Elysia

ICly, Avis's goal for the new year is... to have a goal. She's enjoying wandering around La Noscea a lot and picking up stories and trivia here and there, filling out her notebook (if/when she feels meticulous), and feeling grateful about (almost) being bound to no one (as a sometimes unreliable research assistant she is adept at finding lots of time for her own pursuits). But she doesn't know what to do with her abilities. It's finally starting to bother her. She also knows she wants to continue learning about Eorzea, but is going about it in a rather haphazard way. And she has an even vaguer (if possible) ambition of writing a novel "someday". OOCly, I'm just hoping to be able to catch up with the events of the expansion by this year. (I was aiming for Level 50 by Monday but it already seems like that's not happening...)

THIS. FFXIV is such a beautiful game and it's a pity RP rarely goes beyond the four walls. Avis is all about conversations but she'd love to share stories with anyone anywhere, even if this means getting smacked with mouthfuls of Mirrorknights at the Burning Wall mid-conversation. Feel free to look for me any time if you think Avis and Null should meet! I have a massive timezone + time shortage problem (especially once January begins) but I mean to fork out some time for RP. (And if Null has been out and about for more than a year, then he and Avis might have crossed paths. Let me know if you'd like to make connections with an ex-Uldahn!)

Hey there! I played this game on a benchmark of 1300 for three months by setting the graphics to the lowest quality in-game. It was... sad... but it worked. Just watch out for the AOEs and hope they don't bite too much. Looking forward to seeing your character join in someday soon!

Well, you could, but that seems kinda boring. Using search, then sending a /tell when you see someone on, tends to work just as well and results in much less standing and waiting . I usually get on around 9 pm EST. What about you? I guess I can get on at that time too. Thing is I'm on the other side of the planet on a GMT+8 timezone, but yeah I can stay up just to make it happen . I'm usually on most of the day since it's holiday breaks and all, but after that I'm probably gonna be on like 2 am EST up until like 1 pm EST or so. So I nosed around in this thread and then I saw THIS You're the first person I've seen on this forum in the same timezone as me. This is precious. We should RP.

Thank you for the event, Erik - and you and Cliodhna for helping out with my outfit! :blush: (I'm wearing it everywhere now, really.) I was late but had fun as well, just watching how an RP event of this scale is carried out, being in the midst of it all and watching romances blossom right under my nose.

Avis loves love. It can't be helped. She raised herself on rhymes, myths and grandiose romances, and she delights in the thrill of an all-consuming relationship of an intensely emotional, physical and also intellectual nature. BUT she also believes that romantic relationships don't have to last. If attraction dies, it dies. She turns her nose up at the idea of sticking it out with someone you're no longer compatible with or have grown bored of, especially if this is done for the paltry label of "marriage" or income, inheritance, etc. So, theoretically, long-term relationships are possible for Avis, but the romantic expectations she has means that they're likely to be very rare. Marriage is completely out of the question. Kids, too. She's too selfish for that.

Avis's IC tumblr blog here. Mainly hosts any journal entries I've written up for her, but would mostly likely turn into a screenshot dump in the near future. Looking forward to poke my nose into more FFXIV blogs! Many of the posts I've come across are hilarious.

"However, the more a race is defined by typically masculine attributes, the less identity the female has of that race." These were my thoughts when I saw the footage. What really got my goat, though, were the typical cute, flirtish mannerisms exhibited in their emotes. Haven't we exhausted this via the Miqo'tes and the Hyur Midlanders? That said, I think this sexual dimorphism has plenty of subversive potential for the RPers from an anthropological (?) perspective. It'd be interesting to consider if their difference in body shape could've been the result of some nasty evolutionary necessities sometime along in the past, and the implications of this might still be seen / felt today in Au Ra society. I'd love to see female Au Ra NPCs working against this, I do, and loreeeee, but I'd better not get my hopes up. (Coerthas was also disappointing in this aspect.)

Word. I was really hoping for something a little more ... alien I guess? It's unfortunate that one of my things is little ladies and big giant boyfriends because I am seriously considering rolling a dragonman for no real good reason whatsoever. Agreed about the genderfail here. But maybe they'll let us customize the size and appearance of their horns, the way we can for Elezen ears and Miqo'te ears? :3 Also, did anyone think SAGA?

ASTROLOGIAN .... If FFXIV continues being this awesome, I foresee losing my job next year.

