#I know her whole thing was a reference to FFIV

[hazelkjt]

"I know you've got your sword and your shield already...this was kind of an on a whim sort of thing. I just thought...y'know...maybe you'd want a replacement after your last one broke...you like it?" "How could I not? It's a gift from you after all. A gift I will surely return the debt for, in due time."

[lunarianborn]

A list of small headcanons/facts about moon-boi taken from the novels, and that would be too short for clio’s stardards hhh for an individual post:

-- Biggs recalls of how, at the very beginning of the Red Wings’ life, Cecil was appointed fleet captain and of how that itself served as an incentive for recruitment: many young Baronian boys volunteered as soldier at the news, both dreaming of flying on those iconic airships one day, and also driven by the story of a orphan like Cecil managing to be named its captain. Of course, he was a special case, but Biggs mentions he too is not a nobleman. With Biggs being appointed captain of the Red Wings in After Years, you can see this ‘promise of glory’ wasn’t so far-fetched.

--  Nonetheless (and opposite of how Biggs will be once Ceodore comes around) Cecil used to be a very relaxed and friendly captain, at first at the very least. It is mentioned of how promptly Cecil would have forgiven soldiers for forgetting tasks or stances, or how he would have not scolded them for leaving their post by mistake.

--  Since parting ways in Fabul, Golbez still managed to keep an eye on Cecil and his progress and whereabouts thanks to a magical mirror. Gazing at it, he could see where Cecil was, what he was doing, constantly monitoring all of his movements. Somehow, Golbez can manipulate said mirror and even shift the reflected image. Considering Lunarian technology to be more advanced and the fact Zemus was still possessing Golbez, I presume the mirror was drawn to either Cecil’s Lunarian blood or by the darkness in his heart, growing ever stronger the more time he spent as a Dark Knight -- for once the mirror reflects Mount Ordeals and the place where Kluya awaits Cecil, the mirror is flooded by a sudden light which shatters the glass in countless of pieces, one of which tries to hurt Golbez too. He sends Scarmiglione to stop Cecil because he can’t keep an eye on him any longer.

--  Upon trying to grab Lightbringer, on top of the mountain, Cecil finds his fingers retreating and shaking, against his will. He soon understands it is the darkness inside his heart that tries to make him desist, his thoughts about it are quite the gem -- also considering this is one of the very few chapters with his direct POV and thoughts:

“Cecil moved his right hand, but stopped just before touching the hilt. His whole body began to quiver and his heart was suddenly full with fear. His fingers retreated. -- Someone is talking, behind me. Palom, maybe. I feel they are talking, but I can’t hear a word of what they’re all saying. -- He closed his eyes. -- I can’t feel a thing! -- He was struggling to keep his eyes shut. -- I can’t talk! I am refusing to hear things I don’t believe in! -- Darkness feared that light as much as children feared dark nights. He focused on his retreating hand. -- I can’t touch that light, the darkness in my heart is afraid of it and makes me hesitate! --. [...] He tried stretching his fingers open once more. -- Stop it! -- Darkness was screaming inside his heart. His hand trembled as it opened. Cecil could spread his fingers now, each one of them resembling a branch of a tree grasping for sunlight in the dry desert.”

--  According to Cid, Cecil did look similar to Luca’s Calca doll when he was a child, while Rosa looked like Brina.

--  Cecil risks of dying by the hand of Rosa, right after her rescue in Zot. Before the party could reach her, Golbez promised Kain a, I quote, good show, plus Rosa as rewards for his service and Cecil’s death. While Kain thinks he’s referring to the giant blade above the girl, that’s not the whole truth; as soon as Cecil frees her and they hug, in fact, Kain sees Rosa lifting her dagger and trying to stab Cecil’s back. Kain rushes and takes away the knife, and the impact and wound it leaves on her hand wakes Rosa up from Golbez’s mental control. Cecil never noticed a thing though, and only felt embarrassed by Kain’s weird reaction. More than an attempt to Cecil’s life, it’s more about symbolism, as Kain and Rosa, during her captivity, shared another scene with the same dagger.

--  With Cecilia dying of childbirth, Cecil was supposed to be taken into someone else’s house and adopted as soon as possible, needing care and a new place to stay. I plan to make a more detailed post about Cecilia’s story, so for now I’ll just throw here some facts. His hometown wasn’t Mist, although the villages models in the DS versions look the same -- it was instead located in the woods surrounding Mysidia. Many orphans would have been brought to Mysidia to be taken into the Prayer Tower to study magic under the guide of the Elder (like Palom & Porom), it’s safe to assume that would have been Cecil’s destiny as well, for most of his hometown’s villagers were old men and women, who would have struggled taking care of two orphaned children, Cecil and Theodor.

-- I want you all to know Cecil was gifted wooden toy airships by Cid, when he was little, and that he was also given a small rabbit doll, which he kept near his bed throughout his whole childhood. Big symbolism time, which shouldn’t come as a surprise for FFIV DS players, since Namingway and his tribe on the moon look like rabbits, and rabbits are said to be living on the moon / are associated with the moon in many legends and stories.