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+--- Thread: Character from the Far East? (/showthread.php?tid=8689)
Character from the Far East? - Rennaix - 10-18-2014
With the upcoming release of the Ninja class, I was thinking of making a character who is actually from the "Far East," instead of an Eorzean. I did some searching for lore regarding the Far East, but all I've managed to really find are some scattered mentions in levequests and the Heavensturn event, plus the little description on the Ninja class page saying that they come from the "war-torn lands of the Far East."Â
There is very little information and I don't want to break the lore, but I do have a few cool ideas I'd like to incorporate into my character that involve him being from there. What are your opinions on this? Would it be feasible to play a character from the Far East?
RE: Character from the Far East? - Antain - 10-18-2014
I don't see why not. Just be prepared to tweak the backstory a bit as lore becomes available. As it is, I know of one RPer who is from the Far East and my own character has mentioned "lands beyond the Jade Sea" being some of the most beautiful he's ever seen. With both of us, we keep it downplayed and vague so that when lore comes out for it, it's easy to incorporate it.
Hope this helps!
RE: Character from the Far East? - Sounsyy - 10-18-2014
So the term "Far East" refers to the Great Continent of Othard, which is (for the most part) conquered by the Garleans. Most recently, refugees from the Far Eastern city-state of Doma have fled Othard and have sought asylum in Eorzea. Now, Doma is far from the only city-state in Othard so it's entirely possible/plausible/believable that your Far Eastern character lived in Othard and now seeks to flee the Garlean occupied continent for Eorzea.
There's a few lore mentions of the Far East I found when I was collecting lore facts and whatnot. If you want I can look back through those and see if I can find something pertinent? Did you have any specific questions you were wanting answered?
Hope this has helped though! ^^
RE: Character from the Far East? - Aldotsk - 10-18-2014
There are plenty of Doman characters at the moment and if you would like to discuss more, Mizuho Mitarashi (my character) is a Doman character. Even though she is from the island of Doma area, there is plenty of open plot opportunities.
You can always modify it if it's inaccurate anyways. That's why retconning is the best thing in roleplaying.
RE: Character from the Far East? - Rennaix - 10-18-2014
Thanks for the great answers! All of them were incredibly helpful. I'm pretty sure about what I'm going to do now.
Sounsyy, I don't have any specific questions, but any information you've found at all would be great. Thank you, I appreciate it a lot!
Aldotsk, I'll send you a PM soon if that's alright - I would love to make some connections or plots with another Far East character!
RE: Character from the Far East? - Xydane - 10-19-2014
Like Aldotsk said, you can always modify something if it's inaccurate to lore. It's nobody's fault, it's just that we're given such a small amount of info. on that land that we end up using only what we know without trying to break lore.
I believe I have read up on at least three characters on the FFXIV RPC Wiki whom hail from the Far East. In fact, I even made NPC characters that lived in the east for my story "Unrelenting" .
Best of luck with creating your character and fleshing out his/her background!
RE: Character from the Far East? - Cranechild - 10-19-2014
I have a character that hails from the Shores of Othard in the FAR EAST land of Doma.
RE: Character from the Far East? - Aldotsk - 10-20-2014
(10-18-2014, 01:12 PM)Rennaix Wrote: Thanks for the great answers! All of them were incredibly helpful. I'm pretty sure about what I'm going to do now.
Sounsyy, I don't have any specific questions, but any information you've found at all would be great. Thank you, I appreciate it a lot!
Aldotsk, I'll send you a PM soon if that's alright - I would love to make some connections or plots with another Far East character!
You can feel free to PM me through Anelia Sadowyn (mostly my main) or  Mizuho Mitarashi instead.
RE: Character from the Far East? - Marisa - 10-20-2014
To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will.Â
Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?
RE: Character from the Far East? - Faye - 10-20-2014
(10-20-2014, 03:42 AM)Ryoko Wrote: To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will.Â
Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?
Everyone wants to be from the far east because anime. Simple as that!
RE: Character from the Far East? - Marisa - 10-20-2014
(10-20-2014, 04:18 AM)Faye Wrote:Possibly, but I always try to pretend that's not the case...(10-20-2014, 03:42 AM)Ryoko Wrote: To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will.Â
Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?
Everyone wants to be from the far east because anime. Simple as that!
