crowmeleon

[align=center][/align] [align=center]WORDEATER[/align] [align=center] < OCTOBER 26 --- 1PM EST> Wordeater is a horror-themed event, for which I've opened a few slots to the general public. While a simple attribute/dice rolling system will be used, the majority of this particular event will be done with simple pass or fail dice rolls. This event will take place in a skype chat room.[/align] [align=center]We are currently full, but please feel free to drop me a message if you are still interested. If someone has to drop out I'l contact you right away. And if you miss this event, I'll be sure to hit you up personally for first dibs on any other events I run.[/align] [align=center]Thank you very much! [/align] [align=center] [/align] [align=center] [/align] [align=center] [/align] [align=center] [/align]

I like to think of the chuck of Eorzea we see as a model representation of what it would realistically be. Ul'dah is supposed to be akin to a capitol city but there are shopping malls in murrica that rival it in size. I think it's safe to assume the regions have been 'compacted' from what they would be in reality. But that's with any videogame. I think the only thing to really take into account is that Coerthas wasn't always blanketed in ice and snow so it's hard to tell the exact climate of the Northern parts of Eorzea. Coerthas' natural climate could actually be way closer to the Shroud's than it seems, with all the permanently wintry landscape just an unnatural side-effect of the calamity. Likewise, we don't know how hot Ul'dah really is. Some desert communities deal with very cold temperatures at nightfall. So it could be farther from the equator than we'd think to assume. It does fall south of Costa del Sol, but for all we know Costa del Sol could be analogous to the beaches of Jersey in the summertime, rather than somewhere like Florida. All in all right now I kind of just assume Eorzea to take a range similar of Europe-Northern Africa, with its northern limit being a bit more ambiguous due to Coerthas climate being affected by unnatural forces. Seasons wise I just keep in mind that even the most tropical places get cooler temperatures in winter. Not COLD, but cooler to the point walking around in a bikini would be uncomfortable during certain times of the day.

I'm also of the realism camp. I love playing out realistic injuries, preferably without healer instant cure-alls. I have a hard time with interacting in combat situations with people who exaggerate mortal capabilities without reason or consequence. They're definitely not in the wrong though, it really comes down to a matter of preference. I can't speak for the defender so I hope they're okay with the way things proceeded IC. If their character outright acknowledged the possibility of death I think this consequence was fair game. And I applaud Nat for managing to take IC consequences so seriously while still being considerate enough to be open to retconning the shooter to an NPC. I suppose I'm playing devil's advocate, but even as someone who would prefer a world in which injuries were taken as seriously as Nat has I can understand where the definition of 'lethal force' can be subjective in a fantasy world. Full out physical confrontations using real weapons and magic between players are not unheard of in the slightest. But I think there are many out there who don't consider death as a probable outcome for such interactions. Especially considering the healing powers available in this universe. While yes, I prefer to be heavy-handed on realistic, perhaps even exaggerated, consequences for the sake of drama, I can see where things could get messy. For example: Let's say Faolan gets in a barfight. He's not a trained fighter, so I would assume he's no where near capable of seriously maiming someone, let alone killing them. Maybe he gets lucky enough to land a hit just strong enough to knock someone back. But I would be extremely uncomfortable OOC if the character he hit fell over a nearby barstool and cracked their head on the counter, later dying of a concussion- Even though it's a completely plausible consequence. I think the hardest thing about this is that no one is really right in the objective sense. We're all just drawing our own lines in the sand and none us have any better say than another. I think the only thing you can do is consistently communicate OOC to make sure both players are on the same page when it comes to potential consequences. Especially when it comes to character death, which has both IC and OOC consequences for both players, as well as those associated with their characters. I hope everyone uses this as an opportunity for some really powerful roleplay!

... I did not know there was a youtube channel just for roleplay advice. o_o /mindblown Yeah holy fuckballs! IKR? Unfortunately there aren't many videos on the channel. However there is a tumblr where people ask questions and she answers. She's very pro-communication and I like that. I think a lot of drama and hardship could be avoided if we all were open to the kind of discussion she promotes.

