You invite a friend over to your house for the afternoon. Describe what your friend would see upon entering your home.
Well, you see, I don't actually *have* a home at the moment...
During the casual small-talk that ensues, your friend asks you if you have read any good books lately. How do you respond?
"Oh, have you read Irving's Circles within Circles? He postulates that there's actually a reverse flow among the primary elements that causes an equal and opposite amount of thaum-- your eyes are glazing over, aren't they?"
Your friend eventually leaves, and you're still bored. Restless, you leave the house and set out for a walk. Describe the neighborhood you live in.
Being homeless, I live in the worst part of town, with the rest of the people who have nowhere else to go. Big shipping crates have been crammed into back alleys and turned into "houses". Occasionally you'll see the city guard, but they're not there to protect anyone but themselves... usually just dragging a few corpses out of the area to be burned before they draw a plague.
Oh no! An orphan is in trouble! Down the street from where you stand, a small street urchin is being bullied by three larger youths. What do you do about it?
"Leave him alone, or you'll regret it."
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, you little -- AAAAHH!! Ow ow ow! You set my foot on fire!!"
"I warned you. Now get outta here, cretins."
"Gee, thanks, mister! I--"
"Listen, kid... I won't always be here to defend you. You need to find a way to defend yourself. Even if it's just being able to run faster than everybody else. Give it some thought, okay?"
"Okay..."
"Good. Now run along, and be careful."
Adventure time! The next day, still restless, you decide that what you need is a good change of pace. How do you pack for your four-day road trip to Ishgard?
Hmmm, four days... first I'd have to scrounge up enough food and water for the trip, and there probably wouldn't be much room for anything else. Also, I'd bring everything else I usually carry, including my wand, my alchemy kit, and a sturdy knife.
Along your journey, you spot some bandits waiting at a bridge across a wide but slow moving river up ahead of you. They haven't seen you yet. You need to cross the bridge to get to where you're going. How do you handle the situation?
Hide and wait. It's the road to Ishgard. Somebody's bound to come along that will either a) have enough guards to defend themselves and appreciate a timely warning, or b) cause a distraction big enough for me to sneak across. Who knows? I might get to ride with a big merchant caravan and get real food the rest of the way.
You have just arrived for the first time in a new big city. Where do you go first?
A bookstore! I'll bet they've got a copy of Minerva's Canticles of Conjury... what do you mean, it's the original?!
For being the 1,000th tourist to the city, you have been given a 6,000 gil voucher to spend as you like at the Ishgard Department Store (think FFXIV version of Macy's). What do you spend it on?
I'm sorely tempted to buy a big stack of books, but I'd have to bring them back, and... I haven't got anywhere to put them, so they'd just get stolen and burnt for warmth. I'd buy a few changes of clothes, a couple of hats, and for goodness' sake a new pair of shoes. And a nice big backpack. This scrounged-up knapsack I got here with is falling apart at the seams. And of course, when I'm down to my last 1,000 gil, I buy the thing in the front window that's advertised for 1,000 gil, then come back two hours later and return it to a different person who doesn't know I paid with a voucher, and gives me gil instead. Hey, I need to get back home somehow....
All of that shopping has made you deliriously hungry. What sort of food establishment do you seek out for lunch?
Fish! I'll bet they have fish here. I've only ever had fish once, and it wasn't even good fish, but it was delicious! What? They have seven different kinds of fish?! Okay, that's it, I'm booking passage back home and then I'm coming back to eat...
Five months later and safely back at home, you realize the Winter Festival is approaching! What sort of present do you pick out for your mother (or nearest living relative, or closest friend)?
Well, if my lot doesn't improve, I'll be standing out in the market with the rest of the urchins, trying to get handouts from rich people who feel guilty just letting us sit there and rot. Presents are for people who have money. Here's hoping things start looking up...
Well, you see, I don't actually *have* a home at the moment...
During the casual small-talk that ensues, your friend asks you if you have read any good books lately. How do you respond?
"Oh, have you read Irving's Circles within Circles? He postulates that there's actually a reverse flow among the primary elements that causes an equal and opposite amount of thaum-- your eyes are glazing over, aren't they?"
Your friend eventually leaves, and you're still bored. Restless, you leave the house and set out for a walk. Describe the neighborhood you live in.
Being homeless, I live in the worst part of town, with the rest of the people who have nowhere else to go. Big shipping crates have been crammed into back alleys and turned into "houses". Occasionally you'll see the city guard, but they're not there to protect anyone but themselves... usually just dragging a few corpses out of the area to be burned before they draw a plague.
Oh no! An orphan is in trouble! Down the street from where you stand, a small street urchin is being bullied by three larger youths. What do you do about it?
"Leave him alone, or you'll regret it."
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, you little -- AAAAHH!! Ow ow ow! You set my foot on fire!!"
"I warned you. Now get outta here, cretins."
"Gee, thanks, mister! I--"
"Listen, kid... I won't always be here to defend you. You need to find a way to defend yourself. Even if it's just being able to run faster than everybody else. Give it some thought, okay?"
"Okay..."
"Good. Now run along, and be careful."
Adventure time! The next day, still restless, you decide that what you need is a good change of pace. How do you pack for your four-day road trip to Ishgard?
Hmmm, four days... first I'd have to scrounge up enough food and water for the trip, and there probably wouldn't be much room for anything else. Also, I'd bring everything else I usually carry, including my wand, my alchemy kit, and a sturdy knife.
Along your journey, you spot some bandits waiting at a bridge across a wide but slow moving river up ahead of you. They haven't seen you yet. You need to cross the bridge to get to where you're going. How do you handle the situation?
Hide and wait. It's the road to Ishgard. Somebody's bound to come along that will either a) have enough guards to defend themselves and appreciate a timely warning, or b) cause a distraction big enough for me to sneak across. Who knows? I might get to ride with a big merchant caravan and get real food the rest of the way.
You have just arrived for the first time in a new big city. Where do you go first?
A bookstore! I'll bet they've got a copy of Minerva's Canticles of Conjury... what do you mean, it's the original?!
For being the 1,000th tourist to the city, you have been given a 6,000 gil voucher to spend as you like at the Ishgard Department Store (think FFXIV version of Macy's). What do you spend it on?
I'm sorely tempted to buy a big stack of books, but I'd have to bring them back, and... I haven't got anywhere to put them, so they'd just get stolen and burnt for warmth. I'd buy a few changes of clothes, a couple of hats, and for goodness' sake a new pair of shoes. And a nice big backpack. This scrounged-up knapsack I got here with is falling apart at the seams. And of course, when I'm down to my last 1,000 gil, I buy the thing in the front window that's advertised for 1,000 gil, then come back two hours later and return it to a different person who doesn't know I paid with a voucher, and gives me gil instead. Hey, I need to get back home somehow....
All of that shopping has made you deliriously hungry. What sort of food establishment do you seek out for lunch?
Fish! I'll bet they have fish here. I've only ever had fish once, and it wasn't even good fish, but it was delicious! What? They have seven different kinds of fish?! Okay, that's it, I'm booking passage back home and then I'm coming back to eat...
Five months later and safely back at home, you realize the Winter Festival is approaching! What sort of present do you pick out for your mother (or nearest living relative, or closest friend)?
Well, if my lot doesn't improve, I'll be standing out in the market with the rest of the urchins, trying to get handouts from rich people who feel guilty just letting us sit there and rot. Presents are for people who have money. Here's hoping things start looking up...