Never got the fascination, personally. Asian history, particularly feudal Japan, is kind of a one-trick pony. It's like, it's cool and all, but there's not a ton going on there. European history is just so much more diverse and... well, warfare really is the best part of history, and Europeans were so much better at killing each other. Arabs had some pretty sweet shit going on, too.
RE: Character from the Far East? - Gaspard - 10-20-2014
To be honest, I'd say anime 'might' be the reason for 50-60 percent of the people, but Feudal Japan had also alot of cultural things going on that fascinate people, aswell as philosophical.
Personally, I enjoy Feudal Japanese history for the cultural aswell as philosophical aspects stemming from that time. While my view on it may be a bit westernized, I did go as far as to read Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Bushido, and read alot into Zen philosophy aswell. Besides that, I used to be a martial arts fan (what boy didn't, really), which also made me look more into things beyond the typical 'Domo arigato durr durr roboto' veneer.
I wouldn't go as far as to call Feudal Japan boring either. It's heavily over-saturated in media however, which is why it's very understandable why people have grown..tired of it. There's just so many Samurai / Ninja / Martial art flicks all based on Japanese/Chinese history and culture that it became very..overbearing by now.
That being said, I think alot of this draw towards the eastern also comes from this misconception that when it comes to martial arts and the likes, the Asians where the best (Case in point Samurai for Swordsman and Ninja for Assassins), along with the various martial arts from there (like Buddhist Kung Fu). While I don't support that view it is a predominant view for many, even though the likes of the ḤashshÄshÄ«n where apparently far more apt at their craft.
But yeah, long story short;
Japan feudal culture isn't boring, it's simply over-exposed and thus overbearing by now.
RE: Character from the Far East? - Yangh - 10-20-2014
(10-20-2014, 04:38 AM)Ryoko Wrote:(10-20-2014, 04:18 AM)Faye Wrote:Possibly, but I always try to pretend that's not the case...(10-20-2014, 03:42 AM)Ryoko Wrote: To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will.Â
Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?
Everyone wants to be from the far east because anime. Simple as that!
Never got the fascination, personally. Asian history, particularly feudal Japan, is kind of a one-trick pony. It's like, it's cool and all, but there's not a ton going on there. European history is just so much more diverse and... well, warfare really is the best part of history, and Europeans were so much better at killing each other. Arabs had some pretty sweet shit going on, too.
I don't have much to contribute except... I do play an Arabian themed character! She has a Scimitar and everything! Mainly because I loved Blue Mage in FF11 >.> She also speaks Arabic for her native tongue and has a HEAVY accent tacked on to her common speech. Arabic is hard to translate but super rewarding when you do! I also noticed that Shiva's trial is named in Arabic. This made me happy!
Moral of the story? do what you need to, to make it work... but be prepared to tweak and flat out ret-con things if you have to providing that you're devoted enough to the lore of the game in the first place.
Keep in mind that there will always be those those who don't agree with an aspect of your character due to one reason or another. They exist but don't let them deter you from playing whatever the hell you want to!
RE: Character from the Far East? - Sounsyy - 10-20-2014
(10-20-2014, 03:42 AM)Ryoko Wrote: To hijack the thread a tiny bit, where is Jalzahn (atma dude) from? It wasn't Ala Mhigo or Sharlayan, was it? I feel like he was from somewhere east, but not as far east as Doma. A "Middle East", if you will.Â
Why does nobody ever want to be from that place?
Jalzahn is from the island nation of Thavnair, which is also referred to as the "Near East." The atma process and the whole Weapons of the Twelve Zodiac is actually something out of Thavnairian legend. Jalzahn is also the guy who invented "Thavnairian Mist" the item used to turn your relic into a Zenith.
But yes,
Far East = Othard (The eastern Great Continent)
Near East = Thavnair (Island nation in the Jade Sea)
RE: Character from the Far East? - Hyakki - 10-20-2014
I have bits and pieces of information on the far east and Othard. Unfortunately, I am unable to access it right now as I only have my phone and have a LONG drive home ahead of me.
Should you be looking for other eastern characters to RP with on Balmung, there are quite a few of us that would welcome you, as Aldotsk said. I would be happy to meet with you when I get home, I have a Doman character by the name of Seiko Mamushi.
If you are concerned about contradictory lore, keep your background simple and build upon it as lore to support it comes along. People are going to disagree and you may find other characters' stories disagreeable too, neither side has to accept the other but bickering about whose way is the right way is pointless. Do your own thing, don't be afraid to make changes if you feel you need to, don't change because others who aren't even interested in your character threw a fit.