Portal from Vana'Diel?

[Lamiaris]

Just an oddball question, one that I'm curious about.
Seeing as there was an event several years ago, involving an NPC-character stepping into the world of Eorzea, from their origin-land of Vana'Diel...
Now, I realize this may sound kinda dumb, but, seeing as that is apparently possible..

Just how likely is it for an RP character to, say, do the same thing? Step through a portal, poof, they've gone from Vana'Diel to Eorzea?
Can it happen? Is it something that RPers would allow?

[Sounsyy]

The two examples we have of visitors from Vana'diel are Shantotto and Iroha. Shantotto of Windurst is a master of arcane magicks and apparently developed a spell that allowed her to travel to different dimensions. Iroha, on the other hand, is less sure how she got to Hydaelyn, though she believes it was the divine intervention of the Goddess, Altana who plucked her from the dying world of Vana'diel and brought her here. 

 

Shantotto: "The Federation of Windurst in Vana'diel is my demesne, where I preside as supreme mistress of all matters arcane. Let us just say that my powers allow for interdimensional travel. Sadly, I had to seal away this most marvelous spell, for reasons upon which I'd rather not dwell. Anyhow, I recently revisited the incantation, for the purpose of making some ameliorations. You know how the saying goes: the mind of a genius is never at repose. ...Testing the spell, I found myself by chance in your land─and quickly observed that things have gotten out of hand."

 

Iroha: "The last thing I remember is a fierce battle and a strange light. When next I awoke, I was here. I realize how ridiculous this seems. Anyone in their right mind would think it some fanciful dream. But for me, this world is the dream, and now it is time to awaken. When next I open my eyes I will be home, in Vana'diel, once more at Master's side. This may be just a dream, but it is one I shall never forget. Thank you, for everything. ...It would seem...I am not yet ready to return. Is this, perhaps, the will of the Goddess? If it is by Her will, then so it shall be. I vow to work hard every day, to become a warrior worthy of your teachings. Then, when the time comes, we shall meet again. Here, in Eorzea, or perhaps in the waking world."

 

So I leave that up to your personal preference. Is your character able to perform inter-dimensional travel or are they important enough that the Goddess might see fit to transport them to another realm? If that's the kind of story that you're wanting to tell with this character then go for it! That said, often times the more fantastical you make your character, the less broad of an audience you'll attract in terms of general RP. If you've got an FC or a group of RP friends already who're cool with this sort of concept then that shouldn't matter at all though. 

 

TL;DR: Can it happen? Yes, it's just unlikely. Will the vast majority of RPers go for it? Ehhh, you're probably gonna get similar responses to what Shantotto and Iroha both received:

Vorsaile: "Inter...dimensional travel, did you say? I cannot begin to comprehend what our visitor is trying to convey."

Remumu: "<sigh> There goes the greatest story I'll never get to write. An adventurer from another world, traveling back in time to save her people. Who's going to believe such a silly tale? I'll leave the flights of fancy to Petyr. But for her sake, I hope she finds her way home, wherever that may be."

[Dravus]

To be blunt, a lot of people would simply roll their eyes and avoid anyone embracing such a plot point. If you want to tell a story involving a character that is exploring a new land for the first time then...there's no reason not to simply have them hail from somewhere like Hingashi and make up a reason as to why they're venturing to Eorzea. That's pretty much the basis of my own character and it doesn't involve taking any liberties at all, so the pool of role-players I can interact with isn't artificially limited.

 

Just because you can do something, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Nobody can stop you, though you're likely to get more meaningful opportunities and contacts by role-playing something fairly grounded compared to something extremely exceptional.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

8 hours ago, Lamiaris said:

Just an oddball question, one that I'm curious about.
Seeing as there was an event several years ago, involving an NPC-character stepping into the world of Eorzea, from their origin-land of Vana'Diel...
Now, I realize this may sound kinda dumb, but, seeing as that is apparently possible..

Just how likely is it for an RP character to, say, do the same thing? Step through a portal, poof, they've gone from Vana'Diel to Eorzea?
Can it happen? Is it something that RPers would allow?

 

The setting has a history of interplanar / interdimensional travel:

Lightning from FFXIII - 2013 and 2014 events

 

Shantotto from FFXI - That Old Black Magic event, 2014

 

Warriors of Darkness - Heavensward MSQ, post-Dragonsong War, 2016

 

Unukalhai - Heavensward, Warring Triad trial series, 2016

 

Iroha from FFXI - Maiden's Rhapsody events, 2015 and 2017

 

Goten, Ginga, and Raigo from Garo - literally sentient planeswalking horse machines. PVP event, 2017

The best approach would be to remain coy about your origins, and resist the urge to spill it all out prematurely to a bunch of strangers. Be vague and say you come from a "faraway land." Hint at how things work differently back home in Vana'diel compared to Eorzea. Once you've built a core of RP friends you can trust, let them discover your secret and learn IC where you're from. No need to worry about what others think if you're keeping it mostly in private chat.

