Naunet

It's a society of people, and people breed misery, so I can guarantee you there is more than enough misery to go around in Eorzea, and there are certain to be those who get the shaft every single time. (And I'm not sure I'd say escapism is the "whole point" of roleplaying. There's no fun in just telling a happy, hunky-dory story, in my opinion! Hell, even happy endings tend to be... not really all that happy in a lot of the plots I've been involved in. It's all just an individual thing.)

ARR's combat is definitely not one of the game's draws for me. I don't disparage tab-target, but in the world of tab-target MMOs, ARR's is lacking. The spells are, in my opinion, overly simplistic; the pace of combat is at best a bit sluggish and at worst unresponsive; and yes, there is the frustration of the AoE telegraph system. I much prefer the combat in Rift or even WoW when it comes to tab-target games, though ultimately I above and beyond prefer action combat like in TERA. Luckily there are other things besides the combat to keep me here. Like it being pay-to-play. And being able to sit in chairs.

Yeah, I'm now wondering if Eorzeans actually say "corse" rather than corpse, because it is a "typo" that has come up numerous times now in quest text. >_> Either Squeenix really sucks at typing, or Eorzeans are frickin' weird.

I want to murder whoever came up with the phrase "must needs". Every time an NPC says it, I want to stab them in the eye. "must needs" - an absurd way to communicate extreme urgency, when "we must" and "we need to" just isn't enough! *bludgeons it to death*

I do think a lot of roleplayers often tend to focus on their characters' strengths, which is not a bad thing... until it's done at the exclusion of their weaknesses. I also find exploring and discovering and developing upon a "weakness" or "flaw" to be far more compelling story-telling. But that's just me. ^^; Antimony's most immediately obvious character flaw, when one meets her, is probably her tendency to be more than a little high strung when interacting with people. She's perfectly fine and collected and reasoned and just generally well put-together when at work or carrying on by herself with her hobbies, but stick her in a social situation and suddenly you get a woman who will ramble endless apologies, freak out at the slightest hint that she has said or done something inappropriate (even if that hint is imagined!), and just generally be rather spazzy... in a very bad way. This quality has definitely not endeared her to her employers, though at least two people she's met on a non-professional basis are either capable of suffering through it or find it endearing. It's not supposed to be. Now, she's not like this all the time and has in the past conducted herself decently in social interactions (though not without some significant internal difficulty), but she definitely lets stress get to her more than she should. There are also things like how she is not in any way, shape, or form capable of physically defending herself. She's not unfit (she travels often enough for her work that she's reasonably healthy for her age), but she has zero combat training and is more inclined to hide at the first sign of trouble than anything else. Some might call that cowardly; others (including Antimony) would simply call it self-preservation. Either way, she is just not physically strong. At all! There are other nuances to her character that I and others may discover over the coming months and (hopefully!) years of roleplay, so I'll just leave it at that for now. ^^

Oof, no excuses for this. SE and their apparent inability to use appropriate server infrastructure strikes again...

As a player with a Seeker whose in-game name is not abiding with lore in a direct manner, I say do what you want! Just be prepared to have an excuse to explain why your character has the name they do - which it sounds to me as though you do.

AF is a far cry from exclusive. Everybody and their mom who gets past 45 in-game wears or has worn or is about to wear that look. Its utter pervasiveness in the game is exactly why it needs to be dyeable, because otherwise we all end up looking like clones.

I appreciate the idea behind wanting something to remain "iconic", but honestly, this isn't a single-player RPG and therefor it should not be treated as such. Individuality is absolutely essential in an MMO. Do you really want to look just like everyone else? Honestly, I haven't even gotten my AF yet, and I'm already tired of the look, because you see it everywhere and it always looks exactly the same. At least being able to dye dungeon sets and other things like this would give armor some creative life. There's precious little armor variety in this game as it is.

