#this combo'd with my last post makes it really obvious what my specific interests in fiction are lmao

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

i think the establishment of "viator" as a title/interfix/whatchamacallit (ok google says it's a kind of prepositional particle but that's long and nonspecific so i'm not gonna use it) in endwalker is really really interesting. the existence of a word that can just culturally replace a part of your name, a part that appears to bind you to family? a title that is a literal social marker of exile. to be so completely disowned by nation and homeland that even the name they call you is revoked and altered.

other interesting thing about that is that "viator" is clearly meant to be taken as derived from "violator," as in, one who has broken the law or social code to the point where they can no longer be considered a citizen (i.e. [gestures at everything zenos did]). but in latin, viator actually means traveler. which i think is so fucking interesting. you are one who left us. one who strayed from home.

OTHER interesting related thing is that cid is still apparently Cid nan Garlond, according to gaius/nero/basically every garlean who uses his old name. like, cid is kind of infamous, right? highly skilled inventor, intended inheritor of an important legacy, who, from their perspective, sold his soul and principles to the enemy, ran off over to eorzea and put garlemald's proprietary magitek to use doing whatthefuckever he wanted. so why haven't they disowned him officially yet? why isn't he Cid viator Garlond?

ok the doylist explanation could very well be "they hadn't come up with the concept of viator during 1.x / arr and it was too late to retcon by the time of endwalker" but like, in universe. ignoring that. is viator reserved for like, nobility? is it a thing that needs to be done by immediate family and after midas's death, there wasn't anybody around to declare it? but actually i think the most likely explanation is based on the fact that nero bitches about his reputation and says he's "still the young prodigy of magitek," and gaius invites him to a position working directly for him, in the praetorium. they haven't officially exiled him cause they're still lowkey hoping he'll come to his senses and come take his father's place. which is Not happening but they just wanna leave the door open, just in case.