How did you discover or get YOUR powers/abilities?

[Yunas13]

This thread is for any RPer/Writer whose character got magical abilities. Maybe you were a melee fighter and something caused some strange magic to awaken within you or you started with powers. Did you:

 

-Have an emotional moment when in fear or desperation caused your magical abilities to manifest?

-did you have a familiar (like in Sailor Moon) come up to you and give you a special item that awakened the powers?

 

OR

 

-Was it a skill learned through your family?

 

Or was it something entirely different!

 

Tell me how your characters got their abilities! I'm really interested to learn how it happened. Thank you all for replying!

[Virella]

Ave just trained. Very boring, I know. She wasn't even a prodigy when younger. I guess her mother continued to train her after she was forced to flee Ala Mhigo.

 

But no, very dull compared to most character's backstories. She just learned it at the place she was supposed to learn it.

[Aaron]

Aaron steals about half of his martial prowess from copying whatever he's seen other people do enough to where he can do it no problem.

 

The other half of his skills is him just fucking around with aether until he accidentally makes something he likes.

[Caspar]

She was a castaway, a feral child on an island that over time grew to be a refugee shanty town for people fleeing Garlemald. After attempting to mug a one-eyed woman who would become her Master, Virara was given a choice between learning how to kill, or a life of servitude. Master, who very much espoused the "learn or die" approach, and who never took students normally, agreed to this despite knowing Virara intended to use what she learned to murder her captor. As a result of this environment, Virara "snapped" something within her, and she grew stronger than she otherwise would have been, having exceeded the limits of what is normally considered healthy for her body. Something overall like over a decade of nearly nonstop peril, threat of starvation and training, which sometimes was more like torture.

[Valence]

Me? No powers IRL, unfortunately.

 

My character though, I guess when she noticed that not everyone was able to hear those trees mumbling stuff all around...

[V'aleera]

When you're in a war against dragons you either learn to fight dragons or you die.

[111]

When you're in a war against dragons you either learn to fight dragons or you die.

Hey some people make baskets or bread or whatever!

[Nebbs]

The background story for Nebula is that she comes from a line of witches, specifically her Grandmother was a notorious Witch/Pirate Captain. Her Mother turned away from the gift for the axe. Here is the classic Crone, Mother, Maiden set-up and they are kind of all in her head, which is one reason she is crazy.

 

Nebula herself grew up a supposed orphan, which lead to failed-poacher, failed-archer, okay-bard. It was as a poacher she was told at some village fair that she had talent and should seek out the Conjurers in Gridania. However, instead she got hitched up into the Archers guild. It was only when she was kicked out and her power started to materialise that she finally joined the Conjurers.

 

[edit - I came up with this story back in beta when Bard would require conjurer as a class. This was changed in the game but I continued anyhow] 

 

She is a terrible student, and they pushed her off to the Sylphs, where she met her Witch mentor, Kraggy Nel. Under her witch training she was sent to learn the basics of how magic is done throughout Eorzea. She enrolled in the various magic guilds to achieve this, again she is a terrible student.

 

This broad grounding in the basics and variety enables the Witchcraft training that is more about intent and conviction than dogmatic methods. Throw in some alchemy and gemsmithing and she is set for potions, charms, magic of a hedge witch and  more.

 

Now she is off seeking out some lost Sharlayan Witch to continue her journey into high Order Witchcraft (you can guess this ends up at Matoya, though there is a quest(s) to do to get there).

[Askier]

When you're in a war against dragons you either learn to fight dragons or you die.

Hey some people make baskets or bread or whatever!

Probably a large percent does.

[Garza Redwing]

Back when Garza worked with Aether and Arcanism, he ruined his own Aether and now he unwillingly changes form to acquire similar qualities of whoever he has physical contact with the most.

 

One day he's a Hyur. 

 

After a good night with his wife, he's a Miqo'te.

[Warren Castille]

The power of faith and belief.

[Aaron]

The power of faith and belief.

"Ahem, excuse me people of grindstone would you take a moment to learn about our Lord and saviour Rhalgr?"

[Koro Dotharl]

Back when Garza worked with Aether and Arcanism, he ruined his own Aether and now he unwillingly changes form to acquire similar qualities of whoever he has physical contact with the most.

 

One day he's a Hyur. 

 

After a good night with his wife, he's a Miqo'te.