AVIS!! I WILL FIND YOU!! AND I WILL HUG THE OUTTA YOUR FACE! <3 Dammit Gran-Momma, you're the sweetest person alive :love: looking forward to the, um, reunion!

Nowhere near level 50... *sniffle* This sounds like so much fun though. If Avis shows, she'll be in pumpkin mage gear... that's the most presentable outfit she's got..

[A series of torn pages precedes this entry.] Ferry. En route to Hidden Falls A costly misadventure. Stumbled ashore the Gully eight days ago with Sir Fabuli and myself bedraggled messes - curses on the rain - ravaged some raptors, not very readily, I'm afraid - slipped on some wet rocks - well, my kin has never known grace - got unceremoniously entangled in a Gigantoad's tongue. I must have been the stinkiest scribe alive - half-alive - when we hauled our sorry selves to Wineport, where an exasperating Etgar procured us some aid and lodging. Fellow only obliged because I managed to feign a talent for killing raptors with what spoils I'd kept from that. But mostly because I sang Byrglaent's praises with as many synonyms for 'excellent' as I could remember with a fevered, addled mind. These pages still reek of amphibian greed and guts. And misshapen poetry. Attempted writing at full moon in the open on the fourth night with a costly bottle of wine for the romance of it; of course it quickened the fever all over again. Only produced bleak, sordid material good for Gigantoad feed. Twelve hells on Gigantoads. Rent for my room at the Mizzenmast has been overdue by two days. And I have much to see to when I'm back. This would not make a good tale.

The Drowning Wench, Limsa Lominsa Evening rain. The slow, weepy kind, that gets into your eyes but not in your way, as gnats which hover disinterestedly, persistently. It needs to stop. My ferry to Costa del Sol - my next excursion - is due soon. It seems the tavern atmosphere of the Quicksand is seeping into the Drowning Wench. It's taking its time about it, but the change is definite. There are even more non-Roegadyn adventurers here now, more travelers intent on a good conversation partner alongside their choice of drink, and Baderon is busier than usual - more, too, are beginning to seek his charms. *** I've had company too, with J. on one occasion and one S. Grace on another. Miss Grace and I had a brisk conversation about my terms. Part of me still bubbles with amusement about this impulsive act (match-making - who'd have thought it? Jasper and the old ruffians would've laughed their heads off). The soberer part of me acknowledges the necessity of this beyond the practical importance of a traveling companion through difficult areas. There are the long campfire nights... I tire of keeping worlds to myself. *** J. seemed happier, somehow. He had taken my advice, for which I am genuinely glad, and acquired a little coven of students. I must profess my excitement at getting to meet them. In fact, the "Professor", as he prefers me to call him in public, had improved so much that I was given a rare treat of a sharp cackle of a laugh (Jig laughing!) and his ridiculous Highlander-walks-into-a-bar jokes - all composed on the spot. (All stereotypes, but Jasper, I know you'd have loved them.) We spoke as friends, not colleagues, not employer and employee. After he left I continued sitting at the bar, smiling to myself. I believe I am getting over-fond of this little fellow... especially since absence makes the heart fonder. His Royal Crankiness would not do for a regular traveling companion - we might end up roasting each other. *** For, like Jasper, I love fiercely, in spite of myself, and freely; friends, lovers, are not to be chained.

Unreliable Narrator.

I'm in Asia. I can completely empathize... So yes. Feel free to look for Avis Inkwood in-game for RP! I'm away now, but should be back online by the 19th.

The Drowning Wench, Limsa Lominsa It seems the tavern atmosphere of the Quicksand is seeping into the Drowning Wench. It's taking its time about it, but the change is definite. There are even more non-Roegadyn adventurers here now, more travelers intent on a good conversation partner alongside their choice of drink, and Baderon is busier than usual - more, too, are beginning to seek his charms. *** I've had company too, with Jigumundo on one occasion and one Sophia Grace on another. Miss Grace and I had a brisk conversation, business-like though relaxed, about my terms. Part of me still bubbles with amusement about this impulsive act (match-making - who'd have thought it? Jasper and the old ruffians would've laughed their heads off). The soberer part of me acknowledges the utility in this beyond the practical importance of a traveling companion through difficult areas. There are the long campfire nights... I tire of keeping worlds to myself. *** Jigumundo seems happier, somehow. He has taken my advice, for which I am genuinely glad, and acquired a little coven of students. In fact, he has improved so much that I was given a rare treat of a sharp cackle of a laugh (Jig laughing!) and his ridiculous Highlander-walks-into-a-bar jokes - all composed on the spot. (All stereotypes, but Jasper, I know you'd have loved them.) In fact, we spoke as friends, not colleagues, not employer and employee. After he left I continued sitting at the bar, smiling to myself. I believe I am getting over-fond of this little fellow... especially since absence makes the heart fonder. His Royal Crankiness would not do for a regular traveling companion - we might end up roasting each other. *** For, like Jasper, I love fiercely, in spite of myself, and freely; friends, lovers, are not to be chained.

