Who is this guy, anyway?
"I'm Pylades if I'm in trouble, but my friends call me Pye!"
Pronouns: He/Him
Gender: Tank
Orientation: Gay
Age: Early Thirties
An upbeat miqo'te with a penchant for foolish antics, Pye currently works in Ishgard as a Firmament co-op manager and an agricultural liaison for the Dravanian Farmers Union. When he's not doting on his husband Rinalle Bou-Attica, terrifying friends with culinary experiments, or getting looped into schemes with his bestie, worstie, and ex-wife Orestes Attica, he can be found greeting neighbors at the Farmers Attic, the Ishgardian farmers market down the street from his home.Outside of Ishgard, Pye can be found warming the seats at a little cantina down in Drybone, a waystation in the former Castrum Oriens, or working the Monday night shift at an upscale lounge in Limsa
History
"Careful, son of the Spinner, for long shadows carry far."
Despite the comfortable state of his current life, the man now known as Pylades has not always lived as he now does, nor been the man he now is. Though he's evasive about his history, those from certain walks of life may have heard the following rumors.
Sharlayans
"Shame, what happened their son — the year after the Calamity, too! He was a bright lad, his father's pride and joy before some prostitute's whelp pushed him off the edge of the Rostra."
"It's almshouse, is what it is—"
"A whorehouse, more like."
"Now you shush. Priestesses of the Spinner they are still, even if they wear a less sanctified sort of veil."
"The Attica family, from the Dravanian colony? Now there's a name I've not heard in some time. Stubborn lot, even for the colony-born. For all their kin begged and pleaded for them to return, only a single Attica ever traveled back to the Northern Empty, with naught but her name in her possession."
Bloodsands
"Attica? I don't think I've... wait, scrappy sort of lad? Ye high, white hair, pretty mouth? Yeah he was here for a bit, a few years after Dalamud fell. Trick act — flashed a lot of tail, that one, and winked at the crowd as some burly fellow put him on the ground."
"A lot of fighters move on from the circuit after a few years. Everyone dreams of being the next Bull of Ala Mhigo, but the reality is that young things can only take so many hits before bones ache, scars stiffen, age wears. That's when we put them out to pasture with the Alliance, hah! It's a joke round here, with the bookies — Ishgard got all our seconds for a bit, after they opened the Steps of Faith."
The Resistance
"We call 'em walking wounded — the ones the Alliance sent to us with fit bodies and broken minds. As if Rhalgr's Reach didn't have enough of their own scarred memories to tend to. Let Doma have them — they're more liability than help, to us."
"An odd ijin at the Oronoko tavern? Aye, I remember him. Quiet fellow, cleaned and gutted the fish, kept his eyes down and his ears attentive. Must have had a lover in Kugane, though — man went to the city every month, regular as clockwork, and came back smelling of pillow house smoke."
"Report from Fishmonger. Ruby Sea routes enclosed. Cipher to follow."
RP Hooks
A Lean, Keen, Greengrocer Machine
Pye makes a living bouncing between selling seasonal produce, flipping unwanted surplus into secondary farm products, and connecting Dravanian cottage industries to lucrative markets in Ishgard and beyond. If you're a botanist, artisan, or merchant with a keen eye for bargains, he's open to being approached for business propositions (or just yammering your ear off about the latest wheat harvest).Post-Calamity Plant Refugia
As a farmers liaison and partner of the Idyllshire Grubplots, Pye's always got an ear to the ground when it comes to cold-hardy crop cultivars and pre-Calamity seedbanks that may have survived the snow. Interested in reviving heirloom mirror apple strains? Looking for a medicinal herb thought lost to the endless snow? Feel free to strike up a conversation!Forever Foreigner
While he's settled into a comfortable life in Coerthas with the help of a Firmament work visa and state-funded restoration incentives, Pye is keenly aware that Ishgardian sentiments don't change as fast as their legislature. If you're Ishgardian born and raised, feel free to ask him what life has been like on this side of the Steps of Faith. If you're a fellow newcomer to the city, grab a pint and commiserate. Pye is particularly protective of auri newcomers and will be ready to offer a safe place to land to any who indicate they need it."Don't Wanna Be A Sharlayan Idiot"Although he's cagey about what originally brought him to Eorzea, Pye is now fairly open about the fact that he was born in Sharlayan and left as a young man to make his fortune elsewhere. As a dyslexic blue-collar boy raised amidst ivory tower meritocracy, Pye wavers between a healthy derision of academia and a constant insecurity about his level of education.Walking Wounded & Whisper WorkOnce a glib, wet-behind-the-ears adventurer more interested in Coliseum showmanship than real combat, Pye is now a veteran of two wars with a strong sympathy for others who fought under Alliance colors and were left with scars that cannot be seen. If you're a fellow former soldier or worked with the Resistance (particularly those who worked in Resistance intelligence) feel free to reminisce in dubious bittersweet nostalgia, or bend his ear for a favor requested.
