Val

I've only ever used it once on a player. This individual made multiple accounts, posing as diffrrent people, to try and both ICly and OOCly tear my character from his lover and break our RP partnership so that they'd have a chance with my character. I felt it was appropriate at the time. Rather than announce it or make a thread about it, I just threw this person on there and moved on. Things have been fine ever since. A post was made elsewhere to inform other FCs of this person's behavior, but it was kept off the RPC for obvious reasons

And that's the incredibly wonderful thing about these opportunities. Friendships are forged and enemies are made. People get to interact on a level they never would have before. It's a very deep topic that can bring characters closer together under a banner or alienate them otherwise. This is how a lot of unexpected, server-wide and incredibly fun, spontaneous events get started. The potential is huge for those involved, and really shouldn't be shunned or swept under the rug or retconned. I suppose if that's something the player wants to somehow do, whatever. But officers/upholders of the law/whatever should know that they have a chance to kill someone when they shoot at them or try to stop him, just as soldiers know that going to war inevitably means someone is going to die by their hands. He may not have meant to kill the person, but people avoid going to hospitals for wound treatment due to various reasons and die. It's not necessarily the person's fault, and some may sympathize with them while others may wish them dead for what they did. I just personally feel that the RP community as a whole has a lot of interaction that they can gain with this, and to stifle it just feels.. wrong.

Err... in my opinion don't use lethal force in RP if you're not prepared for the consequences. There is a reason 'No killing' is written into the grindstone rules. Natalie never makes attacks against people in situations like this, unless she's completely willing to kill the person. If you don't want the risk of killing people's characters then don't shoot at them I guess. I kind of agree with this. Don't shoot/stab/whatever at someone unless you're ready to take the consequences. It is what it is, and I feel like whatever happened should be embraced as a wonderful opportunity for character development and IC drama. IC actions = IC consequences, and always should.

We also like to think that TERA Val and Fae are off on their own little Island together, living happily ever after with a house full of kids. Sadly I never could get into Tera. I tried soooo hard lol To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of it. I loved it the first month or two of release, but it quickly went downhill. The RP I had dropped and, shortly after, so did I. ...But then about six months later, I was asked to come back and it was about to go free to play, so I said sure. I still hated the gameplay, but it was decent for RP stuff every now and then.

We also like to think that TERA Val and Fae are off on their own little Island together, living happily ever after with a house full of kids.

Sadly, there isn't much of a way to avoid it. From what I understand, it's some sort of filter they have on the chat that captures key phrases and then deletes the whole post. Obviously it doesn't help too much as there's still a bunch of spam, but it's been around since the game released (and was actually MUCH worse then). I think SE officially said "working as intended."

This is me getting Onyxia aggro from the "-50DKP days" Drucila? ... .. Were you on Silver Hand?

First thing I bought myself.. A tv. When my girlfriend and I moved in together? Pots and pans lol.

As I've said before, we play adult characters living adult lives. Part of those adult lives involve sex at some point in them, and it's going to happen. Val is a very sexual character. He loves intercourse because he likes making the woman feel good and revels in the attention they give him. It's a huge boost to his ego and, considering his borderline narcissism, it kind of just fits his character. It allows for very interesting RP since he's tied down and has to fight his personal urges in order to remain faithful to the woman he loves and cares for, rather than just having a.. bland, boring relationship. Melfice, on the other hand, doesn't like people to touch him. He always wears gloves and keeps himself covered to avoid physical contact as much as possible. Cyrus is very good-minded and sees sex as something that is incredibly taboo and should only be shared with the one you love. Like Gaspard, I consider ERP to just be another form of RP. It's very intimate, yes, but it allows characters to share that intimacy. It gives the characters a chance to interact with one another on an incredibly deep level, and can help set the tone for the relationship itself. Thus, I see sexuality and intercourse in general to be an important factor in RP. Is it the only thing that I RP? No, of course not. There are a lot of other things to get involved in as well, but as others have said, it definitely has an impact on the characters. Val, for example, is incredibly sweet on his wife when they are alone. He's very kind and very gentle, and while others may assume him to be a pompous ass, his significant other knows better. It adds another layer of depth to their relationship; a side that only she sees.

