Seriphyn

Eorzean Alliance Accession Ceremony for Ala Mhigo (4.4 spoilers) - Sunday 9th December @ 18:00 EST Together we have defeated the dreadful XIIth Imperial Legion and brought freedom to Ala Mhigo. Now we come together once more to celebrate the accession of our newly-liberated brothers and sisters into the Eorzean Alliance. This historic occasion marks the first time the realm is united and together in arms, poised to face the challenges of this tumultuous star as a single force. As the leaders of the five city-states are scheduled to meet in the castle of Ala Mhigo, the Alliance military will be hosting a ceremony for the free companies of Eorzea in the city below, inviting prominent adventurer leaders to show their support with rousing speeches and revelry! Similar to our very successful Ishgard rally two years ago ([1], [2]), we will be hosting a rally in the Ala Mhigan Quarter to line up with the 4.4 story events of Ala Mhigo joining the Eorzean Alliance! This event will happen in parallel to the corresponding MSQ sequence off-camera. With an opening and closing bard act, we invite prominent characters (preferably Ala Mhigan!) to come forth and deliver a speech, while the uniformed men and women of the Eorzean Alliance will stand in formation nearby. Come be part of history! Bards 1. Open 2. Open Speakers 1. Yvaine Athidrial 2. Rhuli'a Kanjun 3. Open 4. Open 5. Open 6. Open Alliance Detail Officers-in-Charge Immortal Flames - Second Flame Commander Kale Aideron Maelstrom - Storm Commander Sylbfohc Ostulmsyn O rder of the Twin Adder - Open Temple Knights - Baroness Hestia de Bayle of House Fortemps Ala Mhigan Resistance - Captain Beowoad Wyaadif, Resistance Cell 5 Join the Eorzean Alliance Discord here to get involved - https://discord.gg/U4Qpksw Please share the tumblr post here - https://4thcombinedbrigade.tumblr.com/post/179841090257/eorzean-alliance-accession-ceremony-for-ala-mhigo

Few days late coming back here! I think we have yet to encounter this situation, but I like to think that the 4th will de-escalate without prejudice. The "Xaela Epidemic" (snrk, of sorts) has become a kind of interesting player-made ambience/storyline, and we operate on this notion that the Flames as peacekeepers are trying to uphold a better reputation than the Blades. Kale often approaches a situation "You would much rather deal with us than the Blades, trust me." That's great to know, thank you! I'll pass the well-wish along \o/

Hello! I thought I should post in here since the 4th Combined Brigade engages with a lot of Xaela RPers in and around Pearl Lane when it comes to peacekeeping. I completely and utterly understand the paradox that exists with Xaela RP: 1) IC: Xaela tribal habits (especially in-fighting) would not be tolerated in Ul'dah. Racism is also likely, with little motivation to welcome tribal folk who aren't contributing anything to Ul'dah. 2) OOC: Ul'dah is the RP hub and thus new Xaela RPers would want to RP there rather than try to get to the gated Azim Steppe. There have been times when 4th peacekeepers have encountered Xaela RPers about to fight each other in Pearl Lane. IMO, that's a big no-no however one looks at it. The Brass Blades would probably cut them down in an instant. Typically, my lot will direct them outside city walls. That's the most common approach that we take. We have a set of commandments we follow that you can read about in the "Peacekeeping" chapter of our handbook. These commandments should make our approach clear! If you don't think we've been following them, do let me know!

Punishing Balmung for the swarm of bots that appeared, I see. Welcome to those who made it. I invite you to our megaevents such as the recent Phi Slamma Gamma.

Immortal Flames Garrison Blessing - Mon 12th March 20:00EST https://4thauxiliaryregiment.tumblr.com/post/171614451282/immortal-flames-garrison-blessing-mon-12th-march The Immortal Flames would like to invite all and sundry to the official blessing of Nanasha Garrison and Annex by the Order of Nald’thal. A new Grand Company regiment has recently established its base of operations in the Goblet Butte [11th Plot/Ward 16] and wishes to extend an open invitation to the Alliance military, loyal free companies, and adventurers to the ceremony. The regiment is hoping for the attendance of the Grand Flame Marshal as well. Drinks and light nourishment will be provided. In the interests of cultivating a transparent working relationship with other Goblet residents, guests are welcome to tour the regimental grounds freely to gain an understanding of the local military presence. An Order priest will then administer the blessing of the Traders, along with a short speech by the regiment’s commanding officer. Come hang out with us at plot 11, ward 16 of the Goblet at 8pm Eastern on March 12th as we officially “open” our Garrison IC! We are an Immortal Flames heavy RP group based out of the Goblet and are interested in meeting YOU! See our Tumblr for our past escapades. See you there!

