SQUAWK

Hello! I return to Balmung after a several month hiatus, now that life and work has settled down for me. I'm looking for RP / RP partners, long-term or short-term. I'm a lore-friendly player who can go along with bending but who tries not to break. OOC bleed is a big, big no for me. Realistic actions/reactions and consequences are my jam. My limits are few and far between but I don't do gore/ERP for gore/ERP's sake. I prefer a mix of slice-of-life/downtime character development RP and adventure/action RP rather than one over the other. In-game > Discord, but I'll sometimes do both since conflicting schedules can be a pain to work around. I am in EST and usually available after 5-6 PM on weekdays except for Tuesday and varying times on weekends. At this moment I am only seeking RP for one character. Rory Dalton, or as he tends to go by, Dalton. From humble beginnings, he was raised by his recently-diseased grandmother on a Gridanian farm, where he did his best to keep life exciting... which, given his limited resources, tended to be things like dyeing his hair, getting tattoos, carving curse words into the boles of trees. You get the idea. Only 19 summers (though he perhaps looks a few years older at a glance), he has a lot of youthful arrogance left, convinced he knows the facts of the wider world. He really doesn't. Currently in Ul'dah and essentially homeless, he goes from place to place, surviving on the gil he made by selling his late grandmother's modest parcel of land, although those reserves are being swiftly depleted by inn fees and frequent visits to places like the Gold Saucer. Dalton has skills in all things farming (via upbringing), cooking (via personal interest), and has a fondness for animals. He is somewhere between a people person and standoffish, depending on the day and how much he's had to drink. He has a budding interest in machinist-based things (guns, turrets, general machinery) but lacks the resources to pursue it at the moment. I am open for his development going just about anywhere RP takes it, and am also open to pre-established relationships with characters who may have known him prior to now. Things like friends, enemies, frenemies, mentors, walk-ups, and everything between. Dalton is bisexual but tends to be romantically aloof. Any romance plots would need be purely organic as I don't like to force things. Since I don't really check in here often please hit me up on discord (Kayfabe#2426) if interested!

It really depends on what you're hoping to get out of RP. Are you happy RPing in only a small group? Like another poster said, if you stick to people you know are all right with it, you'll likely encounter no issues at all. There are people who will RP anything with no mind for the lore and they are a fairly sizable group, at least on Balmung and Mateus where I spend most of my time. But that begets the question: How lore breaking is too lore breaking for you? Because generally speaking those are the types of characters/players who will accept such a concept with open arms. But ironically, you'll have more of an overlap with people who stick to the lore and people who know who Edda even is, as lore abiding sorts are not surprisingly the ones who bother to research and remember it for the most part. Those people, including myself, will have their characters politely humor "Edda" at best or if it's more IC of them tell her outright she's a delusional lunatic and leave. If we're all in our own little sandboxes making the sandcastles how our instructor Yoshi P showed us and someone decides they're going to make a sand penguin instead, that's well within their right. What players of extremely lore breaking characters often don't acknowledge is taking your NPC/Garlean experiment futa/whatever to public events is more carrying your sand penguin down the line, stomping on castles as go. It's unfortunately not a live and let live situation because the very nature of having a back-from-the-dead NPC character immediately forces lore friendly players to abandon something important to THEM under the expectations the lore breaking player's desires are more important. As NPC/lore breaking stuff goes this is actually one of the more interesting ideas I've seen, great as a stand alone story or in a small, like-minded group, but I wouldn't RP with, I can't think of any people I know personally who would, and you will be met with some hostility ooc from people tired of their sandcastles being stomped on. Most will just politely avoid you, though. If that doesn't bother you then go for it.

Although the poster above me means well, I would very much disagree Omega has "most" of the EU RPers. Balmung has several EU-centric FCs (these are just the ones I know about), with one of these groups having more members than all the RPers I've encountered on Omega combined. It's a lovely server, by all means roll an alt there, but I would strongly advise against transferring your Balmung characters due to misinformation you'll find more RP on Omega, which you won't. If you leave you won't be able to get back for the foreseeable future as transfers are closed and character creation is locked.

