Grott

I'm gonna jump on this. If you're looking for that kind of like Joss Whedon pals-who-also-fight-together thing, this isn't it. We'd love to have you in our group, we sincerely would. We just want to make sure you know what you're interviewing for. We're not doing a shawarma scene, or having family reunions at Master Roshi's house, or whatever. Most of our characters don't even like each other, they're just there to get a job done (and, again, not in an anime rival way, just like "That guy's an asshole, but he knows the lay of the land better than I do"). There's a level of trust and respect, generally speaking, but not a terrible amount of joking. If you're looking for a cultural analogy, I'd compare it more to like... uhhh... maybe The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the comic, not the terrible movie) dynamic, than say.... the Smallville pseudo-Justice League.... if that makes sense. That being said, we obviously joke around OOC in the LS/FC because that's what friends do. We're not robots. Just want to make sure you guys know what you're getting as far as tone. Also yeah, read the stories if you're confused.

I'm in a rush but I thought I'd respond to this quickly, so excuse the brevity and sloppy formatting: 1. I'll give you Monaco. That's fair I guess. But this Rydian place isn't a principality, it's a kingdom, according to OP. 2. I am also not familiar with any elected rulers using the title "Princess", nor am I familiar with any such rulers being elected because of their showing at a dance. Of course elective monarchies are a thing, and are plausible in fantasy land, but electing said ruler because they went to the annual ball is not a thing anywhere and reads like a bad disney pitch. 3. Theodoric, the last King of Ala Mhigo. That's the only one I can think of. It's not that I think OP's story is unworkable. It just needs an overhaul to make sense in this game's world.

Also, don't give up because people don't like your ideas. Just realize people don't want their immersion broken by things that don't jive. Do a little research, ask some lore questions. It's tough to start RPing in an already established community. I don't like your backstory idea. I'll just lay it out there. I don't think it fits. But that doesn't mean I think you should give up and not RP with people. There's always a give and take. Just work with it. It'll work out.

Well, I've got some issues here. So, the Star Wars franchise being excluded, princesses are 1. not elected, 2. not given any authority, and 3. are either princess by birth or by marriage. So, the fact that this Yuna-inspired character was given actual sovereignty over an entire nation, because she was prom queen (...?) is a little... off. Especially if we're going to play along with her actually being a competent leader, despite having never run anything, and having her best pal as her only advisor. And I know we can sit here all day and say "Well magic isn't real either so anything goes" but that's just not true. The FFXIV setting is a little off-the-wall, granted, but it holds together as having a believable society, culture, and government. There are leaders, advisors of all stripes, well maintained militaries, local enforcement divisions, dissenting political opponents in some cases, and an infrastructure. So how does this government ...work? Who abdicated the throne to Dancing Queen? Do you mean to tell me a government leader said "Well, she was elected by the kids at the dance. Guess my economic stimulus package can wait." Not very believable. Not to rub this all in your face, but this just isn't a very original or plausible idea. You basically just said "my favorite video game character is in the setting of my favorite mobile game, and marries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron this guy (idk if that one was intentional, but Lord Byron is definitely already a famous man) and then has to flee so she goes to the setting of my favorite MMO and now I can play as her." It just needs some flare of originality. And this one isn't just you, there's other people that do this, but I'm just going to vent about it while it's relevant: Can we stop IC race changes? Just retcon it. Saying "I woke up in a different body whooooooa" isn't half as interesting as some people think it is. It's more frustrating than anything, because everyone else is then pulled away from their group narrative, and into some wacky Freaky Friday/Shrek plotline they don't want their characters to be a part of. --Trust me, they don't. And so... you're from Othard, where there are Au Ra, and it would totally make sense to just say "Yeah my kingdom (princessdom/student body president election) was highly Au Ra populated because that's the region I'm from, and I fled here." why complicate it with "I had to flee my nation, THEN I turned into voidsent, THEN I glamoured myself to look Au Ra." Streamlining is key when it comes to backstories because generally speaking, nobody wants to listen to anyone go on and on and on about how sad they are because of whatever-the-hell-who-cares-we-weren't-there. Remember: You're making your own kingdom. You don't need an excuse as to why you're the race you chose. It just helps ease people into your headcanon if you keep it simple. Honestly, I hate being this harsh when people ask for feedback, but you're making about a dozen RP faux pas in your backstory and everyone's being pretty light about it when I know they're just being polite, so I figure I'll just throw in some reality here. But again, You can RP whatever you want, but keep in mind you're playing with other people who may or may not accept it. The more streamlined, plausible, and lore appropriate, the better, when it comes to interacting with other RPers.

