+- Hydaelyn Role-Players (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18)
+-- Forum: Community (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Forum: Character Workshop (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=34)
+--- Thread: Help With Fleshing Out a Character (/showthread.php?tid=19927)
Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Neryem - 06-29-2017
So I currently play my aspiring ICly healer, a lalafell, and was interested to fantasia her to another race, specifically a hyur. Since Stormblood is is full effect and more ala mhigan characters are popping up I thought I would ago ahead and give it a shot to see how it would be with my lala's fell backstory. I found the angle of roleplaying a shy and timid ala mhighan wishing to grow as strong and confident as her kind.
So here's the brief summary so far:
The character would be fairly young, around 16-18 and be the standard ala mhigan, not wanted or looked upon with much regard in Ul'dah. She would have experience in alchemy and herbology to a certain extent, scrounging for outdated texts on the craft to better herself and her kind. It would be through some stray luck that she manage to hear about a job in Limsa. She dumped all of the gil she could muster and sought passage to gamble one this one last shot.
The job would be a set up by a rogue band of pirates, capturing the character and learning of their talents of working with herbs. Seeing the opportunity for some extra cash, she was put to use with the synthesis of drugs and other numerous illegal goods under the service of the pirates. She would have managed to escape around the current time of adventurers and the king leaving to Doma and Ala Mhigo.
RE: Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Virella - 06-29-2017
Sounds like a base to work of!
However, if you go down the Ala Mhigan route, I feel you're either leaving a lot of potential out, or simply didn't include it here? Where did she grow up, what were her parents, what were her parents/caretakers stance on the situation they were forced into? Did she end up living in poverty? Did she get out of it somehow? Did she become bitter towards non-Ala Mhigans or did she get over it all? There's quite a bit of things you can play around with this still!
RE: Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Neryem - 06-29-2017
(06-29-2017, 08:33 PM)Virella Wrote: Sounds like a base to work of!Very good point!
However, if you go down the Ala Mhigan route, I feel you're either leaving a lot of potential out, or simply didn't include it here? Where did she grow up, what were her parents, what were her parents/caretakers stance on the situation they were forced into? Did she end up living in poverty? Did she get out of it somehow? Did she become bitter towards non-Ala Mhigans or did she get over it all? There's quite a bit of things you can play around with this still!
I suppose she would have been born into poverty before the fall which explains her rather stubborn and attachment to her property. She would have grown up either in a city itself or somewhere rural. Her parents would have been pretty absent in her life from either working or the alternative, dead or just uncaring. Her treatment has left her with a very sour taste of Ul'dah and its natives.
Do you have anymore questions or critiques?
(sorry. not good with xiv lore!)
RE: Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Virella - 06-29-2017
Before the fall though? Ala Mhigo got conquered ~20 years ago! So that means, if you want her to be 16-18, she has to be Ala Mhigan but born ourside Gyr Abania. Or simply make her a bit older, if you want her to have at least some childhood memories of the place.
Another option if to have a character who lived under occupied Ala Mhigo? That might be very interesting as well!
RE: Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Neryem - 06-29-2017
(06-29-2017, 09:51 PM)Virella Wrote: Before the fall though? Ala Mhigo got conquered ~20 years ago! So that means, if you want her to be 16-18, she has to be Ala Mhigan but born ourside Gyr Abania. Or simply make her a bit older, if you want her to have at least some childhood memories of the place.Ah my mistake. Thank you for the help!
Another option if to have a character who lived under occupied Ala Mhigo? That might be very interesting as well!
RE: Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Kieron Lohengrin - 06-30-2017
This timeline can help you with character planning: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XIV/Timeline
In terms of real-world analogues, Garlemald = Rome, and Ala Mhigo = Carthage.
You have options with a young character. The fall of Ala Mhigo may have deeply affected her, especially if it left her growing up a poor and desperate refugee, or a survivor under colonial occupation. See: Ilberd / Raubahn archetype.
My own main is of Ala Mhigan / Highlander descent, but his grandparents moved away from Ala Mhigo years before Gaius conquered it, and lived in relative prosperity elsewhere in Eorzea. So he has less emotional investment compared to others. See: third/fourth-generation immigrant experience.
RE: Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Virella - 06-30-2017
(06-30-2017, 10:54 PM)Kieron Lohengrin Wrote: In terms of real-world analogues, Garlemald = Rome, and Ala Mhigo = Carthage.Eeeek. Not really. The Garleans aren't exactly doing that. They improved some of the living conditions, for some nations, if not groups of people, but far from all of them.
RE: Help With Fleshing Out a Character - Kieron Lohengrin - 07-01-2017
It's mainly in reference to the naming conventions, hierarchical structure, and penchant for conquest. The real-world Roman Empire didn't start building aqueducts for its conquered territories until well into its reign.
Similarly, the Garlean Empire is less than a century old. They probably didn't plan to play nice and share widespread magitek prosperity with their vassal states until all the indigenous resistance / eikon tribal worship got wiped out - which is why Cid defecting and forming Garlond Ironworks is such an affront.
Judging from Regula van Hydrus' dialogue, there's a lot of games of thronesy infighting back home that's slowing the empire down, on top of all the rebellions you foment in Stormblood. I fully expect we'll be seeing Ilsabard or Meracydia in 5.0 after freeing Ala Mhigo and Othard in 4.0-4.x.