For RPing, do you like for your characters to fit in with the stereotypes of different classes, races, etc.? Or do you like to completely mix it up by having them be the complete opposite of what one would expect for a given Job, race, etc.?
My character Miranda is a Summoner, formerly Arcanist. And personally, I would say she does not really fit the stereotype of that class. While she is quite intelligent and has an intellectual streak, compared to Arcanists like Foreseer K'lyhia, Miranda is actually much more emotionally tuned than logically tuned, very introspective, and so forth, even if she doesn't really show it much outwardly - which would suggest she would find Thaumaturgy and Conjury much easier to learn overall.
So why'd she choose to learn Arcanima? Well personally, I have always felt that there are more than a few reasons to believe that the Padjali are not nearly as benevolent as they may seem. A long time ago I remember Sounssy wrote an incredibly detailed post explaining Thaumaturges' connections with Ul'dah & Nald'thal (taken from 1.0's lore) in an attempt to debunk the myths that THM was less nation-locked than CNJ owing to being fueled by introspection.
When you're an Adventurer who is used to being dismissed as a pathetic lowlife who has likely failed at getting a higher-paying job and therefore is looking for Adventuring as a way of making money (as Ul'dahn elites do), or having it made very clear that you are not trusted and are one slip-up away from the stake (as the Wildwood Elezen of Gridania do), a little respect goes a long way - the side job at Malvaan's Gate, in Miranda's eyes, was vastly superior to wandering around doing menial tasks and being looked down upon by the very same people she was trying to help - and Master Thubyrgeim proved to be a very affable teacher who was willing to work closely with Miranda and make sure that she understood the complex science and math behind this newly discovered magic art.
And later on, after Miranda had joined the Scions, learned that these strange visions of a Crystal and flashbacks was in fact a holy ability, faced Ifrit, and become skilled enough in Arcanima to even consider picking up the Summoner Soul Crystal, she was eager to jump at the opportunity because not only was it a continuation of what the Allagan Summoners had done (using the power of the Primals against them), but a big part of her felt that summoning mini-Primals through channeling their unique elementally-aspected aether was a great way to stick it to the religious Ul'dahn and Gridanian elites.
In short, Miranda felt the Arcanist's Guild cared about her (and the rest of its students), while the other two magic Guilds, for the most part, did not.
My character Miranda is a Summoner, formerly Arcanist. And personally, I would say she does not really fit the stereotype of that class. While she is quite intelligent and has an intellectual streak, compared to Arcanists like Foreseer K'lyhia, Miranda is actually much more emotionally tuned than logically tuned, very introspective, and so forth, even if she doesn't really show it much outwardly - which would suggest she would find Thaumaturgy and Conjury much easier to learn overall.
So why'd she choose to learn Arcanima? Well personally, I have always felt that there are more than a few reasons to believe that the Padjali are not nearly as benevolent as they may seem. A long time ago I remember Sounssy wrote an incredibly detailed post explaining Thaumaturges' connections with Ul'dah & Nald'thal (taken from 1.0's lore) in an attempt to debunk the myths that THM was less nation-locked than CNJ owing to being fueled by introspection.
When you're an Adventurer who is used to being dismissed as a pathetic lowlife who has likely failed at getting a higher-paying job and therefore is looking for Adventuring as a way of making money (as Ul'dahn elites do), or having it made very clear that you are not trusted and are one slip-up away from the stake (as the Wildwood Elezen of Gridania do), a little respect goes a long way - the side job at Malvaan's Gate, in Miranda's eyes, was vastly superior to wandering around doing menial tasks and being looked down upon by the very same people she was trying to help - and Master Thubyrgeim proved to be a very affable teacher who was willing to work closely with Miranda and make sure that she understood the complex science and math behind this newly discovered magic art.
And later on, after Miranda had joined the Scions, learned that these strange visions of a Crystal and flashbacks was in fact a holy ability, faced Ifrit, and become skilled enough in Arcanima to even consider picking up the Summoner Soul Crystal, she was eager to jump at the opportunity because not only was it a continuation of what the Allagan Summoners had done (using the power of the Primals against them), but a big part of her felt that summoning mini-Primals through channeling their unique elementally-aspected aether was a great way to stick it to the religious Ul'dahn and Gridanian elites.
In short, Miranda felt the Arcanist's Guild cared about her (and the rest of its students), while the other two magic Guilds, for the most part, did not.
