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Knight Kat · **03-04-2015, 08:18 AM**

So, lore question.

I have now seen a few player characters in-game who said that their aether is "aspected" to a certain element like wind or fire. I don't remember what was said word for word, but I clearly remember it being described (by one or two) as if their aether is based on an element just like the various sprites in the game.

I'm curious if there is lore to support this. Do people have aether based on elements? If so, what determines which element?

If this is a lore thing, I would appreciate any info on it.

Kellach Woods · **03-04-2015, 08:27 AM**

I'm also curious - To me it makes sense since everything in the game touching Aether has been described as having an aspect of something with one exception which is described as strange. Unaspected Crystals, described as such : "For reasons unknown to you, this crystal has completely lost its elemental charge"

Arcanists' spells are also unaspected.

Inessa Hara · **03-04-2015, 08:44 AM**

Ive actually touched on this with a lore expert of sorts and we have generally come to this conclusion:

Lore wise, there is not really a thing called elemental Aether aspection. All PC's and NPC's have Aether but its usually formless and tangible and can be aspected into a certian element for a short time.

This however does not break lore if you roleplay an elementally aspected character. Its just really bending it since its not confirmed canon or fanon.

Warren Castille · **03-04-2015, 08:56 AM**

(03-04-2015, 08:44 AM)Inessa Hara Wrote: Ive actually touched on this with a lore expert of sorts and we have generally come to this conclusion:

Lore wise, there is not really a thing called elemental Aether aspection. All PC's and NPC's have Aether but its usually formless and tangible and can be aspected into a certian element for a short time.

This however does not break lore if you roleplay an elementally aspected character. Its just really bending it since its not confirmed canon or fanon.

If I remember correctly, elemental-aspected Aether fits firmly into the Grey Area of lore. Believable, just not openly invoked in the story.

Aduu Avagnar · **03-04-2015, 09:05 AM**

(03-04-2015, 08:56 AM)Warren Castille Wrote:
(03-04-2015, 08:44 AM)Inessa Hara Wrote: Ive actually touched on this with a lore expert of sorts and we have generally come to this conclusion:

Lore wise, there is not really a thing called elemental Aether aspection. All PC's and NPC's have Aether but its usually formless and tangible and can be aspected into a certian element for a short time.

This however does not break lore if you roleplay an elementally aspected character. Its just really bending it since its not confirmed canon or fanon.

If I remember correctly, elemental-aspected Aether fits firmly into the Grey Area of lore. Believable, just not openly invoked in the story.

this^

personally I see it as a strength/weakness thing for mages, they are stronger with one element than another, which may lead them to pursuing ways to increase their strengths in the others or developing their strongest. It's a nice plot device.

I do partake in this, though Nako's aether is unaspected, and gives off an opalescent sheen (I am a fan of I.M.E. (Individual Magic Effect, go read Goblins Tongue

)

Berrod Armstrong · **03-04-2015, 09:15 AM**

Agreed on the grey area bit!

Berrod's aether is generally unaspected, but through use of his chakras he may produce different aspects from the different seats of power. Earth from his Root, Unaspected from his Sacral, Lightning from his Solar Plexus, Fire from the Heart -- just a few examples.Â

In keeping with his theme of Rhalgr-worship, I've made him particularly talented with the lightning aspects, while weak against water and ice.

Inessa Hara · **03-04-2015, 09:20 AM**

(03-04-2015, 08:56 AM)Warren Castille Wrote:
(03-04-2015, 08:44 AM)Inessa Hara Wrote: Ive actually touched on this with a lore expert of sorts and we have generally come to this conclusion:

Lore wise, there is not really a thing called elemental Aether aspection. All PC's and NPC's have Aether but its usually formless and tangible and can be aspected into a certian element for a short time.

This however does not break lore if you roleplay an elementally aspected character. Its just really bending it since its not confirmed canon or fanon.

If I remember correctly, elemental-aspected Aether fits firmly into the Grey Area of lore. Believable, just not openly invoked in the story.

Pretty much what I think as well.

Food for thought though, when you are in Character creation, you can choose your patron deity and that will bestow varying levels of strength and weaknesses towards certain forms of Aether.

The aspection is very slight though. (by one or two points) but it is there. it does show that people can lean towards a certain element, which is why there are arguments to both side that neither can disprove unless actual lore on it is released.

Parvacake · **03-04-2015, 09:41 AM**

I agree with most of the others' posts above. Basically: if you can have it make sense, go for it.

Gegenji · **03-04-2015, 09:44 AM**

While I'm not so certain on there being an actual aspect to one's aether, I have heard some other folks also talking about how your aether is "colored" to fit the character? I don't know quite where I heard that, but it's an interesting idea. Even if healing aether always LOOKS green in-game and so on.

Also, people change over time... so if they do have colored/aspected aether, would they be stuck with that or could it change under certain stimuli?

Aduu Avagnar · **03-04-2015, 09:49 AM**

(03-04-2015, 09:44 AM)Gegenji Wrote: While I'm not so certain on there being an actual aspect to one's aether, I have heard some other folks also talking about how your aether is "colored" to fit the character? I don't know quite where I heard that, but it's an interesting idea. Even if healing aether always LOOKS green in-game and so on.

