chaoticsleepy

Just look for the tall hyur who keeps motioning to himself! But yes, hello and welcome to Balmung! Also throwing my name out there (Xheja Rajhera / Meiko Amano) for if you ever need any help or want to RP or anything!

I'll jump aboard the cop out train and say everyone! (Because it's true -- I need more, varied RP contacts!) But I especially want to RP with everyone who has more shady, criminal types of characters. And maybe some of the law enforcement types, too. Wait, I mean... *innocently bats eyelashes*

Happy birthday!

Xheja is pretty well-off on gear, but I wouldn't mind throwing Meiko in for NIN/ROG for when I finally get her to 50!

I hardly ever have such elaborate weird dreams. I just have recurring nightmares about velociraptors. Freakin' terrifying, man.

I had to post this for posterity's sake. The longest pun train I've ever participated in started up in the Whispervine today, and then ended up bleeding over into TN LS. I can't stop laughing. And it's still going. Oh god, it's still going..

My desktop is boring because this computer is still new and I haven't had enough time to download a ton of games and load my desktop down with screenshots that I keep telling myself "Okay, for real, I'll file them away in the right folder when I'm done". If only I had a screenshot of my old desktop. You all would've run screaming. No, really. It was bad. Baaad.

My reaction is pretty simple. AHHHHH I WANT EVERYTHING HNNNGH. Also, yay for pre-orders starting in the month that I'll have a lot of overtime and spare cash. So CE it is for me! Because June 23rd is my one year anniversary date at my job, so I'll need early access because I can't conveniently be sick of xpac release day. Seriously excited, though. Everything looks so good! I can't wait!

Thanks to everyone I RP'd with last night - Aeron Volkova, E'shtola Halha, Klynswys Elilwyn, and Aure Descoteaux - for turning what I thought was going to be a simple one-off RP into something more involved and exciting! Was fun to actually get to RP out some shady business gone bad (spy included!) and play out the aftermath. On a somewhat related note, I want to thank everyone who's been supportive of the Whispervine LS so far. Things like last night's RP and getting more people involved and connected even to such a minor degree are exactly what I wanted to accomplish with the LS, and it makes me so happy to see it already starting to come to fruition. <3

Absolutely! (: I'll add your name to the list. If you catch me before I catch you, though, feel free to send me a /tell!

One last, quick post here. I've made a list here of people that have expressed some interest in the LS, who I have yet to touch base with in-game. Here goes: Rhuya'tan Maivha Enzo Dubhthach T'shina Vashka Caelia Salinas King Noxaelius A'to Meme Synglona Eyrinebbwyn Aris Frey Khloe Moshroca (Gotcha!) Aerius Destroven Ardent Ghost Rhea Zaheela I'll keep trying to get in contact with you all as time allows / as long as I keep remembering to check. But if you don't hear from me, feel just as free to hit me up on Xheja Rajhera or Meiko Amano! (Or ask the lovely miss E'shtola Halha for an invite as well!)

I agree with a lot of the sentiments here, honestly. "Bleed", "blending", whatever you like to call it aren't inherently bad. When I'm RPing, I definitely experience some degree of it. When a scene has devastated my character, I hurt for them. When my character experiences joy, I'm happy for them. In my opinion, there is little difference here between feeling evoked by RP and, say, crying at a particularly sad scene in a book or getting a stupid sappy grin on your face at the happy resolution of a romcom movie. You create a connection to the character(s), which is usually the point. These are all avenues of art meant to imitate life, and life is full of different emotions. If you don't feel anything, then.. Well, in my personal opinion that others may not share, the point has been missed. But I think the problem isn't so much the bleed itself, but comes in when people have problems properly managing it. I'm not going to claim that I'm some paragon of this. I've made bleed mistakes before, and still do on occasion when I'm not careful. I've sat and cried after particularly sad scenes, and I've allowed a negative scene to put me into a bad mood that had been taken out on others around me. It's largely about knowing your limits IRL, and when something has become so intense and real to you that you have to take a step backwards. This is especially true, I think, for people who play out scenes in both the Romance and/or Dark/Mature genres. You can apologize to someone for snapping when a scene leaves you in a bad mood or for having to walk away and stop crying in the middle of an RP with (usually) little fanfare from your partners. But romance bleed makes thing very emotionally complicated and awkward, and a dark/mature scene can have a serious, lasting, traumatic psychological effect on you. So to sum up my two cents.. Emotion isn't bad in an RP. It's meant to evoke an emotional response, I think. You just have to be careful not to let it overwhelm and consume you.

