Aveline

One more for now. Basic Perfect Pie Crust - Makes 1 crust There are three kinds of pie-bakers in the world: those that prefer all-butter crusts, those that prefer all-lard crusts, and those that prefer a mix of the two. (Well there's also vegetable-shortening-crust lovers but I rarely run in to them). Personally, I prefer the all-butter method for the flavor, and find that if you follow the steps well and use high-quality ingredients it's hard to go wrong. FFXI's pie crust recipe used butter, too, so for game "authenticity" I'll stick with butter for this recipe. 1 1/4 c. flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 c. butter: chilled and cut into small cubes 1/8-1/4 c. ice water Combine flour, salt, & sugar & process/blend until well mixed. Add butter cubes and process (in a food processor or with a pastry blender) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. It is easiest to do this in a chilled glass bowl with a chilled pastry blender if doing by hand. Pour 1/8 c. water into the bowl in a slow & steady stream, mixing as you go until the dough holds together when pinched. Add a little more water if needed, up to 1/4 cup. Turn dough out onto work surface and roll into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap well with plastic wrap, and chill for 30-60 minutes before using. -After chilling- Place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 13" circle. Gently transfer to a 9" pie plate. Brush off any excess flour and tuck overhanging pastry under itself. Refrigerate (again, covered in plastic wrap) 30 minutes before use with your favorite pie recipe.

So far for sure there are meat miqabobs and aldgoat steaks. Will research for more

Eee! Focant and I were planning on doing cooking "episodes" once a week once the game comes out where we take FFXIV recipes and make tasty RL versions of them. I can't speak entirely for Focant but I am sure we both would love to participate in this project. Black Shroud Brownies 1 c. flour 3/4 c. high quality unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp. salt 6 tbsp. butter, cubed 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped up 3/4 c. white chocolate chips 2 large eggs & 1 egg yolk 1 c. sugar 1 1/4 c. stout beer (Overcast Espresso Stout by Oakshire Brewing is my favorite for this recipe) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x9" baking pan. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter, chocolate, & white chocolate together over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. In a large bowl, beat eggs & sugar together on high, add melted chocolate mixture & stir until combined. Stir in flour mixture, then whisk in beer. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

A cake made by cute TaruTaru girls just for you: (please ignore the #7 >_>) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

For those looking @ buying imports, this is from S-E: Important, read this before you buy Final Fantasy XIV: Service accounts for FINAL FANTASY XIV and the FINAL FANTASY XIV Collector's Edition can only be added for the same region as your Square Enix account (Japan, North America, or Europe). The game cannot be played if the product region is different from the Square Enix account region, so be sure to check the region for which the product is intended before making a purchase. It seems like you'd be fine Arzy, getting a EU version from the UK, but this is esp. important for people that like to buy JP versions of the game and play them in the US. Hopefully if they are planning a simultaneous region release for all 3 regions this won't be an issue to many!