[align=center] [/align] Since the last days of the Dragonsong War, the Eorzean Alliance has been contesting the mysterious continent of Azys Lla in an attempt to wrest control from the Garlean Empire. However, the sheer inhospitability of what is widely regarded as the most dangerous place in the known world has made this a mostly fruitless endeavour. Until now. Both the Eorzeans and Garleans have detected an alarming aetherial disturbance in the Gamma Quadrant. Given the dangers and wonders of this forbidden land, neither side is taking any chances, and are rallying forces to investigate. What awaits them in those dark skies? A clash is all but certain! [balmung RP Event] The Eorzean Alliance vs Fustarium! Sunday, March 4th @ 8:30 PM EST in Azys Llas This is a joint RP event between the Eorzean Alliance and the Garlean Fustarium. We are accepting new members! Do you have a character that is connected to one of the Grand Companys? The Temple Knights or Dragoons of Ishgard? Or the Ala Mhigan Resistance? Then join the Eorzean Alliance discord: https://discord.gg/vQSfRay. How about you imperials? Come join the Empire at ((http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=20158&highlight=fustarium)). Questions and interviews are conducted by Araceli Caillen and Aegir Hlerson. Once you join your respective sides discord, we will give you information on everything you need to know, including where to meet up at the start of the event. (Please kindly reblog our tumblr posting! See you there!)

Oh boy, as an LS/FC leader on Balmung, this entire thread gives me anxiety :lol: For us, because we're so niche in playing hardcore Immortal Flames, the lack of new blood is killer. I do hope that Balmung opens up again in the future. I love my guys and many of you have seen our achievements in running the Eorzean Alliance group, but I get all maximizing and think "But what if you could get even BIGGER and BADDER on Mateus?!". It's irrational on my part, of course.

As some of you may know, the 4th Auxiliary Regiment has been facilitating a 4-week MSQ tie-in campaign, with great success! Check out our tie-in to the attack on Rhalgr's Reach, the crossing over Castellum Velodyna, and the assault on Specula Imperatoris! On Wednesday 9th August at 7pm EST, the finale set in Ala Mhigo will take place! We are looking for a GM to lead a party of Doman and/or Xaelan soldiers in the wider assault. You will be coordinated under the primary GM (Kale Aideron) alongside other GMs in a large-scale, multi-party event that's involved up to 4 separate groups thus far! Please message me here or add me on Discord Seriphyn#0337 if you're interested! If you are otherwise a Doman freedom fighter or Xaelan tribal warrior, we want you as well, to fall into the Far Eastern squadron that takes part in the assault! In addition, members of the Eorzean Alliance and the Ala Mhigan Resistance are sought after as well. Please note that this is military-focused event, and as far as Eorzean characters go, we have a strong preference for Grand Company soldiers, as you can see in our Tumblr posts. Uniforms included! Reach out here if you are interested in an invite to the Operation Rhalgr's Beacon server on Discord!

Stolen valor? What? Serious question, what the hell have you been smoking? Read the post by Uther. Alright, so you were trolling. Muh bad for giving the benefit of the doubt! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ No, talking about videos on social media by service members that are about military humour. Nothing to do with mine.

Right, so, pulled the videos since they're not worth the drama they unintentionally created. Nonetheless, feel free to PM me the AFI that governs those videos, because it's not at all uncommon to make videos as such, especially ones based around humour. But yeah, stolen valour armchair activists I suppose? Honestly, honestly surprised how this went down, but my mistake.

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Me: "Do you think it's weird I posted video responses to an RP/video game discussion thread?" GF: "I think it's all weird, pups"

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If you can't post and argue without using emotive cusses or changing your signature to a GIF the mods kept removing, I suggest you don't post or argue at all.