This is actually something that comes up in the background with Xheja. It's never featured heavily and only mentioned in passing in my RP if it's even mentioned at all, but I play her as if her aether is unstable due to her Void-corrupted condition and the sort of.. paper-clips-and-rubber-bands-and-duct-tape kind of anchor between her aether and her physical body. As such, I leave her very susceptible to being affected by outside sources of aether that are acting upon her. Like recently for C'kayah and Kenthi's wedding, she wanted the aetherically reactive dye in her hair to be a nice deep red to match her outfit, so she siphoned aether from fire shards and crystals shortly before the ceremony until her aether was fire-aspected enough to produce the right color. But shortly after, the aspect faded and returned to normal. I don't only play it as if there's elemental aspects, but also other influencing factors. Xheja's aether is naturally rather "Voidy" and whatnot, which people who are especially sensitive to aether might pick up on. She takes measures to mask it with special jewelry with purifying properties, but it's such a strong aspect to her aether that her presence can still give people an uneasy, "something isn't right here" feeling if they pay attention. Of course, there's little in the way of lore to back any of this up. This is just one of those grey areas of plausibility that I hand wave in for flavor's sake. So take it as you will, haha. Edit: Holy crap that's a lot of 'aether' in one post. If I had a dollar for each time I wrote it, I could take the entire RPC on a Hawaiian vacation. >.>; I shouldn't reply to threads while sleep deprived at work, rofl.

Hey everyone! Another quick update to say that the linkshell is up and running, and the RPC entry is located here, and the optional website is here! I've still got a ton of work to do on the latter (holy busy weekend, batman!) but we're good to get things swinging, at least! If you want an invite, please see the above links to either apply via the website or to see who all have invite ability currently. Thanks!

