivations 10-12, and that he rather set things up as he did to create uniquely easy to manipulate per 13, which both makes sense and is in character but is not consistent with his other actions.

why canaan house 2: cytherea and cytherea's motivations

while john shapes much of the plot of gideon the ninth, cytherea as the primary antagonist drives the plot more directly. (14)she kills dulcinea and adopts her identity to pose as a postulant in the lyctor trials, and she poorly reanimated protesilaus's corpse. (15)she presumably is responsible for disposing of the transports, stranding the postulants at canaan house.  (16)she kills first the fifth house and the fourth house. (17) she prompts the ninth to complete the avulsion trial. (18)she attacks gideon, harrow, and camilla after being confronted by palamedes, but (19)repeatedly offers to spare gideon. (20)throughout her murder spree, she writes on the walls, questioning or criticizing  john for the events of her own ascension. (21)she did not participate in dios apate and is not mentioned by mercymorn or augustine as being party to their conspiracy to kill john (i think...correct me if this is wrong!). (22) her identity is not revealed by teacher or the other constructs at canaan house, despite the fact that they presumably would recognize her. (23)she does not contact or encourage the other postulants to contact john or anyone else for help.

(24)cytherea states that her motivation is to sabotage the creation of new lyctors and (25)to draw john to the nine houses, putting himself and the nine house in danger from the resurrection beasts. (26)she strongly implies that this is in revenge for her cavalier or possibly all of the original cavaliers. (27)presumably, she also wants both to survive long enough to accomplish these aims, though (28)she does not seem to intend to survive for very long beyond the events at canaan house.

are these actions consistent with these motivations? again, in my correct opinion, they are not. she does not send a distress call to draw john to canaan house, and she does not encourage anyone else to do so. she kills jeannemary and magnus, even though killing isaac and abigail would prevent the fourth and fifth from ascending; while it could be argued that she would have had to kill magnus to protect her plan, but this isn't true of jeannemary's murder. she further lets other necro-cav pairs live, despite the fact this allows for the opportunity for them to ascend. her stated goals (24 and 25) could be well achieved by (a, for 25) killing (simply or gruesomely) all or most of the necromancers, while allowing the cavaliers to live, and/or (b, for 24) calling or encouraging someone else to call for help or otherwise alert someone that things have gone wrong; neither of these actions would contradict her other stated or implied motivations.

(as an aside: i think many people believe that cytherea killed the fifth first because she suspected they were likeliest to figure out her plan, which is possible but doesn't explain why she would kill the fourth next or why she wouldn't kill the sixth or third.)

one interpretation of this mismatch is that she planned sloppily or haphazardly. while this doesn't directly contradict anything we know about her, it doesn't make much sense to me -- i don't think anyone, let alone a very powerful and reasonably intelligent person, would half-ass a revenge/justice plot as their last hurrah, even if she did not have long to plan or if her plan changed upon realizing that gideon is john's daughter. another interpretation i've seen is that cytherea is simply sadistic and/or dramatic, and that her actions are motivated by a desire to make the postulants paranoid and afraid. i think this is on the right track, but doesn't itself explain everything she does (and the things she does not do).

why be perfect when you could be normal: the original lyctors and perfect lyctorhood

what is "perfect lyctorhood" and under what conditions does it occur? when i use the term "perfect lyctorhood," i'm referring to a situation where both the necromancer and the cavalier ascend to lyctorhood and share their newfound power; this is in contrast to what i'm calling "normal lyctorhood," wherein the necromancer kills and consumes the cavalier and uses them as a power source. in text, john and alecto are the only example we see of "true lyctorhood," while the other original lyctors (and ianthe) are "normal."

while the creation of the original lyctors is not thoroughly described in the text, we do know some details. it is strongly implied that (29)mercymorn and augustine, the first two lyctors, ascended under duress after their cavaliers forced their hands, presumably by killing themselves. much later, (30) anastasia and samael attempted to ascend after (5)spending a long time studying the process, but are (4)interrupted by john, who kills samael. (31)john states this he interfered because anastasia and samael had made a mistake. (32)at no point does john inform anyone that perfect lyctorhood is possible or that the cavaliers do not need to die.