Hello, inner monologue. How did you get out here? ...I like that. Keep playin' it cool, hot shot.

OH MY GOD WHO CARES

My whole townhouse just broke into a terrible acapella version of this for whatever reason, so I guess I'm technically listening to it.

Gonna bump this really quick. We're back. Don't take the info up top as written in stone right now though. We're still setting up shop again, so it'll be a bit, but we will probably be looking to recruit soon. At very least, in the immediate future, we'll be casually attending some RP events, and you'll see us around. We're back! That's what I'm trying to say. Look for us.

This all sounds pretty exciting, and I never tell people their characters sound exciting. I like what you're going for here. As for contacts, I have an alt that's been doing some Twilight Zone style detective work in Ul'dah for years now. He's not really partner material, but he'd be a good contact if your work ever strays that far into the bizarre. He's got a tone of realism (spooky things aren't commonplace and wacky fun, they're actually spooky) when dealing with the surreal (think X-Files without aliens). I don't play him too often, he mostly NPCs in my FC's stories or I use him in skype RP, but I could be convinced to log on with him to have a chat with an investigator if that's where one of your cases is headed from time to time. The fact that you have real world experience with what you're trying to RP is pretty exciting to me (real life veteran, playing former knight, I can relate) so if you're looking for a FC, ours is very small and we're coming out of a very long hibernation right now, so we're still setting up shop and wiping the sleep from our eyes, but we'll be looking to recruit soon. We'll keep your name in the hat if you want. Our leader is RPing a former Brass Blade as it is.

So, what are you some kind of a recluse or something? Joking aside, welcome to the club. If you're looking for RP you can put yourself to sleep at the Quicksand or look for RP events in the calendar section. http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=16271&pid=284223#pid284223 I personally find this to be more helpful and detailed than looking at the calendar though. So check that out and see what's interesting. If none of that catches your eye, I recently offered my free time http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=18649 to any new RPer who feels discouraged about entering the already well-established RP community and needs a pal. The thread gets a little off-topic, but the offer's still there if you can't find anything or you're too nervous to walk up to a group of strangers. Don't feel obligated though. I won't be offended. Either way, welcome to the RPC. Come play pretend with us.

Hey welcome to the RPC! I had a naming issue similar to yours when I started. I had been playing less than a month when I decided Uther didn't work as a Hyur and needed to go Elezen. I decided "Skystrider" was an alias and his last name was actually the more French sounding "Leondegrance" in order to fit conventions better. As for the first name being much more Hyur than Elezen, I basically just stopped caring. Naming conventions are good guidelines to follow, but they're not hard-and-fast rules. My Lalafell is named Abodo Po. It doesn't perfectly fit convention, but it sounds like a Lalafell name. If you read it in LS chat or a whisper, you'd assume the player is playing a Lalafell character. With Uther, you'd probably assume Hyur, but he is technically in exile and he's forfeited his Elezen "Leondegrance" surname, so it still works. Point being, there are plenty of creative ways to get around a mismatched name, including just saying "Whatever. Close enough." You're not going to get dinged by the RP community for a slight deviation from convention, otherwise every male Seeker without "Tia" or "Nunh" as a last name would be ostracized. And those names are boring. Well, now I'm just rambling. Enjoy your time with us. Hope to see you in game and around the forum!

So, I've been RPing Uther since ARR beta, and I've always been conscious about how I wanted him to slowly and naturally transform from fresh-faced, young, self-exiled, Ishgardian knight idealist to gruff Maelstrom privateer with sunburned and salt-dried skin. Today I was looking through old screenshots, and I made this out of various screenshots I've taken since 2013.

