Hydaelyn Role-Players

What in Eorzea do you mean by Realistic/Dark?
My playstyle comes with an expectation that the world of Eorzea is based in the realm of plausible realism and while magic exists there are rules to it.  If you cast a lot of magic it is going to be draining on the body.  If you wear a lot of armor you're not going to be doing nifty ninja flips without being slowed down a little.  If your character decides to act like a badass and flip off the group of enemies with guns he's probably going to be shot if not killed.

When it comes to 'dark' roleplay I mean the gritty, violent world that reflects the elements already presented to us.  Slavery, violence, abuse, betrayal, murder, drug and alcohol abuse are all completely plausible.  Though as a responsible storyteller I will never seek to kill another person's character the fear of death I think should be a real thing and could happen if a character is absurdly obtuse (e.g. charging single handedly into battle against Ifrit).  

What do you mean by Everyman?
No "Warriors of Light" need apply.  While it's important that a character be unique in their own way I find the most fun with playing and interacting with individuals that enjoy a character with flaws and drawbacks.  That is more interested in the struggle of those characters trying to survive (thrive?) in a world that's much, much bigger than they are.  I'm not interested in characters that are lore-breaking or supremely edgy so while I am not saying there's anything wrong with your voidsent-character or child-black-mage-prodigy it just doesn't fit with me.

Story-Driven?
I fancy myself a storyteller and I like to create compelling stories that are motivated or pushed by the orchestration of individuals I have to play with.  I often create a lot of NPCs for my plots or I try to showcase other people's characters for their talents.  I love to make fun and have fun though my stories are often slow to unfold and have a lot of layers and twists.  I'm not limited by this, I also enjoy playing in the stories other people create but I felt the need to distinguish this style from the "slice of life" RP a lot of people enjoy.  The every-day RP of course happens but as a whole I am a lot more plot-driven.

Have I lost you yet?
I am active most evenings 
EST: 5pm - 11pm
Weekdays I am active starting in the early morning hours throughout the day.  My availability tends to make me a great contact for EU players that stay up a little late or NA players that are more active earlier rather than later.

Hi, your thread caught my eye since I am more and more in a situation where I have a hard time finding meaningful RP due to various factors, like being in strictly regimented EU hours (most EU folks actually play at EST hours in truth), added to a need like you for more mundane everyday characters with a strong like for being well anchored in the actual lore of the game.

I lack time to weave stories of my own (besides the few I GM for my FC), but I'm always super happy to play a supportive character for others.

The only thing I'm always wary of though, and it's not directly tied to power levels actually, is that my character gets embarked into incredible story successions of epic proportions. Like for mundane characters, I prefer 'mundane' plots. Which means, not necessarily something where you spend your time fighting hordes of enemies every time. You don't need to have epic fights or just fight every time for a plot to be powerful, quite the contrary, is something I truly believe in.

It doesn't seem like much said like that, but it actually is the kind of things that tends to make your character "level up" incredibly quick and go from green sprout to awesomely grizzled in less than a year.. Which ultimately makes character get out of the ordinary and become supernatural. And I don't want that for mine (she's barely above twenty and was meant to be a RP green sprout).

That doesn't mean that I don't want her to actually grow and evolve, quite the contrary, but... I'm not sure if I'm being super clear unfortunately. But less is more. Subtle is epic. Slow is fast. etc.

Feel free to reach me out if you are interested!

I thought about this and found it a nice check of what I play. I am a Heavy RPer but where I clash with others tends to be lore friendly (me) vs strict lore adherence (them) - see beow

What in Eorzea do you mean by Realistic/Dark?
Realism - Check (within the context of a fantasy realm.. magic is real, science is made up)
Dark - Check (but without overlaying RL morals too much, accepting some things as quite normal that in RL are far from it)
Death - nope (I look for other ways to have consequences yet continue the RP)

Maybe I'd add.. do a stupid thing, expect to suffer the consequences. I also think loosing a fight gives more RP opportunity than winning it.

What do you mean by Everyman?
No "Warriors of Light" need apply - Check (they can, but they go in the insane box)
Enjoy a character with flaws and drawbacks - Check (it's all about the flaws)
Lore-breaking - maybe (I like lore friendly, as I Role Play not Lore Play. If it can be achieved in lore it is fine, not everything needs to be explained and validated, we need some wonder. I prefer to do things IC, and find OOC debates on IC spoils it)

While I don't play a 'void character' I accept that others might do, that does not stop me playing my character in my own way. The world is full of mystery, my character does not have a players handbook or DM's guide.

Story-Driven?
Storyteller  - check (stories created through interaction not a script, but finding someone who can do this is not easy. Many are passive or respond only in their character scope)
NPCs - check (I tend to voice NPCs or play them, and put the focus on the other players to decide what to do)
Fun - probably (I like to mix dark and fun together, I am a fan of Pratchett and my character will say things that are ooc/ic funny and even venture into slapstick consequences of her inept actions)

Slice of Life I do engage with, though I always throw hooks into it that could be developed. In fact a lot of my RP comes out of those tentative shoots that lead to a story. Once things get rolling, for me the RP happens alongside the adventure, so should not be rushed. The win is a journey, not simply finishing the quest.

