It seems like this thread has run a couple different avenues, and I think the discussions so far have been pretty interesting. Here's my contribution:
To the OP I'll just echo what others have said, and that is basically just to RP what you want and what you're comfortable with. Â To me it doesn't seem extreme. Â My own character doesn't stick like glue to the actual game lore surrounding the classes/jobs, and her father was a seasoned dragoon who had pretty ill regard for the Wood Wailers and "lancers" of Gridania. Â There are enough RPers about that you will find a group comfortable with your level of adherence or deviation to/from the specific lore. Â And your explanation about being a non-tribal miqo'te who was adopted seems perfectly acceptable to me. Â I know of other miqo'te who have done similar things, or who have just walked away from that lifestyle. Â Eorzea is quite the melting pot, and I don't think anyone really needs to feel pigeonholed by racial/clan lore tidbits. Â Regarding the jobs/classes, I see no reason why someone can be a bard and not an archer, or vice versa. Â Strict adherers to the lore might disagree, but there are various types of musical instruments available and it seems to me that archery skills and an ability to sing or play an instrument are entirely independent of one another for all intents and purposes.
I'm going to refrain from commenting much with regard to the White Mage storyline. Â As a character who is a white mage in all but name (if we have to pin down one of the specific given jobs), it seems too slippery a slope what with the given lore and I generally dance around certain aspects of Eva's background with healing magic. Â It doesn't help that we had different spells and different story quests in 1.0 and with ARR they pulled the floor out from beneath [many of] us.
Pertaining to multiple disciplines, I see nothing wrong with this. Â I also rather like it when folks come up with creative alternatives to the jobs/classes listed for the sake of RP. Â I've known characters who considered themselves engineers or architects, or various other jobs apart from the handful we're given. Â Not to say there's anything wrong with a character who does fit one of these molds. Â Someone needs to do it. Â But multiple disciplines seems all right to me. Â And even more "grounded in reality" might be how these progress and change over time. Â Eva began as a weaver, learning slowly over a long span of time until she was something of a master at the craft. Â This since became more of a hobby as Dalamud grew closer and she realized she might be called upon to defend people. Â Much newer to her is practice with pikemanship. Â From birth she also possessed an innate talent at healing which she let go at a young age (for reasons) and only recently picked back up again. Â So she volunteers sometimes as a nurse. Â She's not a conjurer though, and only knows a little of conjury. Â In fact it may be fair to say she's more like Sylphie from the CJR storyline - carrying with it similar disadvantages and limitations. Â So she has experience, and perhaps even some level of expertise with three separate disciplines (and she's dabbled a bit with others as well), but I wouldn't think it's fair to say she excels at any of the game-specific jobs except for maybe weaving. Â Where Eva usually tends to shine more often is as a counselor, or advisor, and as a priestess. Â It has been an unusual progression for sure.
But it seems to me that any character who is X job and sometimes Y job with Z craft skills is kind of two-dimensional to me, and somewhat boilerplate. Â I like characters who are maybe good or excel at one or two areas, and falter or are lousy at something else, but maybe that inexperience or failure in turn provides determination, or a passion for something like that turns them away from their area of expertise so that they can improve at another area they're more passionate about. Â Stuff like that, to me, is real. Â It's human, and it feels like more honest RP when I can see a character not just as the chosen job, but as a compilation of thoughts and feelings and motivations and flaws.
TL;DR: Â Play how you want and just make sure you enjoy it!
To the OP I'll just echo what others have said, and that is basically just to RP what you want and what you're comfortable with. Â To me it doesn't seem extreme. Â My own character doesn't stick like glue to the actual game lore surrounding the classes/jobs, and her father was a seasoned dragoon who had pretty ill regard for the Wood Wailers and "lancers" of Gridania. Â There are enough RPers about that you will find a group comfortable with your level of adherence or deviation to/from the specific lore. Â And your explanation about being a non-tribal miqo'te who was adopted seems perfectly acceptable to me. Â I know of other miqo'te who have done similar things, or who have just walked away from that lifestyle. Â Eorzea is quite the melting pot, and I don't think anyone really needs to feel pigeonholed by racial/clan lore tidbits. Â Regarding the jobs/classes, I see no reason why someone can be a bard and not an archer, or vice versa. Â Strict adherers to the lore might disagree, but there are various types of musical instruments available and it seems to me that archery skills and an ability to sing or play an instrument are entirely independent of one another for all intents and purposes.
I'm going to refrain from commenting much with regard to the White Mage storyline. Â As a character who is a white mage in all but name (if we have to pin down one of the specific given jobs), it seems too slippery a slope what with the given lore and I generally dance around certain aspects of Eva's background with healing magic. Â It doesn't help that we had different spells and different story quests in 1.0 and with ARR they pulled the floor out from beneath [many of] us.
Pertaining to multiple disciplines, I see nothing wrong with this. Â I also rather like it when folks come up with creative alternatives to the jobs/classes listed for the sake of RP. Â I've known characters who considered themselves engineers or architects, or various other jobs apart from the handful we're given. Â Not to say there's anything wrong with a character who does fit one of these molds. Â Someone needs to do it. Â But multiple disciplines seems all right to me. Â And even more "grounded in reality" might be how these progress and change over time. Â Eva began as a weaver, learning slowly over a long span of time until she was something of a master at the craft. Â This since became more of a hobby as Dalamud grew closer and she realized she might be called upon to defend people. Â Much newer to her is practice with pikemanship. Â From birth she also possessed an innate talent at healing which she let go at a young age (for reasons) and only recently picked back up again. Â So she volunteers sometimes as a nurse. Â She's not a conjurer though, and only knows a little of conjury. Â In fact it may be fair to say she's more like Sylphie from the CJR storyline - carrying with it similar disadvantages and limitations. Â So she has experience, and perhaps even some level of expertise with three separate disciplines (and she's dabbled a bit with others as well), but I wouldn't think it's fair to say she excels at any of the game-specific jobs except for maybe weaving. Â Where Eva usually tends to shine more often is as a counselor, or advisor, and as a priestess. Â It has been an unusual progression for sure.
But it seems to me that any character who is X job and sometimes Y job with Z craft skills is kind of two-dimensional to me, and somewhat boilerplate. Â I like characters who are maybe good or excel at one or two areas, and falter or are lousy at something else, but maybe that inexperience or failure in turn provides determination, or a passion for something like that turns them away from their area of expertise so that they can improve at another area they're more passionate about. Â Stuff like that, to me, is real. Â It's human, and it feels like more honest RP when I can see a character not just as the chosen job, but as a compilation of thoughts and feelings and motivations and flaws.
TL;DR: Â Play how you want and just make sure you enjoy it!
"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
