Michaux

[align=center]http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac112/seekingidlewild/ffxiv_11202015_164454-1_zpscero8qif.png[/img][/align] Loose pebbles underfoot and the reassuring weight of stone overhead. The babble of an underground stream. The faint green glow of bioluminescent algae. Michaux knows these caverns and corridors as if he has walked them a thousand times. And so he has, in his dreams, for when the bittersweet influence of somnus finally pulls him under, his sleep rarely goes undisturbed. There is a shadow in this green twilight. A figure standing beside the black waters of the river, head bowed as if in prayer, and tangled black tresses like cobwebs falling forward to obscure her features. He is grateful that he cannot see her face. He has seen it too often in nightmares and memories. “Stealing comfort from madness again, brother?” comes the sweet voice that seems to issue not from the woman before him, but from the very walls of stone and the babbling water, echoing and reechoing around the chamber until the air vibrates with it. He keeps his distance, noting how his sister’s shredded garments hang from her body like dripping strands of kelp. How like a creature of legend she is, brought back to life by the combined powers of somnus and remembrance. Did he mean to summon her? He’s never sure. He only knows that part of him rejoices at the sound of her voice, while another part recoils at what she has become. What this ancient palace of stone has made of her. “I know not if this is comfort or madness,” he replies, his voice but a wisp in the haunted silence. “I rather think it is neither. It is merely… penance.” The creature that was once his sister tilts her head to one side. A clump of matted hair falls to one side, revealing a ghastly sunken cheek and an empty eye socket. The beasts that rule this remnant of Gelmorra fed upon her eyes first before partaking of her other flesh. “Do you weep for me, my twin?” she whispers. “Every day, in my heart.” “In your heart…” A touch of bitterness mars the beauty of that silken voice. “Heartless one. You who still have eyes cannot shed a tear for your lost sister?” The words are like arrows, pointed and cruel. He shed many tears when he found her body in this very cavern years ago. He held her in his arms and screamed out his grief in an uncharacteristic storm of emotion. And then he grew calm and quiet as death itself, and buried her there in the city that had once belonged to their ancestors, for what tomb could possibly be more fitting? When loneliness seeps in through the cracks in his shields and he forgets everything but loss, he still cries for her. Wrapped in a blanket of darkness within his cave, he whimpers her name and begs her to return, to save him from his solitude. She never heeds him. It is she who is heartless, for his heart still knows how to break. His life’s work is the preservation of the old ways, the lingering memories of a lost civilization where his people once ruled. He has sacrificed himself on the altar of Gelmorra all his life, and he’s never counted the costs to his health, his happiness, or his sanity. But he never meant to sacrifice Anavelle. When, for the sake of his dream, she joined a team of adventurers and archaeologists seeking to delve into the dark caverns under the Shroud to uncover Gelmorran artifacts, he offered her nothing but encouragement. He didn’t suspect for a moment that she would never emerge into daylight again. He didn’t foresee himself searching through that decaying underworld for her body after one of the few surviving members of her expedition delivered the news of her death. The guilt is with him always, flowing through his veins like poison. Perhaps if he had cared less about his work, he would still have his sister. Perhaps if she had cared less about pleasing him, she would never have risked her life for his cause. Yet the very obsession that took her from him is still his solace. He hasn’t given up his life’s work. He has only allowed it to consume him more fully, until he is not so much a man as he is a walking library of histories, epics, poems, and songs of a forgotten realm. And he is happy in this existence. He is happy in this state of separation from all his most tender emotions. He is not heartless. His heart has merely been misplaced. He gazes at the wreck of a face that once belonged to Anavelle and slowly shakes his head. “I can offer you no tears at the moment. Only a brother’s love.” She turns away then, stepping into the shallow waters near the bank of the dark stream. “It is not love that brings you here,” is her only reply. And then she walks into the deepest part of the water until she disappears from view. And he is alone.

One of my alts is an Ishgardian exile, and she goes by the alias Leonie Daucourt. Her birth name is Eve Renardier, but she hasn't used that name in twenty years, so her in-game nameplate is her alias. I figured that would be far less confusing to other RPers. It seems really odd that anyone would consider that laziness. How is it lazy to give your character the name that most other player characters would know them by?

