Sophia_Grave

Hello, and welcome back! 1. Main RP hubs are Ul'dah (the Adventurer's Tavern specifically) and the housing wards, most likely. 2. I find that US timezones have the most RP in the evening, as most folks on Balmung are US/Canada players.

Nah, you prefer catboys. The more Bisho, the better.

Sophia isn't into Neanderthals.

Some of us need a little more than half a beer to get a fire going. But it's alright, I'm sure that's plenty for a wee Lalafell <3 Oh hey Sophia. How's that whole 'capture-Brynhilde-and-give-her-to-your-superiors' mission going? Because Bryn's still over here. Having beach parties. Banging a hunky Roe. Generally being a badass bitch. Which Roe was that, again? I can't exactly keep track these days

Some of us need a little more than half a beer to get a fire going. But it's alright, I'm sure that's plenty for a wee Lalafell <3

I wanted to try the Spy theme, as that is one I've never RP'd, and I personally always gravitate toward technology in fantasy settings. Considering the Empire is very technologically advanced, I was able to kill two birds with one stone by having an Empire loyal spy. Thanks to that starting point, I was able to explore some tropes/avenues that I've never attempted in RP before. For example, I've never fussed much with politics before, but Sophia is very much a patriot who believes the Empire's way is the right way. Considering that the City-States aren't much better than the Empire morally, its interesting to play at that dynamic. Additionally, I've never tried making a nay-theist, but Sophia is against gods or Primals of any kind, believing humanity (or rather, the sentient races) to be above any deity. Essentially, my choices with the character revolve around novelty and new experiences. I've been roleplaying a while, but its nice to challenge myself to write themes I'm not familiar or immediately drawn to. Luckily, she turned out to be a blast and is definitely one of my favorite characters I've ever created.

I personally am not a fan of the Dark Knight lore solely because it feels as if it overlaps with a concept already present in many player characters. Many of our characters are incredibly powerful individuals when placed next to the every man, and many are moral or at least passively lawful as to avoid trouble. As such, the adventurer concept is already presented as being this heroic person coming to solve everyone's problems. In addition, perhaps it is simply a characteristic of roleplay, but I feel as if most characters will intervene when someone is roleplayed as 'being in trouble' simply because it is an opportunity to take part in roleplay. Alternatively, many players have their own arc and story which, 9 times out of 10, involves them struggling against some force for the sake of their friends, family, or people in general. As mentioned above, adventurers are portrayed to be heroic; they are at least certainly moral as they are a loose group that has support from the city states in the form of leves and Free Companies (which wouldn't happen if they were a bunch of troublemakers). Perhaps Dark Knights just came to be thanks to Ishgard's restrictive society (does Ishgard have adventuerers? Probably not, right?). Perhaps they are less job/reward -centric than the typical adventurer. Either way, I can't personally find cause yet to view them as being much different, at least not yet.

I always gravitate toward technologically savvy characters, especially in a magic-dominated fantasy setting. I like that it represents an equalizer against magic, as magic is typically dominant and only exists in a portion of people. I also like that it comes with its own set of very human, relate-able issues.

Sophia's seen them. It would still bother her, seeing a massive influx of them suddenly in Eorzea. It would mean the Empire hasn't stabilized their holdings in Othard and Ilsabard (assuming there's Au Ra there too). Lorelei would probably be wary, then think they're cool looking, once she figures out they're just a race of people.

Doctor Who.

