un: bahamut | text

[oblige]

Good day, fellow Etrayans.

Concerning Antigone's warning regarding our real names, it occurs to me that we would benefit from collaborating on this front.

To that end, I wish to open discussion.

For those who have chosen a name, please respond with what you have selected, that we may know what to call you.

For those who have not, you may use this posting to discuss your ideas or invite suggestions from others.

As for myself, I shall be using "Lucien", the name of a character from a novel in my world.

Mission Names
Dion → Lucien
Antigone → Shadow
Dwayne → Harry M'Egg
Jayce → Prometheus
Sunday → Dominicus
Prompto → Vesper
Odin → Joss
Mayuko → Murasaki
Vax → Kalas
Clive → Crandall
Percival (Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III) → Scanlan (Keylethus Pikegratia Taryon d’Shorthalt-Grogson, Heir to the Shattered Glory)
Samil → Whiskey
Noctgar → Navyth
Accelerator → Isuka
S.Rogers → Ruirthech
Nico → Slash Brightburn
Jason → Edmond
R.B. → Harker
Lady Vex'ahlia de Rolo → Velora
SquirrelPower → Sally Awesomelegs
Shinra → Evan
Emet-Selch → Eubulus
Vincent Valentine → Garm
Sciel → Céline
Vivi →
Gustave → Jean-Napoleon
Maelle → Esmé
Scott → James Bond / 007
Sleeper → Stevens
Joshua → Praeclarus
Zagreus → Dionysus
Gladio → Heliodorus
Apollo → Artemis
Dylan Brock → Reed Richards

Note: This list will remain available until the date of our deployment. At such time, it will be omitted as a precaution.

[ ooc: Free-for-all on responding to one another, of course. ]

Comments

audio | @noctgar

[somnifer]

Lucien, huh. [ It's close. Not quite the same, but closer than what's comfortable. Noctis will be chewing on that for a while. ]

I'm going with Navyth.

[oblige]

Yes. 'Tis a fairly common name in my homeland.

Does the name you've chosen have meaning for you?

[somnifer]

What's the story behind the character?

He was a fisherman I met. Insane with a reel. Really nice guy, too.

[oblige]

Lucien is the protagonist of his tale. Prince of his homeland, for that matter [ to which he can relate, of course ] called upon to save his homeland from certain peril by embarking on a journey to halt that threat at its source. It was one I rather enjoyed as a boy. The premise itself may not be terribly remarkable on the surface, but it is his compassion that prevails in the end. I found it encouraging, for Storm has a long history of war.

Fishing is quite an involved skill, is it not? I've heard it spoken of, but haven't done so myself.

[somnifer]

[ Well.

Well.

Might as well go for it. ]

And what happened to him? The prince, I mean.

It's the best. [ Then, after a beat, Noctis manages to sound cool again. ] Takes a lot of focus and practice. That's what he said, anyway.

[oblige]

He first gained an ally by showing mercy to a dragon that was suffering, and from there such kindnesses healed the great spirits which had once protected his land. They had been afflicted by the same malignant force and had been mistaken for monsters. Had he tried instead to destroy them, he would only have made matters worse. Because of his nature, in the end he restored those spirits, and his kingdom began to recover.

[ His quiet fondness for that old story warms his tone, though it is subtle. If only the Blight could be thus remedied... He suspects the black, tar-like substance in the story is meant to represent it. ]

I should imagine it is challenging. The way I hear of it, some fish can be surprisingly difficult to catch, depending upon a number of factors. Weather, if I recall, was one of them.

[somnifer]

[ It's the subtle shift in Dion's voice that endears him to Noctis. Some of his initial misgivings given the username start to melt away. ]

Sounds like you were inspired by the guy. I would've loved a story like that as a kid.

Oh, yeah. [ Now clearly struggling to keep his voice even. ] Weather, time of day, what bait you're using. Some fish are really smart, too, and you can only draw them out by catching other fish.

If Navyth was here, he'd show us all up.

[oblige]

I was, yes. I held hope that the world might yet become a gentler and better place for my people. A friend shared that sentiment, which only encouraged me more, but it began with that book. I may yet see whether Aurora might provision a copy.

[ Their world can be a brutal and cruel place, but he still wants to believe in better and brighter, even now. ]

Drawing them out by catching other fish... It seems there's no small measure of strategy involved in fishing, then. Not unlike a battle, perhaps, but less noisesome.

[ Noise scares off fish, so he'd heard from one of his men. ]

[somnifer]

If it shows up, I'd like to read it. Maybe it'll inspire me, too.

[ He's hopeful it will. A happy ending for once? It sounds impossible, but nice. ]

You'd be surprised. Don't know what good it'll do in a place like this, but it's something.

[ A pause. Should he ask about the username? Leave it alone? Noctis wonders. ]

[oblige]

In that case, I shall let you know if I obtain a copy.

[ If it can give another inspiration, he'd be glad of it. From what he's heard of other worlds, they can all use more hope, not just his own.

