Zhavi

She flinched and steeled herself against that movement. It could be construed as a threat. Or not. Outrageous as ever. His words formed tiny splinters that dove under her skin, nestling there to irritate and swell her temper. Temper never worked with the man. No, he was far too infuriating for that. "Ye've a mighty high opinion o' yerself, an' not one I'm like t'be followin'. Not like th'way ye've followed me, innit? I ain't shown ye no good time, mate, an' I ain't about t'start." She took a step closer to him, crowding him, only too aware that he could easily take her out. Near him, across the room; she'd his measure and she knew him to be the more skilled. Still, she'd her reputation as a brassy bitch to consider. "Ye ain't never shown me no good time, so if yer thinkin' t'play in me bed, yer more daft'n a sun-crazed sailor." She stared down at him, expression settling into disinterest. There was tension in her, in the way she held herself. "What d'ye want?"

"Y'ain't pretty enough fer me taste, anyroads," Solitaire muttered, that grin still firmly in place. "Y'got th'coin, friend?"

The corners of Zhi's mouth deepened for a moment. She looked down at the table, and propped her head up with her hand. "Whisky," she said. She knew some Cullers. They hadn't liked her very much the last time they'd parted, but the members had been low on the ladder. Hopefully they were dead by now.

wouldn't that just be the icing on top if the devs decided they were all separate species but the half breeds could still reproduce? who needs earth biology!

but... I dunno, that could just be a common ancestor or referring to the fact that they're all intelligent. But not really something that affects rp so I'll just not think about it. >>

Begging your pardon, but do you have a source for that? I'd like to read it. ;P

Zhi's smile turned rueful as she looked up to the ceiling. Years of smoke had made it dingy and unremarkable, but her stare was intense as she looked at it. Something the elezen said had affected her, that was for sure. "Which pirates?" She dropped her gaze back to Goultard; it was a little distant. "An' where's he bein' kept?"

Zhi was exhausted. That wasn't uncommon. What was uncommon was that she'd run out of the remedy she used to chase it away, and given the numerous little things keeping her busy, her only option was to sleep. She probably should have slept sooner, but she so loathed the exercise; it was so much easier to just inhale -- Her nostrils flared. She was awake, one foot half lifted to step forward into her favorite hole, hand outstretched to push aside the scraggly vines that kept the opening half-hidden. She knew that smell. Her mouth formed an unruly line as she shoved aside the vines and ducked through, breath coming between her teeth in one steady hiss. It was a few short turns to the abandoned, hollowed out room she used as her primary hiding hole, the one she'd used almost exclusively since her return. That had been a bad idea, clearly. She showed him curiosity as she entered the dimly lit room, ears pricked forward and lips pulled to the side in a rueful smile. But he, being who he was, would still likely catch the strain at the corners of her eyes, and the way the fingers of one hand curled into a half-fist. She stood, feet shoulder length apart, weight forward, and looked around her room as if checking to see that he'd not taken anything. "Somethin' I can do fer ye, scrag?"

Solitaire was fast, but the roe was faster. He jerked his hands back only to find his fingers caught tight. He looked down in muted surprise, indecision keeping him silent for two long seconds before he looked up with a cheery grin and murder in his eyes. "If ye wanted t'hold me hands, scrag, all ye had t'do was ask. Three-fifty, then. Ye wantin' kisses, too?" He couldn't help the cold sweat that prickled all over his body, nor the sudden and rapid beating of his heart. But he would not go down a mewling, pathetic coward.

Blink. Stare. Blink. Zhi's head tipped to the side as she studied the elezen, delight crinkling up the edges of her eyes. "Ye flirtin' wi' me, lass?" Saying such things to a streetrunner, how scandalous. Zhi could see the edges of the elezen's game, now, could see the fire that was more than the natural scorn and wariness that came with every one of the people who lingered about lowtown. This one had ambition. Those were always the most dangerous to work with. Zhavi liked dangerous.