"Would she really tell you? You do not look so certain of that. Perhaps you should ask her? Ah, but it hardly matters now. You can't get too mad at her about it, right? After all, we were just about to enjoy ourselves." The words echoed through his head as Val sat in his room, staring at the random articles of clothing that lay scattered about the floor. He recalled it as if it were yesterday, the raven-haired, dark-skinned Keeper lying nude in his bed. "Afraid you're going to enjoy yourself for once? Or are you afraid she's going to scold you? Yes, my master will certainly be displeased, too. But why should they not let us have our fun? You and I, we are very much alike... and so are they. A match made for each other. Should we not enjoy true pleasure together, and leave those two snobs to each other? They deserve each other... why, just a couple days ago, they nearly had each other... But she probably did not tell you that, did she? Who knows how long this affair of theirs has been happening... Do you have any idea what your lover does in her office?" He didn't. Often times, the Seeker was with her, but when he had to go assist one of his soldiers or take care of business elsewhere, she was left alone. The voidsent woman had seen the expression of shock, confusion, and betrayal on his face and only sought to taunt him further. "Because I wanted to accomplish something. Maybe I wanted to do you a favor? There is no such thing as love, no such thing as happiness. While you two parade around with smiles, you are only deceiving yourselves, living a delusion. I opened your eyes. You can thank me later. But for now... my job here is done." And just like that she was gone, swallowed by the shadows that covered the bedroom. It had taken Val some time to gather himself amidst the uncontrollable rage and shaking. Part of him believed what the woman had said. He'd never thought 'love' to be anything other than a silly emotion that those with their head too high in the clouds believed in. It kept him from doing anything he really wanted. It often times made him feel like a caged animal, and the woman's revelation suddenly made him realize that he had been a fool all this time. The Seeker stood and clothed himself as quickly as his shaking, fumbling fingers would allow. He settled for a pair of jeans and wrapped a blue robe about his upper half, then made his way outside. It would be a long walk to their Company house, but he needed the time to think before he confronted her about the information he'd been given.

Val ate his chocobo because it ran over a certain white-haired woman and possibly ruined his chances at sleeping with her. Obviously that isn't the case, but Val doesn't really have remorse for it. It was tasty. He probably wouldn't do well with other animals, either.

Hmm! As someone who has played his character in a relationship for a year going (IC ups and downs aside), I can say that it's only as stale as a roleplayer makes it. It's up to us to keep things interesting and challenge ourselves -- no one is gonna do that for us. A married couple being forced into battle together (or similar strife) can be a platform for powerful, emotional scenes. Hell, at the moment I'm in skype with Caleb roleplaying a fight against a bunch of thugs -- and it's SO MUCH MORE interesting because of their bond. The mutual concern for each other, the spikes of rage when one sees the other getting hurt, the fear of the other one being grievously harmed...and you know what? A ring on the finger and the status of 'lul married' isn't going to change that at all, unless we as players let it. If there's someone you trust enough and enjoy enough to provide your character a partner along with an interesting time, go for it! Only if you REALLY want to, of course! Aaaaall of this! Val and Faye have been together since about a month after the game's release, and even longer if you count how long they were together as a couple in other games we've played. You can do a LOT of stuff to keep things interesting, and we also enjoy terrorizing our characters with some of our others (which is something we're currently doing). We also throw them in the way of a lot of other things and get them involved in plots and stuff, which add a whole new element when your character also has this significant other individual to think about when they make their decisions. I have a lot of gil saved up because I'm expecting this to be super expensive. .. I hope it isn't, but I'm sure it will be, and I have three marriages to do x_x;

Sever first Onyxia wheeeee~ ^----A bunch of old friends. ^--More old friends, and terrible screenshot skills. ^---I wish this game sucked less. It had a lot of neat stuff

Val'll be going Ninja because he's always been RPed as dual-wielding knives, and I've always played thieves/rogues in any MMO I've played. I simply didn't have that at the time. ..That being said, don't expect him to run around and tell everyone he's a ninja. He isn't Naruto or one of those other retards. He'll pretty much keep to himself about it and no one will be the wiser!

