Aya

Of course there isn't any evidence, if there were we wouldn't even be talking about this. The whole point is that this is a game that takes place in a lore-light world and we're just trying to fill in the gaps.

I definitely agree that Ishgard does provide an in for those who do not meet the usual requirements to earn a position in the stratified hierarchy, in the military in particular, and likely through earning favor within an existing Elezen House. In a sense their religious nature, and the common cause of the war against the Dravanians, will serve as a crucible in which racist tendencies are tested and broken down. But it does not take much to infer that in a society where power is held firmly in the hands of a racial and class elite, that they view the rest of their people through a racist lens. How far does this racist lens percolate down? That's hard to say - does the common Elezen street vendor find more in common with his Elezen House Lords or with the Hyur down the street? There's really no way to conjecture. What I think is more obvious is that non-Elezen have a harder time earning their place in this society, and are met with an eye of greater judgement from Elezen officialdom. I am not suggesting that this is strictly the case, only that it is a natural and logical inference from the things that we do know about Ishgard. I think drawing the opposite conclusion would fly in the face of what we know.

No it doesnt. It rests on the extreme nature of Ishgardian culture (of which their zealotry is but one symptom) combined with the clear existence of a racial elite, in a world where racism is the norm.

This actually sounds a bit more like Nationalism as opposed to racism. Though racism tends to be a component in aggressive nationalist states. *Quickly dives for cover and hides Political Science hat* What we know about Ishgard and the world itself lends itself naturally to the conclusion that Ishgard is highly and systematically rascist. It is not proven, perhaps l, but is an easy inference. I think that it tries to cultivate religio-nationalistic sentiment in its cannon-fodd... I mean in its citizenry is beyond obvious

But you're all ignoring the part where Ishgard, to my knowledge, has never expressed any racism. Everyone just assumed they were racist without any real evidence. Rampant well-known xenophobia combined with a preference for the repressive, and a homogenous racial composition of the upper echelon of their society makes this less a logical leap, and more of a slight logical shuffling forward of the feet.

Woo! This sounds like fun!

I predict a large boat of them arriving in Eorzea sometime this June!!! :-)

Huh.. wow.. so the old Dark Knights are Aya's heroes. I really didn't expect that sort of twist

That guy just flashed super bright! LETS ALL GET HIM!!! As it is, threat (and aggro) make little sense as real life mechanics. I don't think it would survive too much thought about it...

Cute, and fun, and gives terrific hugs!

Aya's magic is mostly in the way she moves her hips. And that terrific power, I am afraid, simply has no limit! (More seriously, I think its one of those things that depends entirely on the RP context. In a general setting I'd try to keep the general utility of magic very, very limited. Flashy and powerful use of something like that otherwise stands the possibility of alienating others whose challenges you've just trivialized.)

I believe that is how they view themselves, since they were the first men to arrive (and you know how Elezen are!)

Well, if you tie her to a tree, everyone passing by can say hello! And then everyone can RP! Yay! ... What are you suggesting? But then there won't be hugs! This idea is no good!

The (wonderfully?) cheerful,bouncing barmaid of the Quick Sand. She's an Ala Mhigan in her early 20's raised in Ishgard. She happily shares her smile with anyone she comes across (especially if they are patrons with potential tips on their minds!) She likes to show that not everyone with an Ishgardian accent is cold and distant! She's also something of a freelance model, always looking for work! Only a few know her more serious side, and the value of connections that come to a barmaid who is just a bit more clever than she looks (Somehow Verad counts as a valuable contact. Don't ask me how!) Who has an uncanny resemblance to a webcomic character whose images I love to use

And his name is Champion Chachan! (Okay that's not true, but he is the only Doman Lalafel I care about!

Adventure! Well come meet Aya sometime when we get a chance

Its that fine line between extraordinary capability and "super-powers", one contributes toward immersion and the other can threaten it. Unfortunately there really are no hard and fast rules are there! And worse than that, everyone has their own individual perspective! Its coooooomplicated! Ehhhh, I'd debate the existence of a fine line. It might look fine from a distance, like a solar terminator, but when you get real close you see that it's really one huge, long, wide field of grey. I suppose! It's just one of those things that people feel innately. When someone goes "over the top" to someone it doesn't really seem like a grey area. I think what makes it a grey area is the number of people and the number of individual perspectives involved! I guess context does that too

Its that fine line between extraordinary capability and "super-powers", one contributes toward immersion and the other can threaten it. Unfortunately there really are no hard and fast rules are there! And worse than that, everyone has their own individual perspective! Its coooooomplicated!

Does Eleni come by Ul'dah ever?

I always expected Hyur-Elezen to be more common! Still waiting for a Roeqo'te. Roegadyn-Hyur seems a really obvious one in Ul'dah and Limsa, but I've never heard of one

I should have known my off-hand comment would be the only thing of interest in my post :-D I don't consider cross-clan characters to be biracial in this sense, and they're not uncommon, or controversial in the least I don't think.