"Nn." Zhi turned away from Flit, dismissive, and reached for a smoke before she could stop herself. Finding nothing, she muttered something under her breath and sighed. It was a heavy sigh, the sort that bespoke exasperation and an approaching bad mood. Well, worse than the one she'd been in. She glanced at Flit, grunted, and turned on her heel. Anyone else might have thought the meeting was over, but she expected him to follow. Even if he didn't, she wouldn't turn back: her shoulders had stiffened up, and her tail was rigid behind her. Mood covered it, certainly, topped with a dash of pride. The city sprawled before her as she walked, thumb tucked into her belt and hand perched on her hip. She was rough, befitting the spires she circled and the bridges she took. Dull wood, stained metal, salt-crusted rope: she took it all in as she took the long route to Keto'to's stall, such as it was. Home, whatever that meant. Hers, and that was a damned lie. The night was young when she finally drifted to a stop amidst a scattered collection of crates. Tucked away in an alley, it looked like it had once been the site of a midden. Bits of trash lay underfoot, faded and worn, trapped against the stone by dirt and small bits of debris. It smelled, though of what was hard to determine -- but the city stank like that on a regular basis, and it wasn't anything particularly offensive. Zhi leaned up against a wall, heedless of the dark patches that stained its uneven surface. "Keto'to sells things," she said, as if to herself.

You're adorable. Never be afraid to ask questions, and I hope your experience on Balmung is the bees knees.

Unless it is an unusual reaction, or I am illustrating something she is doing (rather than 'Zhi turned her attention to the couple talking behind her' I might write 'Zhi's ears swiveled towards the couple behind her as she casually rolled the dice between her fingers' -- it's a little more subtle (show, not tell) while still indicating what she's doing), I tend to just go with one thing at a time. She might scrunch her nose, narrow her eyes, grimace, shift, slump, look at her nails, roll her eyes, or any number of other things. At most I'll go with two, and depending on what I feel is the most relevant, I'll use ears/tail/baring fangs or I won't. As Mikh'a said, miqo'te have primarily hominid features, and those are just as expressive as ears and tail. That said, I tend to use ears and tail as a cat would, but have used her tail before as if she has fairly fine control over it. However, after a discussion with Enteris about cat biology and whether or not that would be possible, I've toned that down a fair bit (though I still have her wrapping her tail around her hips and tucking it under a sash when she wants to play at being a small hyur boy for those not looking closely). I believe less is more, so I use ears/tail/fangs as embellishment rather than including them frequently. THAT SAID, sometimes I am a bad rper and forget about them during intense scenes or when I am excited about the rp. Zhavi is my first time rping as an anthropomorphic anything, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

I'm really sorry to hear things didn't work out for you, that's a terrible feeling. I hope that by the time Heavensward rolls around you're ready to give rp another shot! I have had the experience of, well, sometimes your rp style doesn't mesh with someone else's, too. And I totally agree that at that point you gotta acknowledge that it isn't working for you and move on. RP is supposed to be fun, after all, and if you're not having fun, what's the point?

the cold. especially companies that market SUPER WARM THINGS but obviously what they really mean is that they measure cold as anything around freezing. at -40 my current pair of gloves primarily functions to block air currents and keep my hands from sticking to metal. wtb proper mittens. My hands hurt.

Some shade of annoyance slid over Zhi's expression before it was neatly swallowed by the cheeky little grin she levered at Goutard. "Aye, but what's yer meanin' -- up an' leave when y'tell me?"

I think it makes sense, but I think some communities are too closeminded and rigid. My main rp squeeze (when I'm more active) is a community of 20-30 people. We have our established setting, the main place the rp happens, and there is a lot of rigidity in that setting. But, as long as you explain it, as long as it makes sense for the setting (it's medieval fantasy with a touch of steampunk -- we once had someone try to play a silver wristwatch wearing, sawed-off shotgun toting werewolf, which really, really didn't work with the setting), we'll work with you. Sometimes that means people have to play alts. Sometimes that means extensive use of npcs -- but when it comes to rping a species, to say that you cannot do this because there are too many people doing that already -- nahhh, man. I'd rather rp with other people, in that case.

