character art

[Enkidoh]

Well then, I better cast Raise on it.

EDIT: seeing as how everyone else is adding their characters' backstories, I'm going to do the same.

1.0 version of Enki:



Backstory:

Enkidoh d'Roux (commonly she writes her surname with the 'd' dropped from 'd'Roux'), was born Enkidoh Ninghol five years before the fall of Ala Mhigo, the city of her birth (the year 1552 of the Sixth Astral Era). Her mother, Htirea, was a Botanist who sold flowers at a stand in the city, while her father, Pryatr, was a member of the city militia, a swordsman who often had the unsatisfactory title of 'Gladiator' thrust on him despite him being a soldier who happened to favour the sword.

Both her parents were outcast members of the Seekers of the Sun clan of miqo'te, a clan rare amongst the Eorzean citystates, and even rarer in Ala Mhigo - her father was a non-breeding male (or 'tia') who challenged the tribe's 'nuhn' for the right to sire offspring... and lost. Hence, left with no alternative, he turned his back on his tribe and left to found a new one, and offered the females of the tribe the chance to make a new start.

Unfortunately, only one accepted his offer to join him, and soon, the two, left their desert home behind, abandoning the Seekers' primitive tribal society for a more urban way of life, which they found in the castle city of Ala Mhigo, and accordingly shed their ties to their former lives by adopting Ala Mhigan names. Nevertheless, they still raised their daughter reverently in their clan's traditional worship of Azeyma the Warden, the Goddess of the Sun, not entirely comfortable to convert to the traditional Ala Mhigan worship of Rhalgr the Destroyer, god of destruction, nor the 'new official faith' of Nymiea the Spinner, as decreed by the King.

When Ala Mhigo fell to the Garlean Empire, following a brief but brutal civil war which saw the tyrannical king's regime toppled, Enki's parents were lost to the fighting, and Enki fled, orphaned, afraid and alone. Drifting aimlessly she found herself amongst a ragtag group of refugees fleeing the violence before the Empire's net closed completely, preventing any further escape. After stopping at an apparently abandoned fruit cart, she took an apple from it only to be chastised angrily by the cart's owner, an Ul'dahn wildwood elezen merchant named Gill'ette d'Roux.

When the grief became too much, Enki broke down crying, and the elezen woman's heart softened, and comforted her. Realizing Enki was now orphaned and homeless, and lacking children of her own, Gill'ette decided to take the young Miqo'te under her care, and took her to live with her back in Ul'dah, raising Enki as her own daughter (hence Enki now took Gill'ette's family name of 'd'Roux', although she often spelt it without the d.) Growing up as a member of a wealthy merchant family, Enki was now safe, but saw from afar the contempt and resentment other Ala Mhigan refugees in the city experienced from the Ul'dahns, and Enki realized that she could never reveal her origins to anyone, lest she loose the family she had only just gained.

It was about that time that the Age of Adventuring began, and Enki saw the growing number of adventurers leaving the city. In particular, she took notice of the Gladiator's Guild the Colosseum, who practiced the ways of the sword, just like her father taught her. In fact, seeing the gladiators training made Enki remember her father, and mother, and soon, she begun to pine for the city of her birth. Ala Mhigo.

She knew though that getting to Ala Mhigo would not be easy, as the city was still under Garlean occupation, with access severely restricted in and out, but she also realized that an adventurer might have the best chance of gaining access. Hence, when Enki came of age on her eighteenth nameday, the now adult miqo'te revealed to her shocked adopted parents that she was going to become an adventurer, and a Gladiator at that! But however much they tried dissuading her, her mind was made up. And so, having taken two years to prepare, on her twentieth winter, she left Ul'dah behind, to make the long and gruelling trek to the north east, to Ala Mhigo. After many weeks on the road, after finding herself in the thick, impenetrable forest of the Black Shroud, she soon realized she was lost. She had to then make a life-changing decision. Should she continue on and hope for the best? Or turn around and head back the same way she came?

Of these two paths, only the Warden (and perhaps the Matron too) knew what path she was to take, a fact directed to Enki in the form of a shooting star, and another, and another. Streaking through the thick forest canopy like fiery birds. Her bright blue eyes wide with wonder at the beautiful spectacle, she hefted her pack, and followed the streaking stars, not to Ala Mhigo like she intended, but to Gridania, her destiny - a destiny that was not just hers, but that of all of Eorzea...