The silence seems expectant. He debates whether to comment, but when it stretches on— ]

Is there something you wish to say?

[somnifer]

Yeah, kinda.

[ Another pause, this time shorter than before. ]

Your username. What's it come from? [ If it sounds like he's trying very hard to sound totally normal, that's because he is. ]

[oblige]

It is the name of my Eikon.

[ The short, unhelpful answer. But mileage varies regarding how being a Dominant is received, at least in the recent past. ]

In my world, an individual may be born with an Eikon. The Phoenix, for example, or Bahamut. For the span of their life, they are that Eikon's Dominant. And so, I am Bahamut, Warden of Light, but... In my eyes at least, I am firstly Dion.

My allies from home would note my Eikon if they were summoned here as I was, so I reasoned. How many Dions might there be in a vast multiverse? Yet it seems there may be as many Bahamuts, in the end.

[somnifer]

[ Noctis exhales hard. First Clive, now Dion. It's taking him a while to process all this, but there's one thought that surfaces as he does: ]

Honestly? That sounds like hell for one person to deal with. I heard a little bit from Clive about it. [ He can't understand it. Not yet. But he empathizes. ]

Does it ever get hard finding yourself in all that?

[oblige]

[ Clive having explained simplifies some things. It might complicate others, for Clive's awakening and circumstances are different.

Dion weighs the thought with a soft hum. ]

Not typically, no. But Dominants awaken to their power at different times, under different circumstances. Until awakening, we would be as any other and would be treated as such.

[ The implications of that final thought rest there, weighted. ]

Joshua and I awakened in infancy, and so to separate ourselves from what has always been part of us would be difficult. Like losing a limb. Our control over our abilities is much the same.

[ Like a limb, a natural part of themselves. ]

[somnifer]

Oh, right. So you guys are more like my dad. [ Does he realize he's giving something away? Not really. He's too focused on genuinely trying to understand Dion and by extension, his friends. ] He woke up early like that too. I think most of the people in my family did, or that's what I was told. [ Noctis tries not to sound bitter. It's more a reflection on himself than anything else. ]

Does this run in your family too?

[oblige]

[ Dion notes the comments. The comparisons. But he opts to answer Noctgar's question first. ]

Eikons may favor certain bloodlines, however it is more that we are chosen, and an Eikon chooses but one for the span of their life. So while the Lesage lineage may be favored by Bahamut, my father was not a Dominant. He had no magic of any sort.

[ The past tense is easier now, with time and the sheer magnitude of all of this to dull its edge. ]

So, 'tis not entirely hereditary.

[somnifer]

Was he totally pissed? [ Noctis.

Humor him, he's curious. ]

[oblige]

No. His son being Bahamut was something he could leverage.

[ The way he can just say that like it has nothing to do with him... But it has shaped his life. ]

[somnifer]

[ So it's much worse than envy. Noctis is quiet for a moment, shaking his head a little even though he knows Dion can't see him doing it. ]

For what it's worth, you turned out good despite him.

[oblige]

[ The comment surprises him. It isn't the first time he's heard it, but he takes a few moments to process it, even so. ]

You're kind to say so. I am aware I'm not very much like him... It was oft a point of derision.

[ He'd simply accepted it, because he'd still wanted for his parent's love, but alas. ]

Does your lineage wield magic? You drew a comparison before.

[somnifer]

I bet. Nobody's old man handles their sons being different well. None of the ones I've known, at least.

[ He's thinking of Clarus and Regis in this moment. Both of them weren't known for being particularly thrilled when Noctis and Gladio stepped out of line. ]

Uh, yeah. [ A little sheepish. ] It's only our line and one other one, though. Kind of puts the pressure on.

[oblige]

That does sound ever more singular.

[ Dion may be the only Bahamut so long as he lives, but there are other Dominants. More numerous still are Bearers, though those without magic far outnumber them all. ]

Do your people rely on you as well?

[somnifer]

[ It's a loaded question. How does Noctis answer it? ]

They should've been able to, but my family let a lot of them down. I'm trying to make up for it where I can. I guess being here is part of that now. And I don't plan on failing.

[oblige]

[ Dion understands, though he'll not assume circumstances are the same. His father had served his own ambition, rather than their people. ]

To have the will to act is vital. It may seem a small thing, for one cannot see it, but I have observed for myself the difference it makes.

[ Joshua had come so far by force of will. Dion would never underestimate it. ]

So long as you have that, you can move forward.

[somnifer]

Man, I hope you're right. Sometimes it feels like that's all that's left, you know?

[ He might sound tired, but it doesn't mean he's giving up. Noctis refuses.

Exhaling noisily, he finally sounds like he might be smiling a bit. ]

Thanks, by the way. For the advice. You definitely picked the right name for yourself. [ Dion is pretty inspiring. Even if it's frankly still bizarre he's connected to Bahamut. Compartmentalization. ]