Dasair

I voted for a few options, entirely because 'if it was there, I'd use it', but after hearing them explained, I like the auto-pruning Forum one the best. If a bunch of people have things going at once, they might be bumped off pretty quickly with the chat option. And I can see people posting into a 'limited space chat' that removes posts not based on time, but based on how many others are also posting being.. an issue for some prople? Such as people also being conscious of that, and maybe forgoing posting altogether, because they don't want to bump someone else's RP notice off. But those are just vague thoughts based on what I'm picturing for this; it might not be like that at all, necessarily.

... A Yorumei edit for character accuracy. And now I am done. I hope. Sooo many of these Auri are so neat. *u*

I am so freakin excited about all of this, holy crap. UPDATED WITH AN UNFINISHED ART. ... I was doodling this while waiting for the benchmark, but this and the screens are the same character. Hair for days, you can't tell him what to do.

Not only that, but it seems the horns are tied to the face options. It is really looking like the japanese on top there says 'Kao no taipu' which would basically be 'face type'. I AM STILL STUPIDLY EXCITED ABOUT AU RA but... I. Wish they would have like.. separated the horns and the faces, at least.

I AM SCREAMING ABOUT EVERYTHING HELP. This is too much excitement. Those screenshots. That everything. Thank you so much for finding / posting these things. I just. Soon.

These are all wonderful. I REALLY LIKE ALL THOSE DESIGNS. ... Nevermind everything else. jndfg

I think there's a category error here, I am discussing in-game RP, and I think people vastly over-estimate the role of the RPC and any perceived RPC reputation on in-game RP. ^ Yep Nah, I agree with you there. My whole point was that's the only difference between newer people and 'popular' ones here; that the 'popular' ones got exposure on the RPC forums, which may be in addition to how they were already known. Not that the forums were more or less important than any other way of finding / talking to people. There are some people I follow on tumblr I'd consider 'popular' (get a lot of notes, a lot of people reacting to thsir posts, etc.) over on that site too, but who barely post at all on the RPC, if ever, and don't even have wiki pages. But I wouldn't be surprised if very few people knew who they were, unless they'd met in-game. .. Or saw them on tumblr. Nevermind that I imagine there are people well-known in-game who aren't either place at all. I figure it's just a matter of where the people who would really click with a person are to be found, and actually finding them; the medium you happen to find them in, be it the RPC, some other social site, or the game itself is of little consequence. It's just where and how it happens. But yeah, people assuming the RPC is THE WAY AND THE ONLY WAY to find people to rp with probably don't have it quite right. It's just a useful tool if forums are your thing.

I honestly think it's somewhat more variable than this; I can't say it's always exactly the same, (that there is no difference between a new person and an established one) but that's entirely due to exposure. I am stupidly verbose, so TLDR: 'Popular' people on the forums have had more chances to make an impression to someone who might be interested in RPing with them than new folk. This can be good or bad, but this is what they have that the newer people don't. -- Here's the butt-long version: Basically, the 'popular' people have had more of a chance to 'make an impression' than the new people do, and that's completely a given by how anyone might consider someone else 'popular' in the first place. I say 'more of a chance' because people looking to RP can go to a 'popular' person's profile, look through their posts to see their opinions on various things, find more about their characters, go to their flushed out character wikis, and so on. Whereas with the new person, someone can't always do that so well; they've got limited sources to look to in order to decide if they want to get together with this person or not, and jumping in with some complete stranger with very limited.. anything to go off about them, can be intimidating. I think it often might boil down to someone being able to get a better idea of a person / someone's characters since they are around and reacted to, and those are the 'advantages' that a 'popular' person might have. On the other hand, you have the new person, who hasn't been around so long, they make a connection thread or two, but might only get a few bites. Since... either it jived with people or it didn't, but a lot of threads seem kind of hit or miss that way. Like what Max said, the views often greatly outnumber the replies on those threads. What the new person doesn't have is the 'forums exposure' that allows someone else to get a feel for them / their character, however vaguely, and potentially find something in common with them that maybe wasn't there in the connections thread. Maybe it's a character quirk they bring up somewhere, or maybe it's an OOC post about how they are influenced by certain authors. Maybe it's how they come off as a person or a writer, or their ideas about a particular sort of magic; there are endless possibilities. But every post someone makes might be 'the one' that opens up communication, and once that happens, then the chance for wanting to RP with a person can change too. In all, I think, that yeah; everyone has a similar potential to get RP. That the RPC and IG situations are not at all the same, and shouldn't be based on each other blindly, because they're different things. And even then, the inverse might be true, that someone looks up to someone else and gets intimidated, and it stops them from contacting a person. The thing that 'popular' people have that 'new' people don't on the RPC specifically is that they're recognizable. But that they're recognizable, that people have some small sense about them beyond 'Hi, my name is Dasair and I'm new', and that every post they've made had the potential to spark an interest and the courage for someone to have asked them about RP, is basically what they have that new people don't. So no, I don't think it's entirely even between them; however, the more a person puts themselves out there, and the more people get to know you, the more it might turn the tables a bit. It's definitely not the only way, and I'm in no ways claiming that this is always the case for every person; there are plenty of options to find RP that don't involve posting all over the forums, and a lot of it is luck; in terms of who sees what post, or who runs into your character IG. But that is a way, if there's someone who wants to be active on the forums anyhow, it might get them more recognized to just post in things when they want to. The 'popularity' thing can be a boon or a vice, it's just one more thing for people to go on, in terms of figuring out who to try and RP with.

