(11-14-2017, 08:09 AM)Ymyrha Wrote:(11-14-2017, 07:34 AM)C Wrote: Regarding white mage/magic:
As you likely already know, right now the only ones allowed to practice white magic are the padjal who were entrusted by the elementals. And of course special snowflake WoL.
As I recall, Koji did mention "other means" to learn white magic, but said they were "nefarious" in nature. Beyond that, we weren't given any details. Granted, I've not done the 60-70 job quests so perhaps more is explained in there....?
I actually haven't done the 60 - 70 WHM quests on my main yet, although I am in the process of leveling it up. I'll definitely scrutinize the quest text there, just to see if there's further elaboration since Koji didn't give us much else to work off of.
Alas, no. More is not explained there. White Magic is referred to, yes, but what is actually going on in the questline has nothing to do with White Magic. You just happen to be more trusted because you are a "White Mage of standing."
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- Y'myrha is a very motherly figure for a lot of reasons. She's very empathetic, sincere, and kind-hearted, and I'd be lying if I said part of the reason wasn't to fit the bill of "mother hen healer," where she may or may not risk falling into the trope of White Magician Girl.
The thing is, there's no reason you would need to specifically be a White Mage for your character to be motherly. In fact, the only thing in that trope link that fits White Mage specifically is that the character in question usually wields White Magic. Literally everything else can be accomplished with a Conjurer. In fact, the bulk of your healing abilities don't come from White Mage at all - they're Conjurer abilities. There's no reason for us to even believe that White Mages are particularly motherly or kind beyond the few White Mage NPCs we encounter. One of the reasons why the Elementals hid White Magic in the first place is that the Amdapori abused the shit out of it, and in the process, very nearly destroyed the world. For all we know, traditional White Mages during the time of Amdapor were in it for power or the accolades of others, not out of kindness.
Quote:The above ties into my next reason: it adds an extra layer of depth, in my opinion. Soft-hearted and kind though she may be, it lends credence to the possibility that she understands what she's doing is wrong, and technically illegal, but she's inspired to do it because of her want to try and help others as much as she can. It's cliché, absolutely, but it's still an angle that can be worked with, and has been and will be for some time.
How does White Magic add a "layer of depth" to your character? Just saying, "Well, she knows it's wrong but she does it anyway" is reasoning, but it's not depth. How does White Magic make it more likely that she would understand what she's doing is wrong any more than, say, attempting a particularly difficult form of Conjury that could, say, damage the land?
Another thing to point out is that White Magic isn't actually illegal. See, for it to be illegal, people would have to actually know about it. Can't make a law about something that supposedly doesn't exist. Can't be illegal if there's no law outlawing it. So it's not illegal. Forbidden? Again, can't forbid something that supposedly doesn't exist anymore.
Quote:I was a WHM main through much of A Realm Reborn, and although I switched for Heavensward, I'm kind of going back to it here with Stormblood. It's always been one of my favourite jobs among all of the games, and I've always been a little disappointed that I was never able to actually mold my character after them considering the highly forbidden, highly secretive way white magic has been portrayed. Once I saw the blurb from Koji about white magic being accessible outside of the Padjal, I've been thinking long and hard about whether or not to do.
So, your reason is, "I want to be a White Mage because I've always wanted to be a White Mage and I hate that it's uber restrictive."
That's totally valid. I have been there, and I completely agree - it's ripe bullshit how they've portrayed it in the game. That's really all the reasoning you need - don't stretch for other things, because those other things are stretches. "I want to do it" is literally the only justification you need.
The hard part is making how you choose to accomplish this believable.
(11-14-2017, 09:44 AM)Gegenji Wrote:
- A WHM soul crystal found in one of the battlefields of La Noscea. Nym was located there, after all, and was one of the three factions in the War of the Magi. It's not too far of a stretch that they might have either obtained a WHM crystal or one could have been left behind by an Amdaporian combatant.
As far as I know (someone correct me if I'm wrong here), Amdapor and Nym were never directly at war, nor did they fight together in La Noscea itself.
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With all of this said, OP - it's really up to you. Find a story that makes sense to you. I have a really hard time believing that the Xenophobic Gridanians would open up enough to even tell a foreign-born Sun Seeker about White Magic, but who knows? If you can come up with a story that works for you, go for it. All that matters is whether you will fit in with your particular group.
Edited to Add: In talking with a friend, an old theory popped up - there's a good chance there's some pocket of White Mages hidden in some crazy remote part of Gyr Abania who descended from 6th Umbral Era survivors. It's likely that their techniques would, however, be wholly unconnected with the current Padjal-taught form of White Magic. Still, they might be a hell of a lot more open to teaching a foreign-born Sun Seeker Miqo'te than the admittedly xenophobic Gridanians.
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