Think of the coolest person you know. Now imagine the YouTube comment section was also a person. Now imagine they have three grown kids together: one just like mom, one.just like dad, and one where it depends on the day. These three are collectively the RP community, and you have to decide if your engagement with your beloved Cool Person Jr. Is worth enough to occasionally deal with your in-laws. I would say yes, it is, and the key to a happy union is learning how to not let these in-laws ruin your otherwise happy time. But anyroad, welcome to Mateus! Feel free to send me a message if you need help with anything like crafting or dungeon queues.

Looking for more partners!

OOC Rules & General Information Maturity: Avoid passive aggression, gossip, and inciting witch hunts. Do not lie, manipulate, or undermine other members or the officers. Any issue within the FC or between its members should be approached with the mindset of us vs. problem, not member(s)/officer(s) vs. member(s)/officer(s). Communication is key. If there's a situation in which a person has, in your opinion, proven beyond doubt they are only there to make trouble, bring the matter to an officer first. Do not make posts such as "Don't talk to [name]!" As a rule, the FC will never ban its members from speaking to a person no matter the situation, although people with a history of fire-starting may be banned from FC-run plots and events. While we've all met some people with godmoding concepts, etc., do not engage in RP with people outside the FC for the express purpose of bashing them in FC chat. Do not trash talk other FCs, linkshells, events, or plots in FC chat. If you're posting something negative for no other reason than to be negative, don't. Homeward is an 18+ FC, with a preference of 21+: Foul language, crude humor, and sexual innuendo will happen in FC chat and the discord. Our RPs will also occasionally include darker themes. For these reasons and the general comfort of our members, we require all applicants be 18+ at a minimum. Have a sense of humor, but don't be a jerk. While we do our best to make sure everyone is comfortable, this FC may be a poor fit for those who are easily perturbed or triggered. Characters here may curse, have backstories and/or engage in RP with dark themes that touch on subjects such as death, racism, sexism, slavery, etc. Being a jerk OOC, however, will not be tolerated. This includes unwanted sexual advances toward other members OOC (depending on the severity, violators are subject to an immediate boot.) Homeward is an LGBTQ+ friendly group, however, our primary incentive for RP is not romance or sex of any variety (although members are of course free to engage in such RPs). Romantic woes and love triangles of any variety will never be the main focus of RP within the FC. Be positive. The occasional complaint or venting about a particularly bad day is absolutely fine. We all have them! But please do not make this a daily occurrence within FC chat or the discord. Be welcoming to new members. Welcome and support those who are new when you're able. Try to include new members in your plans as much as you are able. Take initiative. On the flip side, try not to be too much of a wallflower. Engage in conversation and RP with other members. If you're truly feeling shy and need assistance to help break the ice, contact an officer and we will see what we can do. Roleplay Rules Homeward is an occasionally lore-bending, but ultimately lore-abiding FC. Due to the often shaky nature of FFXIV lore, some things must be approached on a case-by-case basis. However, we do not accept character concepts that directly conflict known lore, such as loud-and-proud white/black mages that suffer no consequences, crossover characters from other MMOs, and other such concepts. No metagaming, godmoding, or powerplaying. Characters within the FC should not be flawless in personality or skill or built with the express purpose of outshining those around them. They should not have knowledge you obtained only through OOC means. We have a No Tolerance policy for IC/OOC bleed. Do not take IC posts or comments OOC and do not bleed any OOC offenses into your RP. If a problem arises players will be issued one warning. A second offense is subject to dismissal from the FC. No self-inserts will be permitted membership. Please word your posts from a third-person perspective. Write coherently. Do your best with spelling and grammar and make sure your posts are understandable to those around you. While we do not expect members to be perfect, basic punctuation is more or less a requirement. Share the spotlight. Do not hog the spotlight either by overpowering or over victimizing your character. While we welcome personal plots and the officers will be happy to assist in any way we can, your character should not be getting kidnapped every week, should not be fainting at another member's event without warning, etc. During fighting events (both within and outside the FC), you will be expected to be a good sport and not downplay other characters' victories. Do not disrupt other RPers or events. Do not emote spam, run over, or otherwise disrupt those who are RPing around you, whether FC members or not.

