Bumo

This is the best god damn news I've heard all year. Here's a little more about it: http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/10/28/syfy/ This quote's relevant to the thread: ""We saw an explosion of sci-fi/fantasy content across every cable and broadcast network out there,” said Syfy president Dave Howe. “Perceptions of the genre have shifted dramatically."'

It was tough to come up with one for Bumo where the lyrics fit, but this works pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGreqBriJkQ

Good thread! Glad you have Wystan's clothes on there. I'd love to see those as a wearable set.

I don't really see how this would benefit anyone, only serve to cause a fandom that isn't yours the same kind of negative sentiment you seem to think that ours--those with 'nerdy' interests--have. Not trying to pick a fight with you or anything, but it sounds incredibly petty to want another group to feel "judged" and have to "hide in their basements," because that might have been something others experienced for their hobbies. In the past several years video games, superhero movies and shows, anime, and sci-fi have been getting attention and are filtering into--if not dominating--the mainstream. Look at movies and television lately: it's mainly capes, even in primetime, with shows like Arrow, Flash, SHIELD; movies like Avengers, GotG, and the upcoming Batman vs. Superman are all really in the public consciousness right now. Entertainment Weekly covered SDCC. SyFy is going back to being The Sci-Fi Channel specifically because they want to tap their alienated demographic, but also the burgeoning demographic of people who are becoming interested in these types of shows. And while we're not quite at the level where we are televising roleplaying games, it's not a terrible stretch of the imagination to believe it could happen within the next few years, given this whole 'geek is chic' thing. We are, after all, already televising eSports. Back to 'traditional' sports, personally, many of the people whom I know are sportsfans also happen to be fans of tabletop RPGs and boardgames, CCGs, video games, and all manner of other 'nerdy' hobbies. Some people I know were not initially fans of sports, but got into them through fantasy leagues, which is all about management and stats. And I see absolutely no reason to want to shame these people about it simply because at some point someone who enjoyed football might have thought something I enjoy was weird or reclusive. On the question in the topic itself, "what if roleplaying went mainstream," well...there would never be a reason to ask which server is the RP server when joining a new MMO.

Music plays a huge part of creating a character for me. I'll typically have an idea in mind for the type of character I want to write, and then I try to find music that fits the 'mood' of that character. Coming up with that themesong (or even a full playlist) for that character helps me focus on keeping the right 'feeling' for that character as I'm fleshing out their details. During RP, though, I don't usually listen to music. I find that, unlike when I'm writing solo, music doesn't help when I'm responding and reacting to what someone else is typing, and can actually be distracting.

Minions and mounts play a large part for one of my characters, as he's something of a pet collector.

That's really interesting. Looking at the prosperity of the three city-states, you'd assume the literacy rates would be high, at least within the cities proper. Low literacy rates would imply that there is no compulsory education system; any kind of tutoring then would depend on wealth and social status. Books themselves would be expensive because of this as well--if you look at the cost of books in England during the Middle Ages, where education was primarily for nobility, it would take nearly a decade for an average craftsman to earn enough wages to purchase a book. It's interesting to think of from a character point of view; coming from a literate society in real life, where there is a formal education system, most people probably automatically assume that their characters can read, unless they want it to be a notable part of their background that they can't. But that bit of lore says that most people in Eorzea can't read, and so people whose professions or social standing didn't demand learning letters probably don't know how.

The most adorable uprising!

The Arrzaneth Ossuary (thaumaturge's guild) in Ul'dah has a sizable library inside it. I'm not sure how open it is to the public though, lore-wise.

So much awesome stuff coming!

I RP with whatever the current weather is, including sudden shifts. Unpredictable weather can be fun; I remember two beachside gatherings I've been part of that were 'spoiled' by sudden heavy rains, forcing everyone to take shelter. Blame the calamity.

This happened to me recently. I've started focusing a lot more on an alt than on my main, partially because I'm not 100% sure where I want to go with my main, and the alt right now is a lot more 'focused.' As Melkire said, I don't know why that would be a faux pas, unless you're leaving other people hanging. So long as that isn't the case, why would concentrating on an alt be a bad thing?

The question of, "Can a Lalafell be as strong as a Roe?" is dependent on the Lalafell and the Roe you're comparing. The strongest Lalafell might not be able to physically best the strongest Roegadyn, but a strong Lalafell could probably stand toe-to-toe with an average Roegadyn. (Assuming an average Roe already has crazy strength) I only skimmed the thread (sorry!) so I'm not sure if it's already been mentioned, but there are little people, people with dwarfism, who bodybuild and are capable of some pretty impressive feats. Bodybuilders like Mighty Mike or Jason Owen can bench over 300 lbs. Vince Brasco stands at 4' tall and can bench 285. As someone who RPs a physically strong Lalafell, these were people I looked at to get a good measure of what was possible. The potential is there to have strong Lalafells without assuming 'fantasy' or 'anime' physics.

I'd have trouble with even an alt dying before they reached the end of the story I want for them, I couldn't bear to have my main character killed off prematurely. The only thing that would make me consider it is if the end was fitting, and left me with no regrets. If I could look back at that character and say, "They didn't achieve what I set out for them to achieve, but they had a good run." But even then, it'd probably still bother me.

In case anyone's interested there's a Final Fantasy D20 site that has racial stat bonuses for the FFXI races, which are easily adapted. Bumo Dalumo STR: 12 -- You don't do strenuous labor for a decade-and-a-half without building serious muscle. Repetitive heavy lifting and working with axe and hammer have pushed Bumo to phenomenal levels of strength for a Lalafell, and while that might not seem like much compared to other races, Bumo can lift over 1.5x his own bodyweight--and shoulder things that are 3x his size. DEX: 10 -- Bumo is not the most dexterous Lalafell. His low center of gravity gives him good balance, and he's got enough precision for his work, but he's not going to be doing acrobatics anytime soon. CON: 16 -- Bumo doesn't get fatigued very easily. He's used to working long hours in sweltering heat, he rarely gets sick, and he can shrug off hits. INT: 9 -- Growing up on a remote island doesn't exactly lend itself to book learnin' and analytical process. Bumo is far from dumb--he's average, really--but he's not much for academia. His IQ also puts some of the nuances of Eorzean language beyond him. WIS: 12 -- Plainsfolk Lalafell tend to naturally be observant of the world around them. (Mostly thanks to the ears.) Bumo has good instincts, though his moral code may run counter to common sense. He has strong empathy, and he learned very early on to be alert to the motives of others. CHA: 10 -- Bumo has some hurdles when it comes to social interaction. The scar on his face can be a blocker, but the biggest barrier is language: some quirks of Bumo's speech make him challenging to understand; conversely, certain jokes and idioms go right over his head, especially wordplay. Still, those who take the time to puzzle through his words find that he makes for a pleasant conversationalist.