"Th'only whore I see in 'ere's th'one walkin' out," Val quipped back with that cocky grin on his lips. "Hey, big guy. How much y'gotta pay 'im t'shove that axe'f yers up 'is ass?" As of which axe he referred to would be left up to those around. "D'ya gotta use any lube?" The Seeker gave pause to look from the armored man to Eristan. "....Naaaah. Looks pretty loose. M'sure y'can just slide it right on in." His right hand lifted to give a mock salute, touching the tip of his fingers to his forehead before waving them off. "You two have fun, an' be sure t'clean up after."

Faye already posted mine, so just pretend I quoted all of that here to avoid spam.

Like a trained hound obeying its master, the Seeker obediently stood down. He took a physical step back in order to denote his passivity, though the sneer that he shot in Eristan's direction was easily noticed. Despite stepping down, the Seeker seemed no less alert than he was before. His attention remained not on Eristan, but that large guard from before. Both ears remained lifted high into the air, and the quick pace of his tail swaying back and forth behind him acted as a warning sign of an impending pounce to those that noticed should he be given a reason to do so.

"Dunno what kind'a choice that is," Val interrupted. He nodded toward Eristan as he continued. "Y'say y'want 'er, but ya ain' ever said why. An' that makes me think ya only want 'er 'cause she looks half decent an' y'prolly can't find nothin' else t'put yer dick in f'free. So in front'f everyone 'ere, in front'f 'er, tell us all why y'want 'er. An' don't gimme that shit 'bout savin' 'er an' all that. Tell me why yer /interested/ in 'er. Why she stood out out'f all th'rest'f th'women ya could've had."

Yeah, that's what I meant! Obviously, not all armor would restrict movement! You'd be surprised how many people I've seen using that piece of armor and moving just fine in it, or others using helms that would clearly obscure their peripheral vision but can see just fine.

I just wanted to pick up on the bolded bit here. It is actually a historical Falacy that well armored people had a limited movement range compared to an unarmored or lightly armored opponent. In well fitted/made plate armor, for example, the wearer had a near normal range of motion, they were, for instance (if the wearer was indeed that flexible) able to touch their toes, mount up onto a horse with ease, and sprint. That being said, they would be slower, but only marginally so. I think it would ultimately depend on the kind of armor worn. If it's bulky armor, like that one piece that has the helm built into it, then I'd imagine they'd have a lot of motion taken from them due to both the weight and the bulkiness of the set itself. Not to mention, the armor keeps the individual from being able to even turn their head.