A lovely young Hyur woman sketched furiously over the parchment with a dwindling stub of charcoal. "There," she said, sitting back and letting the others admire her work. A sword-wielding Miqo'te rose out of the page on the back of a dragon. "Uh.. it's pretty good but can you maybe, make her breasts a little bigger?" "Yeah no one is going to look twice at a poster of a flat-chested Miqo'te." "Hey! What are you trying to say?" "No, I agree, they need to be way bigger." The Hyur artist stared at them, lips curled back in a mixture of shock and slight disgust before she threw her arms up in the air to scatter them from her work desk. "All right, all right! You've got to be kidding me..." Her words dwindled into an annoyed mumble as she touched up the drawing. The others gave nods or murmurs of approval. A Duskwight woman blushed, suddenly finding a reason to look up at the ceiling instead of the page. "Oh my..." "Now for the words..." "How about, 'Mayhem on the cheap!" "We aren't selling mayhem, we're fixing it!" "Pretending to fix it." "Yes pretending to fix mayhem." "Isn't help spelled with an 'E'?" "Make it 'assist' anyway, that sounds more professional." "How about.. 'those plague rats ain't gonna slay themselves!" "Ohh good idea, rats are our specialty." "And ghosts, a bit about ghosts." "Can we use red ink for those parts? To emphasize the killing?" "I'll write out that part, I've been told I have fabulous penmanship." "Everyone, this poster is beautiful but it definitely needs more airships, that way they'll think we're rich." "I don't think we have room for airships.. plus the Miqo'te is already on a dragon." "We might want to include our name, yes? So people know who is doing all this rat-slaying for them?" "Maybe we should add something friendly - let them know that we want to help and that we're their friends!" Brilliantly colored cat-eyes scanned the page. "Hmm. You're right, Eva. Something about friendship and.. something about.. doom. I've got it! Here, give us the pen a tick." She began scrawling at the bottom of the page. "Your.. friends.. against.. DOOM. There. Done." "Not quite..." "Oz, what are you doing? We said there's no room for airships!" "I'm not drawing an airship! There.. that is me as a gentleman Miqo'te, about to woo the lovely L'exi off her mighty steed." "All-- alright I think the poster is finished. Are we ready to get this out to the public?" "I do believe so." "Wait'll they get a load of this." Basic Guild Info: ________________________________ The Adventure League of Eorzea Server: Besaid Leaders/contacts: Aveline Blue Rikitiki Tavatiki Ozak Kuzak Saitou Yoshida Diyne Ikapine Midge Totounama Claus Bell RP Style: Moderate Website/forum: http://www.adventureleague.net IC element: T.A.L.E. is an alliance of adventurers joined together through the pursuit of exploration, the glory in the thrill of the unknown, and the lure of great rewards that only great danger can offer. We work together, forging strong bonds of friendship to overcome even the greatest of obstacles in order to achieve our mutual goals. Headquarters: Main HQ is in Ul'dah in an old warehouse near the Market Wards. Guild interactions: Very open. Application criteria: Must be interested in progressing through the game as well as roleplaying your character within the FFXIV universe. The Adventure League of Eorzea is a casual roleplaying progression guild that gets stuff done in game. We run dungeons, stronghold raids, boss fights, leveling parties, storytelling nights, and crafting circles, among other things. We're looking for players that don't take their characters too seriously, but know how to play their jobs competently and work as part of a team. T.A.L.E. has an 18+ age requirement Read through our rules and how to join info, then post an app. Once we have reviewed your application, we will contact you for an in-character interview. Additional info: TALE is the oldest running RP linkshell on Balmung. We were founded in June 2009 and our pearl was created as soon as linkshells were implemented in beta. Our leadership has been playing the game since day 1 of Alpha and we've been going strong ever since! We pride ourselves on a tight-knit community, low-drama atmosphere, and a collective sense of humor and goodwill. If you are interested in TALE, or have any questions, feel free to contact one of the above officers in-game, on our forums, or by email

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Oh no! Start a campaign: BORDERS HATES WORDS.

Yep, kind of how there's always postcards and paintings of the great American west that just show empty fields and forests stretching across a continent haha...

Yeah embedding fonts is a pain and it generally causes a lot of load slowdown as well. Best just to stick with standard fonts, or at the most, include the font for download and let people install it if they really have to have fancy letters.

We don't know yet, Zietes. :3 S-E is apparently holding out on EVERYTHING until the last minute. I always pictured the Garlemald nation to be humanoid but we will have to see.

No your retainer basically stands around and holds your stuff for you in a special section of town, and also acts as your bazaar mule without making you stay logged in.

Wow Zane that is fantastic! I really want to know more about that character already haha. You guys have given lots of good insight into the nuances of bad-guy playing. How long did that character take you to fully work out? Personally, I find it SO HARD to play someone who is an archetype of good or archetype of bad. Like in KOTOR.. I am always dead neutral. Same in Fallout.. I had to work really hard to stay good in order to keep Fawkes around as my meatshield companion. But with such great advice in this thread it might be time to make a more villainous alt..

Dexter spoiler alert for people that haven't watched it much My biggest concern with playing a main character for a villain (or even a high-level alt), is how to get others in your group to actually trust you. FFXI and FFXIV both have elements of a need to group with people. That's why linkshells and Companies exist in the first place, right? When I RP my main character, she has to feel bonded in some way to the people in her shell. They aren't just warm bodies to throw at monsters, they're her friends, sometimes family, and people she cares about and would trust with her life in a fight. How do main character bad guys go about establishing that kind of a rapport amongst their shellmates to the point where it's realistic? The example situations in my mind are all from Asura, but it felt like most of the bad guys RPed were of the "Don't come near me, I have a dark and tortured past and I cannot be held responsible for my own actions. At any minute I may slit your throat, you spineless and innocent DOG." Call me crazy, but I can't imagine someone saying "Oh that's cool, hey wanna go halfway across the world with us on this really important mission?" I'm curious how groups and players who did bad guys worked through this.

