Yoshida Wrote:We are aiming for a 2.4 release of a system where the people living in Eorzea can pledge their love and/or friendship for each other with another player. And because you are pledging love and friendship we don't want there to be any barriers that prevent people of a certain age or race or gender from being able to pledge their love for one another.
Going over old interviews, there seems to be a heavy emphasis from the producers also talking about bonding allowing a ceremony between characters "regardless of race, creed, or gender," implying that typical marriage would have some sort of restrictions based on nationality or race. Eternal bonding, in addition to allowing a ceremony between genders without restriction, bypasses other legal boundaries.
Yoshida Wrote:People within Eorzea will be able to pledge their eternal love and or friendship in a ceremony of eternal bonding. And this will be open to people regardless of race, creed, and gender. Two players...if they want to be together, in Eorzea, they can—through this eternal bonding ceremony.
We discussed it, and we realized: within Eorzea, why should there be restrictions on who pledges their love or friendship to each other? And so we decided to go this way.
It feels like there's a lot going unsaid, of course, which means that yes, we as players and lore-hounds do have to make a few leaps in fantasy-judgement due to real-life standards. The implication being, as far as I can tell, eternal bonding is a way to proclaim love or strong friendship without jumping through the fiery, red-taped hoops of a wholly legal marriage. But if anyone has a different interpretation I'd be glad to hear it.