I always expected Hyur-Elezen to be more common!

Why do people play unusual combinations? Sometimes they just accidentally fall into it. Miqo'te Dragoons are incredibly common characters to make, some of them decide to role play, and hence we have Miqo'te Dragoons! That's a large swathe of individuals. What about those who set out intentionally to make something unusual? Well, I can understand the desire to be unique, since there was a time I strove for that every time I played a pen-and-paper RPG. I generally played something unusual and rather unique, not just in the party, but in the world itself. When it comes to MMO's though I've never really thought that way, which I really think comes down to two main things: 1) You're not Unique. No matter how hard you have tried to make some unusual combination, or some wild background, you're really not unique. On one hand its not unlikely at all that someone else has already made a very similar character. The player bases are massive, and the idea that you've stumbled upon an entirely new idea that no one else has tried, is relatively small. Secondly, there's no GM to say "yes, you're this, and you're incredibly rare." You're reliant upon others who on an individual level set their own canon to accept your story and set you aside as "unique", and unique in your own significant way. In reality those you interact with who are affected in some way by your character's "unique" background, will almost certainly classify you in a very non-unique fashion. You might believe yourself to stand out amidst the sea, while in reality you're entirely blending in with a very large and preexisting group. 2) You are Unique. Before you ever started to try to create some very unusual and unique character idea, your character was already destined to be entirely unique upon his or her own merits. Each are individuals, played by a unique and individual player who provides the mannerisms, and interaction in an unique manner. Its sometimes fun to see how other people write a character of yours they know, but you can be sure that everything they grab on to in their own vision of that character, was animated and given life by yourself as the player. My point is just that every character is unique from the very beginning. And if you want to establish an unique identity that actually stands out, and is remembered as such, this is the only manner in which you'll actually achieve that end. Ultimately, most of the uniqueness we're discussing boils down to back story. I think people put far, far too much weight on backstory. While it does provide an interesting writing exercise, and can sometimes produce interesting writing which is worthwhile on its own merits and valuable hooks for RP, it really does not contribute all that much to role play itself. If your character is to be remembered positively it will be because of your interactions, or the way you've interacted within stories. If someone remembers your character it will be because of what he or she did, not because she is "that Miqo'te Dragoon." Instead it will be, "That Miqo'te Dragoon who did such and such." The supposed uniqueness of your back story is really irrelevant to this, and in the case of some that are outright outlandish can actually provide an obstacle. I see such a heavy emphasis on backstory on these forums, and I think its just part and parcel of being RPers, but I think the time we invest is inordinate compared to the actual impact and import they have on actual role play. Lastly, just an off-hand comment, every single half-breed I've encountered has been a Hyur-Miqo'te. Are there any others out there?

This is a very silly thread. Very silly. If you wish to leap a building in a single bound, you can find RPers who will not only love that, but will surround you with similar hijinks! If you don't care for that, and would rather avoid such RP, there is more than enough to go around as well! No one should be involving themselves in any sort of conflict RP without some understanding of the base rules or expectations. If Mister Leaps-Tall-Buildings wants to fight Mister Ow-I-punched-a-guy's-face-and-broke-my-hand, its really not going to end up being fun for anyone! The bottom line is: have fun, and if you're so focused on what someone else is doing that you aren't having fun, you'd probably be happier if you didn't do that! And, I'm just going to add as a personal note: just because something exists either for the purpose of game play or the game story, does not necessarily mean its a good idea for MMO RP. The criteria are very different, and depend a great deal on personal taste. I think accepting that is part and parcel of "not telling people how to RP", and part of the general respect and deference one should show to fellow RPers.

Personal Profile Character Name: Aya "Foxheart" Gender: Female Race: Highlander (raised in Ishgard) Domestic Profile Civil Status: Working Girl Place of Residence: Hourglass (Quick Sand) Occupation: Quick Sand Barmaid (and Professional Model) Free Company: Formerly of the Hungry Wolf Social Profile Aya is a cheerful, bubbly, and energetic blonde barmaid. From a high aristocratic family that fled early during the Garlean invasion. Wandered from city-to-city as refugees until settling in Ishgard with distant family members. Aya appears Ishgardian to most, and does not relate closely to other Ala Mhigan refugees. Nonetheless she is quick and easy to befriend, and cannot escape the understanding that Ala Mhigans are her people, at least as much as anyone can be called that. Meta Profile Aya's an easy to befriend character constantly on the look out to build relationships, make friends, and network. Given how young she was at the time of exile, she does not relate much to Ala Mhigo, and is unlikely to be known by other Ala Mhigans. Nonetheless she is rather free in discussing her background, and anyone wishing to know that Aya is that "Ala Mhigan-Ishgardian barmaid at the Quick Sand" would know just that