I hope these female Au Ra hairstyles make it on to the rest of the races. I almost want to roll one just because of the selection alone. Also:

Dear Sophia, I hope this message finds you with haste. First and foremost, I’d like to thank you again for taking the time to help me with this problem. Rest assured that a favor from me is no small matter. Now, In regards to the information you requested: Tatayu’s chief of security is a man by the name of Rayner Whitemaul. Whitemaul was a Flame for a brief two cycles before being dishonorably discharged, so I believe he may be who you’re looking for. As far as approaching him goes, Whitemaul had a bunkmate in the Flames by the name of Callum Kohl. Kohl’s long dead now, but the two ran in criminal circles after leaving the military. Dropping Kohl’s name would go a long way toward getting Whitemaul to warm to you, and I’m sure someone as effective as you can push him along the rest of the way. I only hope that some sort of record was kept that will prove Rothe’s innocence. Anyroad, keep me updated, I’m here to help. Nanora Nora [align=center]***[/align] He wasn’t a difficult man to find by any means. Whitemaul was one of those Highlanders; built like a house with an even bigger attitude. Fortunately, it meant he was an easy tail; the man practically cleaved a path from Tatayu’s estate to his favorite brothel. But then again, he could easily snap her in two, with biceps near as big as her waist and a chest carved from stone. She decided to keep her distance. For the fourth night running, Whitemaul sat at his favorite table, ordered (several of) his favorite drink, and found his favorite girl to keep him company. A loudmouth career criminal in a brothel; Whitemaul was very nearly a cliche. But that suited Sophia just fine; she’d take a habitual stereotype over a surprise any day. She gives him half a bell to get comfortable, while she herself tweaks her look to play the part. Sophia lets down her straw-blonde hair, tossing it lightly to win some volume. A prick from her dagger and a small smear of blood gives her lips some color, while a loosened waist sash might just grant him a peek beneath her tunic if he’s lucky. The brothel’s bar is a typical affair, rife with equal parts coy giggling and hard liquor. She spots Whitemaul where he always is; still alone, fortunately. Stopping at the bar to order one of his favorites and steal a serving tray, she quickly takes note of the exits then makes her approach. “You know, I’ve seen you in here plenty of times, but I don’t think we’ve met before.” Sophia sits on his table, placing his drink next to her. “Aye; I’d’ve remembered ya. But I’m afraid I’m waiting for someone.” Sophia gives a light chuckle. “Relax; I’m only running drinks tonight,” she replies, setting her tray down behind her. “Besides, its bad form to poach clients. No, I’m only getting off my feet for a moment. You don’t mind, do you? At the very least, I’ll keep the harpies away until your date arrives.” Whitemaul seems pleasantly surprised, and shuffles closer. “Tha’s a relief. It almost hurt tae turn down a woman like yourself.” He comically feigns a pain, clutching his chest. That earns him another kittenish laugh. “Oh, you’re quick! Call me old-fashioned, but a conversation every once in a while is nice to have around here.” He returns with a smile. He’s about to say something, but his eyes drift past her; his girl was here. The woman, a highlander like Whitemaul, approaches, giving Sophia an awful look and sits on one of his stocky legs, claiming her territory. Her dirty glance is gone in an instance, replaced by a warm smile. “Who’s your friend, Ray?” He’s about to answer, until he realizes he actually didn’t know. “Ah, this is…,” He gestures to Sophia, looking for help. “Sophia. Sophia Kohl,” she answers, staring him in the eye. “Right, right, Sophia,” he replies, returning the look. He whispers something to his date, and she leaves them a rotten expression. Sophia’s devious smile turns sympathetic. “I’m afraid I wasn’t honest with you. Look,” she says, leaning closer. “Callum and I were together until he got himself killed. We’ve pulled a few jobs, and he mentioned some of yours-- very nice, by the way-- and well, Limsa is a little hot for me right now, and I’m allergic to Yellowjackets. He always spoke highly of you, so I thought I’d touch base, see if we can’t make some money together.” Whitemaul’s eyes narrow in judgement. His hands weren’t around her throat, so she assumed the best. “Lass, I think ye got me confused with someone else; I break rocks for a living. Ye want a rock I can help ye out. Otherwise...” He trails off with a laugh. Sophia quickly scans the room, then hops off the table, only to sit on his lap. “Oh? What’s a miner doing with a wolfram stiletto in a shoulder sheath?” Whitemaul scoffs, looking about the room. “...Tha’s none of your business, lass. What is your business are those two Blades over there, at the bar.” He points them out. “How’s about we go over there and discuss your work up in Limsa, eh?” The man begins to stand, only for a firm hand to push him back into his seat. Sophia maintains her jovial facade, but in a single motion, has his knife drawn across his belly with her other arm around him, and even leans her head on his shoulder to sell the bit to anyone who might be curious. “Kohl didn’t tell me how awful you were at making friends," she whispers into his ear. "Me, I like to take a chance. This is what’s going to happen. We’re going to get up and you’re going to walk me out of here, because I like Ul’dah and I’m not spending the rest of my life in stocks, or worse. So if those Brass Blades even look at me, we’ll see how many of your organs I can find with this lovely dagger before they cross the room. Like I said, I like to take chances, so I’ll put fifty-thousand on five. You want the over or the under?” Whitemaul bites his lip, but is quick to reign in his mounting tension. “...Alright," he mutters, absorbing her words. "Alright. We’ll go out the back.” “Great. Smile, put your arm around me, and act like the friend I wanted you to be, Rayner.”

