Kilieit

Hi - I'll try to catch you around, but if you see me first, do you think you could toss me an invite? IGN Aghurlal Qar'akimusun Thank you!

I think most of my stuff for public RP is wibbly-wobbly wishy-washy enough that I could make it work without any major retcons or "well sorry guys, can't run this storyline after all" revelations. My public RP stories were adapted with the purpose of making public RP with people of inevitably slightly differing views on the lore a) possible, b) easy, and c) fun. This means they tend to be relatively flexible in terms of details - so I can fit in with as many different people as it's possible to do so with while still maintaining some sort of core consistency. Like there's some stuff - almost exclusively backstory detailing stuff - that would have to change with new information on racial history or culture... but that's the kind of stuff that isn't exactly central to the character anyway? Like, uh. When I say "my Hellsguard is from northern Vylbrand", what I mean is "she's from a relatively isolated community, not geographically close to the main bulk of her race's population; this meant she had to become an adventurer when she fell out with her family, because it's not like she could go and live one valley over with her great aunt's friend". If it was confirmed tomorrow that there are 100% no Hellsguard on Vylbrand in the last 500 years ever (which is kinda possible, that the lore team could make that decision? I don't think it's been confirmed to the contrary?)... I could just find a different location somewhere slightly aside from Abalathia's Spine that "means" the same thing. It's not vital that she be from that specific location; it's just a(n honestly slightly arbitrary) detail. Our WoL AU, on the other hand... Do you know how difficult it is to write about ~The Warrior Of Light~ in a fanfic and not include at least one headcanon that will be completely overturned the second a developer opens their mouth next? But then, I roleplayed canon characters (in another setting) for 2 years. You sort of get used to rolling with the punches. Or knowing which ones you care about enough to block.

Hmm. It might be a matter of lack of context but I'd be minorly annoyed if my story telling took a back burner to how my friends wanted their characters to be happy/comfortable, but then again I'm a roleplayer that adores dipping into more mature roleplay and finding others of similar mind. However, I believe that if the person is uncomfortable OOCly it is their responsibility to voice this, preferably openly and clearly as difficult as it might be, because unless both parties understand each other one can only rely on assumptions, such as the assumption that saying "my character would be sad" is a low-key suggestion that the player isn't comfortable with it. At the end of the day, if someone decides to stop being friends with you because of your decision with your character, your creative property, it's probably for the best. I believe there's a lot of situations where killing a character can really cause a buttload of problems for the other roleplayer, but only saying "my character would be sad" is an insufficient argument at a face value. There are no victims to be had when someone chooses not to communicate, in my opinion. We're not all mind-readers here, gotta cut us some slack! Yeah, I agree completely. I understand why the reticence (it can be embarrassing to admit that you're upset by something that no one else seems to be), but it's not helpful, and I doubt anyone could blame [former] friends for not prising your real feelings out of you when you could have just chosen to voice them up-front. It's not anyone's job to go chasing after you. I do also agree that it's genuinely for the best if people with strongly differing desires and attitudes towards RP recognise when their wants and needs are valid but irreconcilable and part ways amiably. Character death is one of those issues where it can get really difficult to make functional compromises, so being able to say "I've really enjoyed our time together but this isn't working out" without it turning into a blow-up is... Well, preferable. But difficult.

