Val

Time was something that he had never really thought about. It simply was. It existed. It came. It passed. Sooner or later, he would run out of it. He was intelligent enough to know that much. He could only really tell time based on the position of the sun in the sky, as he'd been taught to during his time in the Shroud. Sometimes, the canopy was too thick to allow clear sight of the sun. That's when he had to look to the shadows or the trees themselves. Time, to him, existed on a day-by-day basis. If he and his tribe lived through one, then it meant success. What else could ever matter? Now, he wasn't quite so sure how to tell time. At first they had made sure to show him nightmares that only those closest to him could have guessed to be his weakness. Then, they brightened the lights until they threatened to scorch out his eyes for what felt like days, only to immediately plunge him into the deepest depths of darkness. Some transitions came quicker than others, or at least he thought they did. He could never tell. It managed to successfully disorient him more than any blow to the head had ever done. His internal clock was all but ruined, much like his mind had been when they subjected him to that. Part of him wondered if he would ever recover from it. He could no longer feel his arms. He wasn't sure if it was because he'd been hanging from them for so long that they finally gave out or that they'd taken them, too. The pain had devolved into numbness long ago, back when the cold steel of the shackles finally managed to rub the flesh of his wrists raw and bite through the skin. He couldn't feel his tail or his ears or his feet. Everything felt empty. He felt empty, drained by the constant poking and prodding of needles and devices like a rat in a lab. He hadn't showered since he'd arrived and his sensitive nose could smell himself among the mixture of his own blood and that of others. He'd considered trying to sleep, but he was afraid of what would come. It was never the darkness itself that bothered him, but the haunting images of what he'd seen and done. Often times, he fought himself to stay awake. In the end it never mattered how hard he fought. He would always eventually succumb to his weakness, just like he had done with her. Would Faye ever forgive him for what he had done? Would she even come for him? Did it matter? As much as he wanted to be in her arms or hold her in his, he knew it was best if she stayed away. That's why he did what he did, wasn't it? To allow her to surround herself with those that she needed? The lot of them could surely do more than he could alone. At least, that's what he told himself. He had to know that he'd made the right decision; that he wasn't suffering for nothing. The only solace in his cell was his connection to her. He could still feel her. He could tell she was there. She was thankfully aware enough to keep their bond open so that he knew he wasn't all alone in the world. So that he could know that she was still searching for him, mourning the loss of his presence by her side. He wondered how much it hurt her, knowing what pain he was dealing with and the torment that they'd put him through. And yet, she was the only thing that kept him from giving up. She was the only thing that kept him from allowing the last breath to leave his lungs, not that they would readily let him die anyway. It was but a sample of the strength that he knew she possessed; what always made her stand out among the others, and what ultimately made him so enamored with her. She was the only thing in this world that he would ever need, and gods. He'd never needed her so bad.

My girlfriend and I play the hell out of Earth Defense Force 2025. It's something we can sit and do without having to worry about story since we never really know when I'll get actual free time again due to school and stuff.

I'd be happy to RP sometime! I admittedly have a backlog of people that I need to get in touch with and do so, but with my classes ending in about a week, I'll have soooo much time to do just that!

I'd say if you need information, get in touch with Clouse Sydonis, aka Remnance on the RPC. I've had two characters do readings with him and, despite knowing absolutely nothing about my characters, managed to peg their future/events going on in their life pretty well. He also did my partner's character and was surprisingly accurate with her as well.

Made an Au Val.

Same here! If you want to RP or hang or do things, I'm generally pretty down to do it provided I'm not busy with work or school stuff =)

