Not going to drop all of Eva's family's duskwight ancestry/backstory just yet because there are some good discussion points here!
I agree with this, but only to an extent. Â Not every Wildwood is going to harbor the animosity the lore describes. Â Most might be relatively neutral or perhaps more open-minded about the matter. Â As Eorzea has become this melting pot it makes sense that most people would become more tolerant if not more respectful of other races/clans. Â I agree that some RPers may either be somewhat oblivious to the lore, or otherwise not want to exhibit any sort of racist tendencies for all the reasons that have been mentioned so far, but one must also account for those who are reasonable, tolerant, and open-minded characters. Â Eva as a character herself works against that stereotype as well and it probably doesn't help perpetuate that overall stigma as well. Â There were so few duskwights in 1.0 and she as a benevolent sort would probably have been seen as a larger minority than should actually be represented. Â That said, I would expect some characters exhibit a sort of aversion to Eva simply for being a duskwight and would RP this accordingly were it ever to happen. Â As has been said before, I want people to remain true to their characters, and if a character would express something akin to, "You filthy Grey," or somesuch, than I think that would just be swell to react to that accordingly. Â As yet in my experiences, it has only happened with made-up background characters I've created myself.
I really love this analysis!! Â I sometimes envision it that way too. Â To expand a little bit on the living arrangements there, since it was brought up that Duskwights are essentially shunned from Gridania - I don't know if that's necessarily exactly true. Â I don't recall seeing many from 1.0 and it's possible there's no NPC's at all - I haven't noticed and admittedly sometimes it's difficult to be able to tell from appearance, particularly with elezens who display fairer skin tones. Â I've used this "closeness of appearance" in the past to help explain to myself why Eva might not be as shunned as much others, along with a few other possibilities as mentioned in my previous post (but I accept that some of it may stem from RPer unwillingness to RP a prejudice like that as well, as has also been posited).
Eva's father actually became a very wealthy man who initially took up residence in Gridania when she was still a little girl. Â They lived in modesty in a shanty at the end of a cul-de-sac despite the wealth, and he was largely invisible for the sake of not tainting the image of his business. Â She went to school but had to deal with being different - this didn't help her stress level and she coped by overeating. Â Despite the accumulated wealth, these living arrangements remained consistent.
There have been a lot of Wildwood Elezen characters in her backstory (both RPers and background characters whom we have developed) who have overlooked or ignored this stigma. Â And there have been a few who have adhered to it (such as her old boyfriend's parents and some of her classmates). Â I think I'd written a journal entry some time back where Eva was acting as a healer at Stillglade Fane and tending to a Wildwood patient who snapped at her and refused treatment from her and demanded another nurse. Â I have tried to keep this somewhat balanced throughout her history.
We should be mindful that, though the lore indicates that there is a stereotype and aversion to this particular race/clan, not everyone is going to exhibit that. Â Adventurers in particular will probably tend to be a more open-minded lot than most, as well.
(07-20-2013, 04:01 AM)Twinflame Wrote: The most likely reason your clan hasn't come up, Eva, is because of what Teardrop touched on: people RP their characters, but fail to RP the world.
I agree with this, but only to an extent. Â Not every Wildwood is going to harbor the animosity the lore describes. Â Most might be relatively neutral or perhaps more open-minded about the matter. Â As Eorzea has become this melting pot it makes sense that most people would become more tolerant if not more respectful of other races/clans. Â I agree that some RPers may either be somewhat oblivious to the lore, or otherwise not want to exhibit any sort of racist tendencies for all the reasons that have been mentioned so far, but one must also account for those who are reasonable, tolerant, and open-minded characters. Â Eva as a character herself works against that stereotype as well and it probably doesn't help perpetuate that overall stigma as well. Â There were so few duskwights in 1.0 and she as a benevolent sort would probably have been seen as a larger minority than should actually be represented. Â That said, I would expect some characters exhibit a sort of aversion to Eva simply for being a duskwight and would RP this accordingly were it ever to happen. Â As has been said before, I want people to remain true to their characters, and if a character would express something akin to, "You filthy Grey," or somesuch, than I think that would just be swell to react to that accordingly. Â As yet in my experiences, it has only happened with made-up background characters I've created myself.
(07-20-2013, 08:25 AM)Teardrop Wrote: Eva might be one that Isobeau sees flowing across the upper class portion of the markets, surrounded by the melting pot of Eorzea, might find herself casting envious glances toward the lighter-skinned Duskwight, wondering what it might be like to trade places, then catching enough of the dark, poisonous glares that the fair woman still received, yet seemed not to notice, from others in the plaza and think to herself no, nothing really changes at all...
I really love this analysis!! Â I sometimes envision it that way too. Â To expand a little bit on the living arrangements there, since it was brought up that Duskwights are essentially shunned from Gridania - I don't know if that's necessarily exactly true. Â I don't recall seeing many from 1.0 and it's possible there's no NPC's at all - I haven't noticed and admittedly sometimes it's difficult to be able to tell from appearance, particularly with elezens who display fairer skin tones. Â I've used this "closeness of appearance" in the past to help explain to myself why Eva might not be as shunned as much others, along with a few other possibilities as mentioned in my previous post (but I accept that some of it may stem from RPer unwillingness to RP a prejudice like that as well, as has also been posited).
Eva's father actually became a very wealthy man who initially took up residence in Gridania when she was still a little girl. Â They lived in modesty in a shanty at the end of a cul-de-sac despite the wealth, and he was largely invisible for the sake of not tainting the image of his business. Â She went to school but had to deal with being different - this didn't help her stress level and she coped by overeating. Â Despite the accumulated wealth, these living arrangements remained consistent.
There have been a lot of Wildwood Elezen characters in her backstory (both RPers and background characters whom we have developed) who have overlooked or ignored this stigma. Â And there have been a few who have adhered to it (such as her old boyfriend's parents and some of her classmates). Â I think I'd written a journal entry some time back where Eva was acting as a healer at Stillglade Fane and tending to a Wildwood patient who snapped at her and refused treatment from her and demanded another nurse. Â I have tried to keep this somewhat balanced throughout her history.
We should be mindful that, though the lore indicates that there is a stereotype and aversion to this particular race/clan, not everyone is going to exhibit that. Â Adventurers in particular will probably tend to be a more open-minded lot than most, as well.
"One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others." Â ~ Lewis Carol
Eva's Journals  |  Eva's Wiki Page (coming soon)  |  RP Handbook
Eva's Journals  |  Eva's Wiki Page (coming soon)  |  RP Handbook