The Writer
Hello! I'm PromptlyGoing, called Prompt in FFXIV social spaces, and I'm the writer behind Pylades Attica-Bou. You might also know me around the Aether RP scene via my other venue characters, Gelmorran chirurgeon Theodule Molisouix of Lichens Lantern and Gyr Abanian caravan girl Temenha Tanria of the Tanria Traveling Tea Tent.Pye is my first FFXIV character and as such his story is a long and winding one, shaped strongly by my first encounter with the MSQ and the world of Eorzea. Though his backstory touches on more serious themes surrounding sex work, childhood neglect, religious trauma, PTSD, and queer identity, those topics are generally not put front and center in more casual RP settings, and will be navigated OOC with other players via tells if there is an interest in engaging with them.In the interest of everyone having a good time, here are some requests I'd like to make of my fellow roleplayers:1) Do not initiate conflict without checking in with me OOC first (or at least touching base afterwards).
I'm fine with adversarial interactions and find them a fun avenue for character writing, but I'm most comfortable doing so when a player has initially reached out to me OOC so I know we're on the same page, and that all tension remains in-character only. Even if the characters are antagonistic, I want the writers to be collaborative. Thank you!2) While fantasy racism and other forms of fictionalized prejudice are alive and well in Eorzea, I'd prefer not to roleplay microaggressions while I'm writing for fun
I enjoy exploring social themes through storytelling, and don't mind referencing, for example, the ostracization foreigners face in Ishgard, or the prejudices Keepers face in the Shroud. However, I'd prefer not to have that play out in overtly offensive ways (e.g. don't sling fantasy slurs around).3) No soliciting sexually explicit roleplay
Obviously, as can be seen in Pye's backstory, I am fine with sexual themes in storytelling. I also enjoy having Pye flirt (horribly) with people he meets! However, as a character Pye is married and monogamous, and I the writer prefer to establish a strong rapport of trust and communication with others before playing out sexually explicit storylines with my characters. Thank you for your understanding!4) If you're unsure of something, always, always feel free to break character and send me a message!
I love immersive roleplay, but the best immersion happens when writers feel comfortable communicating their needs to each other. I'll never be mad about someone breaking character to ask something, or to pause a scene to take care of something irl! It makes the roleplay space a safer place for all of us when we feel able to step back and clarify, so I encourage my fellow roleplayers to do so.
Tailfeather Test Kitchen
Working with the foragers, gardeners, and cottage industries of the Dravanian forelands, the Tailfeather Test Kitchen brings refreshing drinks and hand-crafted small plates from farm to Ishgardian table!Warning: These are all inventory bombs that will take 3-5 slotsStreet Food (5k gil a piece):Triple Duck Latte: Hot cocoa, coffee, and milk tea mixed into a decadent ménage à trois and topped with steamed milk.Gingersnap Tea: Ginger lemon tea sweetened with just a touch of honey is served with a caramel filled sesame cookie on topHot Honey Double Roasted Chestnuts: A generous scoop of chestnuts which have been roasted over an open fire, shelled, tossed in dragon pepper honey, and then lightly roasted again! Served in an orchestrion roll with toothpicks for munchingKnightly Bread Bowl: Carbonara noodles are smothered in a Skybuilder rosé cream sauce and served in a bouleLover’s Surprise (10k gil):Menphina's skillet sometimes produces happy accidents, and so does ours! Roll /random 20 and get a unique bespoke meal that comes with an extra gift from a rolling table
Orestes Attica:
Orestes is the childhood friend who married Pye when they were teenagers. When Pye was put on trial, it was Orestes' idea to exploit an antiquated honeymoon loophole that forbid the sentencing of someone who had been recently married. She used the resulting grace period to smuggle Pye onto a ship with a stolen identity, and only reunited with him in Eorzea years later. Recently, they've had a ceremony of eternal divorcing to annul their sham marriage and celebrate a lifetime as best friends and platonic life partners. She's his bestie and his worstie and his oldest friend.Rinalle Bou:
An Ala Mhigan resistance mage with a kind heart and a broken memory, Rinalle was first befriended by Orestes and introduced to Pye at Eriya's tavern. After Pye beat him during a sparring match and sealed the victory with a kiss, the two men circled each other longer than any of their mutual friends had patience for; as winter blossomed into spring however, their patience was rewarded, as they both found the courage to speak their hearts to the other and begin courting in earnest. They are now an established couple, and can often be found in each other's company at their favorite taverns and haunts.Eriya Xitrina:
Eriya found Pye as a young man first wandering Eorzea and took him under her wing. She quickly realized he wasn't the Gridanian local he was trying to pass himself off as, and gently prodded him into taking up the sword and shield instead of pretending, very badly, to be a hunter from the Twelveswood. As a white mage, she's the one who taught him how to tank from ARR to EW, and Pylades owes her a life debt. He adores her and would protect her with his life.Linden Vane:
