So I am of the mind that aether is pretty much the equivalent of the same metaphysical force used in so many fictional East Asian universes. The names change all the time - ki/chi, chakra, reiatsu, reiki, hamon, The Force, aura, so on and so forth, you get the idea - but they pretty much all function in much the same way. It's how they're used that's different. Well, that, and how much a single individual is allowed to have.
There are two things that are unique to FFXIV's incarnation of this all-encompassing energy field. The first is that it actually obeys the first law of thermodynamics - aether is not an unlimited resource, and drawing too much of it from the environment can decimate everything in the immediate vicinity. The second is the fact that entire living creatures can be created purely out of aether, bypassing the normal rules of the creation of life (i.e. fertilization, gestation, and birth for sexual creatures). I suppose I should mention that lifeforms being capable of existing purely as aether also means that brains effectively serve no purpose other than to serve as vessels of the soul, something that is obviously completely different from RL (I will brook no discourse on this!).
That being said, others have already covered the use of it in magick, so I won't go into that here. What I am interested is in the manipulation of personal aether in ways that go outside the framework of using it for destructive magicks. Most of this is extrapolation and not canon, lest anyone get confused, so if you're not interested in this sort of thing you can turn back now.
So, we know that all living things have varying amounts of aether comprising their bodies. We know that thaumaturges can draw from their internal wellspring of aether to power spells (many of them incredibly destructive). It stands to reason, then, that this internal wellspring can be used to do far more than simply power magick.
Now, it could be argued that only monks really get to do this thanks to the whole 'opening the gates' thing they've got going, but I would argue that that only increases their body's natural ability to direct and move that aether at high speeds, rather than a basic requirement to be able to manipulate it at all, otherwise thaumaturgy wouldn't even be a thing. "But thaumaturgy is different!", you say. Well, yes and no. It still draws aether from the exact same place you're taking it from when you're performing your badass superpowered martial arts. It's just how it's used that's different.
I also happen to think that, given the idea that aether comprises our bodies AND our souls, that it makes sense for it to be used whenever possible. Yes, you could just as well argue that the warrior's "Inner Beast" and whatever the hell it is that dragoons do are their own, unique, self-contained ideas, but my problem with that lies in how utterly crude that take is. You're literally tacking things on top of something that is already beautiful and elegant, tainting it beyond repair. Not that Squeenix would be above such a thing, mind you, but I would hope that Koji Fox would take a more high-minded approach to this whole thing. Everything is aether, after all, so why wouldn't everything also be powered by aether? It's simple, it's intuitive, it's elegant, it is the best possible solution and best available explanation for a whole host of supernatural occurrences within the universe of FFXIV.
But again... speculation. Heavensward could very well come out with lore telling us that they really are all powered by their own thing and aether has fuck-all to do with it - I would be incredibly disappointed, but it could happen. But until someone tells me otherwise, I assume that my character, who can't cast a spell to save her damn life, is still using aether to power all of her combat moves, and that anyone else who is a competent combatant is doing the same (ESPECIALLY martially-inclined Lalafell - I'm sorry, but small size is NOT an advantage in CQC).
Note that it doesn't have to be a huge and obvious effect with flashy lights and everything - that aether manipulation could be happening in extremely subtle fashions that directly influences the outcome of combat, and no one in-universe has to acknowledge it because it's a matter of course, i.e. it works on a subconscious level.
And that's my 200 gil. Take it or leave it.
There are two things that are unique to FFXIV's incarnation of this all-encompassing energy field. The first is that it actually obeys the first law of thermodynamics - aether is not an unlimited resource, and drawing too much of it from the environment can decimate everything in the immediate vicinity. The second is the fact that entire living creatures can be created purely out of aether, bypassing the normal rules of the creation of life (i.e. fertilization, gestation, and birth for sexual creatures). I suppose I should mention that lifeforms being capable of existing purely as aether also means that brains effectively serve no purpose other than to serve as vessels of the soul, something that is obviously completely different from RL (I will brook no discourse on this!).
That being said, others have already covered the use of it in magick, so I won't go into that here. What I am interested is in the manipulation of personal aether in ways that go outside the framework of using it for destructive magicks. Most of this is extrapolation and not canon, lest anyone get confused, so if you're not interested in this sort of thing you can turn back now.
So, we know that all living things have varying amounts of aether comprising their bodies. We know that thaumaturges can draw from their internal wellspring of aether to power spells (many of them incredibly destructive). It stands to reason, then, that this internal wellspring can be used to do far more than simply power magick.
Now, it could be argued that only monks really get to do this thanks to the whole 'opening the gates' thing they've got going, but I would argue that that only increases their body's natural ability to direct and move that aether at high speeds, rather than a basic requirement to be able to manipulate it at all, otherwise thaumaturgy wouldn't even be a thing. "But thaumaturgy is different!", you say. Well, yes and no. It still draws aether from the exact same place you're taking it from when you're performing your badass superpowered martial arts. It's just how it's used that's different.
I also happen to think that, given the idea that aether comprises our bodies AND our souls, that it makes sense for it to be used whenever possible. Yes, you could just as well argue that the warrior's "Inner Beast" and whatever the hell it is that dragoons do are their own, unique, self-contained ideas, but my problem with that lies in how utterly crude that take is. You're literally tacking things on top of something that is already beautiful and elegant, tainting it beyond repair. Not that Squeenix would be above such a thing, mind you, but I would hope that Koji Fox would take a more high-minded approach to this whole thing. Everything is aether, after all, so why wouldn't everything also be powered by aether? It's simple, it's intuitive, it's elegant, it is the best possible solution and best available explanation for a whole host of supernatural occurrences within the universe of FFXIV.
But again... speculation. Heavensward could very well come out with lore telling us that they really are all powered by their own thing and aether has fuck-all to do with it - I would be incredibly disappointed, but it could happen. But until someone tells me otherwise, I assume that my character, who can't cast a spell to save her damn life, is still using aether to power all of her combat moves, and that anyone else who is a competent combatant is doing the same (ESPECIALLY martially-inclined Lalafell - I'm sorry, but small size is NOT an advantage in CQC).
Note that it doesn't have to be a huge and obvious effect with flashy lights and everything - that aether manipulation could be happening in extremely subtle fashions that directly influences the outcome of combat, and no one in-universe has to acknowledge it because it's a matter of course, i.e. it works on a subconscious level.
And that's my 200 gil. Take it or leave it.
