#hilariously Finn is by blood a Dzmael but the only person who knows that is Edmont lmao

[bee-a-ts]

I thought a lot about time and place with Finn's kids. Her son - born in the wake of the Calamity - was named Rorick, meaning loosely "famous and powerful ruler." It's a name that evokes the highlands of Gyr Abania to me, and represented Finn's aspirations for her son. Not only was Rory inheriting the Calamity, of course, but living under Garlean occupation. His mother salvaged scrap metal from broken Garlean machines to get by; his grandmother was a sex worker in a high end brothel catering to diplomats. Finn wanted a better life for him.

A derivative, Roric, also means "dewy," or "resembling dew," which I quite like. Freshness and hope to cushion those heavy expectations. Finn called him dewdrop or Rory, never his full name.

Finn gets pregnant with Emelin during Endwalker - a comforting afternoon tryst with Cid in between apocalypses. She keeps it a secret until her return from Ultima Thule. That's a story I'll write someday, but in short, Emelin's birth was an overwhelmingly emotional time for Finn.

Emelin derives from the romance languages, although one version does trace back to German, much like Rorick. It means "hard working", and also "brave" and "whole." A more realistic aspiration, but a lovely one nonetheless.

It suits her as the child of a Garlean and Gyr Abanian; but just as much, it's a nod to Emmanellain de Fortemps. Yes, really. Finn has no living blood family (that she knows - another story yet to be written) by the time she reaches Foundation, and the de Fortemps family therefore becomes her own. Especially after Haurche dies, she feels immense guilt and responsibility for their welfare. Emmanellain is often silly and disconnected from reality; but Finn cares for him as a brother, and is immensely proud of how he continues to grow. Naming her daughter Emelin is just another way of tying herself to the de Fortemps family as one of their own.

3/31/24

What names would / did your wol(oc) give to their kids? Is there a meaning behind it?