Also, people change over time... so if they do have colored/aspected aether, would they be stuck with that or could it change under certain stimuli?

I do it, as mentioned above, and possibly, I know one of the things I was looking at was the consumption, or draining of certain aspected crystals to get a slight benefit in one area (fire crystals for strength, earth for endurance.) which if overdone, might have that affect.

Parvacake · **03-04-2015, 10:14 AM**

(03-04-2015, 09:44 AM)Gegenji Wrote: While I'm not so certain on there being an actual aspect to one's aether, I have heard some other folks also talking about how your aether is "colored" to fit the character? I don't know quite where I heard that, but it's an interesting idea. Even if healing aether always LOOKS green in-game and so on.

Also, people change over time... so if they do have colored/aspected aether, would they be stuck with that or could it change under certain stimuli?

Having a character who can see aether, I'll just tell you how I do it Smile

Â It's not set in stone, but it seems to be something that works well for everyone who has RPed with me regarding it.

I mostly have gone by what I see in game when it comes to the storylines, game spells and mechanics, etc. If aether is like energy that's used for many things including those of magical devices, you can see how it can take on different colors. Elemental monsters seem to all have colors to their elemental aspect, and certain areas of magic carry colors as well.

Like most things Void related tend to be darker purples, the Ascians more black, healing has lighter blues and greens, etc.

Now then.Â

I usually leave it up to people to decide but if they need help I let them know I base it off a lot of factors: if they have any elemental alignments, specialties in magic, curses, aether related sicknesses, as well as personality. These all can affect the color of the light while the intensity of that light is based on how much aether they have. The more you have, the brighter you appear to someone like Lili.

Added note: I also think it's completely plausible for IC changes to the character to affect their aether.

Gegenji · **03-04-2015, 10:28 AM**

(03-04-2015, 10:14 AM)Lilithium Wrote: Added note: I also think it's completely plausible for IC changes to the character to affect their aether.

Ah, yeah, I thought it was a really neat idea... I just didn't know if there was some IG backing behind it. If there isn't, there really should be. It's a really interesting approach for those that see aether.

I've even gone so far as to muse on what my characters' aetheric colors might be. Chachan's I've been flitting between a warm yellow or orange to even a pure, unsullied white. Gogon's, as mentioned in the little story thing I'm writing about him, is a metallic gray or silver - like iron or steel. Judge's... I actually need to still think on, maybe a sort of stalwart brown?

It's actually a fun thought project, and I've even mused on the aether changing colors. Like... if Chachan's isn't ultimately white, it BECOMES white when he's in one of those heroic "must protect the peoples" situations. And, though I haven't mentioned it yet in the story, Gogon's aether color is actually becoming more of a rusty color due to his mind sorta... corroding after the razing of Doma.

Flickering Ember · **03-04-2015, 11:35 AM**

Aren't the Elementals pure aether?

I kinda figure aether is element based unless that aether is sourced from people or animals. Â But I agree, this is one of those grey areas that I find believable enough to work with. (Being able to see aether without those weird devices seems a little grey as well)

Jaliqai · **03-04-2015, 12:07 PM**

This is actually something that comes up in the background with Xheja. It's never featured heavily and only mentioned in passing in my RP if it's even mentioned at all, but I play her as if her aether is unstable due to her Void-corrupted condition and the sort of.. paper-clips-and-rubber-bands-and-duct-tape kind of anchor between her aether and her physical body.Â

As such, I leave her very susceptible to being affected by outside sources of aether that are acting upon her. Like recently for C'kayah and Kenthi's wedding, she wanted the aetherically reactive dye in her hair to be a nice deep red to match her outfit, so she siphoned aether from fire shards and crystals shortly before the ceremony until her aether was fire-aspected enough to produce the right color. But shortly after, the aspect faded and returned to normal.

I don't only play it as if there's elemental aspects, but also other influencing factors. Xheja's aether is naturally rather "Voidy" and whatnot, which people who are especially sensitive to aether might pick up on. She takes measures to mask it with special jewelry with purifying properties, but it's such a strong aspect to her aether that her presence can still give people an uneasy, "something isn't right here" feeling if they pay attention.

Of course, there's little in the way of lore to back any of this up. This is just one of those grey areas of plausibility that I hand wave in for flavor's sake. So take it as you will, haha.

Edit: Holy crap that's a lot of 'aether' in one post. If I had a dollar for each time I wrote it, I could take the entire RPC on a Hawaiian vacation. >.>; I shouldn't reply to threads while sleep deprived at work, rofl.

Mae · **03-04-2015, 12:29 PM**

I actually sort of assumed that some degree of elemental affinity was not only Lore, but common. At the very least, during character creation you choose your patron deity, and this does affect your elemental attributes. I don't know about the raiding scene (I'm not a raider) but I haven't experienced a part of the game where players --NEED-- to beef up elemental resists with materia for content, so it seems (to me) that the patron deity affecting elemental attributes is more of an RP/immersion thing.

Anyways.

Kara's got a higher affinity to fire and earth. She's got a minor affinity to air, neutral to lightning, weak to water, and -really- weak to ice. It's not exact to someone who's patron is Azeyma, but I think it's appropriate for someone who's very much a desert dweller.

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Characters' Aether Aspect to a Certain Element?

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