Magellan

i'm not sure if you wanted a reply for this, but okay. I should have clarified to, any idea can be written if one is serious about it. Obviously, there is no one willing to be serious about writing something like that. And in addition, the ability to write something well is sort of like an exponential graph, difficulty approaching infinity as you approach the asymptote of "nothing to do with canon whatsoever" that being said, Padjal are actually a thing in canon, and imho while definitely not near 0 difficulty, certainly not near infinite difficulty either. Something approaching infinite difficulty would be like someone trying a weird crossover as you've proposed. There's a standard baseline in communal RP as far as what is acceptable and what isn't. Due to sheer number of players, this baseline has to be watered down, with stricter adherence to lore than the baseline in... say an FC or a small group. In other words; safe. Communal RP has to be safe, otherwise you stretch and bend lore in all kinds of weird, contorted directions, until what you are left with is Tera; a game that really had very little lore, and a straaaannnnggggeeee variety of rp characters like vampire princesses, and a thousand year old horse-warlock, and everyone and their brothers, mothers, and dogs played assassins. Thing is, none of this was backed by lore. And none of it was necessarily disputed by lore either, because there was such a lack of it. I understand the tendency of others to shoot down ideas deemed too radical, as you then start to create that strange amalgam of mary sues, special snowflakes, power creep, etc. etc. But the whole reason FC's and smaller groups exist, is because communal RP can be so vanilla. Too safe. People get so caught up in what is lore appropriate, and what will be accepted by the masses, that they can, in a very real sense, cripple their character of anything that would make them interesting. There is a skill in itself in making a 100% lore-friendly, will never offend anyone"S OOC sensibilities, character... well... interesting. People are constantly pushing and prodding the lore boundaries.... because the extraordinary is a lot more inspiring creatively to a lot of people, than just writing about an everyday joe. With that said, there are some ideas, no matter how well written, that just will not find acceptance in the baseline communal rp. They muddy the waters far too much, and elevate that character above the efforts everyone else has put in to creating a workable, believable rp community. Those types of characters are much better off finding a small group, or an FC to rp in, that is more accepting of radical ideas. Exploring new boundaries has always been a part of fantasy, but when you go far off the charted map, you can't expect the masses to follow you, because their interest lies in more identifiable, recognizable fiction.

Well, there was close to 20 in-game NPC Hearers in 1.0, not including Padjal, and probably about that in 2.0. I'd have to go run around Gridania and do a census. (ie. Look for Conjurers wearing purple) But I do not see why being a Hearer would be considered Mary Sue. Sure, you hear the voice of divine beings, but that's kinda the whole point of being a Conjurer. The goal is to hear them. So I say go for it. And no, Elementals are all over the world. In every rock, every stream, every tree. Lore suggests that these Elementals are just unable or unwilling to reveal themselves without the protection of the Hedge like Gridanian Elementals have. (Because despite their power, Elementals can be slain by conventional weapons.) So a Conjurer should be able to commune with Elementals outside of Gridania just as well. I see. Thank you! Very helpful

Sorry to piggyback on this thread, but how rare are Hearers? Does it hint of Mary Sue-ism to play a Hearer? And does the art of Conjury lose a lot of power once your character leaves the Shroud, or are they able to communicate with elementals from other areas too?

This is simply put, the most useful post I have ever read on this site, and the sort of lore I wish was more readily available. I have seen SO many people (including myself) rp magic without anything close to adherence to these schools of magic. If you don't painstakingly read through every quest related to classes, it just seems there is no way to pick this up. Thank you for this, it certainly gives my characters much better guidelines and direction than they've previously had. I feel like I've been doing it so wrong all this time

Ah neat. My first FC was a knights group based in Ul'dah. I wish you lots of luck and much fun!

I'm going to have to retract my character's 'application', as I ended up not becoming very endeared to her ^^; But my main character Claire, is a total foodie. She works in the food industry, and while she wouldn't work for the teahouse per se, I'd certainly be interested in setting up rp there... either as a regular customer or someone who has a shared supply chain or something... perhaps she could pitch in to help work from time to time, just not on a regular basis (since she has a full time job ICly) Message me here or in game if you want to try and set something up. If there is an LS involved, I'll certainly sign up for it

My character Claire would want 5 or 6... or 7, but would have the first one and probably be like 'there's no way I'm going through this again.' Except she's in a LGBT relationship. Maybe she'll become the next Angeline Jolie and adopt an army.

Gilgamesh has moved their community here: http://www.gilgamesh-rp.com. maybe try it out, see if it floats your boat, and if not, then invest in a transfer. I've played on both servers and can recommend both communities, though Balmung certainly has the advantage in sheer size department.

Murder seems to be the new black. I had a character bake a positvely sinful triple chocolate raspberry cake once.