(( Please bear with me and be gentle! I haven't written outside of RP in ages ;-; OOC comments and grammar/spelling goofs are more than welcome! )) “Would you like another?” Sophia gives an absentminded nod, more to get the serving girl away than anything else. She sits alone at a small table hidden away in the corner of a dingy Ul’dah tavern. It wasn’t normal for Nanora to contact her. It was even less so that she’d set up a meet, only to be late. Thoughts began to form in the back of head, worming their way to the front. Did someone get to her? Was my cover blown? Sophia’s grinds her teeth, looking about the bar. Only two exits, and plenty of lonely individuals who could be hitters. She was alone, too; it was careless not to at least mention her plans for the day to anyone else. But before Sophia could dwell any further, a tiny figure pushes open the door, letting in a flood of desert sun behind her. Nanora Nora, while most certainly a Lalafell, was quite tall for her race. Graying roots in her burgundy hair betrayed her as a woman of age, but her bearing matched that of one rife with conflict and danger. Sophia gives a wave as Nanora scans the room, and the Lalafell hurries over. “Sorry, sorry,” the Lalafell mutters. Her troubles were already apparent through her tone, though she did try to hide it. Sophia smiles, offering a dismissive wave. “It was no trouble at all. I ordered you some tea, but I’m afraid its gone cold by now. I half thought you’d beat me here.” Nanora stands in her chair, pulling the small kettle closer and pouring herself a cup. “Ah, thank you dear. I’m afraid I’m used to lukewarm tea by now. Nature of the job, I suppose.” “Oh? And what job is that,” Sophia quips with a devious smile. Nanora returns the smile, half-hidden behind her teacup. “How long have we been working together, miss Grave? A few moons? I don’t mean to gloat, but you’ve been happy with my services, no? I’m certainly quite happy with your coin in any case, and your flavor of work often doubles as a fine stress test for my network.” The serving girl returns with a glass of water, setting it down hastily as she goes to attend to another table. Sophia maintains a pleasant smile as Nanora speaks; positive reminiscence between two acquaintanced criminals? A meeting out of the blue? There were few ways it could go. “That sounds right,” Sophia answers. “Its certainly been expensive, but well worth it.” Sophia’s smile fades as her voice peters out. She merely holds her gaze in their silent moment, fiddling with the rim of her glass. The Lalafell takes a long breath, returning the look. Pleasantries were over, and Sophia was not one to be wooed by talk. “...I need a favor, Sophia,” she says finally. And there it is. Establish a rapport, confirm ability, perhaps even establish a modicum of trust. And now, the favors. Sophia nods her assent, and Nanora continues with relieved breath. “One of my people are in trouble, a Hyuran lad by the name of Rothe. He’s a caravaneer, hauling goods and weapons up and down Thanalan and Mor Dhona. His last run was hit hard and clean, Sophia; some Braves were killed, so they’re pushing for someone to blame. ” “Inside job, then? Who’re the survivors?” Nanora winces, and Sophia immediately gleans the answer. “Just him, then? Well. Let’s get this out of the way first: did he do it?” Nanora is quick to shake her head. “Goodness no, I’m sure of it. He was meant to fetch something for me at Camp Bluefog on the very same trip, but couldn’t thanks to this whole debacle. In any case, Rothe wouldn't be able to move that many weapons on his own even if he wanted to. No, he’s just trying to get by. I’m looking into it, but the caravan company doesn’t have many employees left, its not doing so great.” “Ah, wait,” Sophia interrupts. “It isn’t? Who’s the owner?” "Hm? Ah, wait..." Nanora ponders for a moment, trying to remember a name. "He's a known merchant; trades in whole businesses, rather than any good, if I recall correctly... Ah! Zazayu Tatayu is the name. I don't know much more than that, but I can count the number of clean merchants in Ul'dah on one hand." “Hm. Well, that may just be it. He hits his own Caravan, pinning it on an employee. It isn’t hard to imagine: Rothe sees that his paycheck might not be around much longer and decides to get a head start on his life of crime. Anyway, Crystal Braves can’t possibly be paying Tatayu top coin for their arms, or else they’d just purchase from the House of Splendors or Ironworks. With that in mind, those weapons would fetch Tatayu far more on the black market; no tax. If he’s smart, he would even have the caravan insured for something like this.” Nanora claps a light applause, nodding happily. “I knew coming to you was the best option! Rothe is a good man; I don’t want him burned, and I certainly don’t want them linking him to me. If you can handle this, there’s seventy thousand gil in it for you.” Sophia cants her head. “A hundred.” “Seventy, and I’ll owe you.” Sophia smiles. “Its a deal.” She drains her glass and leans forward, eye to eye with Nanora. “I’ll see this through and go wherever it takes me, Nanora, but remember, we do this my way. Now, work your contacts, and find out who did the job. Tatayu likely has a man to get his hands dirty for him, probably ex-military or some such. Let me know what you find.” With that, Sophia rises, leaving a stack of gil coins on the table before leaving. Nanora bows in her seat, then leans back with a relieved sigh.

