Valence

Firstly, your character seems to be a miqo'te so I want to point out a little caveat: the art of the shinobi was born in the islands of Hingashi, and the lore seems to show that the only races you'll find in Othard are huyr, au'ra and roegadyn (and pure blood garleans to an extent...). You'll understand that a native ninja from Othard can't realistically be miqo'te, although there is always half stretched explanations for that: native eorzeans live on Othard, in the port district of Kugane for Hingashi for example. Probably harder to have lived in Doma since it has been under imperial occupation for two decades, but Doma too had ninjas (cf Yugiri). So, with that in mind, who knows huh, maybe a hingan progressive and a little crazy master/retainer had someday the idea to train and hire a promising filthy Ijin (foreigner) to act as a shinobi among eorzean natives in the port of Kugane, or something like that? I find the idea kinda funny actually. Then you have the more standard route that being an eorzean native, your character learned ninjutsu in Eorzea but... where? Nothing says explicitly that absolutely NO DOMAN, NO HINGAN arrived in Eorzea before. But you'll agree that it's probably... hard to imagine where the hell you would find a native from Othard in Eorzea, being somehow a master shinobi to add to that, that conveniently was here to train your eorzean miqo'te. You will now find more domans especially in Eorzea, but that's very recent with the arrival of Yugiri's group of exiles. You'll maybe find the rare xaela here and there but those aren't part of a culture that have ninjas or anything. Don't let this deter you however. Like there was no real reason to see a xaela being a dark knight in Ishgard, the DRK questline gives us one of them, who must probably stand out a lot and be one of his kind... So, having a ninja miqo'te, will stand out for sure, but you can totally work around it by being creative. Your main hurdles will be those: standing out in shinobi circles, and having to find a justification for that back story that makes at least a little sense and doesn't break suspension of disbelief too much. I gave an example above, so in my book this is possible in any case. Okay, I'm also mentioning it because why not: like for most jobs, you always have the possibility to stumble miraculously on a job soul crystal being a ninja soulstone... But in Eorzea...? Hard to believe. In Othard? Possible definitely. Especially in the ruined Doma where countless ninja probably died. Then you'll have to take into account that a soul crystal will only open if you show a true skill already to the tools of the trade, and that training by yourself takes time (like any training for anything anyway). Now then, if it's not being a true ninja per se, but just someone flinging two daggers and a few projectiles like a rogue, the lore behind this is TOTALLY different (and way more forgiving). On the public/hidden side of ninjas... well you guessed it, the shinobi are pretty secretive, and what we see in the ninja quests isn't an exception to that. Oboro's group shows up in Eorzea under cover, in a hidden base of operations. The main villain of the 60-70 quests is part of one of the oldest shinobi clans of Hingashi, a respectable noble house that is kinda known for having ninjutsu secrets and knowledge, and almost flaunts it to your face, but their shinobi will never reveal in open air their true status... Or it would defeat the whole purpose of the shinobi. Stricto sensu, shinobi clans are part of houses or villages and act with loyalty and devotion to their community or lords, in Hingashi and Doma. Like Samurai, they serve selflessly (cf the princess raen in the nin questline 50-60). They aren't really freelancers or anything. This is however, part of the main traditional culture. Nothing prevents a shinobi to have been outcast, or sentenced to death but fled, or anything. And they would retain their ninja abilities. But again, you have to keep in mind the unusual side of this kind of situation and find good, believable explanations for it. And... for such individuals to flaunt their shinobi powers in the open...? Maybe if they exiled themselves in Eorzea? Not a single fuck in Eorzea would know what a shinobi is to begin with, except maybe a few weebs/connoisseurs... Which also asks the question: why telling people you are one if they don't know what a ninja is? They could just say "I'm an assassin" or "I do covert shady work in the night" or whatever so that people actually understand. But, again, would you even flaunt that all around all the time? Generally when you deal in shady businesses, you just drop clues and contacts that will redirect trusted clients to yourself, in secret.

I mean, the day someone shows up with rabbit ears and a different anatomy IRL, just imagine the ruckus. I can understand that in Eorzea they already deal with different races of man, but still. How do you stay incognito once people point at your ears all the time, and scientists and authorities come to have a word with you?

