Tregarde

Honestly, I don't even know what Party Finder is (though just the name of it gives me a reasonable idea).

That sounds like the Quicksand... other than the lack of open chat scroll, most of the time I see too much going on for me to keep up, hence why I rarely stop there.

If a 'stranger' could find acceptance anywhere, it would be Limsa. The lore makes it quite clear that trade ships from around the world are passing through all the time. In fact there is great need for translators to keep things running smooth, and avoid disputes and/or misunderstandings. Under such circumstances, there could be many peoples wandering the docks and streets, we just don't see them because they haven't been implemented in the game yet. Other cities I don't think would be that bad. A Viera is clearly a race of man variant, not unlike Miqo'te or Au Ra. Plus there's plenty of people around wearing bunny ears, so a lot of folk probably wouldn't even notice at first. Outside of the cities, where they don't see 'strangers' as much, you'd probably see prejudice more. Or, the Viera could get a job at the Gold Saucer... "Here's your uniform" "You can keep the ears, I brought my own."

Maybe I didn't phrase it well originally. What I meant was a situation where the character was stolen/shipwrecked/whatever at such a young age the character has no real memories of their past because there wasn't time to form any lasting memories. Whatever memories the character has would be vague, like a faded dream. This could give the theoretical Viera a 'who/what am I?' purpose in life.

I think there's nothing wrong with or example there, for the very reasons you state - the more descriptive style adds flavor, makes the emote more interesting. The scene is clearly supposed to be a little weird and absurd, and it's hard to convey that if you use only the most bland descriptions. In the end, it's still up to the player to determine how their character feels and reacts. There is a certain amount of cooperation required for RP, and by using words like 'disturbingly' and 'obvious' you're providing prompts, nothing more. Instead of feeling 'disturbed', a character could become curious what else is in the pouch. Of course, it IS possible to go overboard with such descriptions, to the point where it effectively IS telling other players what their characters feel, even what they are doing. But as far as I'm concerned your example above is fine.

Yes! That's basically what I was thinking, but just couldn't think of how to phrase it. I think this thread has shown that there are many perspectives on comedy, and what can make for good comedy in RP (and in some cases what makes for good or bad RP in general). In the end, you've got to be willing to take some risks. You also have to remember that what works for one person may not work for another, and visa-versa. Don't get discouraged if something bombs, even the best comedians have had bombs - and any successful comedian will tell you that they've had to work through it to get where they are now. There is some skill to comedy, and you can only hone a skill with practice and experience. We can't all be like the cast on 'Who's Line is it Anyway?' (though it is a fantastic example of improv at its best), or write like Terry Pratchett (my he rest in peace), but we don't have to be. Find your voice, what works for you. As for a character who does 'comedy for the sake of comedy'... well, there really are people like that! It may sound like a character without depth, but think about it - why is this person trying so hard to make people laugh? What does the character do when the jokes are successful, what about when they fail? Maybe the character needs to learn when to ease up on the silliness, it could be part of the character's development. We don't always need to start a character as well-rounded, it can happen over time as the character learns and matures. Sometimes growth is half the fun in RP. Sure, a character may be a little annoying, but sometimes an annoying character can be part of good RP. Our characters don't have to like each other - I've known players that I adored OOC, but our characters haaated each other! Sometimes you may need a little OOC communication so people understand what your intentions are.

To add what Mao said - public events certainly have the potential for finding a partner. For some odd reason most of Mateus events are posted on Discord (don't ask me why, personally I like forum posts). It may be worth checking every now and then (I'd recommend once or twice a day) to see if there's anything happening that may interest you. You can find how to connect to Mateus RP Hub at: https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/index.php?/topic/20339-mateus-calendar-rp-discord-bot/