Only slightly off the current topic of 'popularity vs. new people getting RP', since this isn't really about people getting RP. But in terms of who might be considered 'popular', I think it boils down not so much to the actual numbers themselves (post count, rep, etc.), but how recognizable someone is on the RPC specifically. I was trying to figure out who it was I considered 'popular' here, and why the reasons for that were, and.. it wasn't so much that I'd seen any of those people in game. It wasn't because they impacted me negatively (in a number of cases I find them really neat, and would certainly like to try RPing with them at a time I'm not crazy busy IRL, though other cases less so, so that wasn't really a factor), or because of the amount of RP they get, because I don't even know how much RP they get, given never seeing them IG... but because I recognized them from a lot of different threads. They are people who post frequently that people reply to, who can shift discussions and have others react, and who I remember seeing in enough other places on the forums to get an idea of their 'personality' from what they say. That's in no means to claim that I really know any of them. But I've made some connections about them based on their posts in various places that may or may not be the case. I feel like I have a sense of at least one part of their personality. And some people I considered 'popular' had much lower post counts than others, it was just a matter of personal recognition, actual activity, and probably chance; the topics I look at happen to have these people posting in them. I'm sure if I looked at different topics, my perception would be completely different. That said, I figure those who are considered 'popular' vary from person to person. I also figure it isn't bad either, they are the ones who seem to have their hands in the community the most. That, or make a number of memorable posts, and then continue on to make more. So for those worrying about it... I mean, I'm sure this can be taken both ways. It could be taken positively, that you've really made a difference, or that people pay attention to what you're saying for one reason or another, but that could also be disconcerting if you don't like that kind of attention. I suppose it's mostly just something about you, for whatever reason, has made you stand out and be recognized. Just in hopes to clear up the 'I don't want to be popular' / 'am I popular?' thing. At least that's how it works for me. -- And I suppose a bit on the 'getting rp vs. not' bit, it might be the perception that, because these folks are recognizable, and seem to get any number of reactions from other people, that obviously they must be just as 'successful' in game. .... When it really isn't like that at all. Or at least, not necessarily like that. I think there's a distinct difference in many cases in terms of the RPC and in terms of IG-RPing, and while some of the same people might be RPing a good amount, sometimes people just assume that all of them are, when it really is unlikely to be that way at all. The sheer distinction that I can identify people I personally consider subjectively 'popular' on the RPC vs. having not once seen them in-game, and have no idea how much they RP, attests to this.