i think it's reasonable to conclude that (33)very skilled necromancers, with strong bonds of mutual respect with their cavaliers, given the right resources (i.e. the trials at canaan house, or something equivalent, and sufficient time) could achieve perfect lyctorhood, or at least come close to it. (34)fear, pressure, and devaluation of the lives of cavaliers, on the other hand, push necromancers towards normal lyctorhood.

i think it's also reasonable to conclude that, in line with (13)his motivation to maintain power over the lyctors, john does not want perfect lyctors to be created, and that (4)his interference in the ascension of anastasia and samael was not because (31)they made a mistake but rather (35)to prevent them from achieving power that would rival his own.

connecting the red string

if john and cytherea's actions are not sufficiently explained by their stated motivations (or of them the motivations commonly attributed to them by fans), what motivations would explain their actions? because john (by asking for young people as postulants, and by being secretive about the lyctoral process, and by not stating that postulants could leave) and cytherea (by killing people, and by preventing people from leaving, and by generally encouraging competition and paranoia among the postulants) both created an environment of fear and pressure at canaan house, and because cytherea (by letting both necromancers and cavaliers live in other cases) john (by not providing a deadline, and by not forbidding or obscuring parts of the trials, and by not directly or indirectly supervising the trials) otherwise do nothing to prevent to an outcome that they does not want, i think we can draw the following conclusion: john and cytherea are both attempting to ensure that normal lyctors, and only normal lyctors, are created at canaan house.

in other words, i think john tasked cytherea with going to canaan house to put pressure on the postulants to ascend quickly and to prevent them from leaving alive if they were likely to not ascend. i think he did this because he did not want the postulants to become perfect lyctors, and because he did not want the secrets of lyctorhood to be known to the nine houses in general, and because he did not want to take responsibility for the deaths. i think cytherea likely did want revenge against john, and likely did not want to live beyond canaan house, but did not want to kill john; rather i think she wanted to be killed by john or by one of the new lyctors.

i think that tamsyn muir is a talented writer who has demonstrated an ability to create twisty, multi-layered plots where characters are often working on incorrect or incomplete information and where characters are often not forthcoming or are dishonest about their actions and motivations, and that therefore the mismatch between characters' actions and stated motivations are intentional. i think my conclusion sufficiently explains the actions taken (and not taken) by both cytherea and john in the gideon the ninth, and while it contradicts their stated motivations, i do not think it contradicts any of their actions or any of their demonstrated motivations. moreover i think it is consistent with their characterization in general: cytherea is dramatic and emotionally distraught over her own ascension, but she is not part of the plot against john, and she encourages gideon in her role as cavalier; john is very smart, and has few compunctions about doing horrible things to children (especially to maintain his own power), but does not want to be blamed for the things he does, and so often outsources the dirty work to his followers.

[do-you-ship-it-polls]

Do you ship it?

reason: They spent 3 years off screen as the only other scion either bothered spending time with, during which time they adopted a daughter. And suddenly they're completely inseparable! I'm pretty sure they got married when we weren't looking.

[ecosystem-administrator]

Listen, l i s t e n, every few months or so I get reminded of this scene that happens after Aymeric drives a bunch of angry rebels out of The Vault, and I go completely feral with emotions

Edmont tells Aymeric this won't be the last time that happens if the current political climate continues as it has been, and that he needs to make sure to take care of their people and of himself, then drops this line. and just walks away.

Aymeric is standing there stunned and awkward trying to be appropriately honored by a grieving father who's also right about the politics of the situation, and apparently unlike Edmont has probably not forgotten that Artoirel is right there.