I don't recall anything touching that subject in the lore. Nothing tells us that all of the M tribe females are of the same father, since the other nunh was still there decades ago. I don't see why some of them wouldn't be his daughters. It's possible that the current nunh only mates with half of the female population of the tribe. It's also possible that some older females are still around, from other bloodlines. We can see M'naago's mother among them, who's certainly not the daughter of M'naago's father...

I find the time a little compressed and the pacing hectic but otherwise, I'm not totally sure why people are so hung up about that when in RP they always do it way, way worse from what I've seen. I don't mean that as an offense to anyone. It just confuses me a great deal.

Another issue that I have with VR is the increased level of awkwardness. I roleplay as a writer, not an actor. I'm a puppet master kind of RPer, I speak about my characters at the third person (yes, even in tabletop sessions), and consider them another entity, like a writer does. I don't impersonate them. I totally understand that it's not stupid to act them out like an actors does, to the contrary. It's just not my thing. VR tends to go a little against that.

Well I was answering to that really. If you find the lore and story stupid, and decide not to use it into your RP, it's up to you of course.

Well, if we're to talk about logic and suspension of disbelief, even without coming at anyone's RP, maybe the problem of the majority of RPers is that they are roleplaying a whole lifetime of events rather than a shorter timeframe. I don't have that problem because I don't play a "sheer number of impacting events". To everyone what floats their boat and all, but you'll excuse me for thinking that even when you roleplay over a timeframe of a year IRL = a Twelvemoon, such a number of life shattering events seems a bit over the top to me. I don't see that much difference between one year and a half and 4-5 years (most RPers don't have 4-5 years anyway, 2 or 3 at best and that's already super old compared to most).

I do use that in RP, and I guess my RP is stupid (I tend to agree that time is a bit compressed at times in their story). /shrug Time ellipsis is the way to go. The same time bubbles they use. Also, there is a little over a year past now. Something like a year and a half since the start of ARR. There is not much on the details of Operation Archon and what happens around in the lorebook. It just tells what is told in ARR.

For tabletop, perhaps, since tabletop has 2 intertwined facets: roleplay AND gameplay. But then we get to the problem I'm already facing with a purely roleplay medium like FF14 ingame: the limitations and rather serious constraints it introduces over roleplay. If you're after gameplay, then it's absolutely not suited to it since it lacks all tools you could find on platforms like Roll20, or just around your physical tabletop meeting. If you're after scenes more complex than a simple meeting or sitting staying in a quiet corner, FF14 is absolutely shit at making that possible without heavy limitations: it is definitely not suited to most simple actions, and I'm not even speaking about complex stuff like combat, adventure, etc. The realistic and real time side of ingame animations/idle, accurate representation of the environment in real time too, tends to break suspension of disbelief and you just end up with characters all hanging or standing, staring at each other while everyone painfully writes their piece of text. This is what makes me think that FFXIV as a medium for roleplay is only fine for static scenes, like purely social/character development RP. And even then, you're limited to the place actually modeled ingame. So as soon as you introduce something in the vein, VR or not VR, it tends to break everything to my opinion. Roleplay is before anything telling a story, and for that, you need as little constraints as possible.

Just a quick note: Au'ra don't have a more acute hearing (Lalafells and Elezens do however). They just have a different hearing biology (that can regrow). I tend to disagree on the fact that some races like Xaela or Miqo'te tribes are that feral to the point of being compared to beast tribes. Xaela for example seem to be very well inspired from mongolian culture and traditions with a big touch of fantasy, and that's... not really the mark of a pre civilized race, at least more than miqo'te tribes, that are very much primitive. But the way they are always portrayed by the lore is very human, to the contrary of most beast tribes that are just very alien or have societal quirks so huge that they look like caricatures in comparison. The good savage stereotype if you will. Also beast tribes are first and foremost looking like beasts and/or chimeras, which isn't the case of au'ra or miqo'te (who also happen to wear clothes and whatnot, unlike beasts).