Nothing wrong with Shonen, but a whole race dedicated to it is just an odd decision, when they could have just as easily add anime inspired options to the current races and Au Ra in addition to more toned down (for male) and stronger/aggressive (for female) option. Sure, they're targeting a popular demographic, but they're also blatantly ignoring others, and that doesn't fly in an MMO lauded for accessibility and fun for raiders and casual players. If you happen to like reptilian/demon inspired aesthetics and aren't a fan of shonen? Tough.

Hnng. I want that. See, why can't we have these as the Highlander Au Ra to the what we currently have as the Midlander-esque Au Ra? Yea, yea, I know; gotta keep costs down on animations and modelling and whatever. ;-; I'm sort of hoping that after tomorrow, they'll be some outcry and consequent tweaking. Not to take away anyone's options of course, but to add more.

Fair enough! Yea, I was giving my piece on the general mood of the Au Ra discussion around here. I feel like there's this sort of weird vibe that says "I would like it this way, and it should only be this and everything else is bad" when we should actually be wondering why such style options aren't just available to everyone, you know? I pretty much agree with your more critical points

My post wasn't "aimed" at you, Arma or anyone else. I used your Idol description because its succinct and helps make my point.

I don't think anyone with a brain thinks that looking like a Japanese idol is inherently bad. What does rub me the wrong way is that those of us who want something different are simply left sitting here, twiddling our thumbs. What I personally like about the game is that there are options. If I don't feel like raiding, I can still progress. If I don't feel like progression, I can decorate my house, craft, do Saucer stuff, or anything else, and that doesn't even include RP, which takes up most of my playtime. Every one of us are looking forward to Heavensward. But when it comes to the Au Ra, I'm left scratching my head as to why they'd not only cater to a specific taste, but fail to even throw anyone else a bone. Personally, I love reptillian races; always have. If Bangaa were a playable race, I'd literally drop both my RP characters and Fantasia into one without a second thought. I was psyched about Au Ra, naturally: scales? Woo! But I feel like the race was saddled with a bunch of stuff simply to make it appeal to the majority. Why don't the races have the diverse options that Hyur do? Midlanders and Highlander may as well be completely different races, if one considers how much variety both have. The whole point of racial choice in fantasy is diversity but currently, each race's appearance options are paltry by comparison to Hyur. Lalafell tribe choice is hardly anything more than which eye type you like better. Miqo'te are a warm palette with cat eyes, or a cold palette with cat teeth. Roegadyn and Elezen are both simply warm vs. cold palette swaps. Are other races simply not as diverse in appearance as Hyur are? Why? I simply don't like the idea that Au Ra is synonymous with this heavy anime aesthetic. Reptilian/demon-like is already unique enough compared to what we have, so it is just baffling that they'd go a step further and say "how about scales, but only if you like shonen anime!"