Artoirel steps forward behind Aymeric to follow his father, but before he passes the point where Aymeric could see him

he stops still and turns his head, obviously conflicted and gathering himself, and the camera focuses entirely on his face even though he hasn't got any lines in this scene at all. the father he respects and admires is obviously not bearing up well under all the recent changes, and just all but adopted a surrogate for the beloved son he's recently lost without even acknowledging his eldest son's presence. not even so much as a look. his father needs him now more than ever. his father is taking him for granted and always has.

he probably daydreamed as a child about the relationship he might have had with Edmont if Haurchefant wasn't there to be the favorite, and now he has the bitterest proof that it would never have been better, is not going to get better.

and he still walks after his father, away from Aymeric and Lucia and the gathered Scions. Edmont never looks back to see if he's coming, but he is. someone still has to hold this family together.

The Fortemps family are so fucked up you guys. the drama of it. it just makes me gnash my teeth and wail every single time.

[capriccio-ffxiv]

Suddenly very upset that Lyse never got to go visit Old Sharlayan with us.

That's as much her childhood home as Ala Mhigo -- much moreso, even. Yda took her to the Sharlayan Colony and then much like Thancred, they were basically "adopted" by Louisoix and taken to the mainland to study. I figure Lyse probably *did* go to school alongside Yda, but being much younger than Yda never got her Archon Marks. Possibly she was working on it when Yda died, but then in her grief and depression couldn't finish it (extremely relatable; I know so many people who never finished university because of circumstances like that).

And I just.

Lyse is done so dirty by the narrative. The Yda reveal is poorly handled and means nothing to us (and apparently didn't mean much even to 1.0 players, which was baffling to me when I found out.) At the same time, when you actually read the short stories and her backstory, it really is a powerful story about grief, about impostor syndrome... but the game just. Fumbles the ball on that.

I just... can you imagine? Now-adult Lyse, having liberated Ala Mhigo, finally returning to Old Sharlayan. Lyse meeting Papalymo's father. Lyse, meeting Moenbryda's parents (Yda and Moen had been close, iirc, and Moen knew about Lyse's deception just like the rest of the Scions).

I know why the larger fanbase isn't super into her, Stormblood is the black sheep of the expansions (I liked it, but it's followed by freakin Shadowbringers, y'know?), but I just wish the game devs would give her another chance. Maybe during or after Dawntrail (maybe she can show up in the New World at some point initially as an ambassador from Ala Mhigo or whatever)

[kitcat22]

Love the idea of Elrond as the most politically powerful, influential person in Lindon.

Like this man is the son of the guy who saved the world, the grandson of Idril and Tuor famed heroes, great grandson of Turgon who built a safe haven in an apocalypse and great great grandson of Fingolfin who lead the Noldor across the grinding ice. He has the gondolindrim eating out of his hand. He is their shining symbol of hope just like his father was. A bright star born in a time of darkness and terror.

He’s also the adoptive son of Maglor and Maglor. While i dont believe he’d consider himself a diehard feanorian due to all that happened, the Feanorians surrounded him during the formative years of his life and that leaves an effect on both parties. They watch him grow up and when Maedhros and Maglor die and disappear respectively, it is Elrond who is given charge of them. Elrond, who looks at them and says you have done terrible things and there is no changing that but there is a chance for you to do good now, if you will follow me then i will lead you. To them he is Maitimo before Angband and Thangorodrim. He is their kind and beautiful prince who convinced them that though their sworn leader is dead the enemy is not and there is work to be done.

Then there’s the Sindar. Elrond is just as much a symbol to them as he was to the Gondolindrim. He’s the image of Luthien come again, the scion of Thingol and Melian. He also becomes a symbol of hatred of what the Noldor took from them. A mighty empire and monarchy lost twice over. Children slain mercilessly once again. After he is returned to him is when he begins to become a much more positive figure. Their little lost prince returned to life. A symbol of unity and peace. He understands they have been wronged he too was victim to those wrongs, but it is him who convinces them that the elves cannot fight amongst themselves any longer, that they have a chance for a better world, but they must inhabit that world together.

Thats three factions of elves who adore him, not to mention his Numenorian connections. Elrond would likely never go against Gil Galad on any sort of political matter, the two of them agree on most things afterall, but if he did, i think Gil Galad would have a hard to time arguing with or refusing him, knowing just how much power Elrond has over his subjects.