Hello, No, there are many minor noble houses besides the four major houses (Durandaire, Fortemps, Dzemael, Haillenarte). You can find a few examples of other minor houses here. I also believe that yes, House family surname is of utmost importance. Even Carvallain de Gorgane, pirate captain in Limsa, still uses his family name. Or maybe they just don't give a shit, who knows. As far as I know Ishgardians share similar conventions than the Wildwoods and Duskwights. I never really managed to find a true difference, though maybe Ishgardians names sound a little more pompous than Gridanians? They both share heavy archaic/fantasy french roots with a few grains of germanic roots here and there for some of their first names (Aymeric, Alberic, etc). I insist on the fantasy side of the roots, standard french names are rather far from that. Note: I have seen a lot of celtic/breton first names in Gridanian NPCs (Maelle, Gwenaelle, etc), which isn't the case in Ishgard as far as my memory goes. Now then, I have also seen those same breton names for hyurs, as well as germanic ones: Wilfric, Arbert, etc. Germanic roots often being used a lot by highlanders usually but in stronger and sometimes more convoluted forms. And a lot of weird names as well for hyurs on a more general basis (the right arm of Hilda is named Symme, and is a midlander). My point is that while you have conventions, the lore takes pleasure into blurring the barriers between those two races a lot. Just go around in most gridanian and ishgardian main settlements and you'll see what I mean. The rule is generally though, that elezen names are impossibly complicated and long most of the time, and sound super pompous, first name and surname alike. Hyuran names are usually short and concise, and closer to IRL medieval names (but sometimes are just weird).

I also want to point out that I only answered through lore tinted glasses. I didn't intend to convey any judgement on the backstory power levels or tropes in any case. If that is the true essence of your question, then I might have answered wrongly. I just want to point out that some players play farmers and average joes, some play powerful adventurers, some even play the WoL between a restricted band of friends, re enacting Their journey. Nothing wrong with any of those. Your backstory can make sense. If you find the people to play similar tropes, then go for it.

It's a bit more complicated than that, and every lore we have on this is rather nebulous and fragmentary in nature. A few points: - It has never been proven as far as I know that there is a scale of grey between shards, and that the first one is closest to Hydaelyn's Light while the thirteen one is the closest to Zodiark's Darkness. Considering that the 1st Shard saw an easy victory from its Warriors of Light (Arbert, Blanhaerz, Lamimi, Naillebert, J'rhoomhale) against the local high ascian Mithron the Chastiser, and the 13th Shard saw a crushing defeat of its Warriors of Light (Cuchulainn, etc) against its ascian envoy Igeyorhm, it could be indeed argued that the first Shards are the closest to the Light, and the last Shards are the closest to Darkness, but that's still highly speculative and not proven for now. - One thing to take into consideration is that all the Shards are reflections from the Source (our current, original star in ffxiv), and were born from the exile of Zordiark from the Source to the Moon. They are the result of the fragmentation of the source's aether into several reflections. Zodiark's agents work tirelessly into creating Rejoinings, that occur when one of those shards gets absorbed back into the Source, in order to free Zodiark from his exile in a phenomenon known as the Ardor. We know that at least 7 shards were destroyed and consumed back to the Source at each Calamity. 2 other relfections were definitely lost, thrown off balance either from a flood of Light or a flood of Darkness: the first and 13th shards, although considering the story unraveled in 3.4, it's possible that the 1st Shard isn't totally lost to the void yet, and maybe the 13th as well, who knows. Ideally, we have ascians working in the Source to provoke Calamities in order to cause Rejoignings by weakening Hydaelyn's aether. We have ascians working in every shard to create calamities and instability in order to force rejoinings as well, but at least two of those failed utterly and their worlds were lost either to the Light or Darkness. This is where Arbert and his buddies come in and turn to Elidibus to save their world, trying to force a Rejoining directly in the Source by creating a Calamity so that his home world doesn't get lost to the void (which is stupid anyway since a rejoining still means the end of their shard, but they don't believe that). - The Warriors of Light of the 1st Shard now turned into Warriors of Darkness at the whims of Elidibus, end their lives and gets reborn into the Source through unclear means, but probably involving similar safeguards through the blessing of the crystal of Darkness preventing Zodiark's agents to truly die as their souls escape untouched and protected through the aetherial sea (only my take on it in any case). Being a Warrior of Darkness is thus not a group of warriors fighting for darkness aligned shards or whatever, but a term coined to designate that specific group (Arbert and his pals) that turned from the Light to serve the Darkness bitterly. Also, you have to die to hop dimensions, and have the blessing of Light or Darkness to survive. This doesn't invalidate your story. You just have to keep in mind that you'll probably play a lot of out of the bounds of lore in terra incognita, in a very changing and nebulous area on top of that. Your character would have had to die already, and be possibly more or less immortal like ascians and the warrior of light (until they lost their blessing of Light from Midgardsorm). Which you can negate a bit by making her lose her blessing as well. You'll have to choose a Shard that 1) is still alive and hasn't already rejoined, and 2) isn't the 1st nor the 13th, and we don't know which Shards remain exactly. You can of course keep that mostly quiet and nebulous, and that's probably the best way to deal with it. Your character doesn't even have to know the number of her shard anyway.

