Eva

Hey now!! I'll give you this - it's an acquired taste, and she's not Tarja, but if you give the newer albums a chance and listen to them a few times, they just might grow on you. It is a little more 'poppy' than classic old-skool Nightwish, but I still think it's good tunes. When I saw them live, it was Anette Olzon at the mic, and she sang the classics about as good as Tarja. Songs like Amaranth and Eva have powerful vocals too, and I think she's good if you give her a chance. Also I think she'll be better on the next album. But like I said before, I do miss Tarja. It's still great, but it's just not the same....

Trepidation Two Weeks Later Pemenicaux was shipping off the next morning and his parents would be there to see him off, so it was agreed that this evening would be their last together until he returned in three months. Having spent most of the afternoon at the lakeside amidst the sunflowers, enjoying a picnic and some wine, the happy couple had finally returned back to civilization once their clothes had dried from swimming when the fireflies started fluttering about. Kes suddenly stopped, glancing at the structure that stood before them on the side of the path. "There's no time like the present, Kessy! You've been talking about this for months... I'll tell ya what, I'll do it with you!" Pemenicaux smiled warmly at her as the pair stood in front of a dilapidated old building. "Are you sure about her, though...?" His grin remained as he indicated one of the windows that was missing and replaced by two large planks of wood with a slight nod. Her jaw dropped even before he had finished, "You... would do that...?" He nodded in response, "Why not? I think it looks quite fetching, actually." "Your parents will kill you... This isn't really something that Wild-" "I'm not a child, Kes. I'm 32 years old. And frankly, that's almost incentive. I'll get a design to match yours, so everyone will know when they see us together." His smile was warm and reassuring, but she was certain that the amount of hot water he would find himself in with his family would be immeasurable. Still, it was sweet of him to want to express himself as such. That was enough for her. "Pemmy, no. Your family... They're going to blame me. I don't want them to hate me..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "And you know they will, for this..." Looking her square in the eye, he grinned at her and pushed his way past her into the parlor. She followed him, murmuring something inaudible behind him. "It'll look good, Kes! See all the designs?" "I mean it Pemmy!" Her hands found their way to her hips and she gave him a very stern glare. "It won't matter," his voice lowered. "When I get back in a few months... I want you to move away from here with me." Her stern expression gave way to shock. She'd thought about moving away from all of this ever since he'd proposed two weeks before, but she hadn't said a word of it to anyone. "I... I..." words escaped her lips. "What do you think of Ul'dah?" His hand now rested gently on her shoulder, and the weight of everything came crashing down on her. Thrilled as she was to be far away from his parents, the thought of leaving her own father behind upset her - especially in his condition. She knew that Garmekor or one of the others would look after him, and probably even would have encouraged her to go ahead with the move if it was what she wanted. And aside from some travel with her father when she was too young to remember, she'd only ever really known Gridania. The thought of moving elsewhere was completely foreign to her. "They have a guild for weavers and tailors there. You can continue working your trade. You promised me a cloak for the winter! And I'll hold you to that! I hear those desert nights can be pretty cold..." And then there was the desert. They had the trees and the lake and the water here. It would be strange to not be able to swim every day. She had never done well with heat, either. But she had lost a considerable amount of weight over the past three years, largely due to Pemenicaux's wanting to swim all the time, which she had grown to love. The both of them had been quite chubby back then. The activity had worked wonders for him, his body rippled now as he swam. And it had clearly made a difference in her as well, but some days she still felt she could have given more effort. She had noted the way that men sometimes looked at her now - something she'd never really experienced before and would probably never get used to. Maybe the heat wouldn't touch her as much as it once had in the past, after all. "Okay." He was still in his thoughts, "And I hear there's a lot of excitement out there. Games and fun and-" "Okay, Pem! I'll do it!" She smiled up at him. He stood over a head taller than her when he wasn't slouching, and she stood on her tippy-toes and pecked him on the lips. "We'll move to Ul'dah together. I just want to be with you." "Excellent!" he beamed back at her, clearly surprised at the impulse of the response. "We'll start making the arrangements as soon as I'm back. Three months - it'll go like nothing! Think how fast the past two weeks has gone!" She had, and she knew that time would go from moving at a racing speed to a near halt while he wasn't around. "In the meantime, we both have a lot to think about." Nodding, Kes walked over to a particular design on the wall that caught her intrigue. "Hey Pemmy, what about this one...?" She traced a line over her face with her right hand, tracing a similar line over Pem's face with her other hand, visualizing what the tattoo would look like on his face. "Wow Kes... I like it!" A stirring behind a curtained doorway pulled their focus away from the design, as a hyur man emerged, a white bandage firmly enveloped most of his right arm. He smiled slightly at the pair as he strode out of the waiting room. An elderly woman's voice from behind the curtain called out, "Next!"