0la5DBtOVNI As litmus for "Should we take it to whispers?" ask yourself the following: -Would this be shown on Disney channel? Final fantasy xiv is rated T, which means in a perfect world there would be people age 13 and up playing. Reality is you can be sure kids even younger are playing. -Would I be comfortable seeing other people do this in public? What about my grandparents? It never hurts to take it to private channels, even if you aren't sure. And what you do in private channels is nobody's business but your own. Also, for anyone who does include anything evenly MILDLY erotic in their roleplay, be VERY aware of the age of the person you're rping with- And the fact they could be lying. You can get into SERIOUS trouble. I tried to spoiler the vids for less spam but I can't figure it out, forgive me. gtMBuJkgiNw

Beating a dead horse by saying that I think these have always been, and will always be problems within the community. On an interesting note I guess I could bring up the example of Faolan. I really don't play him any justice because he's supposed to be a real jerkass. But IRL I'm excruciatingly nice and I struggle really playing him as the asshole with a heart of gold he's meant to be. The latter is easy. But the former? I always end up with d-bag-lite. I'm working on it though. Someone please teach me to be an asshole. When I do manage it you can guarantee I'll be spamming your pms with coddling reassurances. 'He's a real prick but I swear I'm not OOC. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you start to feel uncomfortable and I'll redirect!" and "I'M SO SORRY" every time he drops a particular toothy line. And it's partially because of the worrying OTHERS will IC/OOC mix I mellow him down unless I'm doing private rp. Sometimes with squabbles I'll need some OOC conversation to make sure we're still on good terms. IC/OOC mixing, particularly when the other person's priorities seem romance-bound, makes me NOPE NOPE NOPE the hell out of there faster than anything else. Eh, on the ERP subject I don't really feel I can judge any rp that goes on between individuals in private. My personal opinion on the contents of that rp is a moot point. There is room in this world for both those comfortable with ERP and those who are not. We need only respect one another's preferences- Without judgement or scorn. But that goes for preferences in general. There are some things I'm not comfortable with in rp. But that's a personal preference, and I recognize that. So I can't look down on those whose rp employs those subjects. I just don't participate. Likewise, I respect that some people may not be comfortable with subjects I include in my roleplay, and never create situations in which people are forced to participate- As well as make sure they can know they can redirect or straight up drop the rp at any time they want to, no reasons needed, no strings attached. I'd rather be overzealously overprotective than unintentionally hurt someone. If someone doesn't respect your boundaries they are not someone you want to be roleplaying with. However I can understand the frustration with unexpected whispers blatantly attempting to solicit sexual roleplay. What, you're not even going to buy me dinner first? Rude.

At the end of the day roleplay is for fun, and as long as you don't impede on others' ability to do the same I like to think you're free to do whatever you would like. However- In situations like this you really can't demonize people for not wanting to rp with you because you play something they are uncomfortable with. No one should ever feel obligated to participate in roleplay they don't want to. First and foremost let me say I respect your right to RP freely, and even if I disagree with someone on every other front I'd still encourage them to do what makes them happy so long as they don't infringe on others' ability to do the same. But for me personally, depending on the degree of similarity and congruence with lore I may or may not feel comfortable rping with such a character beyond short-term interaction. You could be the best writer in the world, but if you plagiarize or break lore too much I would no longer enjoy the RP. A difference in tastes, priorities, or principal doesn't make either of us a bad person. Just incompatible. Beyond that I can only give you advice based on my personal opinions. I would ask yourself what aspects of the character and magical girl trope appeal to you, and how you want to involve that in your RP. Thankfully this MMO is a very anime-esque universe, so I don't think it would be difficult to include these things. A character who takes the time before every battle to go through a transformation sequence could lead to some hilariously fun RP. It would probably be regarded something of a parody but I definitely think it could be pulled off with great results. Good luck!

I don't post here often, so I'm not quite familiar with the community and its tastes beyond my circle of close friends. But I figured I'd take my head out of the sand to see if anyone was interested in an idea I had. Essentially, small role-play events to foster server wide connections, and allow new players to break onto the screen and make new friends. These events could take several forms: - IC dungeons - IC fate chains - IC hunts - IC gather/craft/bodyguard missions - IC 'search and rescue' missions These are just the things off the top of my head. All events would have a broad story prompt, a reason to bring your characters together and set them off on a similar goal. There would be no long-term obligations, players would be free to sign up for as many events as they want so long as they continued to show up for the events they had signed up for. The majority of them could be done without my personal supervision (I would just play organizer or filler where necessary) and modified to best suit the characters involved. Parties would have free reign to take the story wherever they so please. Some details would only be revealed on the day of the event, or decided by dice rolls during the event. Most events would only involve groups of four, and take about 2 to 3 hours depending on the players. I would post the events for two weeks in the future, at a set time on a set day. Likely early evenings on Fridays or weekends. Questions for you: -First and foremost, obviously, would you sign up for such an event? -Should the other party members remain secret so it's a surprise who you get matched up with? -Would you prefer to only be matched with players of a similar self assigned skill level? -What degree of structure would you like to see in the prompts and mechanisms of the events? Would you rather it be simple so the players can take the story where they want? Or, would you rather it be more specific so you can focus on the role-play itself?