Gelmorra!

You can add to the vocabulary: Karakuri (puppet): an eastern mammet automaton.

Io, for old time sakes, don't hesitate to hit me up again :>

Yeah well, I don't think anyone said that making occasionally a single spelling mistake was a problem.

On top of my head: The Bakufu, much like IRL, is the native term of the Shogunate and means government. We know that the ninjutsu arts originate from those islands. The most ancient ninja families are the only ones to have mastered a 4th Mudra (Karazu excepted). Koshu is famous for its rice quality, unlike Shishu rice which is considered a bit bland if remember my sidequests right. Kugane is actually open to foreigners only in the port district, which is the foreigner area. Other places like the castle for example, are out of reach. Exactly like it was already the case under the Shogunate IRL in Japan and how all the dutch missionaries and envoys were confined on a small district, but otherwise had access to most of the culture and services you could find elsewhere. The Shinsengumi is composed of mostly commoners united and mandated as a police force with the right of life and death on commoners or Ijin (foreigners) in the port district. I'm unsure if they have any presence or authority outside of the foreigner district though. They are NOT samurai in the strictest sense, but samurai as the job/skillset, in that they are allowed to carry katanas and noble weapons, and follow their fighting techniques. True samurai are the noble class, but the Shinsengumi seem to have been afforded a lot of the rights usually associated to samurai, but are technically subordinated to the hingan aristocracy and directly depend on the castle. Kugane follows a strict neutral policy in their foreign relations, and this includes Garlemald, which isn't really interested in their islands and are content right now to just sell their stuff like they do in Radz-at-Han, as well as having an embassy for political intrigue and espionage. I think we don't know if they have an imperial family as well as an emperor or just a shogun, and even what the shogun is called beside the government being referred to as Bakufu. Various terms: Ijin = Gaijin (foreigner) Bugyo = Daimyo (samurai lord) ? = Geisha (entertainer hostess) <- can someone refresh my memory on the ffxiv word for geisha? _____________________________ It's my take on it but contrary to what I usually suggest for eorzean cultures that are their very own creation, Hingashi to my eyes is a faithful copy with slightly different names of the Sengoku/Edo eras (Sengoku for the age of blood and Edo for the current Bakufu). So yeah, go ahead and consider that Hingan culture works really like Edo Japan, with a few specific details added on top of it... But yeah, we never know if someday they decide to make it more distinct or not. Musoshai isn't a noble/samurai if I remember correctly, but he is (self) exiled. This is at least an example. And I don't see what would prevent anyone to get exiled. This combined with the culture and traditions gets very interesting to my eyes considering that being exiled instead of being granted sepukku is the ultimate disgrace.

I must have written my last answer in a particularly foul mood. My apologies.