I couldn't really care less about how "iconic" something is - not when the choice is between preserving some subjective "This is how it should BE!" want from FF fans (who, as someone who has not played a single FF game prior to this, come off as incredibly religious in their, uh, devotion - and about pretty odd things in my perspective) and between giving players options for their appearance. You don't have to dye it if you want that "iconic" look. Others should have that choice.

Call me a purist, but this would really upset me. A lot of the AF sets are iconic to the Final Fantasy series. I'd be pretty annoyed to see a red Dragoon set or a green Paladin set. It would ruin the job for me a bit. That's just me though. PURIST! I jest. But in all honesty, this is a place where I think the ability to customize one's look should trump any "iconic" claim. This is an MMO, not a single-player RPG, and being able to individualize yourself in-game is of paramount importance. We've got an MMO releasing in 2013 with customization options that are worse than an MMO that released in 2011. You can't even dye primary and secondary colors on the gear you can dye! *tosses hands up into the air helplessly*

That sounds incredibly awesome, Torvhan! I can't wait to see it to fruition!

I wish I could help, but my Keeper, uhm... let's just say she does not hold the proper loyalties. ;3 I wish you luck, though! I think a Keeper family would be extremely fun.

You think expressing an opinion that it is rude to make certain assumptions about others is a personal attack, and yet you pull out snide, passive aggressive comments like this one that do nothing but belittle the opinions of those who don't agree with you? That is, it suffices to say, rude. I find the idea that anyone should feel as though they need to censor their MMO history for fear of being excluded from the "RP club" absolutely ridiculous. You made some excellent suggestions to those shy regarding initiating roleplay, but those suggestions are rather tempered by the aggressively exclusive stance you've taken towards your fellow roleplayers. That's not to say they're bad suggestions, but it certainly lends a rather discouraging tone to your post. And quite honestly? It bothers me on a personal level that someone would actively exclude me simply because of previous games I've played. Not because they've interacted with me and have decided they don't like me OOCly. Not because they've interacted with me and have decided they don't like my roleplay style. Not because they have made any kind of informed decision, but simply because they saw me talk about games I have played in the past. Of course, no one should feel as though they need to roleplay with any of these "big names" on the forum in order to actually get roleplay out of the game, but this kind of viewpoint is discouraging on a community level, to say the least.

If the character is suave enough, and my own character is of the type to fall for such a thing, then certainly I will "allow" them to do so. That's an IC thing. The second half of your sentence about the fade-to-black conflict is an OOC issue, and of course one should always feel as though they have control OOCly, especially with these kinds of things. So yea, I'll let my characters do whatever the hell my characters want to/are manipulated to/are required to do, but I certainly reserve full power of decision when it comes to what to RP and what to handwave with "and this happened".

ARR does not currently have add on support, unfortunately. Supposedly this is something coming in the future.

Turning from K'jhanhi and the newly-made huntress, K'deiki's worn brow crinkled at the one who had spoke. "You observed," she echoed, welcoming voice suddenly drawn down in thought. "From what I have seen, it is not unlike the healing some of our own have learned, though perhaps more... refined." Gnarled hands twisted on the staff she had pushed deep into the sand, and she cast her gaze back to K'ailia, the girl now locked in embrace with her mother. "We can't afford to ignore the skills any of our brothers and sisters bring to us. But... perhaps you are right." She looked to K'jhanhi briefly, who only nodded. "Hunter she may be, but she is still young. And guidance is never uncalled for." Her thin shoulders, wrapped in cloth to guard her frail frame from the sun and sand, rose and fell in a deep, rattling sigh. When she spoke again, it was with great reluctance, as though the mere mention of it brought her distress. "Were my daughter here, she could continue her lessons..."

