HALONIC INQUISITOR

#𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐄: an independent, mid-low activity blog for Artoirel de Fortemps of the FFXIV series, as written by Tao (  they/them, 20  ) Spoilers present and tagged. Pinned template from apocalypseresources. Mobile rules under the cut:

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You get two because I love them a lot.

First, on music: I'm sure Haurchefant has to be at least vaguely aware that Artoirel is fond of instruments, and might have heard Artoirel playing at some point in their mansion. As they mend their bond and Haurchefant prods Artoirel to share more of his interests with him, I can see it eventually turning into Artoirel teaching Haurchefant a few things, like basic concepts in music theory, and maybe a few light lessons on playing the piano. As Artoirel opens up more to his brother, he will also share his thoughts on pieces from a composer's perspective, and that's when Haurchefant will find that Artoirel is absolutely a music snob. Artoirel will ordinarily withhold most of his opinions about pieces as not to be rude, but he'll say everything on his mind when he's alone with Haurchefant, and once he gets started, he gets going. It's probably hard to understand him at times with all the jargon he uses, even with the basic music theory Artoirel has taught him, but I'm sure Haurchefant loves the energy and appreciates seeing such an animated side to his otherwise reserved brother.

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Ishgardian nobles don't necessarily communicate the way ordinary people do. Their society is one with strict rules about proper decorum, so certain feelings, ideas, and messages that would be considered too improper to speak aloud need to be communicated in other ways. In gifts, in gestures, but also in flowers.

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Of course Artoirel is overjoyed when Amaya asks him if he could teach them how to play chess, but I'd like to think that he doesn't exactly teach them well at first. This isn't because he hates them or wants to keep his knowledge to himself-- quite the opposite in fact, since it's been some time since he's had someone he could play with regularly, and he'd like them to keep their interest in the game if possible. However, in the past, Artoirel's been teased about being scary, due to his more sharp, severe looks, and his strict, icy disposition. He doesn't want to make Amaya feel intimidated in the same way, so he tries taking a more lax approach to teaching them at first. While chess has a low level of entry, it can involve a lot of complexity, and he wanted to ease them into it slowly so as not to make them feel overwhelmed.

This approach, while considerate, ends up causing a few problems. Amaya ends up ill-equipped with ideas for how to move, and that leads them to become frustrated. While Artoirel isn't playing completely ruthlessly against them, he still makes them feel like they're making their moves in reaction to Artoirel's. Eventually it makes them decide that in their next game, they want to swap those roles and make Artoirel be the one to play defensively. The game starts, with Amaya on white. First move: white pawn to G4. Artoirel moves his black pawn to E5. Then a different white pawn is played to F3, opening up the field to develop Amaya's bishop. Unfortunately, this also completely leaves their king wide open. With his brows furrowed in confusion, Artoirel moves his black queen to H4. A checkmate in 2 moves.

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Of course Artoirel is deeply loyal to his house, and by extension, his father, but he did not harbor the same compassion towards Count Edmont in the beginning as he does now. If anything, he felt spiteful because Edmont would show more warmth towards Haurchefant than he would towards him, and it made him feel as though his efforts to be a good son and upstanding heir to the House went unappreciated. Artoirel is far too stubborn to lash out and do something rebellious, and getting back at him in such a way does not align with his values, but he still vented his frustration at him in other ways. He'd stay composed while talking with his father, but look completely exasperated at him when his back was turned, and the way he spoke to him was polite, but clipped and at times stilted by anger.