Happy Birthday +1 (having a hard time keeping up with all of the posts, and was helping a friend move yesterday... so you get the HQ Happy Birthday!!)

:approve:

EDT (or just 'Eastern' or I suppose GMT-5 for all the people that insist that we're in EST and not presently under Daylight Saving Time) - I'm usually up rather late as well though, as my work shift runs from 10am to 6:30pm on a typical day (not dealing with rush hour traffic ftw!)

<-- HUGE Nightwish fan. Been listening to them for a few years before they got popular around here (for some reason, everyone I know 'discovered' them after the Once album was released). This song is actually where I finally came up with the name for this character from. Given the lyrics, you'll come to find out in time that it's a very fitting song... :approve: And my other favorite song on the album, I've begun grabbing FFXIV footage to make a video set to this song, actually. I'm surprised to see it up here. I saw Nightwish in concert last May up in Hartford. They put on an amazing show, and I still think they're fantastic, but Anette's voice took some getting used to. I do miss Tarja. But they are definitely up there as one of my favorite bands! Do you listen to Within Temptation at all? Or Doro? I can link some stuff... Here's a few of mine (really my top three favorite bands here). I could expand this twenty-fold without hesitation, but I'll just keep it at this for now. Sonata Arctica alone has about 40 different songs I consider favorites that I just didn't feel I had the room to include here. Nightwish - Walking in the Air ( | Lyrics ) They played this at the concert. A fantastic song from one of their earlier albums. Nightwish - Angels Fall First ( | Lyrics ) Amazing song! Nightwish - Away ( | Lyrics ) Another amazing song!! Nightwish - The Escapist ( Youtube | Lyrics ) Newer, but not on the normal Dark Passion Play album. Nightwish - Over the Hills and Far Away ( | Lyrics ) This was probably the song that got me into the band. I love the drums! Symphony X - The Sacrifice ( Youtube | Lyrics ) One of the best newer songs by Symphony X, and works well with some of Eva's backhistory, so I may weave a video out of this one at some point as well. Symphony X - Paradise Lost ( | Lyrics ) Awesome song - I particularly like the chorus. You'll be hearing this one soon, if you listen to the podcast. Symphony X - Communion and the Oracle ( Youtube | Lyrics ) One of their older songs, a little more relaxed. Incidentally, the cover art on the front/back of this album (V) is by and far my favorite on any album! Symphony X - A Fool's Paradise ( | Lyrics ) This is an older song as well, and my favorite up until the Paradise Lost album came out. Now I just can't decide! Symphony X - The Odyssey ( Youtube | Lyrics ) A 24+ minute song about Odysseus! Greek (and Norse) mythology fascinates me. I particularly like the last 5 minutes or so of this song (Youtube only covers this part - essentially Victory put in musical form) Sonata Arctica - White Pearl, Black Oceans ( Youtube | Lyrics ) These guys are probably my favorite band of the three. This song is beautiful. Sonata Arctica - Fly with the Black Swan ( Youtube | Lyrics ) This one has kind of a unique sound to it, and for a very long time was my all-time favorite song. Sonata Arctica - Gravenimage ( | Lyrics ) Another great Sonata Arctica song. Sonata Arctica - Two Minds, One Soul ( Youtube | Lyrics ) Pretty much Dyterium's theme song. Sonata Arctica - In the Dark ( | Lyrics ) One of the songs off their newest album - The Days of Grays! Obviously also a great song or it wouldn't be here. lol ...and last but certainly not least... Sonata Arctica - Paid in Full ( | Lyrics ) Song has a great deal of personal meaning to me, and got me through a particularly tough time in my life. If you read the lyrics as the song progresses, you'll probably discern why...

This is excellent!! You definitely have a talent for writing, and I have no doubt this will make a great seed from which a 'darker-shades-of-gray' type will emerge. Honestly, I can't wait to read more entries! :approve: I especially love your opening sentence: Another follower of Nymeia?