I wouldn't worry too much about being cliché when it comes to the big ideas. All characters can be reduced down to simplistic archetypes if you strip enough detail away. I would instead focus on asking yourself what details or mechanisms will make your character unique. Some of the best characters I've ever met were creative twists on standard personality tropes. If it helps, think of designing character like playing with a bag full of legos. It's not about the pieces themselves but which ones you choose to use, and how you arrange them. I'm sure that comes off as a bit oblique, so let me bring it back down to earth by working with one of the characters you're considering. "Muscle scholar"is already a combination of two stereotypically conflicting tropes. The irony and conflict between those two ideas is sure to create a lot of interesting and hilarious roleplay. But it definitely is a juxtaposition present in modern culture, such as your cited examples. I think beyond that, it's all the small details that will make your character unique, as well as how you play it out. What type of history spawned this type of character? What type of personality do they have? With those two questions alone you can create an infinite stream of extremely unique characters, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. You could have a whole army of muscle scholars and each person be a unique individual. tl;dr I like the muscle scholar idea, but freelance privateer is just as viable. Don't worry too much about types of characters being overdone; in the big picture everything has already been overdone. Hope that makes sense.

That's the sweetest thing.

I prefer flawed characters whose actions have caused, and will continue to cause them genuine consequence. Without those flaws and consequences characters cease to evoke any real emotional response from me. A realistic human psyche is also sorely appreciated, though I understand a certain suspension of disbelief for the sake of the universe. I prefer to conquer realism and bear it as a weapon, rather than be held back by any such effort to deny it- There are both positives and negatives in that, but I promise you it is no easy feat. Especially in a cooperative writing setting. The exact exaggeration of humanity for the sake of evoking emotion is a difficult line to draw within the truncated time period of ANY media, and unfortunately I'm biased enough toward realism and subtlety that it can be difficult for me to act parallel to others with different priorities. All in all I enjoy characters that make me feel. And that is an art far more delicate than any hollow sob-story. Real tragedy doesn't need to scream to be heard. And I've had far more a whisper crush my heart than any screech. I'm sure this all sounds terribly masochistic, but the end-game is this: Emotion is dualistic, and its potency is dependent on the relativity of that spectrum. Roleplayers (and writers) who can make me suffer as an audience are the only ones who can turn around and offer profound, soul-wrenching happiness. Even more impressive are writers who use their characters to pose philosophical questions that affect me OOC. I'm no master of the craft myself (though I seek to be) but these are the roleplayers I admire most. If only because of the great skill and self-control it demands. This runs in line with what Zhavi so aptly described as the 'fortitude' it takes to play characters with REAL flaws. And how harder still it is to put in the extra effort to ensure those flaws bring actual consequences to our characters.And don't take this post the wrong way- I am not taking a stab at my fellow rper. I'm recognizing a fault I myself am guilty of, and also see in others. I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that it's human nature to want to be loved. But what makes us love someone in real life and what makes us love a character are two very different things. That in itself could spawn a discussion that would last a lifetime- But essentially, we're so trained to chase the former that it blinds us from the latter. Sometimes it feels like everyone is so desperate to one-up each other in one way or a another that many of our characters are distorted into these hollow caricatures of once-poignant ideas buried under a sea of insecurity-spawned garbage. I know I'm guilty of it. And a lot of my personal goals as an rper at the moment revolve around overcoming it. So I really admire roleplayers who break that pattern and the beautiful characters they create. And if I keep fighting for it, I'm sure I'll be one of them!

I think it's only proper etiquette to contact someone OOC for permission before you do anything that may cause their character serious and/or long-term harm. Whether it be physical or psychological. At least until you know them better and have explicitly discussed what they're comfortable with. I've dealt of in what I suppose would be considered... Alternative roleplay, and I find the best policy is to talk talk talk talk. Let the other person know that at any point they're uncomfortable they need only say and we can redirect the rp, or even stop completely if that's what's necessary. It's already been stated, but always remember: -You're never obligated to rp anything you're not comfortable with. -You're never obligated to rp with anyone you don't want to. -You don't owe anyone anything at any time. This post is probably unnecessary but it really upsets me to imagine someone forcing themselves to rp something they're uncomfortable with just because they think they have to- Or worse, because they don't realize they can communicate their feelings OOC. Please don't ever do that to yourself.