lutroxical

Bumpin' up to say we're still very much here and Rping!

Still chugging away over here~ <3 Apps are open!

We're still alive, tickin', RPin', and PvEin'! Also still accepting new members. Feel free to check out our site and drop in an application if you want to join us!

Welcome to three new members today, Kiyo, Ziggy, and Alexis! Thank you so much for joining us, and we hope you enjoy Pearl! <3

«Pearl» is still open for applications! If you are looking for a mix of tavern/inn style RP with many opportunities for adventure, check us out! We're always on the lookout for excellent roleplayers to join us in both IC and OOC shenanigans.

I would like to update Mist, Plot 30 (formerly Aetherial Warriors)! Mist, Ward 6 : Plot 30 Balmung Ardent Lotus «Pearl» - Location of the House of the Hidden Pearl Inn & Tavern. Find food, drinks (alcoholic and non), and jobs within! Floor 1 - Entrance, Inn check-in, bar, tavern, lounge. Enjoy a variety of Eorzean and Far East flavours of food and drink, as well as stronger beverages for a soul in need. Floor 2 - Inn Rooms and Onsen. All guests receive warm and filling breakfast in the morning, as well as full access to the shower and onsen, also free of charge. Basement - Levemete, Notice Board, Adventurer/Mercenary Lounge. Come get your jobs, hunts, or other employment here! Restock your potions, salves, or just relax by the fire after a long sun. Tavern Menu & NPC Staff: http://ardent-lotus.enjin.com/inn

RP is still happening, if anyone else wants to drop in. <3 Mist, Ward 6, Plot 30!

Just a bump to indicate our grand opening today, likely starting around 11am Eastern! We're at Mist, Ward 6, Plot 30! Stop by at your leisure!

Hooray! We've rebranded and emerged victorious! The grand opening of the Hidden Pearl Inn & Tavern will be tomorrow all day long! Drop by to RP with our FC members or to check us out! It's a fresh start for Stormblood, and we're ready to take it all in with new eyes and horns~

Still here and still active in game! We're still accepting applications, as well. <3 Please check the website for more details.

Applications are still open! Thank you to all that have applied. We are looking for exceptional potential members to have fun with us in the upcoming expansion! If you and your character are all about: - Fighting Garleans! - Fighting OR being allies new and exciting Beast Tribes! - Seeing new areas and dungeons ICly! - And possibly fighting new Primals! ...then shoot over an application! AW-RP is all about adventure, camaraderie, and making stories together, so please be prepared to participate in our shenanigans! <3

Applications to the FC are open! Please check our site for more information.

Things I look for in my officer team: 1.) Friendship: This doesn't mean they brown-nose you, because other opinions on matters should be welcomed and considered. However, if you aren't at least borderline friends with a person, do not make them an officer yet. There needs to be mutual respect and understanding of how the other person works/speaks before you can work together. Otherwise miscommunication can be rampant. When running an FC with other people, always expect a bit of friction when it comes to discussions--this is healthy. 2.) Objectiveness: An officer MUST be able to remain objective and fair when in a position of power. Too often people with high-strung emotional reactions are given this role and things go down the toilet quite quickly. You HAVE to be able to look at all conflicts that come up and such with a certain objectivity and patience, even when it's a person's good friend. (If it's a guild, then everyone is supposed to be friends on some level--it's easy to get too emotionally involved.) Every side must be heard, and you don't want someone who snaps easily. Look for people who aren't mixed up in drama, but are still social and friendly. 3.) Active: As has been mentioned, these people will make themselves noticed rather easily. Look for people who start up RPs, have a lot of ideas, and who seem genuinely interested in the FC for the FC alone--not an IC relationship or something similar. 4.) Looking in the Same Direction: Make sure that each officer knows what their smaller responsibilities are (such as chat monitoring or running X event) and that they also know the type of FC you want. That way, they can just make up events or RP as they go, instead of always having to go to you for something. Delegation is SO important! As leader, we often want to do everything ourselves, but sometimes you just need to trust others to do it. Otherwise, it can seem controlling. Give them chances; let them screw up, then talk to them and make a better plan for next time. Only then can you grow as a team and as a group.

Everyone here has some really excellent points. I would just like to say that you can absolutely have a successful RP FC with 30 members or more. You will need a large officer team of at least 4-6, but it can be done so long as everyone of your team is on the same page and is devoted to the direction of the FC. I do advocate quality over quantity, though, always. My FC also has been around since 2.0, so it has had time to grow into what it is now naturally. However, there is no use kicking out people from your FC just because you may have "too many," when some might actually get super interested once you get yourself together as leader. After a while under the "new" regime, you may revisit the issue of membership numbers. It may help, if you want a mercenary company, to split it up into smaller squads or themed sections. For instance, my FC ICly has different teams: Reconnaissance Team, Infirmary/Mender Team, and Airship Crew. Each member that is part of these teams are chosen by the IC leaders of each group and are usually only for those that are most active in the FC. This isn't to shun others, but to reward those that ARE active with appropriate specialties, depending on their character's interests. I also have the entire company, no matter the activity, split into squads based on their IC classes/jobs. I have a Melee, Ranged, and Mender squad, each with 1-2 Lieutenants/Sergeants as lead. I know some people are against hierarchical type of guilds, but it is necessary when running an IC Free Company that acts like a small battle force. People need guidance, both IC and OOC. You can't just have them running around aimlessly and expect plot to get done. Splitting up people is very useful when you want them to go into combat situations, as everyone just GOING HAM is usually very confusing and hard to read for both GM and player, as others have mentioned. I wish you luck! If you need any other help, feel free to PM me anytime.