He'd said that she was his favorite because her hair reminded him of the flames of passion. She'd always noticed that it wasn't her body he looked at, but instead those fiery red locks, watching them as they swayed and danced while she performed; sometimes before him, sometimes on him. When the latter occurred, he always requested that she turned away from him. When she did face him, he demanded that the lights be turned off, the pale light of the moon eagerly stretching itself across the silhouettes of their sensually undulating bodies. Sometimes she would lean back against his chest as she ground her hips back against him, whispering into his ear to tell him that he was there was no one else; that he was the only one. It had been a strange request, and she knew that some part of him saw through the lie, but this was his time. She said and did exactly what he wanted. What he wanted wasn't always just sex, either. Sometimes he asked her to lay with him. Sometimes, he asked her to sing softly into his ear while he closed his eyes and remembered what it was like to be loved. She had warned him that the price would remain the same. After all, time was money. He didn't seem to care. Somehow, he always managed to come back with more coin. Despite the pleasures that she lavished unto him, he always left in the same manner. He never stayed too long, preferring the time to himself rather than allowing her to rest in his arms after their act. Some of her other clients liked that, especially those that longed for a lover as he had. He seemed indifferent to anything other than the act, and often preferred to leave her the required gil and go about his business without so much as looking at her with those dull, dead silver eyes. Once, she made the mistake of asking him what had happened and why he had such specific preferences. He became angry, lashing at whatever he could; the lamp, the desk, her. That was the only time he had ever looked her in the eyes, a mixture of fear and sorrow plastered on his features before he tore himself from the room. A few days later he returned at his usual time, offering more than triple the usual amount in a silent apology. She never bothered to ask him again, just as he never bothered to offer her more than the occasional grunt or nod in approval or denial. By now, enough time had passed for Vallois to build up a system. Every night after he left her, he would skulk through the alleys heedless of any vagabonds or thieves that lurked in the dark. He met the same, shady individual at the same spot and traded a bag of coin for another much smaller bag, then retired to his room in the Goblet. It was nothing special, the cold brick walls bereft of any amenities while the room itself sported only the most required necessities. Beyond the bed and couch, Vallois had also put in a request for a fireplace to be installed. It was only in this moment that he realized how truly alone he was and what he had lost. He hated being home. He hated being alone. He hated how the room didn't smell like her. He hated how his bed didn't come with the warmth of her presence. He hated how he couldn't come home to her smiling face, or how she wouldn't be there to greet him and sit in his lap and tell him how her day had been, and be so eager to listen to him tell her his own. Somewhere in it all, he knew that he should have found solace knowing that she was out there, smiling and happy and in the arms of the man she loved. ..But he wasn't, and maybe that made him hate himself that much more. He was selfish. He wasn't the person that she had fallen in love with; wasn't the person that someone as sweet and kind as her deserved to be with. Maybe that was why she left him? Maybe that was why she had chosen to be in the arms of another. Maybe he just wasn't good enough, and such realizations often drove him to fits of rage. There was a reason why he only kept the necessities in his room. Not only did it fit his otherwise bland personality, but it also kept damage to a minimum. When his rage had subsided, he would settle down on the couch and stare into the flames. Fire had never had a special place in his heart until he met her. He never knew why her hair captivated him so; it just did. When he was often away from her, it was his way to remind himself that she was there, patiently waiting for him to return so that she could be in his arms. Now, it served little more than a sad reminder of what once had been. He would lean forward and bask in its warmth. If he closed his eyes, it almost felt like she was laying next to him or settled in his lap, arms slipped around his shoulders and laughing. Sometimes, he swore he could hear her ring of laughter in the air or smell her perfume. That would eventually bring him to retrieve the pouch that he'd purchased earlier that night. He'd dump the powder along his nightstand or in his hand and lean close enough to breathe it in. It wouldn't take long to take affect. It always started with the world swirling around him. Then, he really could hear her laughter. He could smell her scent in the room. The otherwise dull room around him transformed into something more like her own. The ground became soft and grass-like, with stuffed animals and pillows and carbuncles and moogles and the like popping up all over. Then she would appear. Sometimes it happened faster than others, but it never failed. If he stared at the fireplace long enough, she would crawl from the flames and come to settle in his lap. She would wrap her arms around him, hold him, and allow him to do the same to her. They whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears and he could once again become lost in those enchanting, mismatched eyes. Eventually, his body would grow tired and he would pass out amongst the blur of colors and sounds. When he awoke the next morning, the room would suddenly be as it was. Gone was the soft grass beneath his feet. Gone was all the color of her various toys and collectibles. Gone was the warmth of the fire, long since having smoldered out in the night. The only thing that ever lingered was the haunting image of her smile in his mind, the chime of her laughter in his ears, and her scent which hung in the air. It would forever serve as a bittersweet reminder of what he once had and the heart-wrenching pain of having lost it.