[Dravus]

Being open and honest about taking liberties with one's character is for the best. It helps avoid needless drama and it prevents both parties from wasting their time if they have conflicting stances on such things. 

[Mermaid]

7 hours ago, Kieron Lohengrin said:

The best approach would be to remain coy about your origins, and resist the urge to spill it all out prematurely to a bunch of strangers. Be vague and say you come from a "faraway land." Hint at how things work differently back home in Vana'diel compared to Eorzea. Once you've built a core of RP friends you can trust, let them discover your secret and learn IC where you're from. No need to worry about what others think if you're keeping it mostly in private chat.

 

Please for the love of Hydaelyn don't do this. Do not go build connections and so on only to suddenly spring something on them that they might not be okay with. That is not the best way to go about it that's a way to potentially upset people. If you want to do one shot, walk up RP with people in the Quicksand and gauge how open they'd be to something like that before making it long term that's one thing. You really do need tell people about that part of your character before making it long term though. People deserve a chance to back out of something they don't agree with before your character has an impact on their development.

 

Also if we're going to use the "sentient planeswalking horse machines" as a canon example of interdimensional visitors then I guess the bunny in the astronaut suit, the flying superhero cat, and the poodle with the face of a salaryman are all canon too. I'm getting snarky and off topic though so I'll leave it at that.

 

To get back to the actual topic, Ryuji pretty much said everything I could/would say on the matter. About the only thing I'll add is that if you really want to do it there probably are people out there who'll RP with you. This isn't the first time this exact topic has come up. I've seen much less sensical things in game, like vampires (not nightkin or whatever) and half dragons, and they apparently find enough RP partners to continue RPing these characters. It's all down to how willing you are to hunt for people open to your idea.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Mermaid

[Kieron Lohengrin]

Technically, yes, even the Yo-kai minis are canon now too. The quest text during the event neatly explained away how and where the Eorzean versions of them came from: https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/A_Complete_Game_Changer

Yeah, it's been a longtime thing for certain people to selectively pick and choose what they want to see ingame, even when someone else's mount, gear, et cetera is staring them down in the face. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Other roleplayers simply enjoy rolling with the punches and taking everything they experience in the setting as a whole - from the serious Ascian/Garlean plot to the colorful silliness of the Gold Saucer and the Mandervilles, and everything in between. Koji Fox, memelord that he is, has done a pretty amusing job of writing in the crossovers and fourth wall-leaning as actual IC events. Even this year's anniversary event makes reference to Lightning's interdimensional travel shenanigans from 2013.

 

And just to repeat it again, if someone keeps their plot-bendy RP to private chat? If they've established trusted friendships with a good, close circle or guild? Especially if they're a bunch of nostalgic XI vets. Doesn't matter what randos in Ul'dah think then - she'll just be the oddball from some unspecified faraway land to Joe Q. Public, while her besties know and acknowledge her claim. It's easy enough for someone to say IC, "That's interesting, but do you have any proof about where you came from" and thus not be a prick about it, instead of freaking out OOC and yelling "don't ever do this." Like that ever stopped anyone enamored enough with their concept - see all the half-Voidsent, half-whatevers running around ingame.

[Brighthawk]

Hey Lamiaris, while you won't find any sort of consensus about what is and isn't accepted as a whole as every little group has their own rules, I would also encourage you to be up front with folks you're looking to have long term roleplay with about your character concept. I have to admit I'm sort of curious about what prompted this question from you as well! What aspect of interdimensional characters was appealing to you and why the interest in the concept? All Roleplay is just make believe and if you know and can zero in on why you want to try certain things it doesn't really matter what other people are doing as long as you and the people you're playing with are all on the same page and cool with it.

 

To the tangent of crossover canonicity, I personally think they fall into this gray area but are not part of the main XIV canon or story. The lore team and localizers do the best to justify them but as a whole the point is to have fun and to justice to both games tone more than the minutia. When I am playing a cross over event the point is to enjoy some 4th wall leaning fun and some silly justification for a minion or a new glamour item. That doesn't really evoke the same mindset as going through the main quest or world building details of other parts of the setting.

Playing an MMO requires various degrees of suspending disbelief when dealing with other people or interacting with the fundamental gameplay elements. When I see people riding around in the Yokai Watch mount it does take me out of an immersive mood a bit and a few lines during the cross over quest doesn't make it any less silly or out of place. It's a piece of something from another franchise entirely with real world context. It also never comes up again, the Yokai Watch is never going to be a relevant event for our characters and the pieces are never going to come into play again so I'd debate it's actually not canon. MMOs are by nature flimsy and it takes more than a reference or joke to be part of canon.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

It was canon enough to necessitate the intervention of the Padjali, though - one of the Seedseers, no less, to seal one away. Yes, it's a funny little collab for a kids' game and anime franchise, that even got repeated simply because the president of Level-5 needed more time to grind out his own event. But when you bother writing in such an elaborate justification and reaction involving Hearer leadership, silly and comedic as the event itself may have been, that'll still be a part of Gridania's history forever. 