K'jhanhi looked down at the girl for some time, silent, and then closed his eyes. A lukewarm breeze kicked up sand from a nearby dune, and he could feel the tiny grains brushing past his wrinkled skin. Letting out a long breath and standing like a frail pillar in the wind, K'jhanhi thought back to a time when he could have run along with that breeze, when the air itself had urged on life even as the heat of the desert sucked it away. That time was passed, he thought, and opened his eyes to squint past K'ailia, at the odd, white beast behind her. A few members of the tribe stood near it, watching the unicorn with curiosity. "I have seen enough, hunter," the former nunh, physically a shadow of what he had once been but with a mind still as sharp as the blade he had once used to battle the sire before him. He drew a breath and sought to make his voice carry, though it took more effort now than it once had, "The others will agree. You're no child any longer." "We would welcome you home," came a second voice, crackling with age but pleased, and from behind him K'deiki stepped forward, her hunched form moving to stand at his side. "As a full member of our family."

As soon as K'ailia had left, the three Elders had fallen back into a lengthy, heavy silence. At some point, K'deiki stood, leaning against her staff for support, and walked the length of the tent, pausing at a shallow, broad bowl carved from bone. In its surface had been etched a half-globe and rays depicting the sun, and in the center of the bowl there sat a small pile of burnt incense. A shrine to Azeyma, the Warden, the guardian who had kept their tribe on a true bearing for generations. With K'takka and K'jhanhi in silence behind her, K'deiki knelt before the shrine and bowed her head. *** Hours passed and not once did the Elders in the tent stir - not until a commotion from outside pushed past the insulating walls of their isolation. It began as one voice, high and challenging, and then there came others as everything merged into a din of excitement. K'jhanhi was the first to speak, his once powerfully muscled form lifting to his feet as he lumbered towards the entrance, "That cannot be another hunting party, not so soon." There was expectation in his voice, tempered with a certain caution. His ears, all but hidden in the thick mane of grey sloping down his head, flicked back and then forward, listening. K'takka looked across the room towards where K'deiki still knelt, silent. In the diffuse yellow light of the tent, her tattoos and blue eyes cast her weathered features in an eerie tableau. The woman at the shrine did not look up from her thoughts; instead K'deiki said only, "Go and meet her return. I will be along shortly." The former nunh said no more to them, pushing through the flap of hide that served as a door and into the orange and red tones of a desert evening. It took longer for his eyes to adjust to the new light than it would have in earlier years, but he did not let this slow him, instead making straight for the source of the commotion, where a small but not insignificant crowd had begun to gather. His steps in the sand were uneven, harried by an old limp, and tired, but certain. On the air there was the scent of blood and dying flesh, and the tang of sweat from a hunt well made. "What is this we have before us," his low voice rumbled, and many of the miqo'te immediately near him fell silent, turning eager faces in his direction. They fell away and K'jhanhi took in the broken body of a massive sundrake, its scales shattered where rocks had pelted its form, flesh scraped raw and ragged where wind had made its inexorable mark; white bone splashed in the red of gore and dirtied from its trip back to the camp peeked out from ruined leg joints. The creature was undoubtedly dead, and standing before it, with a stance befitting the confidence of a seasoned hunter, was K'ailia.

I believe your people - and anyone else who stops by this thread with IC Garlean affiliations - might be interested in interacting with the Commerce Regulation Agency. The higher ups would certainly want to make use of any Garlean informants scattered through Eorzea. We should all chat. ^^

Sewer systems are far cleaner than simply dumping waste wherever, especially since it means you can contain the waste and treat it, if their society has access to such knowledge.

Thanks! I've had a lot of fun working with other players involved in the Hipparion tribe to establish what I like think is an interesting take on traditional Seeker culture, and it's definitely been a blast roleplaying that perspective in a more cosmopolitan world.