If they can thoroughly justify being stronger than my character without breaking lore, then sure. I don't mind. But as you pointed out at the bottom of your post, strength does not necessarily denote a victory. 1.) Nah. My characters are how they are. If someone manages to beat them, they get beaten! 2.) I'd say it would depend on the situation and what they're going against. There are times where my characters just get the crap beaten out of them, and there are others where they can put up decent fights. 3.) Certainly! I've done it before, too! Someone managed to thoroughly outsmart Val and knocked him out cold--a guy that he considered to be vastly inferior to himself. He learned something that day. It's welcomed character development. Honestly, as long as people are reasonable OOC and willing to discuss things, I'm game with most scenarios. When preparing for IC combat that isn't scripted (which I prefer anyway), I almost always ask the individual (unless it's someone that I know/am comfortable with) to simply let me know if they have any issues or inquiries about my character's attacks. I'm a firm believer that communication can go a long way to prevent arguments and problems and, should they not agree to something a character of mine has done, I will either try to back up why they did it or agree to their point and change it

Halone, the Fury — What is your character passionate about? ● Fighting. Training. Protecting his Princess. Menphina, the Lover — Does your character have any lovers? ● In the past, Val had many loves. Now? Only his Princess, and he'd have it no other way! Thaliak, the Scholar — What topics or subjects does your character like to learn about? ● Val doesn't really like to learn. He sees it as work, and would rather be relaxing or doing something "more worthwhile." Nymeia, the Spinner — Does your character have any extraordinary skills in crafting? ● Val taught himself to cook over time, though he is by no means a chef. He's also pretty decent at weaving--but he'd never admit to it. Llymlaen, the Navigator — What is your character’s dream vacation? Where would they go? Who or what would they bring with them? ● Anywhere he and his Princess could spend some time together away from most people bothering him--likely a beach or their own little private island somewhere. Oschon, the Wanderer — Where is your character from? Where do they consider their home to be now? ● Val's sect of the Wolf tribe was in the Shroud. After he left, he made a home in Limsa, and eventually where ever he could find shelter that night. One of his objectives for getting laid was also being able to stay at the woman's house that night. Now his home is negotiable, but he considers it to be anywhere near his lover. Byregot, the Builder — What are the building blocks of your character’s personality from their childhood that determines their reactions and behaviors as an adult? ● His father was the Nunh of his tribe, and since they are the Wolf tribe, I had his sect act more like wolves. Nunhs were the most physically fit, and thus the alpha males, and thus the leader. It, coupled with a lot of females finding him attractive at a young age, resulted in the ego and pride that most people know him for. Rhalgr, the Destroyer — If your character had the power, what would they destroy? ● Garleans. Not all of them--just a few in particular. Azeyma, the Warden — Who has been the most important role model in your character’s life? ● Faye has taught him more about life than anyone before him ever could. She taught him how to love, how to be gentle and sweet, yet fierce, and how to live in society.. sort of. Nald’thal, the Traders — What does your character do for a living? What is their favorite job to work on? What is their least favorite job to do? ● Val is currently the Warden of the Harbingers of Dawn. As such, he is Faye's right hand and is charged with protecting both her and the rest of the members of the company. He absolutely loves when he does his job well and it makes her smile. He hates being forced to be nice to others, especially if he considers them not worth his time. He loves it when someone gives him a reason to throw them out or smack them around. Nophica, the Matron — Describe your character’s parents? Who is their mother? Who is their father? ● Val's mother and father were the alpha male and female of his tribe. Althyk, the Keeper — If your character could go back into the past and change one thing, what would it be and why? ● Initially, I think there are things that Val would like to change. He'd probably not act as he did to result in him not being kicked out of his tribe, and thus he'd still be hidden in the forests of the Shroud. ..But realizing that he'd never have a chance to have the adventures he's had, meet the friends he's made, and marry the woman he's married, I don't think Val would change a thing. Despite his troublesome past, Val has never been happier.

Heya! I have several characters you can choose from, most of which are detailed on my profile/via their wikis! I do have an Elezen character that a morally questionable surgeon may be interested in, provided the nature of his own existence (assuming that she ever finds out!). If you are interested, drop me a PM and I'd be glad to facilitate some RP sometime

Like Faye, I base my character on their background/where they were raised. I don't really care about color or anything, and I'm pretty pale IRL. It's never really been a concern to me. Val is tanned because he spends most of his time outdoors. Melfice was white, but darkened himself to have a more exotic look. Vallois has a naturally tanned skin and Cyrus is pretty pale.