What about the entirety of Miqo'te lore? Ishgardian culture? The Lalafell in the WVR questline who just about backhands the girl being forced to marry him? Sexism isn't non-existent in Eorzea just because the military judges purely on merit. Miqo'te lore I've always trumpeted on OOC about its dodgy social structure (to which people have defended it OOC by saying it's not really sexist)...but it's not even brought up as an issue in the game world. At least, as far as I've consumed of the game, no character has gone 'This patriarchal tribal nonsense is nonsense'. SE are okay with dropping in rape but not making Seeker of the Sun a contentious political issue in-universe. Because it's their culture, and the vast majority seem to be totally fine with it. That doesn't mean it isn't sexist, though. In Seeker of the Sun tribes, women are still respected and fill the same duties as men, but it's still a patriarchal society at its heart. Keepers of the Moon don't even give their men real names, and kick them out of the house as soon as they're old enough to not die. That's sexist no matter how you look at it. But again, they seem to be fine with it since Miqo'te men seem to have a kind of inherent wanderlust. We've also seen a Miqo'te who wasn't happy with it. The Coeurlking. And it's totally possible we'll meet more someday. Had to underline because I had no idea how to quote just that. Right, so I can't speak to the Coeurlking because I only have as much lore from my slice of gameplay, but my issue is that YOU'VE said it's sexist, from an OOC standpoint. It's not tackled seriously IC, if at all. In respect of my original argument, then, rape is thrown in to the game without any other exploration of gender topics. It's used as a tool to sharpen da edge and make the game seem more 'real', when they have actual material (such as Seeker culture as you've pointed out) to use instead, without resorting to cheap tactics.

What about the entirety of Miqo'te lore? Ishgardian culture? The Lalafell in the WVR questline who just about backhands the girl being forced to marry him? Sexism isn't non-existent in Eorzea just because the military judges purely on merit. Miqo'te lore I've always trumpeted on OOC about its dodgy social structure (to which people have defended it OOC by saying it's not really sexist)...but it's not even brought up as an issue in the game world. At least, as far as I've consumed of the game, no character has gone 'This patriarchal tribal nonsense is nonsense'. SE are okay with dropping in rape but not making Seeker of the Sun culture a contentious political issue in-universe.

That is not my argument. My argument is that we cannot possibly know how gender dynamics exist in Eorzea because their level of egalitarianism between the sexes is so far out and alien to our own world. Therefore, making assumptions that rape functions the same way as we know it is fallacious. Your post also doesn't acknowledge that day-to-day sexism is apparently non-existent in Eorzea, whereas in our own, it is still very much a thing.

It's more academic wankery than anything, but hey, if I ever get to go to a Fanfest, I could mention it to Koji Fox.