Technically, if you will, the elezen being the first race to come across Eorzea is true if you only consider it over the 6th Astral Era (the last astral era before Bahamut-in-a-moon shenanigans), but that's still rather nebulous. The first great hyuran migration and invasion happens in the year 350 of the 6th Astral Era, pushing hard against all races, especially the Elezen, that took refuge in Coerthas and Gelmorra. No great city state or any truly civilized society exists at that point: Ishgard is only founded around year 500, Gelmorra around 740, Limsa around 834, and Belah'dia in 737. Technically speaking the first great city state to emerge was indeed purely Elezen. This doesn't say much though, because the hyuran migration, we had scattered survivors of the 6th Umbral Era, either from Mhach, Nym or Amdapor, some of them having moved to Gyr Abania, and some having stayed around Vylbrand, Mhach, or moved to Thanalan (Belahdia). While the north of Eorzea was certainly mostly dominated by Elezens, this doesn't account for all the lalafellin survivors of Mhach or Nym, and the hyuran survivors from Amdapor. And all this doesn't even account for the miqo'te, for which we don't even know anything besides a vastly anterior miqo'te migration in the previous Eras following the fall of Allag.

I guess now I'm really confused as to what was the initial point since what's written in that manifesto has literally very little to do with addressing godmodding or basic RP etiquette. I'm not totally sure why you're complaining again about people intruding into your RP when we were speaking about public venues and public RP... weren't we? Anyway, with all those new answers I'll try to address the OP manifesto more specifically, then: Injured characters are not stepping stones to making a scene all about you, unless it really is already your scene. Leave the spotlight where you found it. I guess it's aimed at people trying to take all the spotlight for themselves right? This is a very common issue pointed out in roleplay communities. Of course it's bad form. And as I said I believe any good RP should be self regulating enough that a character being such an ass about it (LET ME HEAL ME ME ME!) will just get scorned by everyone else around. A player trying to always show how awesome their character is, will probably lose most of their OOC contacts really fast, but yes, this is a problem. And like any RP that ruffles your feathers the wrong way, you just bow out unless you want to make a scene and create drama. Up to you. What probably tilted a lot of people in the way this point is presented is that no matter how I read it, I'm not totally sure we're really talking about people trying to put their characters at the center all the time and show how awesome they are. "Unless it's already your scene". "Leave the spotlight where you found it". I find it rather hypocritical to tell people they shouldn't take THE SPOTLIGHT when you insist that you already have it. Why do you feel the need to take and keep THE SPOTLIGHT? Other writers always have bodily autonomy over their characters no matter how accomplished your character is. Your job is to facilitate what they will allow to have happen to their character, within your character’s abilities. Anything else is god-modding. If someone says they don't want to be insta-healed, you don't get to insta-heal them. If they want to have a lasting scar, or a disability, or even die? That is their call. Don't go around trying to 'fix' someone's disabled character who doesn't want it. Just like (I hope) you already know you shouldn't god-mod your fist into someone's face, do not god-mod your healing abilities into their face either. It's no different. I don't see what else to add to that since it's just about basic godmodding, really. Nobody argues against that, but I don't see the point in turning it for healer RP especially. This is true for any RP. You don't dictate to anyone "/me heals you instantly and completely and all your woes are gone" any more than "/me kills you, nothing personel kid". If someone’s character is injured and someone else is there first, tough. They got there first. You may ask to join, and you may be told no. Respect that. Stumbling onto a scene that your character 'would want to help!!' in doesn't mean you actually have the right do jump in, just like any other scene. Healers ain't special. Scene-crashing is still incredibly rude and uncalled-for. We're talking about public venues right? If you don't want someone intruding on your RP and ruin your nicely wrapped little plot, do it in private. There is really nothing more to add. If someone insists to hop into a private RP, just ignore them, move to another spot, or report them for harassment if they continue to be a nuisance. It isn’t always your job to jump in and patch someone up. It might well be someone else's based on pre-existing group dynamics or rules. If you’re RPing on private property, in a moderated open world event, in an open forum, or otherwise in a venue or group with a hierarchy that includes a healer, and you’re not that healer, you don’t do their job for them unless asked. It’s not your scene. A lot of events, such as fight clubs, have their own healers on staff, and that job belongs to them unless you OOCly discuss who's doing what and come to an agreement. I don't get it. What gives the healer priority for RP? Why don't you do their job unless asked? Why is it not your scene but only the healer's? Are other RPers just here as secondary roles, and supportive characters when you are under THE SPOTLIGHT? They should just sit nicely and quietly clap their hand until you're done with your piece as a healer? And when you're done and it's up to another scene, with someone else taking THE SPOTLIGHT, you turn into a secondary role and stay quiet and supportive? What kind of asinine bullcrap RP is that? "Pre existing group dynamics and rules". What, everyone has a A ROLE