Hmm. It might be a matter of lack of context but I'd be minorly annoyed if my story telling took a back burner to how my friends wanted their characters to be happy/comfortable, but then again I'm a roleplayer that adores dipping into more mature roleplay and finding others of similar mind. I think that's the ever-vital "OOC > IC" thing. "It makes me feel bad OOC and I don't want to touch it" is, sorry, a 100% viable reason to not want to partake in a certain RP plot. And "but (character name) would be sad!" is 99% of the time a more socially-accepted way of saying "but I would be sad!". OOC is more important than IC. Preserving real life people's feelings is important and should be a priority in any social hobby, which RP intrinsically is. But: the fact that OOC is more important than IC doesn't mean that the solution is not killing your character. If someone is very upset by something you are adamant you want to do in your RP, it just means that you and the person have different priorities and limits with regards to what you find fun in an RP. These differences may be irreconcilable; they may not be. The only way to find out whether they are or not is to talk, with said person, about said differences. Which can be a difficult discussion. On both parts, it requires a certain amount of self-awareness (knowing what you want and why) and humility (admitting that what you want isn't "objectively best", and that other people are allowed to want different things). But honestly, even if you don't have that talk, someone's going to be upset and the storyline is going to be affected quality-wise or tainted with OOC hard feelings. "Just do it anyway, who cares what other people think" will often end up with the person not RPing with you any more anyway; because you showed a disregard for their real, OOC feelings in favour of fiction, and that's not a trait you usually want in a friend. IMO, it's better to discuss it beforehand and - if necessary - part amiably than to burn bridges like this. "Keep your character alive, it's not worth losing the friendship over" is also a bad idea. It means gutting your enjoyment and satisfaction out of the plot. I find I'm intuitively aware of when it's time for my character to die, and trying to sustain them beyond that point results in an empty shell of who they used to be; it's sad. And, again in my experience, I find it usually results in me slow-fading and eventually quitting from the roleplay in question anyway. I'd rather talk about it and try to find a way that we can both get what we want and enjoy. I always - extreme circumstances notwithstanding - think it's better to communicate like adults about what you want, what they want, and how you can both achieve it. Sometimes that means making changes to the characters' relationship so the death won't affect that particular person's roleplay in the way they dislike. There are lots of ways you can do this. Figuring out how to rewrite the past, or even the future, of your characters' time together so that both of you can achieve the resolution you want can be satisfying in itself. Most potential retcons are going to look kind of convoluted at first, but the "right one" will usually click into place once you hit upon it. It all depends on exactly why they don't want your character's death to happen - what is it they're worried about? Then figure out a retcon (or future character development!) to avoid that, while still allowing you to do what you want to do with your own character (in this case, kill them off). Talk about it together with the aim of building something you can both be happy with. Sometimes actually talking about why you want to kill the character, and the new opportunities it opens up, actually brings the person around and they end up feeling positive about the new direction. If they're not aware of the context behind your decision, it can seem pointless and sensationalist. If you have a solid reason, making said reason clear can make the decision clearer, too. Whether you're the one who wants to kill your character, or the one upset about your friend doing so, talk about it. And listen to what they have to say for their side, too. Roleplay is supposed to be a collaborative endeavour, and I don't think that should stop applying when you disagree over something that's supposed to be a tool to greater enjoyment. That's my 2p, anyway (more like 2£ now - bad at brevity as ever, lol).

Why would elementals be pissed about what happens underground? They are not harming the Shroud in any case, no interacting with it, except if they get out to poach (but that's the same shit than with wild Keeper clans and other poachers anyway). You're assuming that the Elementals are A) logical B) reasonable C) nice. None of these have been demonstrated to be true. ;D It's quite possible that they're pissed off at Gelmorra for existing in the Shroud but outside of their reach, for example. Or at specific Gelmorrans for being the offspring of someone who cut down a tree once a thousand years ago; and, by association, everyone who's ever had physical contact with that family, or talked to them, or passed them in the street. Or just because they felt like it today. Think "Fair Folk", not "benevolent forest gods".

The Gelmorrans lived fine underground for so long because the Elementals could rage up above all they liked, Gelmorra was outside of their jurisdiction (and therefore outside of their power). Once the Gridanians started living in the surface world, the Gelmorrans could no longer live as they always had without causing severe danger and loss of life to those up above. An angry Elemental doesn't care that it's the people under the ground causing the disturbance - they also don't care if it's a child, or someone with no choice. They just comprehend that their will is not "being done". Those who live in the surface Twelveswood will always be subject to Elemental-wrought consequences from the actions of those who visit the Twelveswood or who live at its fringes. If your take-away from this is that Elementals are dicks, then you're not alone.