Avis withdrew her hand from Gran and stared after Momodi fondly as she left their table. She did owe the good lady an explanation, a story or two, before she departed again. They would have much to talk about - over Momodi's best brew - of that she was sure. She turned back to Steel, whose dramatic pronouncement of their day's duties revealed barely restrained delight at the prospect of a few hours more with 'Gran-boy'. (What would she do when the time for parting came?) Avis smiled, awash in the easy merriment of fresh new kinships, and her mind spun with ideas and memories. "The Chocobo Stables," she suggested, reciting the first few places that came to mind. "Gran might meet more like-minded friends of the beaked kind. Or we could take Gran and Miko on a fountain-bath trip and annoy some guards. Or... haul all of us over some tricky terrain for the best secret views of the city." Her eyes closed for a moment as she recalled a childhood spent scraping her palms and snagging her best dresses through splintered stalls and peeling alleyways. She leaned forward and picked up a fork, adding, with a new note of regret - bitterness? - in her tone, "I'd prefer to avoid the Gold Court or any of the red-carpeted areas, though it's far more likely for Miko to spot a member of royalty there rather than here." Avis reached for one of the meat morsels and popped it into her mouth in some satisfaction. Ul'dahn meats - drier, sharper, a spicy sensation to the unaccustomed tongue. Her appetite had not yet returned, but she knew what was good for her. Best to stock up, even if that might mean an even heavier head while they clambered through their city with a restless baby behemoth. But perhaps the second round of meat might lull him to sleep too?

Hello! Avis was a rich kid who grew up in Ul'dah but mixed around with the riffraff (sometimes just to annoy her parents), so they might have known each other! She's no longer based in Ul'dah, though, though she returns once in a long while (it's a love-hate relationship).

Wonderful initiative. I've always enjoyed the epistolary form My two characters might love to do it. Avis Inkwood and the lalafell Momochito Moto (I haven't developed her much yet, so this could be a good time for to get to know her too.)

Of course the excellent Momodi knew her instantly. Avis had to admit that that was quite the relief; there was something welcome about finally re-connecting with at least a single denizen of Ul'dah - Momodi being one of its best - instead of moving in shadows all the time. Still, explanations were troublesome, and she preferred her characteristic inconsistency to be kept under wraps. The game was up. "Just passing through, Momodi, though nothing could keep me from you and your establishment for long," Avis said lightly as her fingers continued trailing through Gran's bristly fur. She wasn't exactly lying on all of those points, though now she wore a queer expression that the experienced would translate unquestionably into a single word: Later. She turned her attention back to Gran, who was actually responding positively to her ministrations. Avis marveled once again at how easy animals were to please. Was Sir Fabuli like this? Was a good bucket of feed every morning all that established his loyalty to her? She reflected on this as, emboldened, her strokes grew more assured, even running along his ears. Still, it didn't make her think less of the creature. It was actually... endearing. "Look, Steel, Miko," Avis breathed, entirely focused on Gran's movements, "look at how strange he is - this perturbable - piggy - sweetheart." ...had she actually said that?

