Apparently in the lore, as per the real-life time period Eorzea is roughly analogous to (socially, not technologically), the vast majority of the land's inhabitants are illiterate. Left to the realm of the very highly educated, or some such. IMO, that didn't really need a devpost to be made obvious, since it makes sense if one knows their history. Eorzea doesn't have a public education system let alone an education system, period, for anyone to be able to learn how to become literate. Most RP characters seem to be literate, even if they come from a background where there typically wouldn't be an opportunity to make this possible.
So from that, assuming your character is literate, where and how did they learn to read and write? My character is not, since he was born in poverty and professionally is a rank-and-file soldier. There is no need for him to be literate, nor was there an opportunity, I suppose!
Shoshopu and her brothers learned to read from her mother, who is from an Ul'dahn merchant family. Her father is descended from a long line of Dunesfolk who live in the traditional manner as nomads on top of giant animals, so he's completely illiterate. Her four brothers can read a little bit but they weren't as interested in learning.
I hope I get to RP as/with her family members someday. That's kind of novel to me, coming from GW2 where the setting is, like... high fantasy, socially progressive, thanks to the Priory's literacy campaign everyone can read, etc
He rarely confesses this to anyone, but Osric wasn't truly gutterborn. His early childhood saw him a son to a caravan-guard-turned-caravan-master and his wife. That benefit coupled with living in Limsa Lominsa resulted in access to paid tutors from the Arcanist's Guild at Mealvaan's Gate.Â
That all went south when Cenric Melkire committed suicide. The resulting fallout left his family destitute and drove his eldest son to the streets in order to support the small household.
tl;dr: lucky to be born into the right family in the right city at the right time.
Berrod was taught by his mother at a young age. They were from Ala Mhigo proper, and her work required literacy. As he grew up, she taught him everything she knew so that he'd be able to survive in the event of her not making it.
Lucky thing.
The same people that taught her how to kill properly. c:
Val totally taught himself how to write.Â
And it shows.
Armi was taught by the Priesthood. It was pretty much necessary when she was priestess. She took to it slowly, since she started at 12, and wasn't very good at it till 17.
Jet'a was taught at a rather late age (12 years old) by the alchemist who picked him up from the streets.
While Chiara was educated by a personal mentor hired by her family when she was a child, coming from an aristocratic family of goldsmiths in Ul'dah who could afford such expenses.
Vincent is also from a mid-upper class Ishgardian family, and since he couldn't become a knight (ineptitude for combat, combined to allergy to chocobos), he was instead raised to become acquainted with political affairs and the like, so reading and writing were due skills.
My other five characters are illiterate, and so will my two Au Ras, I think.
Adrian can barely read or write. He's more or less self-taught, though a few others have helped him.
Mine didn't. He's an illiterate moron.
Vali was taught how to read/write from her dead husband
The priests of The ossuary and the thaunaturges guild, due to the texts he was required to study.
For Kurt and Keil, it's from their parent figures.
Kurt's case is a little bit more basic and he's learned to try and be a little more literate on his journey to level 50, mainly by trying to assimilate whatever he can gleam from others.
Keil's case requires him to read and write seeing as his adoptive parent had a penchant for gathering stories and riddles(which ties in to how I translate the MSQ to his own storyline) aside from skewering bodies with a spear.
As for Alicen, no she can't read or write but I can't bring myself to start sounding like a complete dumbass....even if I'm developing her to be one.
Graeham's parents funded his education so he's rather well spoken and capable of writing. It also allows him to avoid becoming just another mercenary that kills for coin since there's plenty of odd jobs that he can do to fund his travels.
Ludivine's parents were both fighters and leaders, as were their parents; the knowledge to write and make documents and plans was passed down through the family, and passed to Ludivine too.