There is no situation where being an asshole is necessary. Truth can be delivered, even in a blunt and straight forward fashion, without being an asshole. That truth is also much more effectively delivered when done so with tact. The only reason anyone has for ever being an asshole to someone else is because of the enjoyment they get from it. By all means, be an asshole as it pleases you, but don't pretend you're doing anyone a favor. Disagree. I know people with behavior I see as assholish that I welcome from them to me, because of how they mean it and how I take it. They're rough, but it has lead to immense improvement in my writing. It's fantastic that you have people that you're willing to let be assholes to you. Everyone else isn't you, and you shouldn't expect them to deal well if you or someone else come at someone with a judgmental, confrontational, disparaging or demeaning attitude involving their writing or character concepts. It's a ridiculous expectation of behavior that just because you're alright with it, it means that others will be as well. That's like saying you have one friend who is fine with you walking up to them and going 'Hey, Bitch, how ya been?'. Not every friend is going to be okay with that form of address directed at them. Similarly, like it was stated earlier, respect is a two way street and it's easy to be respectful rather than going 'Rawr, your writing sucks and you should feel bad and only play in this way that I say is okay!'. Those 'assholes' could have gone at you in literally any other way, and it's likely you still would have gotten the message. And if you wouldn't have, that's still obstinate behavior on your part, and not an excuse for them to be an asshole to you, or for you or them to be an asshole to others. So no, there is never a legitimate reason for being an asshole to someone. Just excuses people give to explain away themselves or others behaving that way. THIS. Gentle critique is one thing, but there's never an excuse for being impolite. Some people can brush off rudeness and that's fantastic for them. For others, it can ruin their day (or week). I fall into the thin skin category myself. I welcome advice, but I crumple like paper when someone is a total asshole to me. It doesn't cost anything to be nice, even when pointing out someone's mistakes or critiquing their ideas.

He looks gorgeous and seems beautifully broken. :love: ...Sorry, I'll stop channeling AFI. Please RP with him. He needs friends. Or enemies. Or people he tolerates from time to time because he secretly wants something from them.

[align=center]http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac112/seekingidlewild/michaux.newhair1_zpsryqfpmyo.png[/img][/align] Here's my artistic, broody, monomaniacal, somnus-addicted Duskwight. He's, er, quite a catch.

Updated again because Yisu Kha has now been fantasia'd into Aki Tayasu, a Doman Hyur who trained as an onna-bugeisha in her homeland, but who actually shows much more promise as a fledgling thaumaturgist.

I'm one of the idiots who spent $15 for the hair. I feel guilty about this because I don't like throwing money at SE for a bad product, but I have wanted that hairstyle since I first laid eyes on it and now it's mine. But yeah, if you can live without the hair, the outfit is total crap and not worth it. Solenne will never wear it IC. :dodgy:

Solenne has a lot of racial prejudices. She's most prejudiced against Duskwights (although she's mellowed a bit on that since she had the misfortune of falling in love with one), but she also looks down on Miqo'te (believing they come in two varieties - poachers and dancers), and she's wary of Rogadyn (so uncivilized). Lalas and Hyur get a pass for the most part. I mean, they're not as noble or beautiful as Elezen, but she has a certain measure of respect for them, due mostly to frequent exposure. She finds Au Ra a bit fascinating and flirts when Au Ra men when she's feeling scandalous. I really do wish more people would play up the racial and clan tensions in the game. They are an excellent source of conflict and character development.

I don't have a character that could be his fiancee, sadly, but I totally want to RP with this guy. :lol:

Updated with information about FC/Linkshells and more information about my alts, Yisu Kha and Michaux Vidal.

I tend to think that female Elezen are actually rarer, personally. I have a female Wildwood as my main and a male Duskwight alt (who needs RP contacts, btw). Elezen are definitely my favorite race in the game, and I do wish more people played them. They are quite lanky, but I personally find them rather elegant. My Duskwight isn't straight, but he is bi, so there's that... But the lore thing? Only applies to Wildwoods. Duskwight lore is sadly thin.

Hi! It would make a lot of sense for your character to know Solenne, since they're both members of the Conjurer's Guild. Maybe they could team up to work on a job for the Guild sometime?

I'm sure I have at some point, but I don't remember any specific instances. Certainly not in this game, and probably never in MMO RP. I would like to be involved in RP that makes me that emotional, but so far it hasn't happened (in my memory). I have gotten pretty shaky over intense/nerve-wracking scenes before, though. I did cry during the MSQ after the attack on Scions HQ. I was running around frantically looking for Tataru with tears rolling down my face.