They're alright, I suppose. Even the male horns and scales look worn, rather than actually a part of their bodies. Hrm. Well, it isn't like I'm not going to make a few dozen Au Ra come Monday, anyhow. I'm looking forward to seeing just how stronk I can make a female Au Ra look. I really wish they went the Hyur route and made a smaller tribe and a larger tribe, rather than just a warm palette / dark palette thing they've already done with Miqo and Elezen.

Character Name: Sophia Grave Character Type: Empire-aligned Garlean Spy. Calm, smart, ambitious, pragmatic Availability Day(s) of the Week: Mostly during the week Time(s) of the Day: EST. Late morning or early afternoon primarily. Frequent Locations: Ul'dah or Limsa Lominsa mostly, but will go wherever the assignment is

It makes me sad that stuff like this has to be said at all. Every one of these threads that pop up after whatever weekly argument are essentially 'How to be decent to other people 101'. (Not that I don't support this, I pretty much agree 100% Faye)

I'm way late to the party, but I've only just now given the thread a good read. 1. It seems like a crackdown (too dramatic?) is coming. Good. At the very least, there should be a rule review or update or something, so we all know exactly what is expected. 2. Rep. I don't love the system. It made me really disappointed to see that inflammatory or snarky posts get tons of rep. I mean, I love that people admit to it, though; it was always something I wondered about. As far as changing/removing it goes? Eeeeh. I think posts with mod action should be ineligible for rep. Can that happen? 3. I'm also disappointed that individuals seem to draw validation from other people interacting or commenting on the individual's post. The welcome desk is one thing, but faulting others for not interacting with you solely because you're in the same space isn't fair. There's a point where I feel it won't be genuine anymore, if that's what people need to feel like they're in the 'in' crowd. And for all you lurkers out there, you're the ones that should be supporting posts that you like. Setting yourself to invisible and just watching from afar helps no one. Rep is there if you agree but don't want to get involved. It feels good to give and get rep. That's all I have to say that hasn't been said already.

Good. FF14 is the example right now, and frankly, Dragon's Dogma for the 360 was excellent, so I'm not worried about the game becoming a straight rip.

Personal Profile [align=left]Character Name: Lorelei Armstrong Gender: Female Race: Highlander Domestic Profile Civil Status: Single Place of Residence: Goblet Occupation: Unemployed Free Company: Aeon Social Profile To keep it brief, Lorelei is very much the angsty Mhigan youth who is angry at just about everyone. Currently, she spends her time being a sadsack wastrel, but in the rare instances she's able to forget, she's actually quite pleasant. She's also looking for someone to teach her to fight. See wiki for more info. Meta Profile Link. Its still heavy WIP but the timeline is there, at least.[/align]

All we really need is a classless state where you can equip anything, as well as a few more RP-centric QoL additions. More small things like /cpose would be lovely, perhaps even the ability to use skills without a target. You don't need another menu for that, just some animations and /emotes to fire them.