(A look into two characters that never get to be truly played in a public setting. I figured it would be fun to share the unlikely couple!) The woman didn't know what to expect when she crossed the threshold to her master's domain. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary at first. The door opened to allow her entry and she stepped through the Void, the jingle of the golden bangles around her ankles and wrists heralding her arrival long before she spoke. Her long, chin-length raven hair swayed as she looked this way and that in order to peered through the changed surroundings and wreckage. What was once the vibrant, well-kept interior of a mansion was now something far more dark and dreary. No longer did the floors shine of white marble, but were instead pure stone. The long, golden banisters that framed the staircases connecting the foyer to the second floor were now cast in iron, twisting this way and that with seemingly no reason to their contours. Where once multiple rooms connected the main entryway, there was but the set of stairs and the large double doors that they now framed. The Keeper's ears perked slightly as she noticed the dark, sullen area in the center of the room. Not far from where she stood, the stone was shattered, cracks webbing out from the center of the destruction and haloing the debris that had been wrought from it. Hidden among the wreckage were the various servants of the house of various races, some easier to tell than others. What she could only presume to be those closest to the destruction were now mere piles of ash. The other, more obvious bodies, were those that had been away from the epicenter and had thus been bruised, shattered, or suffered the loss of limbs. All of them, like many of her Master's experiments, were misshapen in some fashion. Some had limbs that were too skinny and bodies that were too fat. Others had features such as eyes and noses and hands where they shouldn't be, while others missed faces entirely or had extras. She scarcely recalled any of the ones she could make out, as few of them ever lived, or "existed" as he liked to call it, for more than a few weeks at a time. It was never something he was capable of perfecting despite how hard he tried. Feeling no trace of her master, she scowled and clasped a hand around the heart-shaped pendant that hung at her neck. She sauntered forward, stepping around the bits and pieces that she had to in order to make it to the large, double doors ahead. She cared little for his experiments, and it more than showed in the way that she shot the discarded limbs, corpses, and chunks of flesh disdainful grimaces. She continued through the doorway into what was once their dining hall, finding relief that it at least remained where she'd remembered it to be. Despite not being able to sense her master's presence, she knew by now what his destructive rage looked like. The lengthy dining table that they had once sat upon now lay in ruin. What was once an expensive, golden chandelier that served as their lighting now lay amongst the rubble in thousands of pieces of diamonds and glass and iron wreckage. Most notably was the large painting of the two placed over the fireplace in the back of the room.It had been torn asunder, a fine line dividing the two with each half tossed to opposite ends of the hall. The woman winced as she surveyed the wreckage, only hoping that he had used enough of his wrath on the house and that there would be little left to spare for her. She crept around the shrapnel and flames, fully aware that the thin leather of her boots would do little to protect her bare feet within. She took the only exit that had been given for her, pushing forward into another lengthy hallway covered in paintings on either side. The stone floors seemed to stretch on for forever, though she steadied herself and continued forward. Bravely she continued down the hallway past the..moving paintings? She stopped once she noticed, peering through the painting to see a blue-haired male, pale of skin and small of stature, meekly shuffling about his room. She moved forward and looked to the next, now of a gorgeous blonde Midlander clad in a white coat. She was far more beautiful than the nerdy male could have possibly acquired on his own, and yet, in the following paintings, the two seemed to be nigh inseparable. In some they laughed, in some they dined together, and in others they lay with one another beneath the sheets. In the last painting the woman was featured in, the skinny male stood alone over a grave. The walls grew dark and more decrepit after, as did the paintings themselves. No less than a hundred, all stacked about as closely as physical space would allow, featured the blue-haired male hunched over his desk with a stack of books. As the paintings went on, so too did both the male and the stack grow. One in particular forced her to stop again, those large, round eyes of sapphire widening at the sight. She recognized the room. She knew of the circle and the incantation being mouthed by the male within. She faintly recalled the garb he wore and the portal that opened, then watched as she stepped through. She knew what happened next all too well. In case she'd forgotten, the next series of paintings served as a reminder. The circle broke due to a rookie mistake by the caster. No longer bound, she surged forward and struck him down in a display of power and grace. She proceeded to drink from him, stealing the aetherial energies that kept him alive.. but when she looked into his eyes, she saw not fear, but awe. The voidsent did not like what she saw. In fact, she found it to be eerie watching his life played out in the series of paintings. She pushed forward, past more paintings that showed her settled out on his desk and pushing aside his books to get his attention. Others were of him asking questions and she responding to help further his research. Several more still were of her feasting, the two laying in bed with their arms wrapped tightly about one another and writhing in ecstacy. Finally, the last painting was of herself leaning over a counter in a bar. Her lips were dangerously close to a white-haired male clad in a black coat, her eyes closed and her body shivering as she drained his aether. She ignored it and pushed on through the doors to find what she'd been after all this time. The dark-haired male was taller than the one in the paintings, if only by a few inches. His hair matched her own, dark and with a shade of blue along the tips, perhaps the only remnant of what he used to be. His skin was no longer pale and, instead, rivaled her own dark complexion. The room he'd confined himself to was large, he settled atop a small, raised platform in the center. At either side of him rest piles of worn books, many missing the covers and those that had them far from legible. The chair he kept himself to was as elegant as it was menacing, the dark iron twisting this way and that. While he normally kept perfect posture, he now slouched back with both elbows resting on the arms of the chair, fingers steepled together before his face. Upon her entry, the male's violet eyes seemed to focus more on her than the doors themselves. Noting his response, or rather lack thereof, a small wave of relief washed over her. That meant she was safe--for now, at any rate. She casually made her way to the edge of his platform and paused, waiting. There was a long moment of silence that passed between the two, his eyes focusing accusingly down to her. "You are either brave or a fool for coming to me now," he began, his voice docile and void of emotion. "What do you desire of me? I've already foolishly given you everything you could hope for and more, only to have it thrown in my face. I should smite you where you stand." She took note of the eyes that flicked to the necklace she wore, if only briefly. She knew that it was her sanctuary. "I