Woot! We're glad you are looking into us. :cheer: I just want to clarify though, we are only good for a villain that doesn't take him/herself too seriously. For instance, we have a member who is planning on playing a hulking, psychotic Hellsguard Roegadyn.. who also happens to have a passion for making the most beautiful dresses you've ever seen. We have a few people planning on playing villainous-yet-odd roles, actually. Can't wait to hear the podcast about it; I've never been able to play a bad guy myself but I've always been interested in the idea.

Niami was a sort-of pirate in FFXI. She was born and raised in Mhaura, started out as a thief with a love of the sea, became a bard and (with the later expansion) embraced the life of a corsair. SINGING PIRATE. Ahaha. This time around I think I've had my fill of piracy, but yeah I expect to see many in-game. I also think there are going to be a loooot of orphans out for revenge on the Garleans. Garleans are the new orcs.

Yep that's pretty much what I did too. "RARG I'm craaaazy man! I murder people left and right! WATCH OUT FOR ME! Cower in fear or I will kill you where you stand! In the middle of Jeuno!" Me: /em stares at ______ with eyebrows raised and quietly points at the guards two feet away. "Go for it."

Well, for those I RP'ed with in FFXI it came up mostly when talking about something that had happened in the past. Like for instance, if something happened 3 months ago IRL, would you act in-game as if it had taken place 3 months ago, or would you say 'hey remember a few years back when.." Likewise when referring to how long you've known someone. If you met another character 8 months ago IRL would you say "I've known _____ a little under a year." Or would you say "I've known _______ practically forever! We've been best friends for years!" It isn't really a huge issue, just a stumbling block I've seen come up more than a few times in the past.

Mahahaha! Glad this is getting put to good/devious use.

Yeah to keep my sanity, I always just imagined Vana'diel as a smaller planet with the same length of orbit as the Earth. That would give faster days but the same year span, which would explain things like days lasting only an hour and yet seasonal festivals that occurred once a year Earth-time. Alternatively, in some cases we collectively decided on a time-zone as a group so that if it was night-time in that time-zone, it was night-time in game, etc. The in-game years I completely ignored. :3 Like Daishi said, every guild will probably come to a different decision for measuring lengths of time.

Awesome! Definitely keep us posted. I love the idea of the RPC being an international group.

Aveline watched the finely dressed woman and her companion walked off calmly from the ruins of the Bismarck. "Burned it down to end the fight..." she murmured to herself, wonderingly. Her brow furrowed together in annoyance. "I came all the way out here to this stinking, slimy, city for NOTHING?! May Rhalgr take the lot of you!" She yelled to, it seemed, the entire population of Limsa-Lominsa before stomping off back the way she came in search of a room for the night. She'd sort out a carriage ride back to Ul'dah in the morning. And try to find one of those neat three-corner hats that seemed so fashionable in this region.

Yeah I'm wondering where the griefing was happening before and in what circumstances. On Asura we saw very little animosity towards RPers. I have heard a couple of times some clown would interrupt RP being done in /say in a crowded space, but that happens to every conversation done in /say in a public game space, I think. Anyway I don't think it will be much of a problem either.

Aveline picked her way through the carnage and--were those bodies? They looked like bodies--thanking the stars for her foresight to wear heavy boots, approached the angry looking woman standing off to the side and holding a rag up to her face. "Er, excuse me, ma'am, I was wondering if you could tell me what happened here and if you might know where the owners of the restaurant are about? I'm here to pick up a supplies order." A handsome member of the militia looked her way, and she gave him a brilliant smile and a wink. "I guess there's one upside to the mother of all food-fights, eh?" she said to the nicely dressed and slightly singed angry woman.

It means you are limited to how often you can repeat the same leve to 48 hours, but you can do any new ones that come along for you.