Arthurioux Duchamps
 Arthurioux Duchamps
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| Gender | Male |
| Race | Elezen |
| Clan | Wildwood |
| Citizenship | Ishgard |
| Age | Late teens to early twenties. |
| Height | 6'4” |
| Weight | 174 ponzes |
| Profession | Chocobo caretaker and scholar |
| Patron Deity | Althyk, the Keeper |
| Server | Balmung |
((under construction. I'm commenting out everything that's giving me difficulty at the moment, so this is definitely a work in progress!))
Contents
History
Most of Arthur's life was spent on a chocobo farm in rural Coerthas. His parents raised chocobos for the Ishgardian war effort, and he grew up with the birds as a result. As a child, he was always curious as to the happenings in the distant spires of the Observatorium. Though he loves the chocobos like family and enjoys caring for them, he's still young and naïve enough to have not outgrown his wonder at the astrologians' work.
However, his upbringing and family's status weren't conducive to admission into the fold of astrology. Determined to rise above his station, Arthur spent years scraping together any information he could use to convince the Observatorium officials to let him study with them. He found that knowledge of the nature of aether would probably be a solid foundation, and so he decided he would journey to the neighboring city-states of the Eorzean Alliance to study.
In exchange for their full support, his parents proposed a challenge – if Arthur could raise the farm's problem chick to be just as strong and well behaved as the rest of the clutch by the time the birds came of age, they would not only permit him to travel, but they would also give him a decent sum of gil for his travels. He readily accepted, though the chick he was to raise was more problematic than anticipated.
Neige, as the chick came to be called, was an aggressive and headstrong little chocobo, to be sure. She was smaller than her siblings, but she made up for it with moxie – going so far as to actually require one of her feet to be amputated after a particularly nasty kerfuffle. Training her was easily the greatest challenge of Arthur's entire life, and he sustained more than a few injuries from the endeavor. It would have been difficult even without her handicap, which he turned to carpentry in order to mitigate.
With no small amount of help from his parents and a handful of craftsmen, he managed to whip Neige into shape by the time their next herd of chocobos were due for delivery. She was still a feisty little bird, but she developed a healthy sense of respect for Arthur and would acquiesce to his orders, unless she thought they were too foolish for her to obey.
He led the caravan to Camp Dragonhead and was ready to be on his merry way shortly thereafter, when the stablemaster there told him that his herd was to be gifted to the Order of Twin Adders, and as such, should be delivered to Gridania. He took the redirection in stride, and made the journey to the Adders' Nest over the course of a fortnight, with a few stops for rest here and there. Upon his completing his task, his first destination was Stillglade Fane, where he has been a student ever since.
Running errands for the Conjurer's Guild has lead Arthur across the continent, and though he values his conjury studies, he's been moonlighting at Mealvaan's Gate while studying with the arcanists. The sacred geometries of arcanima puzzle yet intrigue him, and as of late, he's wondered whether the methods of drafting them are similar to the astrologians' methods of tracking celestial bodies. To say the least, he finds the notion exciting, and has lingered in Limsa Lominsa longer than intended as a result.
Arthur's eagerly seeking a mentor to assist him with furthering his education, though he has had little luck finding one thus far. Despite this, he's met a handful of academically minded people and is adjusting well to life in the Alliance states.
After having been caught up in an interesting case involving aether poisoning, he's staying with a free company. Although it's mostly for the sake of keeping in close contact with the primary subject of his research, he's somewhat fond of the other members as well. He's still not sure if he intends to stick with the arrangement in the long term, however.
Personality
A lively young man eager to see and experience everything the world has to offer. Though he's rather attached to his homeland, he left to find the knowledge he needs to make it a better place. His optimism may be somewhat naïve, but he hopes to help and inspire as many people as he can. Hydaelyn is a beautiful place and he wants everyone to be able to appreciate it.
He's a very good listener and enjoys conversation for the sole purpose of hearing what others have to say. Despite his outgoing demeanor, Arthur shies away from answering any personal questions for fear of rejection. He's afraid that he's a person of little consequence, so he tries his damnedest to endear himself to people. He craves people's affections and praise as a means of validation, and though he tries his best not to seem too earnest, it's woefully obvious. He has an unfortunate tendency to get too attached to new people and forget that they need space; doting on them to the extent that it's nearly smothering.