I agree that there are many similarities to theater and RP. I disagree with your teacher's attitude towards comedy. She waits to see if comedy happens 'naturally'? There's nothing natural about it in a theater - if it's a scripted production someone had to write the script! If improv, the people up there already have the intent of producing comedy. There is no one definition to what makes good comedy, and different people find different things funny. Your teacher knew what she likes, which is fine, but it's not what everyone likes. Like you said, RP is in essence improv theater. We may have a role and some general outlines, but there is no script - we're making it up as we go along. To make comedy work in RP means being able to find humor on the fly. And that doesn't mean always sitting passively, waiting for a situation to 'naturally' be funny, sometimes you have to give it a nudge, or even outright make a joke. Of course, there are different kinds of humor - slapstick, sarcasm, wordplay, dark, puns... the list goes on. Some people have a particular talent for certain kinds of humor. Some things tend to work better in written form than others - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try! You may be amazed at what can elicit a laugh. Certain things like timing and delivery can be tricky in RP, but not impossible. Delivery can be accomplished with emotes. Instead of looking to how comedians act on a stage or screen, try looking at what books/authors have been able to make you laugh. Examine what they wrote, how they wrote it. Think about what made those lines funny, and how you could use it to inspire your RP. Some things may seem like a cheep laugh, but even an old fashioned pie to the face CAN be funny in the right place and time. Likewise, a serious character may not seem funny immediately, but think about how many jokes rely on the 'straight man' for them to work. Sometimes the serious person can be the funniest thing around. Personally, I don't think it's inherently wrong to try and get someone to laugh OOCly, some of the best laughs I've ever had was because of something I found funny that my character did not. After all, isn't' that kind of what humor in RP is really about? It's all in how you go about it. In the end, we're here to have fun! Sure, there's times to be a critic, but there's also times to kick the critic to the side and just let go. You're not going to have fun if you're constantly analyzing everything you and others are saying. You probably have a stronger sense of humor than you realize, you just need to tap into it. If you think of something you find funny, then chances are there are others who will find it funny, so why not go for it? Sure, it might bomb, but it might be a hit, you won't know either way if you keep it to yourself. HAVE FUN!

Profiles tend to go under the Player Directory (despite the name, it works for both the player and characters) https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/index.php?/forum/11-player-directory/ As for prefered method of RP, it will depend who you talk to. Some prefer one thing, others another, some like to use multiple platforms. You should have little trouble finding people for any method. And welcome to the RPC.

Don't worry too much about being new to RP, we all had to start somewhere. RP is basically a big game of 'let's pretend', which we all used to do as kids. We're not kids anymore, the toys are more sophisticated, but it still comes down to 'let's pretend.' In this case we're all pretending to be people from and around Eorzea. Just don't go too crazy with your RP you'll fit right in - - - NO half-demon, vampire, illegitimate child of the reigning monarch, with amnesia (yet somehow knows their past), is nearly invulnerable and can shoot fireballs... okay that's a rather extreme example of going too far, but I have seen it before.

I've done plenty of D&D and such games over the years. Nothing like getting a bunch of friends around a table, breaking out the snacks and dice, and going for it. As for VR, the tech has a long way to go before I'll jump on that bandwagon. I can't move like my characters do, so the theoretical game will have to give me ways to compensate for that. I don't sound like my characters, so again the game would need to give me a way to compensate (I can RP a bard in a text based environment, but in real life you really don't want to hear me sing). There are people who have severe mobility issues, or are hard of hearing, or have speech impediments, how will the VR game allow them to join in the fun? Maybe someday VR become compelling, but for now I'm giving it a pass.

As people have pointed out, Balmung is on lockdown till further notice. Sorry. As an alternative, Mateus (North America) and Omega (Europe) have become the major 'new' RP servers. I can attest that there is plenty of RP to be found on Mateus. Enough that I tend to avoid the Quicksand just because of the chat scroll at times. Hehe.

Wow. Okay... I guess I'll just keep when things happened a bit ambiguous. I know that game devs don't always update dialogues, but I would have expected that when you're in the expansions they would have moved the calendar a little. It does seem ridiculous that ALL that happened in such a short amount of time. As for Op Archon, if no new information comes forth, I can work with an idea I have. It won't be anything ridiculous. Just some people fighting for their lives and their home.

