C'kayah Polaali

Thanks to the hard work of everyone in the group, we're now headquartered in the Goblet. With the aid of some questionable bribery and connections with less upright Sultansworn, we have secured a trading charter from the Syndicate, rendering our caravans immune to search and seizure and classifying us as a Legitimate Trading Concern™ in Thanalan. Wealth is pouring in, which means that our power and influence is growing by leaps and bounds. Come join us! You've got a friend in the family...

I'll second what Aya said. It's best to be proactive about finding RP. It can be hard, but it's well worth it. If you're bored, go somewhere where there are a lot of RPers and post some actions. Examine folks who are walking (walking is a sure sign of a RPer in a game where most people sprint everywhere like hamsters on crystal meth) or standing around and look for RP tags. Send them blind tells saying "Hi, I notice you're a RPer. Me, too. What sort of RP do you like?". These are all things I do, and they work pretty damn well.

Start using them. Just remember to take breaks so that you don't harm the skin I was stupid thinking one pack would tide me over during the car ride. The other is in the trunk. Ah ha my face is gonna be a balloon Bags of frozen peas are fantastic ice packs for that, by the way. You don't have to press on them to get them to conform to the curves of your face. And I'll second what you said. No Homestuck spoilers, please.

Watching Elite Dangerous videos, shopping for a joystick/throttle combo (for said Elite Dangerous copy that'll be on my computer as soon as they launch), and probably cooking a really intricate dinner (it's the season for ratatouille!).

I'm glad you've got a handle on what this is. Rest up, we're all thinking good thoughts about you!

I'm not a terribly big anime fan, and I certainly didn't model C'kayah after any anime characters that I'm familiar with, but if I'd have to choose someone, it would have to be Sanji from One Piece.

Contact me in game, I'll throw you an invite to Avatars of Dark, which sounds right up your alley.

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*cough-cough* I see what you did there...

Are they? Aren't they?

What I want to know, of course, is if after eternally bonding long enough we can convert our partners into materia.

Unless, you know, you just consider that its a remote tavern location that rarely has anyone to be bothered by the fact that you're being publicly villainous. Nowhere has to be -perfect-, and I really don't care if some NPC Blades have their feelings hurt (considering that their hands are full with other work, anyway, it doesn't seem likely that they would be too concerned with Ul'dahn-based law enforcement, its like the Wild West out there). Either there or the Coffin and Coffer seem like they would be fine representative spots for more villainous characters to hang out. There are a decent number of housing-based bars, too, which could be used. The FC housing directory has a few of these. One benefit of them is they don't come with the obligatory Brass Blades loitering around...

Everyone ever signing on to play a villain-type should be forced to read this and sign a document stating they've read it. Yep! This is a big one. To reinforce this, here's the relevant section from the Tylwyth Narah new member's guide:

There are a number of good points in this thread, and I'd only add a couple of points that largely draw from my own experience playing villains. Villains seldom consider themselves villains. This is the biggie. The stereotypical moustache-twirling villain knows they're a villain and they get off on it. These people, as has been pointed out, don't really exist outside of stories. Come up with a motivation for your hero that allows them to feel like the good guy. Or at least righteous. In my opinion, there are two basic types of roleplay: Top-down and bottom-up. Top-down roleplay has a storyteller that comes up with a plot, and people play within that plot. A good example is Askier with his very large and engaging plots. Bottom-up roleplay doesn't have a storyteller, and the plot springs up out of the unplanned interactions of the characters. Most tavern RP is bottom-up, but you can get some pretty interesting stories that develop in this style, too. In the real world, I'd argue that there's no such thing as a plot that lives squarely in one category or the other. They're a blend, leaning one way or the other. I bring these categories up because they really affect how you play and portray your villain. In a heavily top-down story, the storyteller has strong control over how things progress, and they frequently want a villain who's clearly recognizable as such for the story. These villains can be much more standard moustache-twirling - not always, of course! I mentioned Askier as an example of someone who does a lot of top-down RP. For those of you who've participated in them, ask yourself if Askier is the villain in those stories. In bottom-up RP, you rely on your ability to interact randomly with people for RP. It's hard to do this if everyone recognizes you as a villain, so this is a circumstance where you'd want to make your villain less recognizable. Less cut-and-dried. I do a lot of bottom-up RP, so I'm pretty careful to make sure that C'kayah never stands on top of a table and yells "You shall all grovel at my feet, or my name isn't Doctor Evil!" Instead, he lives much more in the grey area. In his mind, he's the hero of his story. What's more, he's very likable. This is always a good characteristic to have in a villain. If your villain is likable, then they'll draw people's sympathy in a story (which makes things more engaging for the players), as well as stirring the pot more because they'll get so many unlikely allies ("What? No! They couldn't have done that! They're so nice! And they tip well!"). Another aspect of not making your character recognizable as a villain is simply not doing anything that convinces people you're a villain. With C'kayah, I enjoy the sort of RP where he has to dodge the law and the like. Because of this, I do crime RP out in public (in out of the way places) to allow people the chance to overhear. At the same time, I try not to discuss major crimes while sitting in the Quicksand within listening range of a bunch of Sultansworn. Because I do a lot of bottom-up RP, it becomes a balancing act. You don't want to go too far towards the secrecy direction because then no one has a chance to notice anything, but you don't want to go too far towards the public-act direction because then everyone knows you're Doctor Evil. This is one of the more fun aspects of playing a villain, because it's so immediate. I'm not simply playing C'kayah. I'm also putting myself in his head as he tries to get away with crimes without getting caught, and it's never entirely in his control! Playing a villain is a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy it.

We love you, too! C'kayah and Tylwyth Narah have only grown in wealth and influence since we last spoke. At the very least, I'd love to talk to you about money laundering. At best, there are some Monetarists who could use a good curbstomping before we take over...

I love it when I log in for a few hours with no idea what to do and end up logging out after recruiting two new people and getting the first groundwork in on a new RP plot. Welcome Xheja and Alexander, by the way!

Some of us are nursing hangovers this morning. Forgive us, Crofte...

I've landed and settled into Bally's. Now to find a sea breeze...

I know a certain other crime-lord Tia who may take interest in you then. Indeed! Ping me or Kenthy Pennyfeather in game.

Set up a Hangout for the full party. Done and done

It happened to me on Star Trek Online. I made a Klingon alt on a whim once. Two months later I'm thinking "When's the last time I logged into my Fed character?"

I just woke up about 15 minutes ago. I'm currently wearing absolutely nothing. In about 15 minutes, I shall be wearing jeans and a nice funky blue oxford shirt and these brown chelseas that always make me feel a little like I'm the badass that just walked into the disco. Then I'll be off to deal with NamelessLargeCorp (an aggravating partner) today, and waiting to see if they screw up a deal that they've been pushing for quite some time. Today is judgement day there. And with luck RPC shenanigans. Breakfast shall be three fried eggs and coffee. And maybe a banana.