Arthur's enthusiasm is boundless. Even when he's at rest, he's constantly moving; overflowing with nervous energy. If he can't manage to get others to talk about themselves, he'll take it as an indication that he should take initiative and talk himself, though the topic of conversation is usually completely irrelevant. He's the kind of person who loathes silence – it makes him uneasy. To Arthur, silence in any sort of social setting is an indication that he's not being interesting or pleasant enough – that he's disappointing everyone by virtue of hitting a lull in conversation.
Characteristics
- Nicknames: Arthur. He feels his full first name is too formal; given the opportunity to introduce himself, this is what he'll insist on being called. Artie or Arty, usually by friendly acquaintances. (To be entirely honest, the last nickname makes him cringe a fair bit of the time.)
- Nameday: 23rd Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon.
- Sexuality: Primarily interested in men.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Alignment: Neutral good.
- Clothing: He prefers wearing functional clothing that's durable enough to last him a while. He thinks enchanted jewelries and fine fabrics are lovely, but not only are they delicate, they're also out of his price range. He's been saving gil from his latest bookkeeping job to improve his wardrobe, though it's still not his greatest priority.
Likes
- Learning
- Helping others
- Stargazing
- Chocobos
- Passionate people
Dislikes
- Conflict
- Stubborn, closed-minded people
- Arbitrary restrictions or limits
- Hot weather
- Apathy
Areas of Expertise
- Martial: Conjury is his main offense, though he can use what he knows of arcanima to supplement his skills. As for melee combat, he can fight with a polearm if pressed. Overall though, he prefers to avoid combat entirely.
- Crafting: He's a novice in carpentry and leatherworking out of necessity – stables and chocobo tack require frequent maintenance after all, and who better to do it than yourself? His work is somewhat crude, but it's efficient enough and does its job. He's working to improve, but it's not his main goal.
- Other: Chocoback riding, animal husbandry, entry level botany, reading comprehension and text based research.
Strengths
- Quick thinking
- Attention to detail
- Compassion
- Empathy + the capacity to see things from others' perspectives
- Tenacity
Weaknesses
- Social anxiety + lack of proper social skills
- Obliviousness
- Physical strength (or in his case, the lack thereof)
- Somewhat naïve, too trusting of people
- Focuses too intently, sometimes struggles with tunnel vision and “seeing the forest through the trees”
Other Notes
Religion
Religion is something of an enigma to Arthur. He's never understood the devout piety of most Ishgardians to Halone, though he tries in earnest to emulate it in the hopes of maintaining inconspicuousness. He has always wondered why his people have warred with the Dravanians for so long, and if any of it even means anything anymore. He believes that a more diplomatic approach should be taken whenever possible to avoid bloodshed, and so he actually feels strongly opposed to Halonic teachings and the singleminded xenophobia that often accompanies it.
With regards to the rest of the Twelve, he doesn't feel particularly attached either. If the gods were so benevolent, why had they not intervened to help protect Eorzea from the Garleans or the primals? To protect Ishgard from the dragons and from themselves? Though he thinks of the Twelve as nothing more than myth, fictional beings to guide and inspire people to help one another and remain strong in the face of adversity, he tries to exemplify the spirit of compassion in everything he does as a means of reverence.
Known Haunts
You might have run into or otherwise know Artie from:
- The Conjurer or Arcanist Guilds. He's also studying thaumaturgy, but the Ossuary makes him feel uneasy, and so he tends to shy away from the place.
- Gridania. It was the first of the city-states he visited, and he's grown somewhat attached to it. Though the architecture is quite different, it reminds him of his home as a kid - he struggles to remember an Ishgard not buried in snow, so he has fond feelings for the forest city.
- Any quiet place with sufficient lighting. Libraries are a personal favourite, though not always accessible. If he's not playing messenger boy, he's probably studying.
OOC Information
Inspirations
Maya Amano, Jun Kurosu, Star Butterfly, and Milo Thatch.
(a friend mentioned that Arthur reminds them something of Merrill, which wasn't intentional, though I do agree.)
Music
here are a couple of songs that remind me of Arthur.
Nothing Has to Happen - Hungry Ghosts
Notes
(a few people have requested info on how to pronounce his name, and so I've made a rough approximation using French IPA: [aʁtyʁˈjɔy dyʃɑ̃] )