Bliss Fourteen Months Ago A young Wildwood of around thirty years whose jet black hair waved down to his shoulders stood beside one of a series of benches by the lake. He smiled proudly at his beau, a Duskwight of around the same age whose long, blonde hair was tied back up in a ponytail with a narrow leather band. "I got in, Kessy! They accepted me!" He held up a folded letter jubilantly in his right hand. The ambivalence displayed upon her face must have been apparent, as the young elezen man continued quickly, "It will only be three months, my love. And it will allow me to prove to myself that I can really do this! I will write to you every day, I promise. I love you, Kes." She forced a smile, "I love you too. And I'm really happy for you Pemmy. You know I'll wait for you, right here, for as long as it takes. But what about your writing? I mean, is this really what you want to do...?" He took a couple steps towards her, still beaming with excitement as he held the letter up in his hand, "It's a big deal, but I've wanted something like this for a long time! Your father might even come to respect me! You said he served in the military when he was younger, right?" His arms were around her now and she stood there for a few seconds, stunned, before reaching up around his neck and nuzzling her cheek against his stubble. "Aye, Father's always talking about the old days, but please promise me that you're not doing this to win his approval. That doesn't ma-" "It's been over seven years now, Kes. People who've been together not half as long as we have are married. Yes, I would like your father's permission, if possible. But I am also doing this for myself. Someday even the gods will sing our song!" Still holding her shoulders gently, he tilted his head back slightly, giving her a considering look as he took a pace backwards. She smiled faintly as his blasphemy. He'd always had a way of embellishing things, and he always knew just what to say to make her smile even when she was down or frustrated. "I know, Pemmy, but..." "No buts! I was going to wait until after I'd spoken with him..." He cleared his throat, shifting his weight to one side as he reached into his breast pocket and withdrew an ornately chased, silver ring with a small diamond cut brilliantly in the center. It caught the sun, dazzling her eyes, and every frustration that was on her mind melted away. The sound of children's laughter could be heard somewhere in the distance, but Kes and Pemmy were alone in this glade. They had long ago decided that it was their spot, amidst the sunflowers and their pungent aroma. They would often come to this lake to swim together. It was no surprise at all to her that this would be where he would choose to propose to her. Still, she was somehow caught off guard. "Kes Zelorius..." Mock formality took over his voice as he took to one knee, and she knew quite well that he would already know her answer to the next question, as it had been a topic of conversation many times in the past. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Throwing her arms up around his neck, she beamed up at him and responded without any hesitation, "Y-yes!! Of course I will Pemmy!!" As she rested her head on his chest glancing at the engagement ring, she realized that there was still a great deal to be discussed. Her father would not have approved of her relations with a Wildwood, though his mind had failed several years earlier. That Pemmy would even concern himself at all with seeking her father's approval seemed a moot point, though he had indicated in the past that the tradition meant a great deal to him. He'd only met her father twice before, and on both occasions he'd been presented to him as an acquaintance rather than as her lover. If he intended on following through with requesting her father's permission, it should have been clear that it was not mandatory for her. However, she realized how stubborn he could be, and would not let this go. Of course on the flipside of the same coin was the disdain his own parents had towards her. Though his younger brother and sister got along well enough with her, his parents had been kept in the dark about their secret love affair until only recently when it came to light that the girl he had been seeing was not of their clan. His parents had gone to great lengths to put an end to the relationship, and even now she suspected that his intentions to leave for the military may have been made at their urging. She would never dare to make mention of that to him though, as he often spoke of how he felt like a rope in an unpleasant game of tug-o-war. It was clear that he felt he had something he needed to prove, though she wasn't convinced he was doing this entirely for himself. But for all she knew, maybe he was right - maybe her father would look upon him more respectfully as a fellow veteran. She knew, probably better than anyone else, that he was a pacifist. She was almost certain that he wouldn't want to take up a weapon and fight if the situation demanded it. He wouldn't even harm insects! Pemenicaux had a gentle soul, and she questioned if this was really right for him, or worse if it would change him. At the same time, she felt somewhat guilty to be excited. Something about the notion of having her beloved return home from battle to her arms exhilerated her. For right now though, all the rest didn't matter. The love of her life was in her arms, and she knew that somehow they would find a way to get past the family issues, even if it meant running away together. Holding one other amidst the sunflowers by the lakeside, everything was as perfect as it could possibly be.

^ This is how I would handle it as well. :approve:

Hopefully tactfully. But usually it's best done through word-of-mouth or storyline post, at least from my own experiences. Granted there were times in FF11 when ballista matches were scheduled to coincide with RP - in the instance I'm thinking of it coincided with something which was already predetermined - I'm lookin' at you Tyriont (Rathium). It worked out okay, but it was never really the norm.

"There is no good and evil. There is only truth and perspective." ~Constable

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Castiel hit the nail on the head with this right here!! An important aspect I think any villain needs to have (or to have at least considered) is motivation. "Evil for the sake of being evil" doesn't really cut it. I mean, sure there may some people who turn into villains from getting a thrill out of harming others (sociopaths and such). But usually there's some sort of motivating factor. From what I've seen, this may often stem from some initial deed that the character deems "good intentions" and escalate from there (see above quote). Their actions may be given rise from a misplaced sense of justice and righteousness, or perhaps they're seeking revenge for some wrongdoing that was done to them. The best RP gives reasons (maybe not right away, but eventually) for actions taken - this goes for villainy too. I'm not sure what others from Sylph thought of Constable. I didn't bring him out as much as I maybe should have (my altaphobia), and he was a rather complicated character who ultimately went good and sacrificed himself [in 11] to atone for past misdeeds. But even when he was evil, he was still a devout follower of Altana and used her teachings to reinforce his 'justice' - which is always relative, and usually quite subjective, by the way. P.S. Thinking of bringing Constable back, though I'm not yet sure in what capacity. P.P.S. Yeah, I'm hooked on parentheses this morning... shap... :frustrated:

