#garlean discourse

I’m happy to RP with Garlean Rpers so long as it’s pretty flagrantly obvious they don’t believe OOC that Garlemald is great.  One of my favorite RP experiences was with a player who RPed a Garlean spy.  The way she handled the exploration of that character was so nuanced and well-done, building all of the conflict and tension between her character and the Ala Mhigan characters amongst the group.  I got to explore all of Tiergan’s rage, horror, and frustration over someone who in that moment represented the nation that took everything away from him.

I was able to safely explore all of those themes and feelings because I knew that separation of IC and OOC was there. I knew this person understood she was playing a villain and building a conflict.  She used plenty of OOC communication back and forth so everyone was comfortable and on the same page.

Another friend of mine plays a Garlean conscript and I am PSYCHED to play with this person, because of Tiergan’s history and internal fears around what might have happened to him if he’d never managed to escape Garlean subjugation as a child.  These conflicts and the emotional turmoil they bring  about in my character are the themes I’ve always wanted to explore with Tiergan and I could only do so with the kind of character my friend is bringing to the table.

I can get why the above might not be fun for others on a personal level, and that’s okay.  It’s not for everyone just like how certain types of RP are not for me.

Where things get uncomfortable for me personally is when a RPer OOC expresses admiration, praise, or sympathy for the Garlean empire as a whole, tries to characterize the empire as not truly villainous, or tries to maintain OOC that all other nations really are “savages” that would have their quality of life improved if they just stopped fighting and let the Garlean empire subjugate them.  It’s one thing for the character to say and believe all of it is IC - it’s another for it to be an out of character belief.

I’ve literally seen other players write blog posts about how Doma/Ala Mhigo were only brutalized as badly as they were, because they fought back and should have accepted their subjugation so they’d be treated way better. This gets unnerving as all hell when you consider that Garlemald is very white-coded and Doma/Ala Mhigo are super PoC-coded.

I am Jewish. My paternal grandparents and their immediate families were Holocaust survivors. I have eight characters on Balmung, and one is a loyal Imperial Garlean officer who I try to make as sympathetic and human as possible. 

Why?

Not to excuse fascist behavior in game and OOC, but because it’s important to keep in mind that even the most twisted hecked up dregs of morality have softer human sides. This doesn’t excuse them in the slightest. But if we teach each other that the only bad people are clearly and obviously bad in every way and they aren’t even people? Then it leaves us wide open to be devastated when people who have shown humanity and kindness change their nature with the times. 

As a little kid, my dad taught me what happened to both of his parents. Friends and neighbors started giving them the cold shoulder when Jews became society’s scapegoat. And then their communities turned downright hostile in months. They were able to use personal finances to leave the continent before they were to be sent to camps, but millions of others weren’t as lucky. And their communities embraced the Nazi ideals- before we see the true nature of those ideals through the lens of history. 

I see roleplay as a chance to share some of my personal perspectives in telling stories. With my loyal imperial officer, I want to show how fascism and cruelty can wear a charming face. Other Garlean players may want to have a villain within an establishment, or to play out the conflict when their good characters see the true consequences of their patriotism, or use the opportunity to play a redemption seeker. While I’m not blind to the possibility that some Garlean players use Imperial roleplay to express their own fascist tendencies, their motives are not universal. 

No one, not even the Eorzeian Alliance knew the real reason behind the Empire’s creation. I am 100% certain only Varis, the former Emperors and some small inner circle know of the true reason of the Empire’s creation. And it’s not even “kill anyone that isn’t a pureblood” like the nazi “aryan” race crap (which was truly disgusting, by the way) was, but just kill everyone, even ourselves by causing 5 more Calamities and restart the world in general.

Meanwhile all the rest of them just have your typical “anyone that isn’t pureblood or signs their whole life away is unworthy.” They’re not genocidal “there can only be one race.” Like what?? You see that everywhere in Eorzeia (Wildwood Elezen, like hello???). Especially those in Baelsar’s unit that are like “we just want Eorzeians to stop summoning gods.” You see the subjugation and slavery and the “you must prove your worth” with the inner main parts of the Empire that took over Ala Mhigo and Doma. Baelsar’s unit only did the subjugation and eradication of the beastmen. Did the Eorzeians not do the same? Those of you uncomfortable with the slavery and prejudice abuse caused by the Garleans- what about the beast tribes? Like Varis may be a piece of shit with his views, but he did have a point when pointing the big finger at the Shroud denizens.

And then we have the Populares that do not share any of those racist and prejudice views as the pureblood Garleans do. You also have people like Cid and Nero that honestly don’t give a shit about who is what, and only care about Magitek?

Like Jesus, let people RP what they want. If they have a character akin to Varis, then give them shit for it? Don’t be dickheads just because you see “Garlean” in someone’s profile like damn. Can’t people RP their Garleans without them being like Varis? The whole state of Garlemald is being tricked and was formed on a lie.

I was leaving those comments, not to put anyone in their place or shout someone down, but because I thought it was going to be your usual friendly rp discussion, that we would either agree or disagree, and that would be that.

Instead, within minutes of posting, he vagueblogged, accused me of silencing/dismissing his discomfort, and replied to me with entirely xkit post replies for maximum public exposure - which made it flagrantly obvious to me that this wasn't about candid discussion, but something else entirely.

The 0-to-60 ramp up in hostility startled me, so that evening I apologized, stopped responding, and unfollowed so I would no longer see the posts.

The next day, I blocked him.

While he is entitled to whatever feelings he may have on a subject, I am entitled to decide I would rather invest my time in those who would engage me with the same earnestness I was coming in with and no longer want to give him a platform on my dashboard. Also after Oz, I am pretty done giving time to anyone weaponizing social justice language on the internet for questionable reasons.

"One of my favorite RP experiences was with a player who RPed a Garlean spy." HELLO FELLOW MEMBER OF THE SOPHIA FAN CLUB, I AM REPORTING FOR DUTY