[align=center]Welcome to the Whispervine![/align] [align=center] [/align] [align=center]The Whispervine is an OOC networking and information-sharing linkshell located on the Balmung server for characters who have ties to the Eorzean underground! Our goal here is to put people spread across the server but with similar themes in their roleplay in contact with one another, to not only stir up more opportunities for roleplay but to give the often 'handwave-y' nature of the larger underground picture some much deserved love and life![/align] [align=center]Please read through the tabs to the right for more information on what the linkshell is and what resources we offer. Most importantly, if you would like to join, be sure to read the rules! And as always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to post them here or send a /tell in-game to me on either Xheja Rajhera or Meiko Amano.[/align] [align=center] Questions & Answers [/align] [align=left] If this is an 'underground' LS, does that mean that everyone is evil / criminal?[/align] [align=left]No, no! When I say 'underground', I don't specifically mean just the evil-aligned, morally-black, mustache-twirling bad guys that stalk the streets. This LS isn't limited in that way, and is just as inclusive of players of characters of other alignments and motivations who have somehow found themselves implicated in the underground scene. [/align] [align=left]Then what do you mean by 'underground', exactly? The way I'm choosing to define it for this LS's purposes, 'underground characters' simply refers to characters whose jobs, hobbies, circumstances, affiliations, etc. are not suitable to be "advertised" openly amongst the general public. The 'underground' itself is the ambiguous phrase referring to the web of connections between these types of characters and organizations in the form of rumors, reputations, interactions, "friends-of-friends", etc.[/align] For Whispervine's purposes, it also includes people who perhaps aren't directly involved in the underground themselves but have connections to it, such as information brokers, law enforcement, bounty hunters, etc. Can you give me a more concrete example of the types of characters that you consider 'underground'? Of course! Here's a small list of potentially 'underground' character types that I had in mind when I created the LS. Keep in mind, though, that it is by no means all-inclusive! Thieves, burglars, muggers, and highwaymen. Smugglers and other black marketeers. Fences of illicit goods, and buyers of illicit goods. Information brokers and spies. Saboteurs. Assassins and common thugs. Those involved in businesses like prostitution, the drug trade, etc. Loansharks and debt collectors. Craftsmen of goods fit only for private markets (i.e. poison-makers, illegal/controlled weapon types, etc). Various groups or individuals who keep the underground "under control", such as the Rogues of Limsa, bounty hunters, etc. Crooked law enforcement, merchants, and people in other positions of power and/or influence. Those who are associated with companies, groups, or other businesses that have underground ties and are thusly implicated, such as organized crime rings, street gangs, bandit groups, etc. I'm not part of the LS, but I need a thief / assassin / etc. for a plot. Can you help me? We would love to! As much as we're here to connect underground types to each other, we likewise want to give the scene overall a sense of life and activity in the community as a whole. To that end, our website forums are open and viewable to the public. You're welcome to look over character profiles, RP hooks, etc. there and get in contact with those you think would fit your purposes. Otherwise, feel free to ask myself or someone else you know that's in the LS to make a call in LS chat / post on the forums for you. (Such as, 'Hey guys, I've got a friend who is needing an information broker with information on XYZ for a plot. Is there anyone who can help her?') [align=center]Note: Please note that as of 03/01/2015, this linkshell and the associated website are not complete. As such, things are subject to change. Please be sure to keep an eye out for a future announcement for when everything is finalized![/align] [[tab2] [align=center]Joining the Whispervine[/align] If you would like to join the linkshell, please take a moment to read the rules in their entirety. Be sure you understand them and agree wholly to adhere to them. I expect all members to be on the same page in regards to this, and the excuse 'I didn't know that was even a rule' will never be acceptable if an incident arises. After you have read the rules, the quickest way to get a pearl to to get in contact with an officer directly in-game. A list of current officers & recruiters is as follows: Xheja Rajhera / Meiko Amano (Owner - US Central) E'shtola Halha (Recruiter - US Pacific) Leggerless Hanzou (Recruiter) Aeron Volkova (Recruiter - EU GMT +1) If you are unable to catch an officer or recruiter online, you can also apply for a pearl through the Linkshell Website. Simply navigate to the 'Join' tab once you've had a look around, and then complete the short, simple application. (Really! It's not a long, tedious application at all, I promise!) If you don't care for website membership, you can also post here on the directory thread. However, please note that asking for a pearl on this thread is the slowest method. [align=center]- - - - - - - - - -[/align] [align=center]Questions & Answers[/align] How many alts can I asked to be invite into this linkshell? I have decided to set the limit of alts allowed