did not touch him, and he did not touch me. I did not break our contract," she stated with confidence. She held a note of innocence in her tone, boldly stepping atop the platform with him to stand directly before him. "Perhaps I should remind you of our bargain, then. You were to take only from me. I have no need of someone that seeks to make a bond with me, only to humiliate me in public when it suits them. I've already dealt with the pain of loss once before. I have little desire to experience it again. Leave me." He gave a small motion of his hand to wave her off as if she were some annoying fly. An air of finality certainly hung in his voice, and she could tell that he still seethed beneath that calm exterior of his. Rather than do as told, which is something he should have been quite used to by now, she settled herself next to his feet in protest. "Do you believe I can feed solely from you forever? You would be dead in a year. Does it really matter if you harvest from others for me, or if I do it myself? Why, it was only days ago you were encouraging me to feed from others and then some." The words caused the anger within the Midlander to rise again. He all but shot from his seat. "I gather aether in order to sustain both myself and you, in a far less intimate manner. I told you to feed from those I brought you because I felt you deserved something for being such a good girl. I was RELIEVED when you denied it. You know how I dislike you being with others. You--!" He froze, leaning back in his seat in order to quell the rising anger the best that he could. Somewhere during his retort, his right hand burst into a display of black and purple flames. His eyes fell shut and he took a moment to gather himself, and only when the flames died down did he continue. "I had a gift for you. I had planned to give it to you later this eve," he began, reaching across to the stack of books in order to withdraw a parchment of paper. The woman could tell that the paper housed a great deal of aether, though naturally the long-winded male sought to explain it to her. "I managed to have three individuals transfer a great deal of their aether within this page. As you are aware, I have spent weeks with this particular design. It can house a mountain of aether, though it has a fundamental flaw that I have been unable to surpass. If the design is filled past its limit, the lines will break and release it all at once. I wonder.. could you escape in time?" Her dark eyes widened, though she did her best to maintain her calm. Rather than try and rip the paper from his hands as he had no doubt hoped she would, she slowly stood and moved to settle herself with feline grace in order to find a comfy seat in his lap. She took note that the paper began to glow brighter as she did so, he presumably charging it further. She only had a limited amount of time to calm the man. "Tell me you're sorry," he demanded. "Tell me you'll never do it again. You HURT me, Shadiyah." Upon the declaration, all rage and anger within the male subsided. He was left only with sadness and despair as he peered up to her. "Why would you seek to do this to me? I've been nothing but good to you, my dearheart. What have I done to wrong you?" Shadiyah leaned closer to him, nuzzling against his neck and placing a few soft, sweet kisses along the skin. "An explosion is a temporary setback for me, my love. I fear it may be a permanent one for you," she purred into his ear. Her voice dropped to that of a whisper, her lips brushing against his neck as she spoke. "I am sorry, my dearest. I did not mean to hurt you. But how long do you think it will be before you exhaust yourself? All this studying, all this collecting aether for me and giving me your own?" "Have you no faith in me? In what I am capable of?" he scoffed down at her, pulling back to try and tear himself from her kisses. The anger rose once again. "You claim you love me, and you claim that you wish to be with me. Yet, you have zero trust in me. You think I am some.. simpleton? The same ignorant boy that called out to you so long ago? You think I do not know when this body has had enough!? You are correct. Perhaps it will be a more permanent 'setback' for me. But in the end, I will win. You will feel as betrayed as I do now. You will realize that I will never be able to return to this world, and you will once again be alone, with no one to share your time and no one that loves you as I do. I, on the other hand, will have finally found an end to this madness." "No," she spoke, lifting her own head to get a good look at his face, "Look at yourself. This is the very definition of far past 'enough.' 'Alone.' You say that, and yet I am right here." She lifted both hands to clutch at the collar of his robe and tugged harshly in order to press her lips poignantly to his. The aetherial charge to the page went out the very moment that their lips touched. She knew what it felt like to have him want and desire her, and he slipped his arms--and the page--about her frame in order to pull her closely against his chest and share the kiss in earnest. He abruptly broke the kiss, pulling back enough to peer down into those sapphire eyes. "I am like this because of you. Not me. You. YOU did this to me. YOU made me like this. And I last promised you that I would kill you should you ever betray my trust." Suddenly, the flames ignited once more and he tightened his arms around her. "Never again. SAY IT," he commanded, the man's booming voice reverberating off the surrounding walls. He took note of the guilt and fear that passed over her features, and the bond that he'd made with her long ago was enough to let him also feel her shock, anger, and hurt. She scowled and dipped her head to nuzzle more against his neck and gift the skin there with more kisses. "Never again," she murmured, "I promise." The moment the words were spoken, the man both stopped channeling and dropped the page to the ground. They remained in silence for a long while, he tired and worn and she relieved that she had managed to circumvent what would have been a rather painful and violent "end." He leaned back against the chair and pulled her along with him. "You've all the power in the world to kill me," he whispered to her as he stared off into space. "Why haven't you? And if it is because you lov eme, then how can you claim to not trust me? And if you do both of these things, then why is it you seek sustenance from another? As the one that brought you into this world, it is my duty and responsibility to give such things unto you." The questions he asked brought only more, until he arrived at the ultimate one. A small pause was given, and then he looked down to her. "When I first brought you into this world, why did you not kill me then?" "I do not trust anyone," she mumbled, finding the far corner of their room to be interesting enough to stare intently at it. "Especially not anyone I love. And whether you want to admit it or not, I know constantly gathering all this aether for me will become taxing on you." "Then trust me, my dearest one. I will never do anything to harm you so long as you remain good to me." The words, at least, sounded true. His right hand lifted to gently caress his fingers over the smooth, tanned skin of her cheek. "Gathering is not as hard as you would think, and as soon as we have the device, I'll never have to seek aether for you again. I ask only that you trust me, and in return I will do all in my power to make you the happiest woman you've ever been. I love you, my Shadiyah. My dearheart. I never wish to lose you. ... And for a moment, I thought that I had." He sought to slip his arms around her at about the same time his words caused a sudden realization to flash through her mind. She struggled to break free of his grasp, stumbling backward from his lap and nearly falling onto her rear in an uncharacteristic lack of grace. She shook