I wanted to break this off from the other thread regarding Stormblood RP, which was talking about the in-game allusions to the gang rape of females by Garlean soldiers and...well, just mostly rape really. Look, I am a big fan of the focus on 'relative realism' as far as FFXIV's world goes, but why must it always be the topic of rape used to heavyhand grittiness and realism? For example, I adore the Witcher 3, but in my time playing it to completion, I don't recall it resorting to such an easy topic to provoke an emotional reaction. Yes, fine, rape is a real thing and should not be glossed over when it comes to production fiction. But they employ it so easily in FFXIV that it makes it lazy. This laziness is exacerbated by these two premises that will form the core of my argument... 1) Women are institutionally equal to men in the world of FFXIV. ...and (although I'm not an expert on the subject)... 2) Rape is facilitated by men possessing near-exclusive control of the means to apply physical violence. I may be very off with point 2 but please bear with me as I press on. Regarding 1), all you have to do is look at the innumerable military NPCs across the game world. Square Enix are very deliberate and particular with how they craft the NPCs to populate the world according to their lore. In the lorebook, Ul'dah is primarily composed of Midlanders, Highlanders, Hellsguard, and Dunesfolk. Consequentially, the vast majority of Ul'dahn NPCs will be of these races. This attention to detail can be broken down further; Grand Company NPCs are clothed according to their rank, from soldier through to officer. A Grand Company NPC who is dressed in officer clothing can be found briefing NPCs who are dressed in a lower-ranking uniform. This deliberate sense of world building is there clear as day. I point out this attention-to-detail to preemptively counter any dissent over the fact that these military NPCs are just as likely to be female as they are male. I am conscious of any counter-arguments being made that I am overthinking the presence of female military NPCs, which I am not. SE were deliberate with their racial choices of NPCs accurately representing the region they inhabit, so if they wanted to imply that the military profession is male-dominated, they would have made all soldier NPCs male. Moving on, then, 3) FFXIV exists in a historical and social state that is not completely analogous to our own. The real-life military, and especially combat units, is not 50:50 male and female. In Eorzea, female swordsmen hold command over male swordsmen. Bringing up one or two examples of real-life historical exceptions is not equivalent, because female leadership and female military leadership is widespread and completely normal to Eorzeans. So, why, then are women and girls in FFXIV defaulting to the role of being rape victims? I drop this quote... Sorry, where is the female centurion who is sympathetic to the female condition (if it even exists as we know it in FFXIV) not stepping in to prevent this? Where is the female centurion ordering her troops to rape men? This is not just the Garleans. The Sea Wolf raiders would apparently commit to the same atrocities. Yet, the current 'leader' (if you will) of the Sea Wolves is a female. It may be a stretch to argue, but how do women achieve unquestionable equality in a culture where rape is supposedly a norm? The armies of FFXIV are both men and women, so how does half an army just ignore such crimes? Essentially, this brings us on to... 4) The only time gender relations in FFXIV are addressed is with crude allusions to rape. As far as I can see, there are no sexist jabs beyond stuff like cat-calling. There is no 'That Merlwyb wench shouldn't be in charge because she ain't no man'. There is nothing of the sort made in FFXIV dialogue, yet suddenly it comes out of nowhere that male prisoners are made to do hard labour and women become sex slaves. What is the social context that establishes this? This brings me on to my last two points... 5) Regardless of fan explanations, the unquestionable and unflinching equality of women in the world of FFXIV (outside of rape) makes the universe so alien to our own that it will be near-impossible to fully comprehend its social dynamics. Leading to my conclusion of... 6) Square Enix has used rape-as-we-know-it as a cheap, easy, and lazy method to tactlessly provoke emotional responses without giving the topic a more careful (and perhaps more respectful) deliberation by considering it within the greater context of everything else they have constructed around men and women in FFXIV. tl;dr get rape out of my game that has cutesy midgets and flying white teddy bears in it.

Yeesh, I know rape of women and girls by soldiers is very much a thing in history, but not sure if it's needed in FFXIV.

Othard is gated behind the expansion, true, but up until this point what we knew was governed by Eorzea. The fact that this massive bait-and-switch took place, opening an entirely new continent can (but may very well not) upend everything we know about RP. Essentially, Eorzea no longer has centrality in the mechanical and tangible game universe. Whether or not this shifts to RP is a different matter. Quicksand will probably remain the hub of RP, as nothing really happened to Ishgard...but with housing in Othard...it's rather exciting and interesting to see what will happen. The game is moving to Hydaelyn-focused from Eorzean-focused. Au Ra were just extras to we Eorzeans, the main stars of the world. But with the game world opening up, we may just be one set of characters in a great host of them.

As you pointed out it's not that black and white. Every society has meritocratic aspects regardless of its dominant public constitution. Any military is going to be, for example. But being unable to become a noble from a lowborn means Ishgard cannot wholesale be a meritocracy.

Neat! Looking forward to it. Would rather it be called 'Father of Light', though. As others have pointed out, daddy is a bit whimsical.

I thought Yda and Minfilia had Midlander models even though they were Highlanders because in 1.0 there just wasn't female Highlander models. Also, the female Highlander-model Scion (the archer) is actually a Midlander according to the lorebook.

Highlanders are distinctly Ala Mhigan in origin, though lorebook suggests there are Highlanders who have been part of Ul'dah long before the fall of Gyr Abania. There is also a Highlander in the MSQ who states he is from Othard. There's also the idea that just because a character has a Midlander or Highlander model, that they are not necessarily of that clan (though still a Hyur or whatever). Minfilia and Yda are Highlanders. So you could play a character with the Highlander model and not necessarily BE a Highlander. The Ninja NPCs are of the 'Far Eastern' Hyur clan, and are not Midlanders, for example.