Yup. I agree with you, and I know there are going to be roleplayers who get discouraged and leave. But I mean, in part, that's life. Sometimes something happens, sometimes there's miscommunication, sometimes you just don't hear anything back and spend time wondering what happened. It's important, imo, to learn how to overcome the stumbles and keep trying. And it is doubly, doubly important to always check back with someone. My general rule is (assuming I don't decide to cast the line elsewhere after the first no go) if they either don't respond or blow me off three times, I move on to someone else. UNLESS it's someone I've rped with on numerous occasions; at that point I figure something is up and wait a week or two before trying again.

While I would agree with this in general, if a fantasy universe defines a certain race by it's culture...I wouldn't really bother to disagree with it. What culture IS can change depending on how a world is crafted. I don't think this is what Square has done really, but it's something to note in terms of creating a whole world! Saying a whole species is locked to one specific culture is bollocks. There is nothing else to support the fact that any of the species in this game is biologically locked to behaving in a certain way in any cultural sense. It's not done on purpose, it's because culture in most fantasy is a flavor footnote used to accomplish certain things plot wise. It should not become the guideline for how all members of that species should act -- especially when there are npcs in game who aren't wholly attached to that 'culture' thing. edit - and just for clarification, I'm not angry or upset or anything. I just have very loud and boisterous opinions on this particular matter.

Why not. Copying over a couple of posts. Have you had an extremely hard time finding specific rp? Have you failed? Have you succeeded? Do you have any tips? Have any thoughts about breaking in to a new community? Have any stories? Go for it. I'd really like to hear more of Allgivenover's difficulties, if you're willing, man. It bothers me that you haven't been able to find someone to stick in a year in a half, because to me that sort of thing shouldn't happen.

I am a firm believer that it is not the culture that defines the character. While aspects of a race should certainly brush some tone over their perspective of life and choices, it should not be the tool that chips away their monument of their life. Unless, their life was in a highly regulated cultural thing.... then I guess uh? However, I am also a firm believer that it is the life the character lives that will define how they are. A certain seeker we all know that likes his towers certainly isn't falling into tradition. If a character has lived a life where tradition and culture more... common to his race has less weight, he shouldn't actually end up being SUPER TRADITIONAL MAN. If he is, it should be a choice he makes based on his life rather than an archetype placed on the character. In the case of my highlander... he may be from a certain lost nation that was destroyed by a certain mad leader, but he holds very little on to traditions and nationalism. This is HIS Eorzea not the land of men who now lay six feet underground. Culture does not equate to species or race. Culture is usually more locative, though not necessarily (ex - some indigenous cultures in eastern russia and western alaska share more similarities than differences). All the same, the larger the disparity in place/local ecology/method of survival (nomadic cultures vs farming cultures etc) chances are the bigger the gap in cultures. Culture is also the baseline of what everyone knows in terms of how they act around others and what they grew up believing. It defines certain behaviors. While, yes, as you get older you can choose to overrule some of these things, a lot of them stick with you. Were you taught that you should have a firm handshake? Look other people in the eyes when you talk to them? Greet people when you enter a room? Wish people well on an endeavor? Be comforting when someone you know is grieving? Those are all cultural, and there are a ton more. This is why diplomats are so important -- it can be terrifyingly easy to offend someone from a different culture without realizing it. Many cultures share similarities, true, and those similarities increase as globalization occurs, but just look back to first attempts at diplomacy between cultures to see how this wasn't the case (Lord Macartney's trip to China being a big one). which is why I was like 'screw u square' and tossed just about everything written about keeper culture.

