newhorizonsxiv

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NOTE: Note a poll for the sexy man/sexy woman tournament BUT I wanted to have a little fun.

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The Scions are such a mess in ARR because Minfilia, Thancred, Alphinaud, Urianger, and Papalymo are all like "I, personally, have to be the next Louisoix" and no one is disabusing any of them of the notion.

Yda is like "I am also here. 😎" Alisiae is like "Fuck this shit actually." Y'shtola cannot be reached for comment. Moenbryda arrives and is like "Yeah I don't know about all that oh shit nevermind I have to be the next Louisoix."

Stormblood is great because you get to hang out with the girls who said "Fuck this shit actually."

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Hrothgar WoL and her favorite Fae friends! Sorry I have been deep in the commission mines, I keep forgetting to upload here!

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reblog if you’re 25+ and still roleplay; or if you believe older muns have a place in the rpc and shouldn’t be told to give it up when they turn 30. 

i received this anon & i just want to make a point. 

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🩷 and 💚

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Thancred feels like a character who wants his persona to be carefree but he cares so very, very deeply it's practically coming out of his pores. All the other scions just pretend not to see it to help him out.

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I'm honestly baffled as to why we were given a dialogue option to describe Y'Shtola as motherly when Urianger is right there.

Urianger is the adoptive step-mother of (1) the Warriors of Darkness, (2) the pixies of Il Mheg, (3) Ryne, (4) the Lopporits, and (5) Dawnservant Koana.

The only way that line makes sense to me is if it is coming from a Warrior of Light who has yet to forget that one time Y'shtola threatened to "take her across her knee" and is desperately trying to provoke an encore.

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The fundamental difference between Zenos and The Warrior of Light as Written--something that exists regardless of any particular WoL's disposition or motivations, all things subject to personal headcanon--is that the TWoLaW engages deeply with the world around them, and Zenos does not. The fundamental quality of Azem the Traveler, and the quality that is suggested to have been inherited by TWoLaW (and by Ardbert), is that they are deeply engaged with the world, and with its people.

Is it true that TWoLaW is disposed toward violence, sure, absolutely, for reasons of video game mechanics if nothing else. But I fundamentally disagree that violence is the core of TWoLaW regardless of how we roleplay them. At the core of TWoLaW is their engagement with the world. Yes, as a result of that, TWoLaW is willing to go kill people and things because they were asked to. You know what else they're willing to do because someone asked them to? Talk to people. Fetch things for them. Gather resources. Make things. Deliver gifts. Facilitate trade. Learn skills. Build community. Cross the seas to help a new friend. Explore. Uncover ancient mysteries. GO TO SPACE! And if you see Zenos as a foil for the player rather than the character, all this still very much applies.

You can roleplay the most curmudgeonly, antisocial, misanthropic WoL possible, you can even reject all side content and stick solely to MSQ, and you will still find yourself inhabiting a character who, as written, is fundamentally engaged with the world. They don't have to be happy. They don't have to be nice. They don't have to do any of what they're doing out of altruism. They're still making the choice to connect with other people, to invest themselves in the struggles and passions of others, to have a personal stake in shaping the world around them, because that is what the character is written to do.

Zenos's tragic flaw is his inability--and yes, perhaps, on some level, unwillingness--to connect with the world and the people around him. He finds no meaningful engagement with the world except to enact violence upon it. He has no personal investment in the Garlean Empire except as it allows him to enact violence, and by this disengagement he basically singlehandedly allows the entire empire to collapse because he doesn't care about it, only about fulfilling his own desires. The funny thing about Zenos as a foil for the protagonist is that he would make a terrible RPG protagonist. The archetypal RPG protagonist is so defined by their willingness to say yes to menial tasks that are only meaningful to some minor NPC that most modern RPGs end up lampshading that fact in some way, and it's endlessly memed upon. I struggle to imagine Zenos making it through the Company of Heroes fetch quests in ARR without getting bored and stabbing someone.

So all-encompassing is this worldview for him that even upon calling the WoL his only friend, he can find no meaningful engagement with them beyond "let us enact violence upon one another." Even the one person in the world he finds interesting enough to engage with, he is seemingly incapable of understanding on any other level. (And if you play a WoL with a desire to connect with Zenos on any other level, I think there's potential for a really interesting tragedy there! Because he either won't or can't.)

And we don't ever really get to challenge him on how narrow and stifling and miserable his engagement with the world truly is. Maybe there's a flicker of it at the very end, an acknowledgement that his life was fundamentally unfulfilling. Perhaps Zenos even sees, on some level, what the WoL has that he does not; maybe unconsciously in pursuing them, he seeks to figure out what that thing is. But then he dies, in his chosen manner, after getting the same one thing he's been pursuing as long as we've known him. That's what's sad about Zenos on a narrative level. Not that he dies, but that he dies unchanged and unchallenged.

And this is why I just can never quite get behind the idea that the core of the WoL is the same as the core of Zenos--no matter how many people the Warrior of Light has killed. I just don't believe that. When I look at TWoLaW, I see a character deeply engaged with the world. When I look at Zenos I see a character who never truly connects with anyone or anything outside himself.

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What Final Fantasy minigame would you love to see in FFXIV? (No Blitzball)

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guess what time it is... XIV POLL TIME!!!

making you choose only 1 because i wanna see what role gets voted most, BUT feel free to elaborate in tags :) ik people hsve more specific reasoning for what they choose buttt im just really curious about what role gets the most lol. so just vote generally who you pick the most

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By the way I remain firm in my belief that the only reason Alisaie comes across as less of a Rich Kid is that she lets Alphinaud say the Stupid Rich Kid Shit first (this is not hard because he talks VERY much) and then just. Acts like she knew that was Rich Kid Shit all along. I think it took Alisaie a Long While to not be mourning the loss of her huge gorgeous perfect bed but someone made fun of Alphinaud for mentioning the "insufficent conditions for rest" early on so now she can never say a thing about it.