I think thats fine having a group you're comfortable with - but having massive events in public places and making others feel they aren't welcome are two separate issues. As Faye already pointed out, I can't honestly recall any time the company has had any sort of massive RP event in a public place. If you want to discuss this matter privately, I'd be more than happy to do so. I'd prefer to take it up that way than publicly on a forum that is meant to spread positivity

TRIPLE POST OMG AYA WHY Aya's character always manages to cheer Val up. She offers friendly advice without expecting anything weird in return, and is openly inviting of everyone around for RP! She's so incredibly optimistic, I wonder if she's real :v thank you for being amazing

DOUBLE POST Leanne's always been very inclusive when it comes to bringing Val around for RP, and I can't express how wonderfully refreshing that is to see =)

Clio's a fox and Erik's super lucky for having her :v :v :v

I had server popularity at one point. Back when I played vanilla WoW, I managed to make a ton of friends on the forums simply because I worked in a call center and would always make constructive posts. I never quite expected it to cause me to gain server popularity. After all, I was just a 19-20 year old kid with nothing better to do while trying to explain to someone how to fix their modem/whatever. This netted me a bunch of unexpected fame in the game from both Alliance and Horde faction (as I played on Silver Hand). I was Alliance and made multiple OOC friends on the Horde faction. Back then, everyone just spoke to everyone and it was great. We would set up cross-faction RP channels using AIM (lol) and other chat programs. My character became quite notorious for falling in love with a troll! It was entertaining. My popularity became something of an issue, though. My RL friends didn't quite understand how or why I became popular and didn't realize that I really didn't care. They grew relatively jealous of it and we all eventually stopped talking. Of course, I'd only known them for a couple of years at the time so it wasn't a big loss, but at the time I couldn't quite understand what I had done and why I had became that. Faye is entirely correct. It was my presence. It was my desire to RP with anyone that approached me. I was always around because, at the time, I woke up, went to work, came home and played games all day. I had nothing else to do and had little care to do anything else otherwise. It's kind of like a giant snowball, really. Once it starts rolling, it keeps getting bigger and bigger until it becomes overwhelming. I joined an incredibly notorious guild that was known for ganking players and whatnot, but they were good at PvE and I was good at PvE and I wanted to clear content. We did a lot of server firsts together, but I constantly received messages such as "Why are you with them?" or "I didn't think you could ever stoop so low." I thought to myself, "Who cares? I just want to play the game. What does it matter who I PvE with so long as I remain the same and continue to RP and include everyone?" After a lot of drama I eventually bailed and played on Moon Guard for a while, then more or less quit altogether. I game hopped for a while, tried a few different places to RP on, and eventually landed on TERA where I was lucky enough to meet my current RP partner that I've had for a couple of years now. When I moved to XIV, much like her, I decided to just keep low key and RP with whoever. I'm not entirely certain if I am considered popular, nor do I really let the fact bother me. I'm just here. If people want to hang/chat/talk at me, all they need to is ask me for my Skype or let me know they want to do something and I'll do it (provided I'm free). I don't really try to hide myself or keep to myself, and I do actively seek RP. Some nights it's perfectly easy to find RP, while others (especially if I'm on an unknown alt) it's ridiculously impossible (as some unlucky individuals I vent to know). There are also times when the game and its community just bothers me a bit too much and I take a step back, which is when I go a few days without posting. I'm a firm believer in that when the game stops becoming fun/a game and starts becoming stressful/a chore, it's time to stop playing and take a step back. I don't feel like there's any shame in it. It happens. Lately, when I see big storms coming in certain threads, I try to just check out of them unless I am sure I can offer some sort of constructive posts. I agree that cliques aren't wholly bad. In fact, I welcome them. I enjoy having groups of like-minded individuals to talk to. Even in my current FC, I have my clique of friends that I easily relate to. We often play other games together and joke around and just have fun. There are also members of my FC that I simply can not relate to. Does that mean I hate them? No. When I run events or RP, I try to include them--even if I don't necessarily agree with them or their style of roleplay. I'm here to have fun with as many people as I can, and excluding individuals simply based on a difference of beliefs will not only deter that, but I feel that doing enough of it will cause a ton of problems in the community as a whole.

It's certainly noticed. I tend to offer my opinions on subjects and I try my best to respect those of others, but if I see a topic going entirely south I'll bail out. I also admit I lurk more than I actually post here now and stick to a few in game friends. I'll try to branch out and get in touch with those I've been trying to RP with for forever now once these courses end. My general response when someone resorts to snide remarks is to ultimately ignore them. As others have pointed out, that can be hard to do. If I simply disagree with the individual, I will tell them so and am more than willing to let it be that. I don't see the need to stop RPing/talking to people simply because you don't agree with the same points as them. There are plenty of people I speak with on regular basis that I don't agree with. So long as you respect the person's beliefs, I don't see any reason for malice.