As fate would have it, things didn’t go as planned. He really should’ve expected this by now. Xavarian never made it to the Scholar’s Celebration, but did make it to Mor Dhona… which had effectively changed everything. He really was lucky that Asheloux had been with him, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. When was the last time it had been so bad, when was the last time it had done that? And how in the hells could he fix it? The questions still haunted him, despite it being some days past his having collapsed there now, despite him having mostly recovered. The questions continued to rear their relentless inquiry in his mind, even then. And gods, after such a completely different, unbelievable endeavor. The ‘Aether Science Squad’s (as they deemed call themselves) unprecedented endeavor to study those Nymian ruins, how completely amazing it all was, how- how- He still couldn’t put it into words. Though, truth be told, he wasn’t thinking to put it into words right now. Xavarian frowned to himself, as he made his way with a quick step through the Mizzenmast Inn. He kept his eyes low, and his thoughts were what guided him; most else he paid hardly any attention to. He thought about Avis instead. He’d just seen her, just helped her situate the books away that she’d taken from the Professor’s study that she couldn’t carry on her own, following that great Nymian adventure, and yet.. He was worried for her. Certainly, something wasn’t right; is it really the same with her too? All too used is he to being treated as.. as a center of discontentment, a problem by his very existence. Something to constantly look over, to need to make accommodations for, to slowly loath. That was not what he wanted at all, but was it inevitable no matter where he went? And the very episode in Mor Dhona… how was he to know that would have happened? Was it solely that she felt so dreadful about not being there, or was it something more? She must know that it could happen anywhere, at anytime, he had tried to warn her. But.. for all his mental questions, he wasn’t really that blind to the answers. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy for her, knew things are always different when they happen than merely in far-off-theory. He knew he mattered to her quite a bit, and from what she had told him before about what had happened to one she loved. . . He was worried. So worried, he hadn’t noticed he was already at his room, and had just leaned his frigid forehead on the door, until some of the ice spreading over it from his chilled Aether crackled. The duskwight blinked, sighed, then pushed the door open, leaving an icy patch on its outside. In the room, he paced. He’d set everything down and paced. Xavarian’s unruly hair was mussied any number of ways while he paced, his hands were wrung, and abruptly, he turned towards the table, getting out some paper and pen. They sat there stared at. Then the duskwight got up and paced some more. Gods know how long it was before he could actually write. It was done through a mix of determination, concern, with a lot of lip pursing. And he was at it quite a long time, thinking it over, writing it, fixing it. His head was rested on the table now and then, possibly drifting off, but never quite asleep, he was too- too much of a mess to sleep. Time escaped the duskwight in his focus. A number of pages were set aside; they weren’t good enough. They weren’t right. He didn’t even know if what he ended up with was right. But it was something. Only at times during his writing had his expression calmed, his mind seemed to have found some other place to sit itself in when he wrote. Having not rested from the excursion, (though honestly, it may have even been the next day by now, how long had it been? ) he quickly rolled the scroll of a page, before heading out to deliver it to her room. When he got there, he had a brief moment of pause. Wondering if she might be up still. He almost didn’t want to disturb her, and simultaneously did, maybe shake her from whatever it was that gripped her - though if he was the cause. . . how troubling. His lip was bitten while he just.. stood before the door, staring down at the floor. And then quickly, before his mind could catch up with the action, he slid the letter under. He clenched his hands, a cold air falling from them then, before he abruptly turned to go back to his room. Despite his exhaustion, it took him quite a while to sleep.

[align=center]Interlude[/align] It had been quite a while since the duskwight had returned to the Mizzenmast. Gods know how many things had happened prior, and his path had taken him all manner of ways that weren’t back to his room. He still couldn’t believe it. Had that all really occurred? Xavarian's mind still raced and danced with all the recollection, the musing, what had gone on during that meeting with Avis in the Shroud, and it whirled right past him going down the hall to his room, him opening the door, him stepping in to prepare for the next night… He almost didn’t see the letters. Almost. But when he did, the Aether around him flared up with his smiles, near literally – though only in small warmths and less in embers.. this time. He delayed removing the scepter strapped to his arm, even longer still, (the removal was nothing he was looking forward to at this point, it would certainly be a pain he couldn’t ignore then ) and knelt to pick up the pages. A thought crossed him then of how long they may have been sitting here, but his worry was stemmed off by the contents. What lovely contents! The duskwight, upon looking them over just a bit, took the letters to curl up with on the bed, (attempts were made to handlessly kick off his boots, but it seems he needed to unstrap them first ; alas), and he beamed at the words like he were a child receiving exactly what he’d always wanted. Riddles. Or at least a puzzle! And to such an important place, what a lovely way to put it all, a small history, the hook had him in an instant. He was entirely endeared to them, to her, though he couldn’t help but consider the amusing irony; how she had beaten him to his own idea. “By the hells..~” He mutters, running a sparking hand through an equally sparking mess of hair. Solving the puzzle wouldn't be hard. But the navigation. This would likely take him days, days to find, if he was lucky. He’d need a lot of time to set out for this endeavor. A pang of regret seared through him then, that he was only here to prepare for something else entirely, that he couldn’t set out now. But soon enough, he would. Afterwards, he would. Reading the letters a final time to renew his grin, he carefully placed them away in his tome, before he hauled himself up from the comfort of blankets. The duskwight then tiptoed around the dirt he’d tracked in before he’d shorn to stocking feet, and thus begins to pack for the next night’s endeavor. Mor Dhona, for the Scholar's Celebration.