Awesome! Never laughed so hard at some of their stuff back in the day! :approve:

Happy Birthday, Mason!! :cheer:

So we might be able to carry situational gear, but using it correctly and at the right times will require foresight and tactics. I've always loathed having to carry around 65 bits of gear for various situations in FFXI. TP set, WS set, DMG- set, HP+ set, wyvernHP+ set... I had never understood, in an in-character manner, how the rapid changing on one's gear to something else in order to, say, execute a weapon skill, made any sense whatsoever. I had always hoped they would penalize gear swaps but it never happened. Sounds like we'll be able to get away with not having to tote around excessive gear for every little contingency. I do see, as Satrina pointed out, where strategy and foresight could come into play. Particularly if weapons and armor degrade over time, having a backup or two might be prudent. It will be interesting to see how this impacts things.

Of course it occurs to me that the allocation of skill/attribute points (STR, DEX, INT, etc.), if they haven't changed it from the alpha, is still going to play a factor and may prove inhibitive for some classes if you sacrifice a lot of something in order to gain something else (i.e. lots of STR at the cost of a minimal INT score). I can see how if someone wanted to play several jobs, or dabble even, this may prove difficult with only one character if they wanted to excel at one in particular. I was happy being a skilled dragoon in FFXI with a mediocre black mage for when it was needed (which, imo, was far too often). I suppose this post can apply to the "To alt or not to alt" thread as well... I'd still consider Flayer as a sort of 'main melee' job if it became available, though I have enjoyed lancer and pugilist as well. What I find myself wondering is whether, and to what degree, these attribute points would impact the Disciples of the Hand/Land jobs... like will MND make a difference for weaving, and STR for blacksmithing?

Has any indication at all been made where the weaver/clothcrafter HQ will be? I'm fairly certain there's nothing in Limsa (which leaves me wondering how it's going to be accomplished as a class in Beta). This will kind of play a role in what starting city I choose as well. I suspect HQ might wind up in Ul'dah with a branch office in Gridania, but that's just idle speculation... :?

Who the heck is this Dyterium guy, anyway?? :lol: Oh, and it wasn't really that bad. I'm still trying to remember who asked everyone to forget... I guess maybe I took his advice after all... I actually took the Mary-Sue litmus test mentioned in the other thread for both Eva and Dyterium. Early Dy didn't do so hot, but after I factored in some of what happened, it lowered his score a bit. Ultimately I'm glad I decided to leave the Zilart thing as sort of an uncertainty, and ultimately just a silly story he was told. Eva, on the other hand, scored a -2... so maybe she's just a little too plain... Ionno...

Not to be that person, but there were 6: Warrior, Monk, Thief, Red Mage, White Mage, Black Mage

Hey, another great episode guys (and gals this time)!! I particularly enjoyed hearing so much detail about all of the guilds and what they're all about. And the hosts asked some really great questions!! It almost seemed like the guests were put on the spot at times, but they quickly came back with some great answers and I think everyone promoted their guilds in unique and interesting ways. I can definitely understand how someone new to the RPC might have a difficult time finding their niche, since there are so many awesome options out there! Can't wait for the next one!! :approve:

For $36/year or potentially several hundred dollars over the lifespan of the game, I would want to be able to play my alt at the same time as my main. I don't foresee S-E allowing this, though. And I just don't think it's worth it. Call me Vanilla McBlandy if you will, but I don't need that kind of variety.

I think it's just going to be Eva, and no alts. Not even sure I'm going to bother with Ora for $3, but we'll see - I know I promised some RP time with Ora to Varov and I really need to give it some thought. It's possible that Ora might wind up being Eva's retainer - that would certainly be amusing. I never really understood the fascination with playing a lot of alts. In XI I had several 'mules' and I RPed a little bit on a couple of them, but more as a break than anything else. They were mostly part of a pretty elaborate means of moving ingredients, supplies and goods between AH's and used OOCly for profit more than anything else. For those that knew him, Constable never even had a character slot for him until well into that particular story arc. It seemed silly to have a nemesis character who could never be on at the same time as my 'main'. I have no qualms about the $3/character since I doubt I'll take advantage of it. I think most of my storyline NPC's will retain their 'N'.

Yes, I saw this awhile back and was also intrigued by Flayer. I just get the feeling it's going to be overhyped by some people because it's different or for certain other connotations - most of us saw how quickly the DRK stigma took hold... :frustrated: Sadly, this might be enough to make me not want to play a job I might otherwise enjoy...