I'm in the boat that says Sympathetic Magic grants anything based in blood most of it's power. Got some of it's blood? You got some pull on it you didn't before. Power over it. Power to maybe ward, or repel, or dozens of other things. Trick is making it bleed first, of course, but blood is a hell of a tie to have when practicing any school or tradition of magic that can affect a thing that bleeds. Yesss, yes, this! It's a theme I've wanted to explore in RP but I've never felt confident enough to actually do it. Might have to get some scheming done along these lines, though... HMMM. It's a fun concept and you can find dozens of historical sources where you didn't want a bit of "you" getting into a "magic users" hands. Curses and the like would move over easy to some of the Scholar's line of work, all scientificy. On the other hand you could move it over to the Thaumaturge's method of pulling at aetheric weaves and ties and schools using it as a focus. Lots of options! You can do it! I've got a system of magic I've plotted out that has sympathetic magic ingrained heavily into it, but I'm not well read enough on the FF magic systems yet to start slotting it in for proper loreification/co-existance with what's already there. I tend to agree with all of these concepts. Blood of an individual is an incredibly powerful thing to have. Melfice does a lot with his Mistress's blood as the catalyst to his spells. When it comes to others seeking it, he is incredibly defensive, as he is aware that having her blood is incredibly dangerous for her--and him--should someone know what they are doing.

Val's daggers, while otherwise considered simple and plain by most people, have been with him since Limsa. They hold a special meaning to him, though he's never spoken about it to anyone. While not necessarily a trinket, Melfice's scar along his face is something he absolutely refuses to have healed or modified. It means the world to him. Cyrus' armor, while otherwise shoddy and beaten up, is a family heirloom passed down to him from his mother.

The Turks can surely help with that~

This is pretty much explicitly how I operate. I refuse to ERP just any random individual and, as Faye stated, the list of people that I would even consider is pretty small. Most people I just don't trust, and even fewer do I believe wouldn't stalk me or be all weird about it. I prefer to operate safely. Suffice to say, if anyone would get close to sleeping with any of my characters, unless I've known the individual for a lengthy period of time and have come to trust them, the scene would be concluded before it got anywhere past kissing--and even then, it really just depends on how comfortable I am with the scene/person in general.

I'd love to go if I could, but I work during ;-; I hope you guys have a lot of fun!

Hey, past!me. It's current/future!me. We tried, man. We tried. GUYS. IT'S ME FROM THE FAR FUTURE. JUST GIVE IT UP, ALL IS LOST. IN THE FUTURE NOBODY CAN READ. Man, I feel like we should have just... gone with the idea that all of Eorzea is really prejudiced against each other for one reason or another or something. <_<:a On a slightly random note - I love that Eorzea's a pretty prejudiced lot. As horrible as it is in the real world when it happens, it can make for fascinating conflicts and stories in a fantasy setting. I rolled up a Duskwight alt BECAUSE i was fascinated by how much horrible shit they go through in Gridania (which is super well documented and I can point to folks who could write books on how poorly they get treated.) The key to any great story is conflict - and I liked exploring that conflict with the Duskwight. Tiergan and Lurial both have had to struggle with discrimination as well (ignoring the whole Ala Mhigan bit just so we don't go down that rabbit hole again) - because Lurial started off a penniless street child in a city where Coin = Status and Tiergan was pretty much the same but in a very different manner. Furious Storm was a Hellsguard Roegadyn in Limsa Lominsa with no sealegs for a bit, so I'm sure you can only imagine how well that went for him until he traveled to Ul'dah where Hellsguard were a lot more common place. This stuff makes for some really interesting stories. I'm not sure if the resistance to the idea that Ishgard might be racist comes at the heels of fear that somehow the city is less 'cool' if it's racist. I actually think that makes it twice as interesting because if they ARE super racist and xenophobic - that means Heavensward is going to be rife with plenty of juicy conflict for our characters to run into in the MSQ and for us as roleplayers to play with as storytellers. YMMV, I suppose - but I think it's awesome that there's so much simmering strife beneath the surface for racial, social, and religious reasons. Tbh I agree with this. I love the idea that there's racism and prejudice. It allows for interesting stories, interesting characters, and the possibility for a great deal of development.