I RP with words! ... What, no? That's not what you wanted? Oh. Linkpearls - storage! You certainly wouldn't want to listen to everyone constantly. Indoor plumbing - For the more industrialized cities, yes. Certainly for places like Ul'dah and Limsa, possibly for classy towns such as Wineport. If I recall correctly, there is actually a sewage system in Mists, the housing district outside Limsa Lominsa, which implies some sort of waste containment technology. Gravity flush toilets are fairly simple constructions technology-wise (no mechanical parts involved) and might be necessary to maintain sanitation in large urban environments. It's entirely possible that outside these cities, there is no indoor plumbing, however. Travel - Were I roleplaying a character more similar to the adventurers as described in PC stories, I'd likely employ aetheryte crystals. However, I'm not, and so my roleplay tends to incorporate significant travel time between locations. Ultimately, what modes of transportation your character has access to depends on your character's standing in society. I don't think everyone has the ability to attune with aetherytes, as that seems like it would require significant aetheric capacity and understanding. Electricity - This one I'm not so sure about. There are lamps and such in-game, but it's more likely that they're oil lamps, not electric. If your character wants to make a pot of coffee, they'll probably need to start up a wood stove, or light a magical fire, if they are so inclined.

Reading this without commas created a horrific nightmare image in my brain. Anyway woo controversy! I mean, uhm, time to answer questions! Category A. 1. Are there any any races you particularly love the opposite (or same) gender of? The models, the history, the lore, anything. Aesthetically? Sure. I like pretty much all of them except male highlander and roegadyn (way too steroid-beefy for me, personally), and though I can appreciate the powerful aesthetic of female roegadyn, their noses bother me to a degree that I can't bring myself to play one. Which is sad, because I had been hoping for a Bahmi or Aman-esque race to play in ARR. Culturally speaking, I find the miqo'te and elezen the most fascinating, especially Seekers and Duskwight. 2. How do you view interracial couples in -game-? Specifically, let's not get into a debate about whether or not it's 'gross' to you as a person or if there are too many people doing it. OOCly, I don't give a rat's ass. The only time I'm concerned with someone else's roleplay is if it's lore-shattering and getting in the way of my own RP. Otherwise, people can do whatever they want, or whoever they want, I suppose. Category B. 1. Does your character seek friends or partners based predominantly on race? Antimony is kind of bad at people and doesn't really actively seek friendships per se, and she certainly is not actively looking for any romance. She doesn't particularly discriminate as far as how she behaves towards others, though, especially after spending five years in Limsa Lominsa. She does have sort of an undertone of... uncertainty towards non-Seeker miqo'te, largely because she spent the first 4 decades of her life isolated from the rest of the world, but she adapts. Adapting is far better than the alternative of returning to her past home and family. 2. How does your character view interracial pairings and are their feelings different from your own? Antimony would likely look askance at an interracial couple, perhaps confused at how such things might work. It's not a negative judgment on her part, just the idea bringing up a certain degree of cognitive dissonance. Her former tribe had fairly strict rules regarding couplings, and part of her is still stuck in those traditions. However, perhaps moreso than interracial pairings, she would be very confused by non-tribal Seekers. If she sees a male miqo'te cavorting with a female, her brain automatically labels him as a nunh, which may subtly influence her own interactions with said individual. Likewise for someone she may perceive as a tia.

Not particularly wanting to get involved in the Great ERP Debate (certain people from Co7 probably already know my feelings on that!), I just wanted to bring things back to romance roleplay - or, perhaps to be more exact, romance in roleplay. I say it that way because I truly feel that romance works best when done in conjunction, alongside and interwoven with a greater story, or multiple stories. Sure, have your little one-on-one scenes where you delve into the private nuances of your characters' interpersonal dynamics; things like that can be great for really cementing the backdrop of a relationship. But I think the most fulfilling time on a broader scale comes when those players apply their characters' romantic interactions to situations beyond them. For example, a rather lengthy plot I participated in (and am still participating in) in TERA involves an extremely elusive antagonist who had a batshit bad guy goal of remaking the Dream and blahblah . The point is, there was a massive story going on, involving a number of people, and I always had great fun watching the dynamic of my character and her romantic partner in the context of that plot. It pushed them and pulled them and created great rifts between them that occasionally were pulled back together and the whole thing was fascinating. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I, personally, find roleplay the most fulfilling when there are multiple layers to it. Don't just roleplay a "they get together" story. Put that into a setting far more complex and have fun testing and stretching and distorting it!