 

 

Sounds like fun! But also expensive. How many fantasia do you use in a few months?

[S'imba]

Well initially S'imba got his power from being experimented on by a psychotic summoner. Cause apparently he was the only specimen who could survive the process. Later he became Edgelord Prime after being paid in a weird crystal from some ignorant merchant for recovering some stolen goods. He carried it around like all the other weird rocks people have given him. Eventually he was attacked by a monster. When his knives didn't work he stepped back tripping over an old sword. Picking it up the soulstone would wake and gave him the knowledge how to fight with the weapon. Afterwards it spoke to him offering the power to protect those he cared about, he accepted and started hallucinating that some old guy was talking to him. Though anyone watching him would have seen him having a conversation with himself.

[FreelanceWizard]

After running away from home, L'yhta was trained by a cult of superannuated mages who lived together in Limsa Lominsa. Why did they pick her? Innate talent, allegedly...

 

It's amazing how much and how fast you can learn when you live, breathe, eat, and sleep a subject. L'yhta did and still does spend the vast majority of her time practicing her Art, whether it's in research, studying at a guild, giving guest lectures at Mealvaan's Gate, or using it out in the field. She's the sort of person who wakes up, spends 12-16 hours living her work, then goes to bed.

[Kilieit]

The closest thing Aghurlal has to magic powers is his Echo, and it manifested when he travelled to Eorzea. Like: normal(ish...) man leaves Othard. Has godsawful dreams on the boat over. Congrats, the awful dreams are now visions you have during your waking hours, and you have them unwillingly and seemingly (because you refuse to talk to anyone about what's happening to you) at random! Enjoy your stay!

 

Medic is a conjurer (but not a hearer). She gained this ability because she wanted to help heal people, and Stillglade Fane had just started training adventurers like her, so she took advantage. She found the magic came naturally to her, so she advanced through her training at a decent pace.

 

Caiden's most magical-seeming abilities (the huge majority of her skillset is non-aetherial in nature) are also Echo-based. It started out as "just an intuition", but eventually developed into a clarity and breadth that was highly unusual. I think the first time she realised she should maybe investigate a magical cause behind what she could do - and also the strongest demonstration of her ability to date - was when she successfully not only identified a fake artefact, but also uncovered fruitful leads as to the fraudsters who had created it and the clients who stood to profit from its "discovery", simply by examining the object itself. Let's just say she's not so keen on handling aetherial gear...

 

Confiance began learning conjury at a relatively young age (he showed an interest and his parents encouraged it). Due to his nosy temperament, he ended up being palmed off on a specific tutor. When that went south in a pretty dreadful way, he asked to be permitted leave to study arcanima in Limsa Lominsa. He's been there ever since; his perspective as a former conjurer brings a new dimension to his studies and allows him to provide insights that his arcanima-only peers might have missed.

 

I have other characters as well, but I just woke up... so maybe I'll write about them another time.

[U'roh Tia]

Roh's closest thing to magical powers is proper Dragoon training. Got a Big ol back story on this one.

 

He got his training from a Ex-Dragoon, who valued her country so much she abandoned it to fight in the end of 1.0. (I can't even spell the place's name I won't even try.) Obviously one does not simply go AWOL in Ishgard and was branded a heretic for her actions. She has long since been given sanctuary in the Shroud for her efforts and spends her days training Adders in lancing techniques. 

 

Having found Roh on deaths door, she took him in and trained him, feeling every being has a right to defend their honor and sensing his desire to end his weakness. She spent the next few years training him into the "Free" Dragoon he is and told him many stories of Ishgardian honor. Even now Roh sees this woman as his second mother and she is the source of his Knightly values.

[Garza Redwing]

Back when Garza worked with Aether and Arcanism, he ruined his own Aether and now he unwillingly changes form to acquire similar qualities of whoever he has physical contact with the most.

 

One day he's a Hyur. 

 

After a good night with his wife, he's a Miqo'te.

 

 

Sounds like fun! But also expensive. How many fantasia do you use in a few months?

I usually buy a stack of 5 every few months to use now and then.

 

Fortunately, my girlfriend plays Garza's wife. So it saves me money. Lmao

[Garza Redwing]

I lagged and it posted twice. Delete this one please c:

[Chidori]

I was like brand spanking new to RP when I started the game. Had a friend drag me into it more or less.