A quick glance down the first 5 pages of the official Cactuar forums turned up no mentions of roleplay, unfortunately. BUT: "If you build it, they will come" definitely applies. If you set up something that is fun, looks and sounds like fun, and is advertised decently often to people that can attend (so other Cactuar folk), then you'll probably at least be able to get yourself a regular group of friends to roleplay with. Even a community of ~10 people can be really rewarding and fun to do storylines and daily-life roleplay with. I'd recommend setting up an LFRP ("looking for roleplay") linkshell and posting about it in the linkshell hall; making a thread on the Cactuar forums that y'all are roleplaying, have a house by way of a venue, and a linkshell that people can be invited to for networking purposes; and making a /sh macro for use in capital cities and Gold Saucer to advertise all of the above. I hope it works out for you! Small-community RP can be really satisfying.

The most famous horse-rider in the Black Shroud is... Ye. I think I found the texts you're talking about, though:

Well, by my understanding, the way the Primals temper you is by flooding your aetherial essence with theirs until they resonate together. The meteor dream always looked a whole lot like that, to me. I don't think you have to be a "summoned by devout worshippers, can be banished" type of creature to have a large aetheric reservoir with a strong resonance capable of bringing other aetheric entities into line. It's a conspiracy theory, yeah - but one that's hinted at by NPCs, including some of the actual Primals. I think it's fair to discuss it as a possibility. Oh, something that just occured to me to add, though - even if the WoL isn't a Primal themself, the existence of the Blade of Light always struck me as odd. Amassing a huge amount of aether into a particular shape... (shrugs)

I don't know how I think of the "tempered by Hydaelyn" thing because on the one hand: I think it's likely... But on the other hand: Balmung SL Aghurlal has (somewhat unknowingly - he's only had the meteor dream) disregarded the will of Hydaelyn, despite having the Echo. Which wouldn't work if the Echo was evidence of him having been tempered in Her name. So... obviously not. And if the theory that the Warriors of Darkness are Carteneau's Warriors of Light holds any water, then She obviously hasn't exerted Her will directly over them, either. Unless the Ascians have somehow developed a method to reverse the tempering process. I guess the way we write it in our WoL AU is that Hydaelyn could exert Her will over our characters if She wished, but it's simply not Her way. She styles Herself as a mother, and She likely knows enough about motherhood from millennia of watching it take place upon Her surface to know that a good mother does not directly control Her children.

This. I can only imagine that part of the reason highly destructive magics tend to be illegal in Eorzea is precisely because the average person, who does not have a high enough aetheric potential to cast magic, is susceptible to harm from them with no way to defend themself. Just like physical defence - a shield, a parry, a block - is physical, magic defence is magic. When you look at lore characters with low or no magical ability, they're mostly (with one probable exception I can think of, but see footnote*) just... muggles. They're advised to stay behind during dangerous situations because they can't protect themselves. They're bitter and jealous that they're seen as "helpless" and weak. That, or they're provided with special armour or shields to protect themselves. They don't have a natural immunity to all magic. * "Average muggle can defend self perfectly well" factoid actualy statistical error. Plot-Device Thancred, who beats up 10000 bears a day and also solo'd The Eyes Have It once, is an outlier adn should not have been counted. No - I'd say this character trait says something different about the player utilising it. I would query whether they weren't trying to bend or break the rules of the universe, or get away with being overpowered, but instead something else. I would take this as a signal to essentially mean "I don't want to roleplay about magic stuff". The way they've written about it, their character can't use or be affected by magic. This means that if someone tries to emote casting a spell on them, it'll roll of their back in the same way your regular garden-variety power-emote would. And obviously they aren't going to be casting any spells themself. Which means magic is unlikely to play any major part in their character's development or storyline. If they prefer low-fantasy settings, roleplay a character concept imported from a low- or no-fantasy setting, or have had bad experience with spellcaster RP in the past, then I could see this type of character trait emerging as a result. But I'm speculating, of course. It could always just be that they like the idea of beating a nerd up without being set on fire in return, regardless of how unfair that is to said nerd.

Congratulations to everyone who was able to take advantage of this.