A note here because I've been sparsely around lately.

I approve of this idea so hard; this sounds super neat, you could do so much cool stuff with this. *u* I am second-hand excited for you to get this going. And! I would be more than willing to play with you guys too, if you do set this up. Unfortunately, my dumb Thaumaturge nerd already has an FC he won't be leaving, but if he knew of some place like this, and they were open to Thaumaturges coming in to observe and learn, he'd definitely make his way over there.

Oh man. Could I also get an invite to this? *had to clear up a spot first* I keep hoping to meet more elezen players and it is a rare thing I wish to fix. uvu

Question! Since the duskwight linkshell seems to be IC... I'm curious, is this one too? If it's OOC, I might be interested in joining it also. . . >o>

... Honestly, I just have to say, I don't think it'd be any more difficult to play a Raen Au Ra than it would be to play a Duskwight. And considering that a Duskwight is my main, I suppose I mean that with thought put into a reason, it doesn't need to be very difficult (and could in fact be pretty fun) to come up with something that works for RP and what you'd like for a character. The obvious reasons for them being about right now could center around what happened to Doma (and possibly / likely other places too). The less obvious is everything we don't yet know about all the areas the Raen might reside in, and what is actually going on in them presently. Maybe they're having trouble for any number of reasons and seeking outside aid, maybe they're doing exceptionally well so it seems like a good and stable time to step away from this provential life the mundane and go into the world. Maybe they are looking to start trade with neighboring places who are doing better / help those not doing so good, and one thing leads to another. Maybe they met a Xaela, were ~swept off their feet~ and ran away with them, only to get separated from them in some mess and be looking for them again, lost in the world. We'd need to wait for that to see what's going on. But the mid-ground is any reason someone might decide to leave a more settled life, which already accounts for countless options. Nevermind character personality is a thing; I can't imagine that every single person who'd lived a relatively homey lifestyle never wanted to travel. As others have stated, 'rare' can be pretty relative, and current events can always change the way they've lived, and what life has been for them in the past. But those are my opinions on the matter, anyway. I think it gives us a decent amount of freedom, despite their stated 'reclusive' nature. Duskwights, again, were also said to be reclusive, instead hoping to keep their own peace, and even furthermore, loath city-states and are seen as outcasts / vagabonds in general. A lot of them literally live in caves and may or may not hiss at sunlight and outsiders and rules. But they're still around any number of ways that players come up with, so I don't imagine the Auri would be any different, especially if crazy stuff is happening back home.

Spoilering this because it's veering off-topic.

Bolded the thing I'm mostly replying to here. But this isn't quite right, and I'm only being a nitpicky butthead because I've built some stuff up for my silly nerd character around the distinction, as well as because I think it's neat to consider the differences in regards to cross-classing. Thaumaturge specifically uses their internal Aether, and draws from themselves. Not everyone can do it, as shown from the THM questlines, because they don't have the internal Aether reserves for it. Thus they might end up dying if they try. Black Mages however, draw from the world around them. ... And actually destroy the world in the process. They literally suck up the energy of their immediate environment and repurpose it for their own casting. This was, if I recall, developed mostly because casters using their own Aether alone couldn't manage to pull enough from themselves to have the extreme power they desired, thus Shantotto, an 'extremely powerful sorceress' had developed (or brought back) the method of Black Magery, which uses the Aether from the world. Conjurers can use internal Aether too, as you said, but yeah,

I could be wrong but, doesn't it state somewhere that says Elezen are actually the only race native to Eorzea? That is the quote from Here. That is a quote from Here. So.. not necessarily native, they've just been there the longest duration. At least that's what you might be thinking of, though I could be wrong.