Have I lost you yet?
Maybe - I play serious but can come off light hearted. Nebula is easy going and quite in your face engaging to initial contact but then offers more depth for those who make it. A lot of what she does is engaging, solution focused and other character enabling. I expect the biggest problem will be her "Witch" life rather than any cookie cutter class life.

EST: 5pm - 11pm - I am EU so by 7pm EST I am gone, except weekends when I am on most of the day/evening.

Suen I love your wiki page it's amazing and ty for the credit back for the pieces of my template you used :3

I'm going to try and reach out to you in game in the next few days after the new year stuff dies down ^_^

My alt, Keltwaen, would fit this description pretty well. While Koen is by far more developed and he'd be much more useful, he's too much experience and training under his belt to be classed as an 'everyman', despite being as realistic as I could make him (looked over how age affects different martial arts, soldiers, took experience from IRL people I know etc.). Koen's also not the type to go on an adventure.

Kelt, however, is entirely average when it comes to his premise and most of his character. He's as morally grey as his skin, and while he tries to help people out, at the end of the day he's got mouths to feed and giving handouts or taking stupid risks isn't going to do him or his any good. Despite having ties (loose ones) to the Rogue guild, he's a 7'6 500+lb Roegadyn, and I'm under no illusion that he could hide from anything with functioning eyes. I've got a couple decades worth of MMA experience IRL, and tend to use that in his fights to add as much realism (relative to the fantasy setting) as I can, so he won't be doing any 'ninja flips', haha.

He's not super talented and his only 'special ability' is being born in to a race that makes him a big, strong bleeder. Hell, he'd rather be a lot shorter: he wouldn't have to spend as much on booze to get drunk, and he'd be a smaller target! When he's out of work he goes fishing, practices, or just plain chills out with a smoke somewhere peaceful. As I said before, I have IRL knowledge that leaks over, and Kelt does know how to handle himself in hand-to-hand fights (enough to know that most of the time it's not worth it!) He rarely goes outside of La Noscea though, and if you asked him to fight a dragon or some kind of MSQ-level mage, he'd exit first the conversation and then the room.

As for the dark side of things, he should fit the bill. He's done some things he's not proud of in the past when times were hard and his makeshift family needed the gil more than he needed to stick to his morals, and has suffered the consequences of mistakes. I only just made him and I'm too broke to afford another name change/fantasia, so I'm not comfortable with him dying or getting any injuries /too/ permanent, since I haven't developed his personality enough to figure out how it'd affect him, but luckily he's the cautious type and doesn't risk a fight when he can get away with another option. His #1 tactic is always avoiding it.

I'm in the GMT timezone and I'm normally up fairly late if I haven't had a busy day, so feel free to poke me in-game on Koen Stone or Keltwaen Slettbhirsyn if you wanna set something up. :^)

Hi! I'm new to both FFXIV and the RPC, and I've been looking around for groups which fit the style of roleplay I'd like to get involved in. Realistic themes are definitely what I'm most interested in. I love the idea of characters living and breathing in a brutal, unforgiving world, just trying to keep their head on their shoulders. Going through some of the early quests, it's evident that there really is a lot of less than savoury stuff going on in Eorzea, and so I'd like to take part in more morally grey RP scenarios which reflect that while staying close to the lore and embracing the limitations of realistic characters.

As I said before, I am very new to the whole RP thing and creating OC's, so a character created by me may not be one which you feel is suited to your style, which I completely understand!

I'm also a European player. GMT+0.

My character Rosalie would probably suit your style if you're still looking for contacts. She's a Bard (though not the job, more like the archer who sings to make money). But outside of work she's a pretty serious sort. OOC'ly I love more realistic plots and dark themes always intrigue me. I'm in GMT, but my hours are very flexible 4/7 days a week.

Please feel free to poke me on here or in-game on Rosalie Belmont.

I have a couple of characters that would fit this  Val is looking for more work, and another character I have, Cyrus, also fits the bill. I'd be happy to RP with you on either of them! While not a bodyguard, Melfice is also interested in knowledge and lore and whatnot and doesn't mind gritty things. Really, all of them would be willing to fit the bill and I absolutely love the idea of more realistic-based RP. If you want to chat more about it, feel free to hit me up on here or in game (I'm usually on Val) and I'd be more than happy to elaborate on any characters

I love dark realism; imo it has more complexity and can make for some really tense scenes which is great! I'd point to any of the characters linked in my sig, but take a look at Tin and Ralin specifically. As usual, I have to caveat with 'I do play several characters actively, just so you know in advance.'

The only thing that stuck out as a bit odd is going to fight Ifrit as none of my characters would do such a thing. I'm guessing that was just used as a silly example?