Well, I'm not going to speculate on Sylvain's reasons for hiding his real self; I'd need to know more about him than I do to have any idea why. But for me, there's always been an element of...requirement to it. After all, as I mentioned, the real me is someone people never liked or even got to know, because they didn't think I had the right kind of blood in my veins... [He shrugs.]
And it's not that I want you to be some fanciful legend. It's that I think people only become legends like that because of the incredible things they accomplish. [He smiles.] I want to see you and Sylvain and Dimitri leave such bright, indelible marks on history with the incredible things you do for Faerghus, if not all of Fodlan, that people can't help but talk about you for centuries to come.
And yes, maybe to a degree that means people will lose sight of who you really were after you're gone, and built up some legendary, fictional version of you instead. But I think that's probably the fate of anyone whose records of glorious accomplishment outlive them, and it's a small price to pay. You won't have to be around to get annoyed at it, for one thing. [He gives Felix another wink, raking a hand through his hair. This makes it more tousled rather than less so, honestly. He must dry it in a certain way to make it lay as smoothly as it does these days, because it's not so obvious now.]
That said, rather than giving you a false impression...the personal challenge and heightened demands of my skill are admittedly only part of it. Part of the point is actually the show itself. It has a psychological effect, you know. [He taps his temple.] Demonstrating how unconcerned you are to your enemies, bolstering your allies with your confidence, drawing attention to yourself at critical moments as a distraction...and, oh, yes, inflating your reputation against people who might try to usurp your position. Can Count Gloucester shoot someone with an arrow upside down on a wyvern? I'd love to see him try.
You can fight on so many different levels besides the purely physical, Felix. Someday you'll appreciate the multifaceted levels of my genius. [A beat.] It probably won't be the day you beat me into the dirt, though. I'm more skilled with axes than swords, and even then I'm an archer first.
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Date: 2020-12-15 12:48 pm (UTC)And it's not that I want you to be some fanciful legend. It's that I think people only become legends like that because of the incredible things they accomplish. [He smiles.] I want to see you and Sylvain and Dimitri leave such bright, indelible marks on history with the incredible things you do for Faerghus, if not all of Fodlan, that people can't help but talk about you for centuries to come.
And yes, maybe to a degree that means people will lose sight of who you really were after you're gone, and built up some legendary, fictional version of you instead. But I think that's probably the fate of anyone whose records of glorious accomplishment outlive them, and it's a small price to pay. You won't have to be around to get annoyed at it, for one thing. [He gives Felix another wink, raking a hand through his hair. This makes it more tousled rather than less so, honestly. He must dry it in a certain way to make it lay as smoothly as it does these days, because it's not so obvious now.]
That said, rather than giving you a false impression...the personal challenge and heightened demands of my skill are admittedly only part of it. Part of the point is actually the show itself. It has a psychological effect, you know. [He taps his temple.] Demonstrating how unconcerned you are to your enemies, bolstering your allies with your confidence, drawing attention to yourself at critical moments as a distraction...and, oh, yes, inflating your reputation against people who might try to usurp your position. Can Count Gloucester shoot someone with an arrow upside down on a wyvern? I'd love to see him try.
You can fight on so many different levels besides the purely physical, Felix. Someday you'll appreciate the multifaceted levels of my genius. [A beat.] It probably won't be the day you beat me into the dirt, though. I'm more skilled with axes than swords, and even then I'm an archer first.