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sprites

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Ffxiv rp character seeks ffxiv rp blogs!

Interact if you have a ffxiv rp character or blog if you would please. It's been weeks and I'm having far less luck on tumblr than discord. It might be due to lack of tags though so I'm giving that a go!

Em's blog is apparently "aesthetics" and a few "screenshots" if that matters. :)

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C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

Ooooh! This is an interesting one and I think I need to answer it for multiple characters.

Lyneth has no idea what she's doing most of the time and kind of lives in Fake It Til You Make It mode but I, as the player, have always had clear goals for where I wanted her story to go and how I wanted her to develop over time and while it's been a slow burn she is, thus far, right on track in her journey of learning who she really is and who she wants to be outside of other's expectations.

Ilthus fights me every step of the way as I try to nudge him along the path to eventually being less of a trash bag of a character. I really did intend for him to eventually develop some emotional ties to people who won't enable him (ie - not Lyneth) and find that heart of gold and sense of greater purpose and responsibility that I know is buried deep down under all the selfishness and fear of intimacy and trauma he's ignoring but man oh man does he desperately try to remain trash in every scene I write.

Shihan has been far and away the hardest character for me to figure out a path forward for because even he doesn't see himself as the main character in his own story. This poor boy is so fixated on duty and his responsibility to other people that he doesn't even allow himself to want anything personally, at least not consciously. As his writer I have some ideas of the things he wants for himself and then represses wanting until it turns into a seething resentment constantly boiling just under the surface of his usual level calm. And I am slowly working on letting him have some of those things. He's been my chew toy for long enough. It might be time to finally let the poor thing have some peace and happiness. For a while. As a treat.

Thank you so much for the ask @mimble-sparklepudding

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Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators:

Send me a # (questions for OCs) or a letter (questions for creators) and I’ll answer

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

How easy is it to earn their trust?

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

What animal do they fear most?

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

What makes their stomach turn?

Are they easily embarrassed?

What embarrasses them?

What is their favorite number?

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Why do they get up in the morning? 

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

 Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? 

 What are their thoughts on marriage? 

 What is their preferred mode of transportation? 

 What causes them to feel dread? 

 Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

 Do they usually live up to their own ideals? 

 Who do they most regret meeting? 

 Who are they the most glad to have met? 

 Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 

 Could they be considered lazy? 

 How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? 

 How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? 

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? 

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? 

What memory do they revisit the most often? 

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? 

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

How do they feel about children? 

How badly do they want to reach their end goal? 

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so? 

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS

A) Why are you excited about this character? B) What inspired you to create them? C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story? D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look? E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you? F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)? G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most? H) What trait do you admire most? I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe? J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

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So it’s my Nameday Today. I don’t have anything particular planned, beyond work and moping. But if anyone wants to share some jolly screenshots or lore snippets about their OCs then I shall be delighted to see them.

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SFW Alphabet Asks

Thought I'd do this! Send me a character and some letters, or send in a ship if you'd prefer. If you don't send in a ship, I'll assume x reader for the romantic questions.

A | Affection: How do they care for those they love? Are they more showy, or private?

B | Blush: How easily embarrassed are they? Do they get defensive, or shy?

C | Class: How open are they to PDA? How would they react to you initiating affection in public?

D | Dream: Who's their dream partner? Their perfect spouse?

E | Eloquence: How are they when it comes to expressing their feelings for their partner? Are they usually good with words outside of that?

F | Fuck: How often do they curse? How often do they claim they curse? Are they secretly more or less vulgar than they claim to be?

G | Goodbye: How would they react to their partner leaving them? Would they get over it quickly? If their partner is in the wrong, would they seek revenge?

H | Heart: Are they the naturally caring sort? Selfless and kind? If not, how does that change when in love?

I | I, Myself (Free-Space): What do some headcannons I myself have for this character?

J | Jinx: Are they superstitious? Are there any supernatural phenomena they believe in?

K | Koala: Are they the type to cling like a koala would while cuddling? Do they enjoy cuddling in the first place?

L | Love: What's something in a partner they'd secretly love?

M | Mouth: How do they kiss? Are they a good kisser? Do they enjoy kissing at first? Would they rather kiss, or be kissed?

N | Nya: How hard would it be to make them put on a pair of cat ears? Is it even possible to do so? Would they be embarrassed about wearing them?

O | Oven: Are they interested in baking? Would they bake as an act of affection? As a favor?

P | Prank: How would they fare with pranks? Are they the sort to prank others? Are pranks easy for them to spot, and if pranked, how would they react?

Q | Quiet: How would they react to getting the silent treatment from a partner? Would they panic? Would they reciprocate the cold shoulder?

R | Romantic: Are they the romantic type? Or are they more cynical when it comes to matters of love? What do they think will happen if they try to date others?

S | Sore Loser: How competitive are they? How do they react to losing a game?

T | Tease: How do they react to being teased? Are they the teasing sort themselves?

U | Undo: What's the one thing they'd do anything to go back and undo?

V | Vengeful: Are they the vengeful sort? How do they react to being wronged? If with a partner, will they get revenge for things like pranks or kisses?

W | Whine: Are they prone to complaining about small things?

X | X (Twitter): Do they use social media? If so, what sort of things to they usually post?

Y | Yelp: What's the easiest way to catch them off-guard? How easy is it to do so in the first place?

Z | Zit: Do they ever get acne? What about dark circles? Stretch marks? Other traits often regarded as "blemishes"? Are they insecure about them?