I started RPing when my (previous) main was somewhere between level 20-30, and aside from slowing down the rate at which I leveled, it didn't pose any problems. There are, of course, areas you can't access at that level, but a LOT of RP still takes place in and around the three starter cities. I would definitely start working on your character's background now. Most people won't be interested in RPing with a character who is a total blank slate. When I'm about to RP with someone, I always check to see if their character has a wiki page. I want to have some idea of how our characters might be connected, or what kinds of interesting interactions they could have based on their histories, beliefs, or personalities. So it's really helpful to have at least a general idea of who your character is. On the other hand, it's definitely okay to leave some things vague so there is room to incorporate others into your character's story, or vice versa.

Thank you! That was very cute and clearly a lot of work went into it!

Hi! Are you all still active and recruiting? I'd love to know a little more about your FC. My character Solenne used to be one of the leaders of a band of adventurers that smuggled falsely-accused heretics and other refugees out of Ishgard/Coerthas. She is still wanted in Ishgard under her alias, Lady Winter. Her old group disbanded, but she might be interested in getting back in the game with a new one.

Thanks for a great party! It was awesome!

Solenne is a Breton name meaning "solemn." I chose it for the irony - Solenne is anything but solemn 99% of the time. Lagarde is an Old French name that I chose mainly because I liked the sound of it. It means something along the lines of "protection."

I'm looking into a few options right now, but Solenne is not currently in an FC. I'm open to suggestions!

This sounds like a really clever and unique idea! I'll be there if Solenne can find a partner.

[align=center]http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac112/seekingidlewild/ffxiv_10242015_134949-1_zps0ltgkhu3.png[/img][/align] Solenne really wouldn't be that different as a man. He'd still have blue hair, still wear make-up, still flirt outrageously with men, and still have an incurable taste for danger and excitement.

http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac112/seekingidlewild/ffxiv_10232015_205117_zpsgeyuy0jc.png[/img] Not my character, but this happened during a conversation between Solenne and Isarmont Sorel, and it appears to perfectly sums up how he was feeling about her in that moment. So done.

[align=center]http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac112/seekingidlewild/ffxiv_10232015_232059-1_zps7bn2trvj.png[/img][/align] She dreams of Winter. The highlands of Coerthas are painted over in shades of gray and white. The wind pulls at her skirts and ruffles the strands of her long brunette wig. Her signature blue hair is tucked and pinned safely out of sight. A clever application of cosmetics has altered the appearance of her features. She is not Solenne Lagarde, not on this perilous night. She is Lady Winter, and in that guise she leads her flock of Ishgardian refugees south, toward safety and a new life. A little ahead is Lord Winter, better known to her as Richaud Debonet, her dearest friend. It is dangerous for him, the son of a condemned heretic, to venture so close to the homeland that killed his father. He does it for love, while she does it for the thrill. She knows he’s far more righteous than she’ll ever be, but he chose her to be his comrade, his confidante, his co-conspirator, and she’ll always be grateful for that. He turns back to smile at her, his breaths coming out in little puffs of white. “All right, Blue?” he asks. He never calls her Lady Winter - that’s the refugees’ name for her. To him, she has always been Blue. “Just enjoying this beautiful night,” she replies cheerfully. And she is enjoying it, despite the danger. No, because of it. Richaud laughs, and the rich, joyous sound of it brings a few smiles to the weary faces of the refugees. He’s always laughing, always smiling, always happy in spite of all the hardships he’s suffered. He is the best man she has ever known and ever expects to know, and she gets to call him her friend. She doesn’t know how she got so lucky. ~ Solenne awakens to darkness. She is wrapped in blankets, cozily tucked away in a warm bed in a little inn room. This isn’t the snowy highlands of Coerthas. This is Ul'dah, and everything is different now. There are no more treks across wintery landscapes, no more daring rescues of falsely accused heretics. No more Lady Winter. And worst of all, no more Richaud. The image of his smiling face haunts her. It is utterly vivid, more real to her than anything in this shadowy room. She remembers long nights sitting upon the rooftop of her family home in Gridania, sharing secrets and aspirations. She recalls what it felt like to know she could count on someone, no matter what. Richaud had always been there for her; and she took it for granted that he always would be. Then she lost him. Her fingers curl in the bed sheets. She hides her face against the pillow while something tears inside her chest. It can’t be her heart, for that is made of solid ice. Whatever it is, it’s probably unimportant, and the pain will soon subside. Winter is in her heart and soul. She will not cry for him.

http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac112/seekingidlewild/ffxiv_10222015_172920-1_zps02zeba5b.png[/img] Yisu has been in Eorzea for less than a year, and All Saints Wake is her favorite thing about her new home!

Oh, are you friends with Reina Dancer? She's my sister, and she was just telling me about a friend of hers who was bringing over a mute Duskwight to Balmung. Either way, welcome! Hit me up if you ever want to RP!