and they should always stick to it? What kind of childish entitlement is that? "You don't get to play the healer, I AM THE HEALER!" and "HEY YOU, STOP SINGING, IT'S THE BARD'S JOB FFS!" Really? Unless I read something wrong, do you see how silly that sounds? Just tell your bard to be pissed with it and tell the fucker "Your music is bad and you should feel bad" instead of making an OOC drama out of it like a petulent child. If you have subjects you don’t want to write about, you have the right to be clear and firm about them. You aren’t a real doctor. Nobody actually dies if you pass on a scene that could harm you to participate in. You have the right to end any interaction that crosses a boundary, on the spot, and without explanation until and unless you’re calm and able to do so. Even RPing a healer sort there can absolutely be subjects you don't want to touch, and that's your right to not get into them. If it's something that your character would do but you as a writer don't want to deal with, handwave it. If you don't even want to be involved? Don't be involved. It's that simple. While I definitely believe that you shouldn't have to be a doctor with 10 years of studies and practice behind IRL to play a doctor in roleplay settings, or an experienced hunter to play a hunter ICly, or whatever, I also strongly believe in the rule "don't play a liar if you don't know how to decently lie". If your healer constantly breaks suspension of disbelief by spouting healing nonsense instead of common sense healing and mumbo jumbo that sounds plausible (not true, just plausible), then it's failing that check in my opinion. Then, if you aren't okay or at ease with something in RP, this is a limit that you definitely shouldn't breach, yes. Bow out if something bothers you, and pester the other RPers if it was agreed before hand that you aren't into gorey stuff, or whatever makes you uneasy... But if nothing was agreed upon, then I think that just politely bowing out is the way to go. You have no right to tell everyone to stop RPing something because of your own IRL failings, no matter how understandable they are. Also, I strongly question the will to play a healer if you're not okay with healing some specific things, like gore, or whatever. You're roleplaying healing, of course some things will turn bloody! And if you were okay with blood, but not intricate details about guts and bowels, then yeah, ask nicely OOC if they could tone it down because personal limits and all that, and if no, then bow out? What's the point in handwaving things in roleplay? Why roleplaying if it's to make some handwaves and signs and say "it's done!"? You aren’t a real doctor. You won’t know how to handle everything realistically and that’s okay. Do research as you want/need, but don’t stress about it. Anyone who gives you shit for doing it wrong needs to take a step back. It's just a story, after all, and there's no need to get bent over a missed detail or something. You are within your rights to tell them to back off over it. Cf above, depends what. If I stumble on a healer and I find everything they write totally mindboggling, I'll bow out OOCly. I'll not harass them, but I'll bow out. If I stumble on a fighter that keeps telling me that a bow requires dexterity, I'll bow out (no pun intended). As you said, do some basic research. Some people will have higher tolerance to bullshitting your way, some lower. And it's fine, they'll bow out if it bothers them. If they don't, then it's harassment. There is no shame in researching anything you don’t know. Try adding “for writing” to searches. You’d be surprised how much of the heavy lifting has been done already. Don’t be afraid to gloss over things, too, there's a reason it takes 10+ years to become a doctor in real life. Expecting that of yourself or others for the sake of a little RP is just silly, but Google can be your friend if you really need some information quickly. Nothing to add here, basic rule. You have the right to tell anyone else butting into a scene that you are already part of to butt right back on out. It’s your scene if someone approaches you for healing. It’s your scene if it’s pre-negotiated. It’s your scene if it’s your own character being injured. It’s your scene if you are the healer in attendance for your group. Tolerating a scene-crasher, no matter how well-intentioned, is not something that any RPer has to do. Okay, we're back to THE SPOTLIGHT entitlement here. cf above. Don’t be a douche. Don’t be a scene-stealer. Don’t be a spotlight hog. Don’t be more powerful than your patients want. Don’t forget to communicate. Don’t get so swept up in being important that you fail to be thoughtful. You can't be part of the solution while you're being part of the problem. Real people are on the other end of every single character, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Okay. I guess I don't work into "my scene or X's scene or Y's scene" when I RP. This is totally alien to me. It's everyone's scene. Back to THE SPOTLIGHT issue. Do have fun and be polite and respectful to each other. There’s enough RP to go around. There really is! I'm serious! And if there’s not, we’re all capable of finding or making some. You’re only entitled to scenes you have a legitimate claim to, whether it's because you started it, you're on staff for an event, or you were given the go-ahead to join. Honestly, an enormous amount of the RP in this game boils down to "oh no so-and-so got hurt!!" just because of the nature of the setting and the types of conflict that happen. Healers are not lacking for something to do, and if you are, there are several healer linkshells and organizations that you can get together with and flex your doctor muscles. Claims to scenes for THE SPOTLIGHT sounds genuinely silly to me. Makes absolutely zero sense. Reading the last line, it just feels like you want to be the only one doctor on site. Bad news, this is a popular job. /shrug