Tavern RP has its benefits. You can meet people, it's a good place to relax after some adventure RP if you still want to be IC, and it's a good planning spot before some adventure RP. It just confuses me when people do all of their in-game RP in a tavern and then develop their character off-screen in their own headcanon. That's barely RP anymore. It's just you talking about a story you wrote by yourself, while looking at a model of the protagonist of your fanfic. I just don't get it. But I didn't start this thread to bash on tavern RP. I just put in some jabs and it turns out other people don't like it either. If that's what you're into, that's what you're into.

So, for anyone interested in my offer of free RP, I'm going to try to be at Spellguard on Friday and The Grindstone on Saturday. I'll be spectating both, not competing, so feel free to come up and say hi. Otherwise it's just me watching people roll dice. As for adventure RP, I just got back on this character for the first time since Heavensward launched, so I'm going to be doing a lot of Ishgard adventures on my grind from 50 to 60. My group and I RP a lot of what we do out in the world, so if you're in that area I'll be on all next week, as I have no RL responsibilities for the whole week. Send me a tell in-game or a PM on this site, or just send me a friend request if you want to see where I'm questing and if that interests you beforehand. Don't be shy. I promise I won't laugh at you if you're awkward, and I don't care if you laugh at me for being awkward. If our characters don't mesh well I'm not going to hold it against you OOC. I know some of you said you were interested, and I'm pretty excited to see where this goes. I've been busy with some unexpected RL stuff so I haven't had the time to reach out to people individually, but the plan to get newcomers some easy-access RP early on, and to bring back some adventure RP for experienced roleplayers who miss it or never got to experience it, is still very much something I'm trying to accomplish. Basically, "If you meet me online by Grubb's Tavern, I will show you where the treasure hidden."

Probably shit. Edit: Oh. This is a thing. I got peanut butter and moonlight..... Nah it's shit. He probably smells like shit.

Getting a thread locked in this forum is a rite of passage. Let the debate.... CONTINUEEEEEE!

See, this guy gets it.

....We beezin'? This post is a little much imo, (holy shit, Shuck) but I do echo the sentiment that walking into a tavern to RP is pretty anti-climactic at times and it isn't how I like to spend my time. We have a huge open world to explore with monsters and ancient ruins and tombs and armies and magic and I find it shocking that all of the RP I seem to come across is either in some guy's house or the dreaded Quicksand. My point isn't to tell people they're stupid for hanging out in a tavern if that's what they want to do, but adventure RP is the best way to RP in my opinion and my offer still stands on RPing with anyone on their terms so in a tavern, in a house, on a train, with a mouse. Whatever. BUT(TS) I do want to work on getting some more people to bring back outdoor RP. I miss those walk-ups. I'm sure they still happen, but I don't see them very often anymore. So hopefully anyone who takes me up on my offer will agree to some healthy e-exercise and we can go around punching rabbits or whatever and talking about pirates. If not, that's cool, I can deal. Main priority is making sure people don't get discouraged and quit because they can't find RP pals.

Hi, I don't usually post in Making Connections so I'll get right to the chase: I see a lot of newcomers (and a few people who have been around a while) complain that they just can't seem to find RP. The game, unfortunately, has become sort of cliquish. This isn't a post to just bash the RPC about this. It happens in any game that's been around for a few years, especially one with built-in housing. People get comfortable with their friends, and housing offers a nice escape and a stage to tell stories. Everyone prefers their friends to strangers. It's no one's fault. That being said, a lot of the complaints I see from these friendless new players is that they don't like the idea of just doing awkward walk-ups at the Quicksand until someone acknowledges them, and I can't blame them. I've been there and it's awful. It can be very discouraging and really eliminate a great deal of potential new RPers, like baby turtles racing to the ocean. So, anyways, this isn't just a shitpost to complain, I'm actually offering a solution, even though it's a very small solution: RP with me. I've been there. It sucks, and I feel bad any time I read a thread saying people are just lost looking for people to play with and can't find them. I don't care what your character's story is, or if you're going to fit in with my crowd or if you're a god-moding weirdo. If you've been sitting at the Quicksand and failing to initiate walk-ups and you hate crowds and you just want some good storytelling with a stranger, PM me in game or on this forum. If I'm online, I'll drop whatever it is I'm doing at nearest convenience (If I'm in a dungeon I'll finish it obviously, but I won't start a new one) and I'll meet up with you on your terms. My character is a bit gruff, but he's personable enough, and he can get along with anyone. I realize this isn't anyone's first choice, and that doesn't offend me, but if you're really struggling to initiate an IC conversation for whatever reason, message me. Do not quit because you're discouraged. Find me. I'll be your pal. That's my offer. *You don't have to be new

