Faye

Hello, Sy'rath, welcome!

Hello there, Tenshin, welcome!

Hello there, welcome and good luck!

Hello there, welcome! There's not really any consensus or agreed upon etiquette. But some basic guidelines that go for every class and pretty much every RP concept in general: - Pay attention to the job quests and be mindful of the lore therein. You don't have to follow the lore if you don't want, but just keep in mind, others may want to keep their RP lore-compliant. - RP is meant to be fun for all participants. Don't do anything that would hog the spotlight, be unfair or rude to other RPers around you, or derail the entire RP scene/event/storyline.

The Quicksand was never perfect, but it's a real shame it has been overrun on Balmung (and then even Mateus) and the actual RP has been forced out. I don't mind Pearl Lane and the Gold Court and I'm actually glad RP has found its way there, but I do agree a tavern and Adventurer's Guild is a much more functional space to RP and allow characters of all types to interact in a place they might logically be spending time. I do agree it's no one's fault and I don't think there's any real solution to it--it's not as if a concerted effort of more of us going there to actually openly RP would make the other people there leave. It's just a real shame all the claims and complaints and jokes about "Balmung Quicksand is nothing but ERP" which were pretty erroneous at first eventually became a self-fulfilling prophecy attracting people thirsty for cybersex and "ironic" onlookers until there's no one there but flagrant ERPers, AFKers, OOC chat spam, and trolls. The RP on Crystal (and I say Crystal because I don't think "Balmung" RP is any different or unique from the rest of the Data Center now that the world visits exist) does have its issues, as does any RP community, but RP communities are not some governed entity following set rules, it's just a loose conglomeration of people who happen to enjoy the same activity, and I don't think the people here are much different or any worse than the people anywhere else (especially when you've poked into enough MMO RP communities to realize just how small the MMO RP community is and how many familiar faces you'll find in each game). The best way to navigate any RP community will always be to set the example by being the kind of RPer you want to see, create the kind of RP you want to take part in, and foster a space where the kind of RPers you want to have around you can flourish. That's all you can do, since there's really no way to force the community or the people in it to comply to what you want. I don't want to say my experience is the norm as I've seen people who haven't had as much luck or just don't want to branch out as much, but I also think it would seem sort of deranged to act like I'm some special exception haha--but many of us in my FC go to other RP venues/events (we've even started to organize nights of bringing large groups of us to other events) and a few of us sometimes pop into Pearl Lane or the Court, and we do a lot to get our FC's name out there OOC and only don't do more because we literally can't take more than our current volume of applicants (I know we all want RP to happen "organically" IC and that is the ideal, but I'm sorry, sometimes it's not feasible and you have to find the things you want OOC). It's definitely not a secret or insular FC we have, not to mention the events we host ourselves. "Interesting" and "public" don't always coincide. I really would recommend looking RP FC's or other smaller or "private" groups. If you find a group of like-minded people doing RP, theoretically you know what sort of RP to expect with them. If you're just doing walk-ups in RP hotspots, all you can really do is gripe that some strangers' definition of "interesting" doesn't match yours. In the past few months I've been really lucky on an individual level to meet a lot of cool folks in the Lane, get roped into their plots, and invited to their linkshells and Discords. I don't run into a lot of people recently looking for ERP or OOC live-chatting masqueraded as RP, though they're definitely out there and you do have to sift through them at times. The biggest struggle I've run into in this community rather is finding long-term connections and not just a one-and-done RP with someone I never see again, or a couple weeks of RP and plotting before someone abruptly decides to retcon their character without warning. To be honest, you do sound a little jaded. But maybe that's because I think it's a bit mean-spirited to come onto the FFXIV forums and call the RP most of us here are still doing and enjoying with others "uninspired" even despite any complaints and frustrations of our own we might have. Not every RP community is going to be identical or best approached in the same way. This may not be the RP community for you and that's not a bad thing. If you are not having a good time and can't find what you're looking for, maybe that is the case. It doesn't mean you're wrong, but it also doesn't mean anything here is wrong. For me, weighing the pros and cons, I'd much rather RP here than in other MMO's, but that's just personal preference. I guess my advice is that if want to stick it through, keep at it. The RP you're looking for does exist as do the other people doing it. I do think wanting everything to be open and organic is just making things an uphill battle, though. But if you don't want to keep with it or don't want to compromise on what you're looking for? Then don't; there's nothing wrong with that. It takes time and energy, probably more than a lot of people want to put into a pastime, especially when they aren't seeing results. It's not going to be for everyone. But I hope you will consider hanging in there because I've had a really great time in this RP community and the game in general.

People retcon all the time; there's nothing wrong with it if you think it's the best option for you to get back into RP. The easiest way is typically to just start with a new character, even if it's a similar one if you still liked the concept of your character.

Hello there, Akaina, welcome!

Hello there, Nel, welcome!

I made my own FC because I know that I'm picky with trying to find something for myself and we've been going strong for several years and having lots of fun with good activity levels, so I definitely wouldn't say not to create your own FC if you're set on it. But I would caution it's not easy starting an FC. People can be fickle and aren't always easy to vet as far as who you want in your FC, there's a lot of work and drama to juggle, and there will at times be people expecting things of you that are conflicting or impossible. There's a lot of FC's to compete with, and a lot of them don't seem to last long or get off the ground. I think it's not as easy as most people will assume it will be. You definitely have to be someone who is persistent and won't get discouraged, and it helps to have a clear, thought-out image of what you want and advertise it well. (Keep in mind, this is all from the perspective of someone on Balmung/Crystal. I'm not sure what Server/Data Center you're on and the specific obstacles that would be there.)

It would not be frowned upon in any way. Pirates exist and aren't exactly rare or lore-breaking in FFXIV. Keep in mind some RP characters may not always take kindly to pirates, but that can be said of pretty much any type of character. Any class could work well enough for a pirate, but marauder and rogue seem to be the most linked in lore. Machinist is also very viable if you want a gun-toting swashbuckler, and Arcanist does start in Limsa Lominsa. Piracy isn't uncommon in the Far East either, so Samurai and Ninja could also work well.

Hello there, Lacrymae, welcome!

Hello there, welcome!