her head fervently from side to side, slowly backpedaling away from him. "You were going to kill me. You were going to kill both of us." "Was I?" he queried. "..I would like to believe that I am capable of such things. .. No, I know that I am capable. The average life means very little to me. You know this." He diverted his gaze from her to the paper that now rest on the floor. "I believe I would end myself long before I ended you, my dearest one. It has occurred to me that you are very much an important part of my life now. I have grown accustomed to having you by my side, so used to your prattling and your company and the way that you paw for attention. So used to.. this." He made a vague motion towards her, "And you said it yourself. It would not have killed you. It would have hurt, perhaps. But only I would have perished. You..." He paused, pursing his lips in thought. "...Would have likely returned to the void, where you would rest until reconstructed. Yes? Is that how it works?" His words caused her to pause, suddenly stiffening and wrapping her arms tightly about her slender frame. Her polished fingernails dug into the flesh of her biceps while her upper lip curled into an animalistic snarl. "And so what? You think I could just go on with.. living after that!?" she hissed. "No, my dearheart. I do not expect such things. I'd be a fool to do so," he began as he slipped from his self-made "throne." She continued her almost subconscious, shuffling retreat--though it was slow enough that he would ultimately catch her. His arms slipped about her frame and the two sank to the ground together, her arms unfurling from herself so that they could wrap about him instead. She held him tightly, head burying into his chest while her shaking hands clung to him. Her show of frailty and weakness forced his arms tightly around her and he cradled her in his lap, gently rocking back and forth to ease her mind. "Ssshh.. My love," he began. "I would never hurt you. And the truth is, I could never hope to do such a thing. I am powerless against you. You make me want you. You make me need you. You are stronger than I am and so much more than I could ever be. It drives me to you, makes me want you." He leaned forward to place a soft kiss to the top of her head, "You are far too precious to me, my sweetest one. Why would I ever wish to destroy the one thing in this wretched existence that has managed to make me happy?" Be it through the silent admittance or the fact that his rage had finally subsided, the mansion around them suddenly began to creak and shift. The stone floors slowly turned to marble as Shadiyah had remembered them, though they seemed to be covered with years of dust. A dreary coldness swept through the halls. Both his reassurances and the cold forced her to snuggle into his chest, though deep down she only wished for his comfort. He smiled down to her, pleased by her acceptance. They continued to hold one another for some time, each silently enjoying the other's company. "You are my world, you know." he spoke, finally breaking their shared silence. She looked up to him to see only a distant, sorrowful smile on his lips. Rather than speak further, he seemed content to become lost in her eyes for several long moments, before leaning forward and placing his lips to hers. The kiss they shared was not fierce and lusting, as they had shared so many times before. It was soft, sweet, loving, and gentle; something she was not entirely used to, and yet, more than thankful that he shared with her. The small smile against his lips would more than tell him that. He eventually drew back from her and, with a mere wave of his hand, the power gained thanks to their close proximity, sent the walls of reality crashing and tore another hole into the void. "All that I do is for you. You are not forced to stay with me; you never have been. Thusly, I offer you a choice. You may leave through that gate and become the free soul that your raging instincts tell you to be, never to return. ..Or you may continue to remain here and be mine forever, drinking only from me. Perhaps, with a moment's rest, I could manage us a bed to sleep in." She in turn lifted her head, albeit somewhat hesitantly, blue eyes staring into his own. She managed a small smile, not even bothering to look at the portal as he opened it. "I suppose you better get started on that bed, then," she answered, curling one corner of her mouth into as much of a grin as she could muster. [align=center]The next day..[/align] The resounding voice that filled the cave had vanished, along with the white-haired, trenchcoat-clad midlander that once sat in the center of the ritual circle. What remained was only the large hole that had existed only to swallow him hole, presumably into the depths of the very void that he had been attempted to summon. The masked man, clad in his dark red robes, cut his violet eyes to the individual to his left. He'd only seen the man once before. In truth, he reminded him much of himself. An early practitioner of the arts, it seemed, no more a novice than when he first opened his own rift. ..Only, he had been lucky when he called forth his Mistress. The cost of this particular ritual had been the life of the man's own cousin. With nothing to see further, the robed figure turned and slowly took his leave. "Where is he!?" the scholar quickly turned, demanding of the parting man. The robed figure paused in his strides. Without glancing over his shoulder, he spoke, the voice coming out in a low, guttural tone; a likely augmentation of the mask. "Your cousin is gone, swallowed by the very power which he tried to take from himself. I tried to warn him: dabbling in the arts of the void will only lead to one's ruin. This is not the first I've seen it, nor am I afraid it will be the last. You would be wise to focus your research elsewhere, friend, lest you also find yourself torn from this world." "My research tells me nothing is ever truly lost," the man countered as he stowed away his book. "And neither is Lucan. You helped him find this, against my advice. This is on you, and I bet you know a way to undo it." The hooded figure smiled wryly beneath the mask. "Perhaps. But that was not part of the deal, was it?" "..What deal was that?" "He took the blood of my Mistress, against my desires, to use in this ritual of yours. My part was simply to ensure that it was not misused, and as far as I can tell, it has not been. Be it a flaw in the ritual or the fact that the powers beyond the gate chose otherwise, he met his end. As far as I am concerned, my work here, and with this organization, is done." The tone of his voice was void of emotion, though he certainly enjoyed saying the words. "Your Mistress..? Who are you?" The robed figure saw fit not to answer such things. Instead, he gave only a swipe of his left hand through the air. The bits of aetherial energy he'd captured not moments before during the ritual was released to open a dark portal. Within, the foyer of a mansion with white, marble floors and large, regal stairways draped in a velvet carpet could be seen. "You are correct in presuming that nothing is ever truly lost, but allow me to depart you with these words of advice: The Void has a way of tainting those that seek its power. Should you continue searching for Mister Clarke, I doubt you'll like what it is that returns to you." And so the robed figure slipped through the gateway and into that regal and extravagant mansion. He moved up the flight of stairs, across the hall and passing several rooms. He opened the door to what was presumably his bedroom, finding Shadiyah lounging lazily in bed with the silken covers only half covering her naked form. "More studying?" she asked of him as he entered the room. "Of course, my love. But first, are you hungry?" He slipped the mask and robe from his frame, then crawled into both the bed and his Mistress' open arms.