It's tough. I recently returned myself, and I'm from a time before housing (though I did come back for a few months after housing was released). It seems a lot of RP is housing-centric now which often means no walk-ups. There are, however, a good amount of tavern events and such under the Calendar tab, which are typically open to the community, in the housing wards. You could try one of those. Usually less packed than Ul'dah's Quicksand, they tend to be a good size for mingling from what I hear. Also, the Grindstone on Saturday nights draws a pretty sizeable audience and I've been drawn into some pretty good RP while spectating before. Don't feel discouraged if you can't find anything right away. It's a little tricky to get into a well-established RP scene at first. Just don't be shy, and keep an eye out for events and you'll find something. Happy hunting.

As long as you took it down, I don't care what you call me. I'm not going to derail this entire conversation to tell you how the military works. Look up the AFI yourself. Idk why you're relying on a vaguely implied military-affiliated stranger from the internet to tell you what is and isn't in regs. But back on topic: So we've discovered through some weird means that this entire thread was an excuse to shower yourself in rep points and then, later, an admitted troll. I'm no mod, but I don't think rape is really a great hot-button issue to milk for rep points or humor, even in a fictional setting. Reading back through the posts, a few people seemed to have personal reactions to this. So maybe in the future, let's keep our forum posts free of that kind of "humor." Assuming you were joking in a weird way about the echo chamber or the "this is for humor" line, I'll leave the thread and let the conversation continue, but I think everyone's pretty tired of this.

I'm just... I'm confused af here. First, I just have to get one thing out of the way. This is going way off-topic admittedly (I'll get back on topic soon), but around 2:40, "Would it help if I say I'm not in the military?" So, whoever said "Don't shout about e-rape in uniform, especially while driving, and put it on youtube" (paraphrasing) is absolutely right, and I know you've gone to the briefings about things you don't say in uniform on the internet, and it's mostly just everything. Also, it wouldn't help if you say you're not in the military, because you had the gall to film in uniform with your name tag showing, [removed by moderator]. I'd recognize the ABUs and the cheap $9 BX haircut from a mile away. You also filmed your troll reaction vid in your general issue sand t-shirt. So you're either in the military, or, even more frustrating, you're just roleplaying the life of someone who's in the military IRL (and going to work in an Air Force uniform as you stated at the beginning of your second video...?), which afaik is illegal. Also, get off ffxiv-roleplayers.com at work. Seriously, it'd take about 15 minutes for me to use some clues from your GPS and your surroundings in that video to find out what base you work on. This is highly unprofessional. You're not the only military member that RPs in FFXIV and I will call you out on it. Don't record in uniform. Now that that's out of the way: Your entire argument is insulting because you're blaming Square Enix for "using rape to make their game more edgy" when you just made a video where you admit (ugh. In uniform.) that you started a thread about rape to get free gold stars from the RPC because they'd naturally agree with you that rape is bad. How do you not think that's worse? This thread is either an obvious troll, or disgustingly misguided. Please leave.

You bring up fair points, but to put my opinion bluntly: FC leaders need to understand that they're in a leadership role and they should be ready to make a tough call. You can't play softball with everyone who isn't fitting in. Rules are there to be followed, and if they're not then /gkick. Making it easier to gkick people makes it also easier for new people to get into the FC if they're recruiting, because the FC leader won't be afraid that if it doesn't work out this weirdo will be around forever and everyone will have to awkwardly deal with him or her. Be a leader. Do what's best for your FC. Don't be shy about it. But that's just my opinion and personal leadership style. Everybody's different.