Absolutely, this is my advice to you:

I'm going off-topic here, so spoiler tags so I don't take up a huge chunk of scrollspace, but here's what I've got to say.

For raid gear and stuff, like... Uh, my character has a hairpin as part of some of his RP outfits that, in lore meta terms, is supposed to be a replica (or even long-lost original! It's not clear) of the hairpins worn by Ishgard's Knights Twelve. It drops from The Aery, a highly dangerous location in the Churning Mists, and is the same item the Knights are shown wearing in the subsequent cutscene. So something with a lot of heavy lore connotations. ...but the hairpin my character wears isn't that. It just looks the same in game terms. Aghurlal found it at the bottom of the bay in Limsa, probably dropped from a cargo ship importing jewellery or from some poor schmuck's luggage. It's his now. He thinks it's probably made of cheap metals anyway, and he likes how it looks. So he kept it. If someone was like "hey that's a rare historical artefact," Aghurlal would be like "haha okay if you say so, maybe I'll get it appraised then" and go on with his day. And 99.9% of the characters I encounter aren't going to know what a Knights Twelve hairpin looks like anyway! Even if it was one in RP terms (it's not), the number of people with enough knowledge to recognise it as such is extremely slim! Maybe if I encountered someone RPing a dragon who happened to be old enough to have been there at the time, they might query it, but I can think of maybe one person on all of Balmung who might possibly fall into that category. Everyone else is just gonna go "hey, cute, a little hairpin that matches your earrings". Same goes for, like, most high-end rewards gear. Most characters are gonna go "nice, a pretty purple top", not "isn't that from the Void Ark?". Most characters don't know what the Void Ark is, let alone that you can get clothes there, or what they look like. So it's safe to use gear that drops from there in OOC terms as something else in IC terms. The only exception is the artefact gear you get from ARR lv50 job quests, and even then some of it is probably excusable - as Gegenji mentioned, I think the only ones I'd advise caution about using are the DRG, WHM, BLM, and I'd also say PLD sets, because the jobs they represent are either illegal (WHM, BLM) or well-established military authorities (DRG, PLD). SCH, BRD, WAR, and so forth - you can likely pass them off as regular clothes, especially if you're mixing and matching the pieces in with pieces from other sets. (ETA: check out Virella's post on the next page about MNK AF gear, too. Also not advised to use the set in its entirety as casual-wear.)

I mean, they'd be imports from Othard, which is entirely under Garlean rule. I reckon the huge majority of horses in Eorzea arrived because they were imported by Domans or Xaela who, when fleeing Garlean rule, were able to bring their steeds with them. Which is a bit of a precarious situation - you'd have to have somehow safely transported your animal to port, and then have there be room on the ship, and then have it survive the trip to Eorzea, not get sick when exposed to the new ecosystem and food, and adjust emotionally to the new environment. But the fact there is a Xaela tribe who view animals as on a par with people in terms of importance, and a second, separate Xaela tribe who literally marry their horses, makes me think there are certainly individuals determined to go to any lengths possible to bring their animal with them - their presence in Eorzea would necessarily mean the presence of a horse, too. Probably various Doman nobles and similar, as well - for example: a noble in hiding following the razing, "can't bear to part with" their animal, leveraging whatever wealth or status they have left to have it transported along with them. So on the whole - not the rarest thing in the entire world, but also not very common, simply owing to the fact that getting one out of Garlean territory alive would be a major challenge. ...more common than primal ponies, though. I feel like Average Joe's reaction on seeing such a creature would be "is that a Coerthan unicorn? I thought they were extinct!" and then "No? So one of them exotic 'horse', then?", not "oh, one of those manifestations of a Primal's power, but in rideable format! Cool!"