 

Ritsu was already made, so she is who I started out RPing. I kind of started her out from the floor up as I leveled her. She was a decent enough archer/tracker now she is a pretty exceptional one. (She is coming up on..three years old) The power aspect came up when my friend decided to RP her sister. Runs in their family. Ritsu however isn't one to embrace it. When I used to RP on Gilga she had some run in with mages that made her pretty against magic. So at the moment the only time you will see magical abilities from Ritsu is when she loses her shit.  And I mean..most than have interact with her can guess how often that happens She tends to be very very level headed even in the face of danger.

 

My other mage character was also born with it. She is more healing/light magic natured. She is very much in the learning process so it is fun seeing her trying to do one thing and something different happening.

[Kellach Woods]

Picked up an axe, started killing shit. Never stopped.

 

Picked up a sword, started miming shit.

 

Verdict is still out on WTF happened

[Zelmanov]

Adopted and raised as heir apparent, biological heir comes into the mix, Orrin goes to the army and trains. Made it 15 years without dying.

[ckingch]

My character's dad initially taught him how to fight. His lifetime of fighting and military service helped refine his fighting and he has learned to use a lot of different weapons as well. For his aetheric abilities, they first developed through intense focus, training, will power, and his emotional turmoil. Recently his best friend, a Fist of Ralghr, has been offering him guidance as he trains to unlock his chakra, though his first was unlocked before this without him realizing what has actually happened. His full potential has yet to be realized, as he is still set in his way of fundamental combat techniques over aether usage.

[Mia Moui]

All Mia wanted was to become a mother and help raise her sisters and nieces.  She waved off becoming a warrior or a hunter and learned to cook and sew instead. When she and three of her younger sisters were betrayed by their Matriarch and handed over to the Coeurclaw, Mia was desperate to escape but not without her sisters.

 

Before they could be delivered, Dalamud exploded.  During the distraction, Mia tried to escape.  She was able to kill two of her captors and she was surprised by how easy it was.  But before she could free her sisters, a third captor drove an ax blade into her face.  Fortunately, it was a shallow blow that spared her eye but left her face disfigured.  Without treatment, it grew into a vivid scar that made her unsuitable as a concubine to the Coeurclaw King.

 

So it was that Mia was trained in hunting and fighting.  Over the five years of servitude she had become highly skilled and gave no hint whatsoever of her desire to escape.  She was trusted and that trust was rewarded on a number of occasions. 

 

But when an adventurer came along, causing no small amount of distraction, it was Mia who took the opportunity to flee with her sisters.

 

Sadly, upon returning to their home and finding that all of their family had died in the Calamity, they were set upon by traffickers.  They ambushed Mia, catching her completely by surprise.  When she awoke, her sisters were gone.

 

It has been two years since that day and over that time, she has only improved her existing skills and has added more as she has moved from town to town searching for the last remaining members of her family.

[Roger Holmes]

Roger (or I should say Satoru since it was when he was a child), was a very adaptive kid while we was growing up. He was left at the border of East Thanalan and the Shroud where someone found him and took him into their organization which dealt with information, reconnaissance, and tasks which needed to be done, but not seen. Through them, he was able to learn how to stay hidden while in plan sight. 

 

The organization also had a huge archive of information that he had access to, which opened up his curious nature and wishing to try things out that he has read, which helps with his adaptiveness. After the whole organization, he tried to cast his past aside before he went into seclusion in the Shroud and learned how to hunt with a bow and a blade, leaning more towards the blade after a while. Everything was either self-taught or him watching adventurers as they traveled through. Being self-taught that he doesn't really follow the style of the gladiator's guild nor having any proper training until much later in his life with Dalinat.

 

Pretty much he has had a thing for blades since then as he grew up, but he has an understanding of how other weapons work. He might not know how to properly wield them as others do, but finds a way to use them for the task at hand. Which also kind of leans into one of his styles where he performs unorthodox moves to try and confuse his opponent (He even tried using two shields at one point ).

 

As for magic, he was never the magical type initially as an adult, but as a child he had quite a bit of skill in wind magic and using a form of it to mend injuries. But since he cast his past aside, he didn't know he had this ability albeit of form of minor healing which drained him of his own aether rather than using the surrounding aether, but it was only for dire situations. It was only when the organization tracked him down and tried to control him where his wind magic manifested for several brief episodes and now he is trying to learn how to control it again. He is still a novice at it though and only uses it to supplement his swordplay.