It is unclear to me what kind of power the Fists of Rhalgr held during the Autumn War. They weren't yet de facto the State Religion that king Manfred (the invader in the Autumn War) embraced after said war. I think you're evolving into a grey area, but it doesn't seem too hard to me to imagine that some monks joined the ala mighan army indeed! The problem to my eyes is that you would brand them heretics for not following the army, and in the context of the Autumn War, it seems a bit... premature. They weren't even recognized yet as official state religion after all. But maybe there was a huge conscription in place, who knows? There is also the Theodoric alternative, on which we have a lot of info since it happens a bit later and is covered extensively in the lorebook, the monk quests and stormblood. As you're probably familiar with, Theodoric purged all the Order (the Light sect) when they protested for the loss of their religion (Rhalgr) as the official religion in favor of Nymeia. This seems to be a perfect opportunity to your story. Or, you can also use the Shadow Sect, that fought with the Light to death (and lost) when both opposed on the decision to serve ala mighan royalty. Either way, those are 3 solutions to my eyes yes. Yours, the first, seems fine, as long as you keep its flaws and the historical context in mind.

More specifically if you're after exhaustive naming conventions, you can take a look here, under the Raen race, which shares the same cultural conventions than Domans/Hingans. Keep in mind that most commoners in their culture don't have last names. At best, they might have nicknames/aliases. Yugiri Mistwalker for example, has no last name.

I'm of two minds on the issue. And I want to clarify that I will never go my way to harass anyone with spelling mistakes. We all do them. The question starts to get subjective where we put the bar exactly and what we consider to be the limit. I don't care at all with occasional mistakes, because even professional writers make them. Having like 5 mistakes per sentence or paragraph every single time, though... well it's repelling to me. Guess it's highly personal and subject to personal limits. So, one I'm biased obviously because I will never hold a foreigner that is barely fluent in english to the same standards as a native. Two, I think either the school system is failing, or whatever the reason is, but grammar is getting more and more butchered over the years in all countries I know, english natives or my own. Especially my own. And I think that being lenient with it is doing a disservice to address the issue.

We have to keep in mind that garlean metalworking is highly advanced compared to eorzean and far eastern technics, and everything they seem to use is about advanced alloys (titanium alloys, garlean steel alloys, or cermet: those are aether neutral though, they just have very strong physical properties). I can rather safely assume that gold is a conductive material, per a few inks descriptions: This one doesn't exactly state it per se since it's more about fashion than magical arts, but I can think that gold being interchangeable for electrum and jade for amber, can be a hint that both materials are similar in aetherial nature: Ore more generally, looking at various items, some other materials increasing aetherial conductivity, by orders of magnitude: Copper, Brass, Iron, Bone (Horns, Ivory, etc), Blood, Amber Electrum, Silver Platinum, Aurum (gold), Jade Mithrite, Holy Rainbow fibers Koppranickel, Durium, Palladium