I don't RP a summoner and it's been.. actual years since I've done the quest. I was just tossing ideas for anyone who wanted them. I guess it could be ALTERED CARBUNCLES? ??? I mean that lady in Idleshire has that GIANT ASS CARBUNCLE. Too bad we don't get that for a mount. Come to think of it though I see a literal ton of people RPing they have egis.. and nobody bats an eye.. And.. the only normal horses in the game are for winning 100 frontline matches and they come with annoying ass grand company tack. Oh boy I'm 77/100 for mine. When I was an au ra I thought to get the damn thing but.. GOT LAZY NEAR THE END. :'D Oh well hyur now whatever. Here's some pictures of the maelstrom one: GIANT... RIDEABLE... CARBUNBLE. Okay I'm sold where do I put my money? ...and yeah, I admit I was not aware of that, but also... bleh, PvP. Maybe if I'd not already written my character's horse out of the picture on the understanding that it'd be near-impossible to get a decent physrep, I would consider looking up some beginner's tips for PvP, but...

It irritates me that we have an entire in-game playable race who, in their homeland, are supposed to ride horses on the regular (xaela)... but no normal-looking horses. At all. >_> So if youse see me riding Sleipnir ICly, I promise you it's because I'm using it as a stand-in for a regular ol' non-magical, non-Primal, biological, mortal horse, lol. That said, Aghurlal sold his horse when he left Othard and obtained a chocobo a little while after arriving in Eorzea. It's his only animal companion thus far; but he grew up caring for steeds, so it's not difficult for him to fit it into his routine, even if the exact needs of the creature are a little different. (Although, I will also say that in order to summon an Egi, you have to have been present at the defeat of the Primal it corresponds to. So if you're looking for reasons to have IC Primal horses without having defeated the Primal in question, form-altered Egi isn't gonna work Though I do think the idea of a SMN being able to alter the shape and appearance of their Egis is neat.)

Dawn Father for Raen, and Dusk Mother for Xaela! There's also the Xaelan gods Nhama (moon goddess, worshipped by the Kagon tribe) and Azim (sun goddess, worshipped by the Oronir and despised by the Kagon). These are stated, I believe, to be separate gods from the similar-sounding members of the Twelve. I'm sure there's more but I can't remember off the top of my head. Sorry. ;;

To be fair, your status as the Warrior of Light has no bearing on the storylines of these quests. I can't think of a single class or job-related questline that actually directly references the MSQ beyond a few twists here and there if you've completed certain parts (I.E.: Being DRG and completing DRG 50 changes how a certain NPC is introduced to you). If the WoL masters all classes, it is entirely through their WoLness and the Soul Crystals (except MCH) rather than being introduced to anyone via political means. Well, what I mean is... Is it likely that Random Average Adventurer #285964 Who Isn't Anything Special would express an interest in learning to use a lance, succeed in defeating an individual who plagued the entire Lancers' Guild for months without being defeated, and then - as a result of earning such trust - immediately be introduced to Alberic bloody Bale afterwards? Or defeat a pirate who's evaded Limsa Lominsa's experienced pirate-capturing authorities for weeks, then be introduced to Y'mhitra, sister of Miss Big-Bloody-Deal Archon, as a spell-casting mentor (even if they weren't necessarily pursuing the route of SMN)? The NPCs we meet and interact with to learn mastery of our roles from are, on the whole and with exceptions, major NPCs who are prestigious, busy, and very unlikely to be introduced to us unless we'd already achieved something remarkable. The WoL achieves remarkable, outstanding things... for no apparent reason. We can only assume it's due to Hydaelyn's blessing. Almost every class mentor constantly, at almost every quest turn-in, mentions how incredibly quickly you're learning and how incredibly good you are at what they're teaching compared to novices of similar experience. Some quest chains even feature fellow novices being bitter and jealous towards you as a result, because it feels unfair. (And it is. It's just not something WoL has any control over.) And that's not even to mention the parts in MSQ where, when compared against adventurers of similar skill and experience, the WoL is shown to be far and away more likely to A) survive B) prevail, when challenging more-or-less any given enemy. Anyway, here's the politics: due to achieving remarkable things, the WoL is granted recognition. The people of Eorzea - in this case, the class mentors - open doors for the WoL because the WoL is recognised; i.e., the job quests. The WoL utilises these doors to become better at what they already do. This isn't an avenue that's open to regular adventurers. An average adventurer seeking to master the lance would join the Lancers' Guild, do drills, run missions, do some more drills, run some more missions, etc etc etc... for like. Several months, probably. And then maybe go back to adventuring, or maybe pursue status or rank within the guild itself for a year or two. It would take time and effort, and that time and effort wouldn't even necessarily pay off - certainly not in terms of being introduced to more advanced masters to learn from. They wouldn't show up, literally magically learn all the skills they need in triple time, defeat a recurring antagonist that's troubled the experts for months, then - as a result of their heroic and outstanding deeds - be introduced to, again, Alberic parent-swiving Bale as a mentor for their continued education. It doesn't have to be tied in to MSQ to be affected by status as the WoL, I don't think. The WoL achieves impossible things wherever they go, and that will always impact the opportunities available to them. The effects of being Hydaelyn's Chosen are way more far-reaching than what is mentioned in the MSQ.