Anyone who's finished ARR's first campaign knows the general idea of Operation Archon - the leaders of Eorzea reject surrender, and unite to fight. The Grand Companies, supported by Free Companies, conducts a three pronged attack to weaken the Garlean forces, and open the way for the Warrior of Light to destroy Ultima Weapon. We all know how things played out from the Warrior of Light's perspective (and the very cut-scene heavy Duties). The real question I have is... what ELSE do we know of Operation Archon? We know that Gridanian forces attacked the rail lines, Limsa forces attacked coastal forts, and Ul'dah pushed through to Gaius' stronghold. While we know a little of the Limsa and Ul'dah attacks, there's a lot about them we do not know (troop compositions, causalities, etc.) As far as I can tell we know basically nothing of the Gridanian battle, other than it was successful. I ask because I'm working on how to integrate Operation Archon into my characters histories. After all, in-game time it happened a couple years ago, and it was a pretty big deal. I'm sure others might like to know more also. I'm particularly curious about the Gridanian side, since so little was revealed (and so far internet searches haven't helped).

Kieron certainly covered the game mechanics side well. "Now that I am here, what do I do? An introduction to Eorzea" has some good resrources for people starting out in FF14 https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/index.php?/topic/18296-now-that-i-am-here-what-do-i-do-an-introduction-to-eorzea/ If you want to really delve into the lore of the lands, you can't do better than "Sounsyy's Lore Compilations Index" https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/index.php?/topic/17092-sounsyys-lore-compilations-index/ If you're looking for roleplay, there's lots of us around. Generally, you can find RP around the main Inn/Adventurers Guild in each city. While anyone could be a roleplayer, many advertise it by showing a gold "RP" in front of their name. Likewise, many Free Companies advertise by having "RP" at the end of their initials. And if you see a Tregarde running around (either Katarina, Moire or Luludja), feel free to strike up a conversation. Or maybe send a tell, that will certainly grab my attention.

I have no problem with people RPing a race that is normally not available to players if they do it well. If a game has illusions or costumes to really make the player look like the race, that just makes it even better. For RP, there's no reason why we should be confined to only what we can pull up at the character creation screen. That being said... as others have pointed out, Viera do not yet exist in FF14 in any form. Playing as one now runs a risk of lore contradictions later if they are ever implemented (even if only as NPCs). This doesn't mean anyone shouldn't RP a Viera, but if you do you should have a good story behind the character to explain why they are in Eorzea. Perhaps something happened when the character was a young child, causing separation from their family and they don't remember anything about their origins. Perhaps only survivor on a ship caught in a storm? Taken by slavers? The search for information about their race and where they came from could even be part of the character.

Hiiieeee If you're on Mateus and see a Tregarde running around (three to chose from!), feel free to strike up conversation, bump into her, or whatever. Don't worry, they won't bite. Well... Katarina and Moire won't bite. Luludja may, but only upon request.

I can only echo what has been said above, Mateus has a good RP population. To add to the above, sometimes you may be unable to create a character during peak hours. The server isn't closed, just congested. Wait for a time when less people are around and you should be able to get in without any problem.

Stories and art? I shall keep an eye out for your posts. And maybe our characters shall cross paths in Eorzea.

Adoptions are a great away to get around typical naming conventions. As long as it makes sense for X to adopt Y, go for it (it's how my Miqos have very non-Miqo names). And let's also not forget that you CAN find NPCs that do not have standard names for their races. Besides adoption there's also marriage and cultural assimilation/intermingling. For example - a Miqo born on the streets of Ul'dah, whose family has lived there for generations, may not have or care about traditional tribal names.

Just to add to the above, you can also find roleplayers around Gridiania and Limsa. Maybe not as many as Ul'dah, but that can be a plus if you want to avoid a lot of chat scrolling by.

Holy heck... that's going to keep me busy a while! But it'll be worth reading those articles.

Balmung is locked yet again, and that's not likely to change any time soon. You should be able to move to Mateus without much trouble, it's really only around peak hours that transfers may not be available. If you do come to Mat, there's a sizable RP community and you can find people around all the big cities without any trouble. If you see a Tregarde wandering around don't hesitate to strike up some RP.