I agree. I have three main characters that I play, each of varying strengths. Cyrus would be considered an average Eorzean. He isn't incredibly powerful, and likely never will be. Despite this, he has high aspirations and does his best to help whoever he can while struggling to pay rent and provide for his lady. That's his struggle. He's more afraid of leaving his lady alone than actual death. Val is certainly above average and definitely my best physical fighter. He is an anti-hero of sorts, though I use the term "hero" loosely as he would never actually help anyone unless he knew he got something out of it or his woman more or less demanded it of him. His struggle is his own personal, selfish desires against what the society he's found himself in expects of him. Melfice is far above average, at least mentally. I try not to play him too much because he is meant to be a relatively powerful boss character for certain plots, though I have no problem dumbing him down and lowering his power to balance his interactions with random people. In fact, part of his disguise is to act as a sniveling coward when it comes to fights so that no one suspects he's capable of things. He is deathly afraid of what could come of a wrong experiment or what people would do to him if they found out, or what his Mistress could do to him if she simply wanted to. I'm not against powerful characters, so long as they are at least kept balanced (unless they're boss characters. In that case, go nuts--within the realm of reason).

Historically, dual-weilding is an extremely defensive fighting style. Sword-and-dagger, sword-and-cape, sword-and-shield (yes, a shield is a weapon). All focus on using the second weapon to bolster defense. You're right--I think I misused my wording. What I meant to say is that it isn't a style in which one should just use an all-out, pressed attack like I've seen some do. It /is/ defensive in that you can use the offhand to help parry blows and whatnot, but it does require a great deal of finesse to maintain (as you can see in the video you posted). The way I play Val is very close to what's represented in the video, as I've said before: he waits for an opening and strikes when he's managed to parry a blow or force the individual to make a mistake. Apologies--and thank you for the correction! =)