A fellow miqo'te boy from rough beginnings, Linden was Pye's first friend in Eorzea. The two met on the road, fell into each other's company, and became romantically involved until youthful affection transformed into steadfast friendship over the years. Although they're more friends than lovers by the start of ARR, Linden always has a special place in Pye's heart.Bee Boranehn:
A tender, romantic soul, Bee met Pye through the free company shortly after becoming an adventurer. Despite their early misgivings, the two became friends when Bee realized Pye struggled to read, and began tutoring him in books and letters. Now they can often be found reading together at the company house, where she teases him about his love life and he complains about her taste in poetry. To Pye, she is "Miss Bee."Ky'el Mason:
A nonverbal, difficult-to-read miqo'te man with a dry sense of humor, Ky'el has been letting Pye labor under the impression that he is but a mere kit when he is in fact several years his senior. Despite being a ninja by trade, he enjoys holding hands with Pye in the tank zone where he can hit the secret front positionals.Era Mhari:
Once a seeker girl growing up on the docks with big pirate dreams, Era is a swashbuckling musketeer with a big attitude and an easily flustered heart. She and Pye butt heads and band together in turn depending on the day, but despite all their squabbling she never hesitates to verraise him when he's tanking the floor.Zelha'ra Briaaer:
The newest member of the free company, Zel is a cutthroat keeper with a taste for havoc. Luckily Pye has a soft spot for scrappy new adventurers, and is more than willing to enable him in the name of seeing what happens next.
Occasional Cafe Artist
Colored portrait
Colored portrait
Sometimes Pye can be found sketching in his notebook at RP venues. If he's available that day, he's usually happy to take a simple in-character commission:Rough sketch (10 min): 100k gil per character, head and shoulders only
Simple colored portrait (40-60 min): 3 million gil per character, head and shoulders onlyPortraits will be sent through Discord (I'll ask for your username via tell). Images are free for personal use (profile pictures, carrds, etc) but cannot be monetized. He reserves the right to post the resulting art on social media unless explicitly asked not to by the client.
"Under Educated"Pye didn't learn how to read until he was a teenager, and even now struggles with literacy despite the help of friends. Although his Sharlayan upbringing makes him wary of scholars, he also admires people with an academic interest or passion, if only because they have expertise in something he woefully lacks."Happily divorced"Pye and his best friend Orestes officially dissolved their marriage and will cheerily refer to each other as their ex-wife or husband — if you've had similarly complicated romantic or platonic arrangements, he'll be quick to commiserate and swap stories."No country for old catboys"Pye has a complicated relationship with his birth country, and is painfully Sharlayan in both his cultural values and the way he tries to set himself apart from them. If you're a Sharlayan expat, he'll be quick to commiserate with any discontent expressed about the motherland and suspicious of those who hold it in high regard."You remind me of a friend"Pye has a huge soft spot for au'ra, especially small bossy au'ra girls who look like they could use some help. If you play an au'ra and ask him to do something, he'll probably do it. Thanks for that, Orestes."Whisper work"
Pye's been a professional soldier in two different wars. Though he's reluctant to speak of the war in Ishgard, he'll happily chat about his time running intelligence out of the Ruby Sea during the war against the Empire.
The boy who would later be called Pylades was born at the cult of Nymeia in Sharlayan. The woman who bore him, Faria Qesh, was a minor priestess and temple prostitute who refused to acknowledge him as her offspring or give him a clan name, and thus he grew up nothos, or the spinner's son.When he was twelve, he befriended a fellow temple orphan whose parents had died while journeying from the Azim Steppe. Orestes was a quick-witted girl with a stolen identity and in time she gave him a name as well — Pylades, which she affectionately shorted to Pye. It is the first and best gift anyone had ever given him, and would be the name he used for the rest of his life.When he was sixteen, Pylades maimed the son of a Forum member during an altercation and was put on trial. With Orestes' help — and a convenient marriage loophole — he was able to secure a grace period from sentencing and escaped Sharlayan on the first ship bound for Eorzea. Since those early days he's settled into a new life with a name he now considers his own, helped by the friendships he found on the road. If the spinner smiles upon him he'll never have to return to Sharlayan — and the nameless boy he left behind there — again.
Whippoorwill's RoundFor those we have lost, and those we can yet save. In the eye of the divine spindle all things come to meet in the middle. A series of vignettes for Pylades Attica