 

Because Yoshi-P turned XIV into an FF greatest hits album, these collabs and the ingame rewards from them get used all over the place by RPers. Some are just permanently available even without questing, like the Mado horses, so the closest explanation you'll get is from Garo lore itself. People are going to have to learn to live with these characters and their players enjoying and drawing on all the high-magic, high-silliness components of this setting. We know that an XV collab is coming eventually, and we know that Noctis has already been running around in Dissidia - I'm just looking forward to chuckling at how they implement yet another extradimensional visitor.

[Mermaid]

6 hours ago, Kieron Lohengrin said:

And just to repeat it again, if someone keeps their plot-bendy RP to private chat? If they've established trusted friendships with a good, close circle or guild? Especially if they're a bunch of nostalgic XI vets. Doesn't matter what randos in Ul'dah think then - she'll just be the oddball from some unspecified faraway land to Joe Q. Public, while her besties know and acknowledge her claim. It's easy enough for someone to say IC, "That's interesting, but do you have any proof about where you came from" and thus not be a prick about it, instead of freaking out OOC and yelling "don't ever do this." Like that ever stopped anyone enamored enough with their concept - see all the half-Voidsent, half-whatevers running around ingame.

Plot-bendy stuff should absolutely be kept to private groups. That's the place to do it. You implied RPing with various people until you found people you trusted and only telling them after how lore bending your character is. If you want to sit in a linkshell or FC and RP a bunch of characters from Vana'diel then to hell with what people think. You're not bothering them with your private RP. When you take a lore bending character and try to interact with the general populace that's when you risk having a problem.

 

3 hours ago, Kieron Lohengrin said:

People are going to have to learn to live with these characters and their players enjoying and drawing on all the high-magic, high-silliness components of this setting.

Except they shouldn't have to learn to live with it and some won't. One of the two questions asked in this thread is how likely RPers are to allow, what is in my opinion, the most reasonable crossover lore we've seen and so far the majority are saying they wouldn't. People should not have to accept your nightkin character, your sentient, flying, mechanical horse, or your god killing, friend to the leader of every city, Warrior of Light character just because the game has written an explanation for them. People have a right to walk away from a concept or canon they disagree with just as much as people have a right RP whatever they want.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Mermaid

[Kieron Lohengrin]

You don't get to define what "reasonable" crossover lore is, though. There's just what exists ingame and what's already historically happened, period. Again, being selective and picky with what you personally want to see ingame doesn't take away the fact that these things are already there and part of the world - and that players are free to use and draw on them as they wish. Your personal sensibilities get overruled by what people can earn ingame and physically show off / walk around with in the setting itself, and others will not care if it offends you.

 

This is just another exercise in one more aspect of RP: flexibility. How open are you to the fantastical aspects of a fantasy setting? Given precedent, how well can you have fun with someone else's concept? You draw on the "WoL sucks" strawman that some are fond of clinging to - ignoring that, in the latest official text chapter, more down-to-earth, normal-ish Echo users Arenvald and Fordola go off and defeat Ifrit without him. Again, setting the precedent that a WoL individual isn't even that necessary at all - never mind the joke they keep making in actual quest text that he constantly has at least 7 other friends, or 23 other friends that have to help him.

 

It's true, some people just hate surprises. They want to dictate to new RPers, "tell me everything about you because I fucking hate surprises, and I will throw a childish shitfit if you spring one on me." Other roleplayers subscribe to a school of improv, of being able to learn something fantastic about someone they like, and rolling with it. The only thing an RPer should worry about is not coming on too strong with their concept - of having ingame precedent and reasoning for it, finding the right people and the right place for it, and not giving a shit about what random strangers think.

[Kismet]

I think some folks may be focusing on the wrong parts of this topic's heart. Ryuji has hit closest to the mark, though. This isn't as much about what is or isn't canon, what is or isn't possible, or what is or isn't a rude surprise. Those things ARE important, don't get me wrong. And you should definitely take the time to communicate with whoever you're RPing with long-term in order to figure out how those factors will come into play amongst yourselves.

 

But what this really ultimately boils down to is what Lamiaris is trying to do and why.

 

Do they simply want their character to be ignorant to the world of Hydaelyn and its ways? You don't NEED a character to come from another world to accomplish that.

Do they want a justification for their character to have a class not yet released? You don't NEED a character to come from another world to accomplish that.

Do they merely desire for the character to be mysterious and/or cool? You don't NEED a character to come from another world to accomplish that.

 

If they simply WANT to do it because they say so? That's just fine. If they're worried about lore-soundness, SE has luckily written things in such a way to support it, as evidenced by Sounsyy and Kieron both. But as long as Lamiaris also knows they don't HAVE to do these things in order to tell the story they want to tell, everyone should be satisfied.

 

Equipping people with as much information and advice as possible should hopefully lead to the outcome that will give THEM the most enjoyment -- even if a percentage of others may not necessarily like or approve of it.

Edited August 30, 2018 by Kismet