I don't know if it's realistic but I read this young adult novel series where they were essentially like "Ranger"s of LotR and using daggers and knives for the most part meant they had a specially designed knife that, when crossed so it was used in conjuction with another dagger or knife, it would be able to catch something like a broadsword. Of course it meant both your hands were caught in catching it but you know... if that was a last resort. Yeah, you could use both hands to cross both daggers and briefly catch something, but Val uses it more as a way to give him a bit of extra time to get the hell out of the way--plus, as you said, both hands are then caught with that and it opens up literally every area of the person's body to a counter attack.

If I see someone wielding two swords and flipping around in full armor like wannabe Clouds, I'm out. ((I moved this quote from other thread because this seems more appropriate.)) I think two swords is just an okay limit. But carrying like same size or large sizes of more than two (like 3-10) would be a bit too much for me. Like regular two swords that Gladiators/Paladins carry should be considerably okay. I mean look at Gladiator icon. It does have dual wield icon there even though the game limits yourself to carry only one sword and one shield. It can mean that swords are clashing against each other or you can literally use light two based swords. As long as it's not as heavy bastard swords/zweihander carrying two of them and you are a lalafell/miqo'te or midlander. Also it is possible to carry daggers/kunais while having katana and switch vice versa like changing jobs/class. (But you wouldnt change your clothes vice versa like that unless you are Magical Pretty Girl Sailor Val or Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Val) Nevertheless, my personal opinion on carrying weapons would be two to it's limit as long as your character has physique to support it. It's not anime wise, but dual hand does exist. (In full armor too since LoTR supports it) EDIT: I can see someone pretending to be Musketeer at the moment and use dual wield pistols or really long rifle or double short barreled shotgun. But I am honestly okay with that as long as you don't carry dual heavy chain guns and shoot people. - Musketeers DO exist and there was no actual rules against one wearing two pistols. I'm not against dual wielding, per se, but people need to understand that it's NOT a very defensive fighting style and it's not a catch-all. While it's definitely dangerous to fight someone skilled in dual wielding, it also comes with a lot of negatives too. There's a lot less defense to be had with it. That's what I meant =) I agree that just regular swords would be fine, but if the guy has two ten feet, massive swords, it's a bit much. And with these smaller blades comes the need, in my opinion, to dodge or parry rather than outright block attacks unless they're well-armored, but then the ease of motion range of movement is limited to the excess weight. Val is definitely more of a finesse fighter, and he dual wields daggers and waits for his enemy to make a mistake before he commits to a strike. If he fails, then he's likely going to get beat up in a bad way! It's happened more than once. If they attack him, the /best/ he can do is try and avoid the attack entirely or get sliced up! It's definitely risk/reward, or at least that's how I play it!