And there is no one that you respect as a rper, who you have either rped with yourself or seen as someone worthy of your time who is willing to roll an alt to rp with you? Half of me wants to split into another thread or send you pms because I just can't wrap my head around that. I really can't. I mean hell, I used to stalk people on the wiki. If I liked their writing and their ideas, I sent them a pm. I'm sure some of you remember how I would post on just about every single new person who showed up and showed interest in criminal activity or limsa. Yeah, most of the people I approached didn't work out. But I mean, I just -- this is such a big rp community.

I've had to go begging way too many times to think that there is literally no other person willing to do specific, small-appeal types of rp.

I never thought of that before! I'll just hop back on my male Keeper Miqo'te and start a traditional clan based group that's highly matria- Whoops. First step: find someone to play the matriarch. You have specific wants. It's more likely you'll need to convince someone you know and trust to play this person. Alternatively, use a NPC placeholder and build around the role until you have someone to play it. Yes, playing with NPCs in game is a pain in the ass. How badly do you want this? First step.5: set up some concrete goals, taglines -- the things that you want to remain even when things change as people come and go and the rp happens. These should be short and to the point. Second step: find one or two other people to join you. At least one needs to be someone you trust to stick around -- this person is necessary because when you start looking at new people you have no idea how long they will stick around. Having someone to keep your plot threads moving and constant is utterly important. Third step: recruit. Recruit, recruit, recruit. Super frustrating because you don't want just anyone -- you want people you'll enjoy writing with. This is, imo, the most time consuming. You have to send people pms, or else be prepared to be super patient hoping you run across people in game. Personally, I prefer ooc communication. Fourth step: have a rp hook to draw people in that makes them excited to start with you. Collaborate with other rp plots (even if they're small and insular) if you can. I could not find anyone doing the sort of rp I wanted to do in Limsa when I first joined. I spent so much time writing people, trying to work out rp times, trying to find people interested who wanted to work with me. It wasn't just luck that I found goodfellow, melkire, shay & enteris, ruru, hut and all the others who stuck with me -- it was time, and effort, and gradually expanding through contacts of contacts. Yeah, what you want is a small subset of the rp community. I get that. Yeah, you have to work harder than others, I get that. Either it's worth the trying, or it's not. And if you've already done all the above and still nothing, then I'd go back to the drawing board and start trying to figure out how to change how I approach people (am I somehow misrepresenting myself? am I not exciting enough? do I need another way of approaching people?), or what about the way I'm presenting things isn't appealing. I'm sorry your experiences have been so frustrating.

Three different words in play here, though. "Critiquing" is not "sniping" and calling that out is not "babying." You can be plenty cross with people without being a jerk about it. Hell, that's kind of my whole MO. Are they awful roleplayers? Of course. Is it anyone's job to point that out? No, the red flags should stand for themselves. Openly hoping people can't roll alts is hostility, not "being more blunt than others." ...and for all we know the post could have been written partly in jest. For all the talk of not judging others I just find it strange that that is exactly what's happening. Even if it isn't written in jest then there's obviously a reason as to why the guy feels so strongly about Au Ra. It's not a great thing to wish on the realm but I can certainly see where's he's coming from. Not everyone has been saying to be judgement free. My point has been that it's incredibly silly to hold anyone to the lore when the lore is outright dumb in a lot of ways. It's poorly constructed, because the purpose of things like culture is most often flavor, and it doesn't make sense to expect an entire species to stick to one culture like they're some sort of hive mind. But it's my opinion that disagreeing with people and stating that you think there is a better way to do things, and advising to do that, is part of being a community. Yes, it means that some arguments will never have an end, but you know. Anyone can have whatever opinion they want -- but just don't be surprised when someone disagrees with it (or judges you for it, for that matter. Part of being people). Hell, I expect people to disagree with me a lot of the time (I'm more often surprised when they don't). Isn't going to stop me from potentially saying that I think they are capital w Wrong, and isn't going to stop them from saying the same thing to me. edit- my point, because I keep losing it: criticism of any opinion is gonna happen, and it should. It fosters discussion. Yes that means sometimes it will get circular. Mods are here to keep things from getting out of hand, let them do their job and leave the rest up to discussion.