Liadan, let me open this post by thanking you. I appreciate thorough, constructive criticism very much.
Yes, I do understand that it's not a necessity for a motherly person to be a white mage. It's not that I believe the two things are synonymous with one another. It's more of a case that, likely from my own personal preference for specific archetypes, that I believe being a white mage may make her appear to be more motherly if portrayed in a particular light. Naturally that sort of thing isn't a requirement by any means, because you may have a motherly character with no ties to any sort of magical or martial prowess, but it can serve to magnify it if done in certain ways.
Of course, as you go on to mention later on in that blurb, we don't realistically know how white mages from the Sixth Umbral Calamity may have acted or behaved. It's a long shot to be certain, and given that the War of the Magi and the Sixth Umbral Calamity was brought about by them willingly engaging in combat with both Mhach and Nym, it's not a far stretch to assume they were possibly less than savoury individuals.
Is it a weak justification? Sure, I can admit that it's feeble at best, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't part of my train of thought.
Fair points across the board. "Depth" was a poor choice of word when I wrote that message, and though it may seem like an attempt at an excuse, I'll say that it was a faux pas likely caused from not having slept for over 24 hours now. "Reasoning" is definitely a more suitable word. That's something I would have to go back and ponder more on, so I appreciate that food for thought.
I absolutely want to do it, yes. I was under the misconception that there needed to be more of a reason to it than that, because responding to someone asking you why you did it with "because I wanted to" felt like a relatively weak justification, which is why I attempted to compile the list you see featured above. I felt as though "just because" wasn't feasible in and of itself, given that there's a not-insignificant chunk of people who want to know the gritty details of it all.
Believable is what I want, certainly. Believe me, I've been mulling over the possible ways to try and implement it for quite a few days. I get some ideas, then very few of them end up sticking, and I'm right back at the drawing board.
Another fun possibility I hadn't considered. With as much as I initially fawned over RDM, and even went on to level it to 70, I feel sheepish for not having considered that there's a group of white and/or black mages hiding somewhere out there.
Again, thank you very much for the insightful feedback and criticism. If you've any more, I'm always receptive of it.
(11-14-2017, 10:52 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: The thing is, there's no reason you would need to specifically be a White Mage for your character to be motherly. In fact, the only thing in that trope link that fits White Mage specifically is that the character in question usually wields White Magic. Literally everything else can be accomplished with a Conjurer. In fact, the bulk of your healing abilities don't come from White Mage at all - they're Conjurer abilities. There's no reason for us to even believe that White Mages are particularly motherly or kind beyond the few White Mage NPCs we encounter. One of the reasons why the Elementals hid White Magic in the first place is that the Amdapori abused the shit out of it, and in the process, very nearly destroyed the world. For all we know, traditional White Mages during the time of Amdapor were in it for power or the accolades of others, not out of kindness.
Yes, I do understand that it's not a necessity for a motherly person to be a white mage. It's not that I believe the two things are synonymous with one another. It's more of a case that, likely from my own personal preference for specific archetypes, that I believe being a white mage may make her appear to be more motherly if portrayed in a particular light. Naturally that sort of thing isn't a requirement by any means, because you may have a motherly character with no ties to any sort of magical or martial prowess, but it can serve to magnify it if done in certain ways.
Of course, as you go on to mention later on in that blurb, we don't realistically know how white mages from the Sixth Umbral Calamity may have acted or behaved. It's a long shot to be certain, and given that the War of the Magi and the Sixth Umbral Calamity was brought about by them willingly engaging in combat with both Mhach and Nym, it's not a far stretch to assume they were possibly less than savoury individuals.
Is it a weak justification? Sure, I can admit that it's feeble at best, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't part of my train of thought.
(11-14-2017, 10:52 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: How does White Magic add a "layer of depth" to your character? Just saying, "Well, she knows it's wrong but she does it anyway" is reasoning, but it's not depth. How does White Magic make it more likely that she would understand what she's doing is wrong any more than, say, attempting a particularly difficult form of Conjury that could, say, damage the land?
Another thing to point out is that White Magic isn't actually illegal. See, for it to be illegal, people would have to actually know about it. Can't make a law about something that supposedly doesn't exist. Can't be illegal if there's no law outlawing it. So it's not illegal. Forbidden? Again, can't forbid something that supposedly doesn't exist anymore.
Fair points across the board. "Depth" was a poor choice of word when I wrote that message, and though it may seem like an attempt at an excuse, I'll say that it was a faux pas likely caused from not having slept for over 24 hours now. "Reasoning" is definitely a more suitable word. That's something I would have to go back and ponder more on, so I appreciate that food for thought.
(11-14-2017, 10:52 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: So, your reason is, "I want to be a White Mage because I've always wanted to be a White Mage and I hate that it's uber restrictive."
That's totally valid. I have been there, and I completely agree - it's ripe bullshit how they've portrayed it in the game. That's really all the reasoning you need - don't stretch for other things, because those other things are stretches. "I want to do it" is literally the only justification you need.
The hard part is making how you choose to accomplish this believable.
I absolutely want to do it, yes. I was under the misconception that there needed to be more of a reason to it than that, because responding to someone asking you why you did it with "because I wanted to" felt like a relatively weak justification, which is why I attempted to compile the list you see featured above. I felt as though "just because" wasn't feasible in and of itself, given that there's a not-insignificant chunk of people who want to know the gritty details of it all.
Believable is what I want, certainly. Believe me, I've been mulling over the possible ways to try and implement it for quite a few days. I get some ideas, then very few of them end up sticking, and I'm right back at the drawing board.
(11-14-2017, 10:52 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: Edited to Add: In talking with a friend, an old theory popped up - there's a good chance there's some pocket of White Mages hidden in some crazy remote part of Gyr Abania who descended from 6th Umbral Era survivors. It's likely that their techniques would, however, be wholly unconnected with the current Padjal-taught form of White Magic. Still, they might be a hell of a lot more open to teaching a foreign-born Sun Seeker Miqo'te than the admittedly xenophobic Gridanians.
Another fun possibility I hadn't considered. With as much as I initially fawned over RDM, and even went on to level it to 70, I feel sheepish for not having considered that there's a group of white and/or black mages hiding somewhere out there.
Again, thank you very much for the insightful feedback and criticism. If you've any more, I'm always receptive of it.
"The pen is not mightier than the sword. Pens do not win battles, and swords do not write poetry.
Mighty is the hand that knows when to pick the pen, and when to pick the sword."