Avis only faintly registered the Roegadyn lady's amusement and the Miqo'te's next quirky social blunder. She was rather absorbed in the queer, new pleasantness that was the baby behemoth's moist breath tickling her palm as he finally plucked the morsel from her hand on the third try. The Hyur bent and tilted her head slightly to observe Pig's decisive chewing movements with a scientist's fascination. How simple and instinctual an animal's relish was - though this rotund purple curiosity continued to perplex her so. She heard Momodi's voice before she saw her - the proprietess had seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Avis grimaced. She should've kept the hood on, though that might have increased the chances of suffocation in typical Ul'dahn crowds in her current state. Only her hair (rather disheveled by now) falling in front of her face as she watched Pig kept Momodi from instantly knowing the absent recalcitrant Ingram girl for who she was, but recognition was only a matter of time now. So she raised her chin and gave Momodi one of her big girlish grins of old. There the Lalafell lady stood in all her familiar, auburn, maternal glory, and Avis felt a great rush of affection for her - she hadn't been this close to her in a long while. Though she'd found reasons (and excuses) to return to the city twice in the past few months, she had always managed to successfully conceal her identity in the Quicksand with a hood and the fortunate fact that the reputable tavern brimmed with passing adventurers - there were always new faces around. Besides, that family affair was old news by now. "Good day, Momodi. It seems you have quite a handful to deal with today," Avis said, as though it was the most natural thing in the world for an Ingram, who'd a year ago left declaring that she would have nothing more to do with Ul'dah, to be sitting here enjoying the company of Steel and Miko while stroking someone else's baby Gran. For that was what she was doing now, her touch featherlight on his head, the way she'd seen Steel do it, while he indulged messily in an edenic playground of... meateors, was it? Momodi's eyes widened; Avis kept her smile bright, praying that the Lalafell would focus on Steel's question and save her other questions for later. Especially if one of them pertained to her abysmal singing performance.

I knew a Dune reference would emerge. so I had that semi-epiphanic moment at the Forgotten Springs where I witnessed that grotesque awesome FATE for the first time - "OMG, is this SE paying homage to Frank Herbert?!?!" - and was promptly reminded that worms have always been a staple in FF anyway. Anyway. These are some pretty nifty theories, and I'm quite amazed by the detail and thought that has gone into the speculations! Thanks, y'all. I guess it's safe to say that the practice has largely died out, but there's nothing to stop some Dunesfolk people from attempting to revive it through Adamantoises or Buffalos (the only other creature I've seen large enough for this, but these occur primarily in La Noscea)?

The Miqo'te's fanciful ramble both bemused and baffled Avis, but the real wonder was Steel, who was, unlike Avis, at present completely in touch with her maternal faculties. Avis stared in barely-disguised amazement at Steel's hopeless descent into love. What were those soft, gentle, almost high-pitched sounds being emitted from the direction of that tall, roaring, axe-bearing, elevator-charging, warlike Roegadyn? She had never employed such... methods... of endearment with her own feathered famliar, the eminent Sir Fabuli, as she liked to call him. They were close, yes, trusted each other, yes, had non-verbal, almost telepathic bickerings, yes, but if they veered towards mutual fondness more than a strictly professional relationship, it surely wasn't the result of pets, strokes, caresses, and... cooing. She broke out of it enough to turn to Miko with a heavy-lidded smirk. "Generally, my dear, anything less than three-quarters my size would be quite out of the question," she said dryly. She was quite enjoying the Miqo'te's company, though, and she wondered what it would be like if they turned the tables and launched torrents of questions at her instead. If she hadn't been this tired, it could've been her next mission. The first being achieving good standing with the baby behemoth, of course. Friendship through food made perfect sense. Avis would take it upon herself to be Pig's personal feeder this time, even if the clockwork-like movement and noisy clicks of his jaws and teeth around the carrot stick had proved a little... disconcerting. And right on cue, the food arrived. Avis nodded at their favorite young waiter, who hung behind first, as she retrieved her money pouch, gesturing to indicate that the payment for this round would come from her instead. She began laying out coins on the table in small mounds carefully, and, noting how redness had seemed to spread into the waiter's ears upon nearing their very intimidating group, emptied the rest of her pouch for him. Not that there was much left. She trusted in Steel's size and that of the larger waiter to deter any thief looking to make off with a quick one, as the long-forgotten smell of Ul'dahn roasts and grills greeted her nostrils. Ah. For a moment her migraine vaporized. Perhaps she'd be able to stomach this after all. Then a second bowl was placed right in front of Pig, a bowl of meat shaped neatly by hand into red, bloody-looing balls that seemed to fit right into a human palm. The little one looked eager already, sniffing, snorting, squirming. Avis seized her chance and, reaching into the meat bowl, plucked up one of these, positioning its unwelcome stickiness properly in her hand before lifting it to the baby behemoth. "Nibbles for our tibbles!" Avis offered in an awkwardly lilting, singsong tone. "Will this your fancy tickle, you porky little pickle? Aaaaaaaaaahhhh." Rhymes and songs worked for children; might they not work similarly for this stubborn little carnivore? She had fallen low indeed. Yes, Steel might find in her a good student.