per person in this linkshell to two (2) characters. I'll keep an eye on the growth of the linkshell and potentially raise or lower the limit, pending the interest and availability of slots. Can I get a pearl on my PVE / non-underground RP alt? At this time, the answer is 'no'. Unfortunately, this takes up one of the few LS slots that could be filled by someone who may actually need it on their character. I've retired my character / changed to another alt. Can I keep my spot in the LS, but transfer my linkpearl? Absolutely! If you decide you want to change over one of your existing two pearls over to a different alt for any reason, please contact an officer to arrange a transfer of linkpearls! My friends / RP partner / free company would be really interested in joining. Can you invite them? Of course! Just politely ask an officer or recruiter to invite them and give us their names, and we'll get them a pearl ASAP! Of course, please make sure that they have also read and agree to our rules before joining! [[tab3]] [align=center]The Rules: A Must Read![/align] The rules are always an extremely part of any group, and the Whispervine is no different! If anything, it is more important, given the fact that 'underground' RP can sometimes lead into IC events and OOC discussions/ideas/philosophies that vary greatly between players. Be sure to read the rules in their entirety. Everyone get one warning before they will be removed from the linkshell; however, if the offense is serious enough to warrant it, a warning may not be given and the player(s) and all their alts may be removed. If you ever have an issue with someone breaking these rules, please take screenshots of the conversation (if applicable) and contact an officer with them. We will do our best to assist you and resolve the situation. [align=center]- - - - - - - - - -[/align] [align=center]Rule #01: Be courteous and respectful -- to everybody![/align] In this linkshell, we fully expect all members to treat each other with courtesy and respect at all times, no exceptions. You don't have to like everyone, but you do have to be civil towards everyone. This includes refraining from making passive-aggressive, snippy remarks and the sort. If you've got nothing good to say, then say nothing at all. If you feel like you're in such a mood that you can't hold your tongue, then kindly mute LS chat until you settle down. More serious offenses like racism and other forms of discrimination, derogatory terms, etc. are under a zero tolerance policy, even if you're "joking". You will be removed swiftly and disallowed from rejoining in the future. Essentially, it all boils down to this: We're all grown here, so let's act like it! [align=center]Rule #02: Chatter is allowed, but be mindful of others.[/align] Idle, friendly chatter between members is very much encouraged in this linkshell. However, please also be mindful of what else is happening in linkshell chat. If someone is trying to set up an RP hook/event/etc., please hold back on the unrelated chatter out of respect. We're here to mingle, but more than that, we're here for the RP first and foremost! That said, there are a few banned subjects from LS chat: Real-world religion, real-world politics, real-world morality, pro- or anti-ERP/MRP discussions. This list may be expanded upon in the future as necessary. It's not that I don't believe these are topics worthy of discussion or that they can't be debated civilly. This just isn't the place for it. [align=center]Rule #03: Dark and mature themes are private-channel only.[/align] We are aware of the fact that dark, mature themes often come up in underground style RP, and many of us do participate in these styles of RP. However, while The Whispervine is an 18+ Only linkshell, it is not dark/mature RP exclusive and thus caters to a wider audience. Everyone has varying levels of 'okayness' with these themes for various reasons that must be respected by everyone. As such, we ask that you please take all detailed discussion of mature / adult themes (sexuality, violence, gore, and other 'squick' material such as sexual violence, torture, etc.) to a private channel. We even provide a special tag on the website forums to mark 18+ discussions, roleplays, advertisements for RP, etc. However, you are allowed to mention these very vaguely and in passing in LS for visibility's sake (i.e. 'Hey guys, I just had an idea for an RP hook, but it's dark-themed and mature. If you're interested, /tell me or check X titled thread on the forums!') [[tab4]] [align=center]The Website: Optional Resource[/align] I've started up an Enjin website for the Whispervine, located here. Membership to the website is totally optional and offered only as a resource for people to better keep track of the characters involved in this large RP circle, create and respond to calls for related RP hooks, and even as a secondary source for people to conduct forum RPs when they're unable to RP in-game. Even if you choose not to join the website, the forums are open for everyone to read. You will also be able to read about news and announcements there, even if you aren't a part of the site. However, to actually post anything yourself, you must be a registered member. To join the website, simply navigate to the 'Join' tab and fill out the quick, easy application form! I promise, it won't take you but maybe three minutes to complete! What if I already have a linkpearl in-game? Do I still have to complete the application on the site? Yes, for simplicity's sake. Applications on the website make it easier for me to get everyone rounded up in one spot.