You don't have to, no; but I thought it might be fun to share. The character creator (i.e. you). This tool is to help you determine what you want out of portraying the character, not what other people think of your portrayal.

Wasn't sure if this would go best in Character Workshop or Fun Prompts, but since this is a serious character development exercise that usually takes me at least quarter of an hour to complete, I thought it fit better here. So I'm back to roleplaying original characters now, like I used to when I first started doing MMO RP. There was a period in the middle where I roleplayed canon characters - so whenever I needed help with how to characterise my roleplay, I could refer to canon representations of the character. However, with OC's, obviously that's not possible - and I find that my representation of my OC's is now drifting aimlessly through a sea of I-don't-know-what-I'm-trying-to-do-here. Then I remembered a tool I used to use back when I roleplayed OC's before: character diamonds. They are a short list of 4 words which you intend as the core, immutable traits for your character. They can describe personality, temperament, behaviour, outlook, attitudes to others... whatever it is that's most important about how you want the character to be perceived by others. The old Dramatis Personae website that I originally found the concept on seems to have since gone offline, but this blog entry from Far Beyond My Capacity preserves what I believe to be the text that described how to create such a thing: The blog entry also has some information about origin and usage, as well as an example of a finished diamond. I find this a really useful tool to stop unwanted "character drift" (different from character development! Development is constructive to your vision of the character; drift is destructive) and to remind myself of what I'm trying to achieve while playing the character, so I thought this might be useful to share. I'd be interested to see your character diamonds, and I might share some of my own once I'm happy with them.

In my understanding, the reason why the Warrior of Light is able to master so many disciplines is: a) Ridiculously privileged political position. As a result of Minfilia and the Grand Company leaders speaking directly and personally in your favour, you are introduced to the absolute masters of every discipline (the job mentors) and learn directly from them. These masters gift you "job stones" (aka soul crystals - that's a whole other lore dump on its own, one of which was posted quite recently in another thread of this forum if you go looking), which accelerate the learning process, but are rare artefacts that are in some cases quite closely guarded. If the Warrior of Light was not the Warrior of Light, it's highly unlikely that they would be introduced not just to one absolute master and one soul crystal, but multiple... b) The Echo. This absolutely plays no small part in helping them to learn. The Echo is also known as "the power to transcend", because at its core, it's the power to make the boundaries of a man's soul mutable. Which means that if a powerful Echo user, who was gifted this particular Echo ability by Hydaelyn (polymathy - and not all Echo users are polymaths), spends enough time around the absolute masters and the semi-sentient soul crystals for a job, they'll start just magically being able to do the thing without having to sink the hours into learning it. Without all of these things (a master mentor, a soul crystal, the political connections to be introduced to those things, and the Echo), well... Think about how long it takes to become, say, a fully qualified doctor. Several years of medical school, several years of working as a student doctor, several years of gaining respect and prestige... then think about how long it takes to become a respected doctor. More decades of sleepless nights, possible divorces and loss of family as a result of putting the job first, no small amount of determination and intelligence. Then think about how long it takes to become a leader in the medical field, with published papers and maybe some academic awards or whatever. Not even a Nobel Prize, necessarily, just someone who's considered an authority. Then apply that amount of time and level of commitment to every discipline you want your character to master.