I respect their decision to create their own fun in the way they want to do it, but I do not interact with them ICly or even want to be in the same areas where they are roleplaying. I am fine with them on an OOC level, but I am not the type of person to react in a starstruck manner when I see a "famous" NPC. I usually just go "hm" in my head, and carry on with whatever PvE thing I was doing. In fact, I've seen them so much since HW released I usually don't even react anymore? Luckily, for me, it doesn't come up too much, as I don't participate in large server events for the most part. But for a person who does do a lot of public/walk-up RP, I could see a major NPC being there as a huge distraction for both me and the people I'm trying to connect with. That seems to be the most inconsiderate thing about them, in my opinion. You can individually choose to ignore or engage with them, which is fine, but if everyone else around you is suddenly in a tizzy ICly (or OOCly even), to use a phrase from my FC lexicon: RP is die. And that's not very fun. So tl;dr: Private RP with famous canon NPCs among friends or other canon NPCs is okay with me entirely. Have fun! Showing up to public events as them is not so much.

Welcome to a few new people, including Tahla'ra and Rowan! <3

I can understand your frustration. Had I not created my own FC, I probably would have run into this issue myself. I have known people from all over the spectrum, but honestly Balmung seems to be a very healthy mix of people who love RP/character focused stuff and those same people also enjoy the game. Maybe not in a static, maybe not pushing-edge endgame, but progression enough that they do the new primal fights/raids/etc. With honesty, I can say my FC does do both, though we always prioritize fun > everything. We have a weekly raid night where we tackle a wide variety of things, but usually it is reserved for whatever raid we want to do. This week is Nidhogg EX, for example. And we will probably take the next several weeks learning and eventually clearing the fight as an FC. I know not all FCs do this, so I can't generalize. But we've done it consistently since nearly 3 years ago when I started up AW-RP, and the weekly event has served us well in the long run. Scratches most people's endgame itch, so to speak. It's all about finding the type of group you want and really getting to know their likes/dislikes and schedules so that you can fit in with relative ease. However, if you don't find what you're looking for, it's perfectly viable to start your own. I wish you luck!

You can certainly come by our FC house anytime! If people are about, feel free to chat or what-have-you. If you go through our application process and such, there is a 2 week window after your interview where you make sure you're happy with us entirely. If, by the end or during it, you don't feel you're a good fit, we can always part ways with no hard feelings at all. We don't recruit heavily or try to keep certain numbers, so everyone's happiness is our gauge. For more information, feel free to check our site! Thanks for the interest. http://aw-rp.enjin.com/

We have several new members! Thank you all so much for joining our little family. We hope you have a great time.

My main, Rhesh'ir, puts on a semi-regular show at the Gold Saucer for singing in order to realize one of his dreams. He is very into it, and if he wasn't a captain of an adventurer company, he would definitely be a full time performer. ; I know you said "songstress," but if your idea could ever include a male, count me as interested!

I have experienced this ...sort of. I think honestly a lot of it has to do with the sexual factor. I'm not saying every roleplayer has sex on the brain, but most RPers are at least OPEN to their characters getting into some sort of romantic entanglement, even if it is not ERPed out in full. And Lalafell are often not even considered an option on an OOC level. My alt, Trisselle (a Seeker miqo'te), is actually married to a Dunesfolk Lalafell ICly. And when they first got together, I took quite a bit of "abuse" from friends and FC-mates for it. I put it in quotes because it wasn't meant to be taken too seriously. We were treated as a big joke for a while, but no other pairing had been treated in such a way. I felt a little insecure, to be honest. And I wasn't even playing the Lalafell! But truthfully, there is a lot more to their relationship than just physical stuff (and yes they DO do the deed! /gasp!), and it's been some of the most complex and interesting RP I've had in my time in this game. Even now I never know what they'll do or what crazy path they'll take. So I guess what I'm saying to all the Lalafell-haters is: don't discount the small folk! Try to get into the mind of an Eorzean, who see Lalafell as completely normal, and let your character react accordingly. The RP might surprise you, in a good way. That's just my two gil! <3

Hello~ Welcome to Balmung! There are plenty of connections and RP to be had! If you see me running about, please feel free to /wave or say hello. :3

I got a ticket with a few of my other FC mates! :3 I would love to be social and meet some people. I recognize plenty of names by now, as I've seen so many of us running around in game, on tumblr, and here. I believe I'll be staying at the Paris, but that isn't solidified QUITE yet. EXCITE!

Just how non-talented can a character be as a mage? ; I have a character that is edging on the brink of curiosity about magick and aether, as the possibilities have just recently opened up to her. But she doesn't even know a basic spell as of now. It's perfectly fine if you don't take extreme newbs. I was just curious! :3

I love the flower pots too! Please do let me know how your experiments go. I am super curious.