Just about to get to a point where I can open it up, actually! Keep your eyes peeled for the LS to go live in the next hour or so!

[align=center]So, Xheja's acquired a shiny new hyur plaything.[/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/5ZeyBDS.gif[/img][/align] [align=center]It's practically perfect, because for Xheja, the best relationship is when there's no relationship![/align] [align=center](Also, come on, this gif was bound to show up here at some point, amirite?)[/align] [align=center]Edit: Bonus! Found a gif to perfectly explain N'hadiya's entire love life.[/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/13pvZCV.gif[/img] [/align]

Name: Meiko Amano. Title: The Lightfoot. Bio: Driven by a deep desire to repay her debts and reunite her broken family, nothing will dissuade Meiko from a job if the coin is good enough. She travels quickly and quietly around the map, often appearing at an enemy's back without them even noticing her approach. Role: Assassin. Secondary Role: Roaming / Support. Other Skins: - Meiko Lightfoot: Meiko in her typical outfit from her days with the Rogues' Guild, consisting of greens, browns, and a mask-and-bandana combo that covers most of her face. [align=center]Skill Kit[/align] Passive: Indebted (Global Bounce-back Passive) If Meiko's team's gold total ever falls below 50% of their opponent's gold total, all allies gain a global +5 gold / second bonus for the remainder of the game. Q: Throwing Knives (Skillshot, low-medium recast) Meiko slings knives in a medium-sized line in front of her, doing 5/10/15/30/50 (+50% AD) damage and applying a -25% movement speed debuff for 0.5/0.75/1 seconds. Lightfoot active: Movement speed debuff changes to a 1.5 second stun. W: Contract to Kill (Mark Target, high recast) Meiko picks a target to mark, lasting for 3/4/5 seconds. She does an additional 10/20/30/40/50 (+75% AD) damage to marked targets for the duration. Lightfoot active: Meiko also gains a +100% attack speed buff for the mark's duration. E: Backstab (Single Target Damage, high recast) Meiko teleports a short distance and attempts to stabs an opponent in the back, doing 10/20/30 (+25% AD) if the opponent is facing towards her and 50/100/150 (+120% AD) if the opponent is facing away. Lightfoot active: Meiko catches her opponent totally unawares, negating the directional requirement and adding an additional small bleed effect for 3 seconds. R (Ultimate): Lightfoot (Stealth, three minute recast/reuse) Meiko gains true stealth / invisibility and a +10% / +15% / +20% movement speed bonus, allowing her to slip past wards and enemies and quickly set herself up in a position to gank. Abilities gain an additional effect during Lightfoot's use. Effect lasts until ability use or damage taken.

[align=center]The Romancing of Meiko:[/align] [align=center]A Visual Instructional Guide[/align] [align=center]1.) Chapter One: Confessing Your Feelings[/align] [align=center]When attempting to romance a Meiko, one must be persistent. And thick skinned. Very thick skinned. Be firm when confessing your feelings, and then steel yourself for the inevitably crushing and defeating response. [/align] [align=center]"Hah, I thought you were actually serious for a minute there.. Wait, you are?"[/align] [align=center] http://i.imgur.com/5y4kHkP.gif[/img] [/align] [align=center]"Well... Shite. Here we go. *sigh*"[/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/ttQF9fI.gif[/img] [/align] [align=center]"This is a terrible idea. You don't want to do this." [/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/YcqNoba.gif[/img] "More importantly, I don't want to do this." [/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/rS31QGv.gif[/img] [/align] [align=center]"Wait.. are you--? Oh, hells."[/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/PA3mHg5.gif[/img] [/align] [align=center]"Don't look at me like this is *my* fault."[/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/lHIuZk0.gif[/img] [/align] [align=center]"No. No, no, no, no, no, no.." [/align] [align=center]http://i.imgur.com/QtxOqhn.gif[/img] [/align]

I feel your pain! I'm so Twitter ignorant that it hurts, haha. But yeah, I'm going the Enjin route. If the Twitter thing happens, it'll just be supplementary! No worries. c:

This thread makes me feel happy and warm inside because I was totally a sailor in a fantasy novel in a past life. Personally, I seem to like comparing things to a 'goobbue's arse' in various ways and contexts. Somehow, some way, that's ended up my de facto 'curse' across all my alts. I don't even know.

Could definitely work. I've got something similar set up on the forums of the website, for people to post things they want others to be able to know and/or use ICly. But Twitter would be a good way to spread it out to people who aren't so keen on checking up on a forum~

That's a great idea, actually! I might just add it onto the to-do list. Though, full admission time, I'm absolutely terrible at Twitter. (I'm too rambly for 140 characters, dammit!) But if someone else in the future maybe wanted to start something up, I would not be opposed to discussing details!

An update for all the interested parties! I've decided on the name 'Whispervine' (thanks to everyone for the wonderful suggestions!) and I've created a logo for the group. I've also snagged the LS in-game. I've started working on a small, membership-optional website for ease of networking purposes. If it works and people like it, we'll keep it. If not, we'll not! But everything's coming along, and hopefully I should be able to finish it all up and open up membership this weekend.

Well! It seems like the question has become a less "Should we?" and became more of a "How should we?" That said, what do people think about a small website (like enjin) -- membership completely optional -- to keep up with things like who is who, what they're known for, amongst what circles, etc.? Could also be used for RP hooks (i.e. 'Hey, I'm looking to get in touch with someone with a load of Ceruleum batteries. Any takers?' *coughmeikocough*) and keeping track of things that might be whispered about on the streets but are difficult to propagate in-game to a wider audience ('So-and-so was jumped in Pearl Lane today by that-other-guy over a gambling debt.' Etc.) And a calendar for related events, maybe.