Here's my bluntly stated take on it, as someone who does and has played all the things, but has RPed more straight men than anything in total: In my experience, which is of course just my experience, though it spans over many years, forums, and games, there are more women RPers on MMOs, and they also tend to stick around longer in higher numbers. Most of them will be playing women characters. So I would agree there is a dearth of straight male characters in a game this age compared to their female counterparts. Not to mention like other people have said, if you dock the OOC creepers, that's even fewer. But I also agree there are far more than it can sometimes seem, and a lot of times for people lamenting this issue, it's not a lack of men, but a lack of men that click with your specific lady character. For me and at least for the crowds I run with, being "frumpy" isn't an issue; in fact, a lot of us are more likely to gravitate toward more Brienne of Tarth types than yet another drop-dead gorgeous supermodel, who can certainly be great characters, but are still a dime a dozen if you want to, again, just talk numbers. The biggest problem? Passiveness and wallflowerism. Yes, people should be allowed to RP what, how, who they want. I don't disagree. But. You're not going to find a lot of storybook princes twiddling their thumbs, awaiting his damsel to rescue, because these are RP characters played by real people, and you're not going to find many real people like that. No one likes to feel like they're doing all the work in RP, or that they're nothing more than a replaceable wish fulfillment token, which is typically the vibe I get from people RPing passive/"submissive" women whose players are making a point to emphasize their want for romance. And it's why I nope off in the other direction real quick. I would suggest to all the ladies out there playing strictly passive, heterosexual women who really, really want romance to be part of their RP life and are having no luck, learn to 1. Give a little more effort on your end and 2. Be patient. You don't necessarily have to change your character, but you do have to put effort in. Your character likes a guy but they're too shy to say so? Show it. Have them glance at them a little too long in RPs. Have them go out of their way to get them a gift that involves a hobby the guy briefly mentioned. And most importantly, respect the character you're playing across from as something other than a potential tool to give you the warm and fuzzies OOC. When I say "be patient" I don't mean just in searching, but also after finding a potentially compatible romantic partner. To save my life I could not remember how many times I've had a male character where the player of the lady RPing with him goes on and on about how much their character likes him, yet if it takes more than a week for him to fall madly in love with her -- especially if another straight, single male happens to appear -- then poof! All interest is gone. Avoid these pitfalls and you will have no issue finding a partner for your character in good time, IMO. My women never have any issues at least. And like others have said, moving to a more populated server will help. Mateus would be my suggestion.

Looking for more people to RP with on Celie, and also my new Dodo lad. DM me, PM me, or post here!

I'll commiserate the hell out of this. A few days ago on Balmung, on my off day, I stood for 10 hours at a plot in Lavender Beds, clicking, clicking, clicking... only to have someone swoop in and do the whole insta-transfer deal. I made a point to not look to closely at or remember their names so I wouldn't have any hard feelings against them later, since man I had (still have) a loooot of salt about it, but I know they technically did nothing wrong. It's SE's system; you can either embrace it or accept being houseless forever, which is where I'm at. As someone who adores housing, it's almost enough to make me unsub, frankly. (Almost.) Your best bet on Mateus is to get a house through someone selling... err, I mean, someone just-so-happening to be giving away an FC the same time you just-so-happen to feel charitable with your gil. If your character you're getting the house for is already in one, pick up the FC on an alt, then just change the FC name to "So-and-so's House" and all that.

It certainly can! As it happens, I've done this on Mateus several times. XD Actually my home server. Unfortunately it's no longer an option as I have 8 full-fledged characters over there now and thus no slots. If you ever wanna do some general type RP stuff feel free to hit me up, though. I have a pretty wide (non-doomed, non-antagonist) variety over there.

