(08-08-2014, 10:40 PM)JFrombaugh Wrote:I think that is the aesthetic taken to an extreme, as exemplified by certain members of the Syndicate, and not indicative of the average Ul'dahn citizen, and then you also have the other side of that coin in Nanamo, Raubahn and Momodi.(08-08-2014, 08:35 PM)Nako Wrote:(08-08-2014, 06:49 PM)JFrombaugh Wrote: My own character Miranda started out her career as a Conjurer. She was drawn to Gridania for its peace, and Conjury out of her desire to be respected. However, she resented the harsh treatment from the natives and by the time she defeated Ifrit she had decided that Gridania's arrogance proved that they weren't really a peace-loving breed and decided she'd rather work for the Scions, possibly switching classes in the process.I find that fits well with the whole aesthetic of Ul'dah compared to the others, which is that you rise and fall on your own merits, and primarily about rising your position.
I was thinking about having her switch to Summoner by finding a Soul Crystal and then learning Arcanima, but honestly, I got the impression that Thaumaturges were far more "on their own side" than their City State's. Prior to unlocking BLM's story, the whole "religious" side of Thaumaturgy seemed to be far more shoved to the background in the story compared to Conjurer - whereas Conjurer and Arcanist focus around directly serving your City State in some way, Thaumaturge's storyline centered more around your individual training, and felt a lot more like the type of magical art that a typical adventurer would learn for their own purposes, one who may or may not be interested in actually praying or being in service to Thal, unlike the Conjurers who have to develop trust with the elementals.
Honestly, I felt the aesthetic of Ul'dah was more along the lines of selfishness, apathy, and violence. Only a select few Ul'dahns manage to rise above their base nature to become something better, but the kernel of darkness is still inborn. If there isn't a profit to be made by making the world a hellhole, they might not, but if conditions are tolerable it certainly isn't due to any inborn altruism on the part of those in charge.
If your character is not prepared to deal with someone who he/she grew to know as a close friend over months or even years turning out to have been lying the whole time in an effort to get into position to rob them of every last Gil they've accumulated, he/she shouldn't live in Ul'dah. If you ARE that someone, congratulations, you're living up the Ul'dahn life exactly as intended.
But with Gridanians causing so much emotional harm to Miranda, it was hard for me to tell where else I should put her. So I came up with the idea of her getting lucky and having the thrill of becoming a Job class (namely the one that has the most relevance to the Main Scenario), or just finding a way to learn Thaumaturgy without having to go through the Guild. But whatever the case, my character is definitely allied with the Scions and not the City States.
Aduu Avagnar, The Wanderer: Wiki