Gods, I can imagine. I was looking over it like 'woah, they have offensive, defensive, healing, and resurrection spells? Shit.' But then again, I have also heard Conjurer was super badass, had all the elements at their disposal, and could basically wipe the floor with anyone. And that Arcanist didn't exist at all, so. Seems like quite an overhaul. In terms of now (and potentially RP), though, I'm much more interested in the themes of all those spells than anything. I'm really liking how Astral and Umbral magic were more along light and dark sounding lines, how the class was much more life/death/"beyond" sort of focused (like its roots claim it to be; it all makes a lot more sense now). And, of course, how much it sounds like a Thaumaturge who doesn't know what they're doing could have so much go horribly wrong.

I am of the completely opposing view to Hammersmith. I think magic is super freakin neat, and opens up a ton of possibilities for RP you couldn't otherwise have. But I will also admit I am a fan of 'magic at a price'. I love how completely and utterly creepy it can be. How, if left unchecked, it might be the most messed up thing you ever have the (mis)fortune to encounter, especially to the caster using the magic. They, more than anyone, are likely to know the full extent of the 'prices' at hand, and would likely be the ones paying them. I mean, in a world where mere beliefs can have a physical manifestation under the right conditions, where Aether is very much connected to life and death, can and will solidify into natural formations if in high enough quantity, and too much of it is practically the equivalent of being radioactive, (among so much else) there are a lot of neat 'consequences' to be had for getting into it too heavily. The game itself provides with a number, both in passing and with some amount of focus. And I suppose some people will look at that instead and see purely power to be utilized. But I see it very much as a give and take that can take a lot. The limits themselves, what 'the price' of power is, and its potential for how it does what it does are what makes it most interesting to me. Furthermore, coming up with creative ways a magic user can utilize spells outside of sheer combat is half of the fun; granted, the downsides are what make it even better and open up interesting doors for RP. I know that I never built my character with much combat in mind. He has a lot of Aether, but actually using it well in combat (or 'well' at all) is an entirely different beast, and his fighting ability leaves much to be desired. It's sufficient so he can wander and not be killed stepping foot into the open, but it's nowhere near the prowess that I've seen other characters use, which is basically what I was hoping for. Instead, a theme of his is much more 'how too much Aether can be a Real Problem and Gets In The Way of Everything', and has led to some interesting RP, nevermind given some neat conflict to the character and those who know him. He's looking for answers, and his interactions with others will determine where he goes and what he learns. To me it's all much more a matter of thinking about the concepts further than merely all the potential virtues of a thing, and then consider at what cost the virtues come. That's where you can get some interesting writing opportunities. I'd also like to add that I am so glad you put that link there. I've been wondering for a while what this 1.0 Thaumaturge was about, and that list gives me some neat ideas. *u* ... I kind of wish it had stayed along those lines now, tbh.

Xavarian Mystrife: young, nocturnal duskwight scribe, binder and mender of tomes, seeker of knowledge (and artifacts), creepy ritualist, a giant nervous nerdmage, and complete goober. He's out in the world. It's exciting. And terrifying. He'll break out in rhyming, poetic metaphors if overly pleased or stressed, will gesture into eternity, write notes about you in his book, and will solve every riddle. Also eternally lost. Where is he? He doesn't know. Somebody help him. Xavarian works at a bookstore, but wanders often and finds himself in All Sorts of (Aetherical) Messes (which he probably secretly enjoys). Since he is also a nervous wreck mess, he kind of fits in there well. The mage likely has a secret drawer full of spriggan stuff too. You'll have to hear him out on that one.

Oh man. I SEE XAVARIAN IN THERE. During the fight that lasted forever because Nigel and him kept rolling 2 on attack rolls. No, seriously. It was amazing and terrible. And yesss. Here is the event thinger: http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/calendar.php?action=event&eid=333 There's a discussion thread for it somewhere too, I just couldn't find it as quick.

Oh, I didn't know I was being looked for. Sorry, I've only been on fairly late hours recently. (post 10pm EST into the early mornings) But I'll try to catch your character on whenever I log in. :> I'd be playing Xavarian Mystrife, if that helps. ... I-I also realize that the linkshell since became 'good-aligned'. Um. ... *sweats* Is it still ok to join if my character is waaay more in the grey / neutral area? Like. He's not good. He's not bad. But he's.. nice. ...Usually.