I'm looking to roleplay a temporary antagonist or two. I'm jumping a few characters anyway, the people I'm jumpin' them to RP with will be busy the next few months, and I've got some fantasias and name change cash lying around. My RP calendar is pretty empty at present in terms of plot-heavy stuff and I'm jonesing for some. A few rules and stipulations: > No OOC bleed. I cannot stress this enough. This includes e-peen waving. > OOC communication is important. > I prefer to RP in-game over discord, but I am willing to accommodate the occasional discord RP if life and time zones get in the way. > I am looking to make this a plot-heavy, consequence-abiding, lore-friendly experience. Bending is fine. Prefer not to break. > I prefer villaining (it's a word, fight me) to small groups or a few people versus a huge FC or group, but it's not off the table as long as there's ample OOC communication to make sure everyone is on the same page. > Not seeking one-and-done RPs. Bob walking up and chopping bad guy's head off in the first RP because he's just such a badass is a big "No, thank you." A few weeks is fine, a month is fine, depending on the frequency of the RPs and what kind of plot it is in particular. What kind of character? As race, gender, backstory and motivations go, I am open to just about anything, and I fancy myself able to play any of 'em well. While a little humor is fine, I steer clear of comic relief types of villains; I'm strictly looking for plots with some gravitas elements to them. This ain't my first rodeo and due to bad experiences, I am likewise not interested in romantic-centric revenge plots (ex-husbands seeking revenge, unrequited crushes, etc.) unless you can really sell me on the concept. Fight scenes. What do? I'm looking for freeform, for the most part, but I'm willing to do dice rolls to a point. In this case, I will roll for hit/miss, but that's it. I won't have my character trip and fall and stab themselves in the eye just because they rolled a 5, nor do I expect such of my partner(s). And their head isn't going to get chopped off just because someone rolled a 900. Death. Arrests. Maiming. What do? I am not only willing to have this character die or be permanently imprisoned, I all but insist on it. It's part of the point. However, it is imperative they are still treated as an actual character, not an NPC out of an 80s Saturday morning cartoon. I'm looking to play "a villain" as though they were my main character -- someone with ambitions, personality, and authentic reasons for what they're doing -- the only difference being they'll inevitably kick the bucket or get arrested for realsies. You can post here, PM me here, or IM me on discord at Medica#2426

Current Mark: Taurus Their occupancy of a relatively high rung--seventh of twelve--notwithstanding, taurii have long been the subject of voidal summonings, even before people knew they were calling a creature from the void. Due to the creatures' preference of slaughtered livestock as vessels for entry into this realm, ritual sacrifices would often result in the appearance of the voidsent, whether this was the original intention of the rite or not. Current Event: You've heard of the Tide Pod Challenge, now get ready for Eorzea's own next Kids These Days pastime: summoning taurus. Rumors such a beast had been called forth in Central Shroud have spread to places where livestock is far more plentiful. In particular, the bored teenaged sons and daughters of farmers in La Noscea have taken a shine to the idea, several of whom have already paid dearly for it. Adventurers who frequent the area and hunters specializing in voidsent marks have no doubt hard the tales in passing, if not dealt with the repercussions firsthand. A notably large, notably strong taurus has seen a string of farms razed to the ground and subsequently retreated into an abandoned maze of tunnels near Cedarwood in Lower La Noscea. OOC: The Voidsent Hunt is an event taking place on Saturday, June 16th, beginning at 8 PM EST and (presumably) running until around 10 PM, though ample time should be set aside in case it runs late. If there is enough interest, it will become an ongoing monthly event. Rules are subject to change per event, dependent on the event runner's preference, but generally they will adhere to a hybrid of the honor system and dice rolls. They will also be on the smaller side in both the interest of time and individual attention. While participant characters are welcome to be lore bendy within reason -- and the events themselves may be, depending on your interpretation of often-vague tidbits from the game itself -- please be aware this is a lore-abiding event. There will be no Anne Rice-esque vampire OCs or demons from [insert anime] emerging from the darkness to terrorize the masses. OOC, we will be using unsynced Sastasha for our tunnels (yes, re-queuing may be required depending on how long the event runs!) and therefore there will be three available slots this time, as well as a reserve list should it be needed. If you would like to add something in particular to the event, whether a general idea or something to help further a personal character plot, please contact me after signing up and we'll discuss it. Rules: 1. Don't be a dick. 2. Preferably post here to sign up, but if you're too lazy to make an account or shy, you can also PM me or get in touch with me on discord at Medica#2426 Participants: 1. Celie Blanchet 2. J'karha Kihlo 3. Arrin Dondayn 4. Ekhram Almasi

Already met some awesome folks OOC and really great characters too. You're beautiful, Balmung. (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ I'm here-and-there until about Tuesday due to the holiday weekend, but I'm still looking for more people as are several of my friends. Hit me up.

Hell yeah, let's stir up some SPITE. Feel free to get in touch with me whenever so we can hammer out the details! Looking forward to it.

RPed with this guy tonight and have talked to him a few times OOC now. He is pleasant AF, a good RPer, and seems to have a clear direction / vision for this project which I've often seen lacking in these sorts of things (across various games and servers). People should definitely consider joining this if they're interested in getting out of the taverns and forging connections (both friendly and not), especially if you're new/returning to the server and trying to elbow your way into the RP scene. This is a really quality group.