(Later history still to come )

Character creation:

Enkidoh Roux first had her origins in FFXI, my very first MMO - as I'd made my FFXI version of Enki as a mithra, I went with miqo'te as well (as I've always liked cats I guess I just identify with catpeople in anime/games ), and I gradually created her backstory up from the start as I played through the game. I chose Seekers of the Sun as her clan though, as I much preferred the skin tones and hair colours available for Sunseekers in 1.0 compared to the Keepers of the Moon. I've always liked red hair (even though I'm naturally brunette!) and so it was a no-brainer that both versions of Enki have red hair. I do share blue eyes and slightly pale skin with Enki though, which is about the only similarities I have with her.

As I've long loved the WHM Job in earlier FF games, I originally chose WHM as my starting Job in FFXI, although when I first started FFXIV 1.0, I decided to do something different, and thus I started as GLA, remembering how hard it was to solo as WHM in FFXI. Ever since, I've just loved playing as GLA, and have since made it Enki's main, and developed her storyline around it accordingly.

As for her name though, 'Enkidoh' is a name I've long used as a handle in multiple games/websites (I originally chose it at random for a account name for eBay out of an old EGM issue with a FFV guide - it was how SE's original English language translation of FFV translated 'Enkidu' in the game), and Enki's surname, Roux, is my partner's character's surname as well - I didn't even need to think to chose the same name when I created Enki.

I've done quite a bit of art of both versions of Enki (FFXI and XIV), which if you forgive my chocobo-scratching I call art, does capture their personalities rather well, I hope:

My character with my partner's character (Enki is the one on the right ).

[mharici]

Keep them coming! It's so interesting hearing everyone's stories ^^

I bought a time card so everything is sweet now! Looks like my long weekend won't go completely to waste! P.S Please don't expect too much from my doodles, just killing time and I'm not too good. Also sorry for the guys, I'm particularly not so good with male characters

Anyway, batch one of doodlies...(feel free to adjust brightness and saturation yourself!)

Reokudo: that art is just... so beautiful ;_;

EVERYTHING I TOUCH TURNS FLUFFY AND CUTE IM SORRRRY



Laiyenu: aw I love the history with your character. I drew her according to her appearance in xiv though!



Sunoske: I love character art too! Even if it is just a doodle, there's just that something awesome about seeing somebody else draw/interpret your character.



Nahara: Miqo'tes are awesome so good choice

I'll be back with your doodle in a bit, Fensfield's characters were so cute I needed to draw them ASAP ;_;

Fensfield: That's awesome, making a pair of twin characters with your friend.

Ah, just realised it the pic turned out a bit blurry. When I have some more time, I might install photoshop so I can just sketch there instead of with a pen and taking a photo of..

[Laiyenu]

EVERYTHING I TOUCH TURNS FLUFFY AND CUTE IM SORRRRY

Laiyenu: aw I love the history with your character. I drew her according to her appearance in xiv though!

Nothing to apologize for cute and fluffy ;3 Also all these are awesome!

[Fensfield]

Keep them coming! It's so interesting hearing everyone's stories ^^

I bought a time card so everything is sweet now! Looks like my long weekend won't go completely to waste! P.S Please don't expect too much from my doodles, just killing time and I'm not too good. Also sorry for the guys, I'm particularly not so good with male characters

Anyway, batch one of doodlies...(feel free to adjust brightness and saturation yourself!)

[...]

Sunoske: I love character art too! Even if it is just a doodle, there's just that something awesome about seeing somebody else draw/interpret your character.

[...]

... Fensfield's characters were so cute I needed to draw them ASAP ;_;

Fensfield: That's awesome, making a pair of twin characters with your friend.

Ah, just realised it the pic turned out a bit blurry. When I have some more time, I might install photoshop so I can just sketch there instead of with a pen and taking a photo of..

Oh gosh I'm sorry, I missed your having responded until now!

Just to reply to your little bit to Sunoske though.. I mean, definitely! Stuff 'quality', somehow someone drawing your character on your behalf is just so, so special somehow no matter how technically skilled they may be - not that you aren't!

On which note.. well, thank you so much! I didn't notice blurriness and even still, the drawing really is just plain lovely. Roru's player hasn't appeared today but I'll be sure and show them as soon as I can!

Again though just.. thanks for the lovely thread. I might add some of my other characters later too, just for fun ^^

EDIT
I attach below the reaction of Roruna's player, upon showing them your drawing:

- Squeeeee xD
- <3
- I swear, Roruna has to, like, be asleep in EVERY drawing ever now.
- Three out of three, so far.

[Tokochan]

I would love one but I am on my phone and on campus all day with no computer ;-; *sadness*

Edit: I tried to make my character from xi... The Mithra with red hair in a bun :3 but nothing matched it in xiv.. But I'd like to imagine this would be her with a new hairstyle -3-