Arenvald - Garlean half-breed?

[Rosenoire]

I would have liked to have seen him make peace with his Garlean heritage rather than simply his Ala Mhigan side. Perhaps in the future he can interact with some Garlean civilians and see the better side of Garlemald. As it stands, his arc feels unfinished...though I suppose that could be intentional.

Sure, see the better side of the country that produced his father the rapist.

I don't see how his arc feels unfinished. He's obviously come a long way from the "feral child" he described himself as, who was abused by his mother because his existance reminded her of her rapist. He's been accepted by the Resistance despite his fear that they wouldn't consider him truly Ala Mhigan. He's helped fight off the occupiers and been able to contribute to putting his country on a better footing financially. And despite everything that he's gone through, he's still capable of feeling empathy towards Fordola, and genuinely being a good person.

He's so dead.

[Ametrine]

He's so dead.

Don't forget he scraped by surviving Livia's raid upon the Scion old base by luck and is an echo gifted man that isn't called the WoL.

The target on him couldn't be brighter.

[Eloah]

I think having him interact with Cid and Lucia would give him some nice development. They are the two known Garleans who actively fight for Eorzea. They could show him that true comrades wont care about your birth, but by what you do with the life you've been given.

[Rosenoire]

I think having him interact with Cid and Lucia would give him some nice development. They are the two known Garleans who actively fight for Eorzea. They could show him that true comrades wont care about your birth, but by what you do with the life you've been given.

I think Arenvald knows that. Conrad states it in the beginning of Stormblood:

Arenvald:I’m here to fight for a free Ala Mhigo. For an Ala Mhigo where women like my mother are never made to suffer. I pray you grant me this honor.

Conrad: …You are a trueborn son of Gyr Abania, same as me. This is not my honor to grant, but yours to freely take. Welcome, brother.

I honestly don't understand the idea that Arenvald needs to have character development that involves him reconciling with Garleans. This is someone who was born under traumatic circumstances, and the notion that it's on him to make peace with his father's heritage of rape and abandonment is bordering on offensive, especially since the only reason for it seems to be to elide the atrocities that the Empire committed during the occupation.

[Eloah]

snip

I think my meaning got a little lost. It's not so much how they interact, but how they act. They are Garlean and don't hide it, but still command respect, and have come to terms with being individuals over an entire race/empire. To a degree Nero might be this too, bit thats still a gray area. Arenvald still has his issues, and although he identifies as Ala Mhigan, he still shows guilt for what Galemald has done, guilt he should not have. Cid and Lucia could help with that, thats what I was trying to imply.

And as far as for him making peace with his past. If history has taught us anything, people tend to hold onto very deep emotions for long periods of time, even if those emotions are "gifted" to us; like Arenvald's are. He needs closure. Technically by no way is it right, but his father never wronged him, specifically, but his mother did, yet he sides with her. And while I don't think the account of her "experiences" is false, they could be misaligned. We've encountered plenty of Garlean soldiers who, while not saints, are not bad people. For all we know this could of been his father. Neither we nor Arenvald know all the facts, we are just lumping his father and mother in with their respective countries, placing them in a negative and positive light respectively. Now I'm not denying the rape, as that is a sketchy subject to talk about. But for all we know his mother could of raped his father to try and up her station in life. The main reason to give him development is to show us his life, but also Garlemald society from a different perspective.

[Claymore65]

Stuff

While I'd love to explore the nicer sides of Garlemald, I don't think Arenvald is a good vehicle to explore it with. Arenvald's arc has already reached closure for the most part. He's had a traumatic, terrible life (child of heavily implied rape, survivor of child abuse/neglect, escaped his war-torn country, lost friends during Gaius' raid on the Scion HQ), but he's grown for it, and in the process become a noble hero. It's this growth that allowed him to not only relate to Fordola, but also inspire her to improve. If Arenvald were still gripping with his childhood problems, he wouldn't have been able to manage that feat. If anything, I think his relationship with Fordola is more likely to be explored than his past. He seems to have, on some level, reached closure on that.

[Eloah]

snip

Ah, but everything you just said is why he would be a good character to explore these issues. To bring in a one off character to explore them would be irritating. There are only three characters "left" with Ala Mhigan ties, and Arenvald is the only one who can explore what we've described; Lyse and Raubahn's ties differ. Though his relationship with Fordola is a good way to explore these issues and not have them get forced. Like sharing childhood stories, shows us his past but also his future with Fordola.

Also correct me if I am wrong, but did he escape Ala Mhigo actually? I though his mother escaped Ala when he was very young, maybe even still a baby? I thought when we first met him he indicated he's never been to Ala Mhigo proper. But I could be wrong. I might be mixing facts with people from Little Ala Mhigo. Even Lyse was only about 4 when she left, and now she's around 25, and Arenvald is 19.

[ObsidianFire]

Arenvald definetly grew up in Ala Mhigo. He eventually joined a faction of the Resistance that was trying to get over/under Balsaur's Wall and into Eorzea. They succeeded (around 1.0 I think, it's heavily implied it was during the same incident where Yda was killed). He started getting Echo visions which eventually led him to the Scions which he says was the best thing that ever happened to him. He specifically says that he isn't staying in Ala Mhigo because of all the shit he went though there, and most of it he attributes to native Ala Mhigans...

[Eloah]

snip

Ah, okay. I wasn't too sure, but that makes sense; and it falls in line with him getting the Echo when he was young(er), similar to Ysayle.

[Rosenoire]

But for all we know his mother could of raped his father to try and up her station in life. The main reason to give him development is to show us his life, but also Garlemald society from a different perspective.

Wow.

You really went there. That's some next-level victim blaming.