Gotta work on fixing a few minor computer issues, but I should be free most of Sunday, possibly some Saturday. Other than that, weeknights EST, name the time and I can probably make it. Personally, I would love for Sola to have to go through an interview process (cuz there's no guarantee she'd be a good fit )

That sounds like it could be fun. We will have to set up a time for an interview. Came home from work to a wonky computer tonight ^^; should have it fixed by this weekend though. Sat or Sunday I have pretty open availability.

Thank you all for the helpful replies You ever been working on a concept for a character or a story, and the pieces just seem to be fitting together? I started with an idea of 'well, I want Sola to make jewelry, so I'll make her a goldsmith ICly'. But then the more I thought about it, the more I though; 'Well, I actually want her to be more of a tinkerer, and make some kind've unique stuff (ICly)'. And you all have just informed me that stills fits in perfectly with my ICly goldsmith idea. *puts a cigar in mouth* "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?" You all are tremendously wonderful!

My character Sola is currently looking for a job in the Limsa area, and would most likely apply to such an opening

I see. Mammets came at the tail end of my last stay in Eorzea (I've just returned) so I know very little about them. I shall commence with the Googling. Thank you, oh kind Wizard of Freelancing.

How far can I take this idea: I have a cait sith minion. I want to make it canon for my character. No, I don't mean for it to be thee cait sith. Its a doll, that my character made , as a companion/play toy for her carby. Either through engineering or magic I would also like the toy to walk, and possibly produce sound (speech would probably be pushing it too much). I know machinist is coming out, but don't want to bank too heavily on unknown lore. So, my question to you all is: is there any currently available lore that would support my little stuffed frankenstein, through either mechanical or magical means? Thanks in advance for all replies.

I would sort of be interested in doing an interview for my character precisely because she is none of the requirements you listed, and it would be horribly awkward for her, and horrifying, the concept of like... having to talk to people.. ...you know, the usual sorts of situations we like to put our characters in.

I'm going to second Lia in that I don't think I've never had a positive or enjoyable combat rp situation that wasn't pc vs npc. People just love their characters far, far too much to allow them to lose, or even engage realistically in these settings. Its one of the several things that have kind of pushed me away from rp in general.

This. In all of its content, SE has appeased exclusively to the grinders. There is a rather large casual market out there folks, with active real lives, who don't want to spend the limited amount of time they have in game doing nothing but farming gold for perks other games give out cheaply or free. Fifteen bucks a month should give us access to the game's content regardless of how many hours we are able to put in on a given day. It should be fun to decorate a house, not a thankless chore that feels like a job just to get the house in the first place. Because this is a game, not real life. I shouldn't feel like I have to take out a mortgage in a virtual world.

Just another thing SE bungled with ARR. Thank goodness Wildstar's housing systeem is so much more dynamic.

I do not mean to pick on you, because I actually deeply respect the sense of intensity and commitment you seem to bring to your characters, but I have such a hard time reading that OOCly, that I think my only legitimate IC reaction could be 'uh..... what?' Accents are tricky like that. A couple of people have mentioned all the traumas their characters have gone through, and admittedly that's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. My characters may have one or two defining traumas in their past, BUT, I fully explore those themes and don't arbitrarily heap on more drama for the sake of drama. I'm often left scratching my head, wondering... doesn't anyone like to rp... you know, HAPPY characters? WITH THAT SAID, one of the great things about rp communities is the diversity, and ability to provide content for a variety of different tastes. I see no reason why people of differing tastes cannot find common ground to work with if they rp here and there, but the truth is people will rp with other people who enjoy the same brand of storytelling they do. Think of a library. Everyone has vastly different tastes in books, hence why there is such a wide offering. You aren't likely to sit through a book you hate (unless its for school) so its no surprise if you find yourself unable to connect with a character or a storyline in rp as well. In short, everyone is entitled to their version of fun, and there should be no ill-will towards others who don't share the same brand of fun as you (I.e, 'actor' vs. 'Method actor') I love method acting. I wanna feel what my character is feeling because that is the draw of rp to me. I want my character to be telling me what to type on the screen, not me telling the character what to say. Is it possible to go in too deep? Absolutely. But like with all things, practice can help you hone your craft and be the most effective storyteller possible.

Actually, I find action, action, action in RP to be rather dull and boring, because it can quite quickly reach a soap opera level where these characters are caricatures of cartoons, rather than real, living people with full lives, in many realms outside of just fighting. I love slice of rp. I think scenes of high drama or action need to be properly setup by people establishing interpersonal relationships outside of 'fights'. If you are offering Dragon Ball Z vs something that's more of a character study like Lost was, I'll take Lost every single time. I'd rather study personal drama than Chuck Norris kicks ass... again! My last character in ARR was a baker. She didn't fight at all. And I had a blast playing her. To echo what Eva said earlier; a lot of OOC drama can be avoided by simple use of OOC communication. One should never assume just because they are having fun, that those around us are having fun too. I find things like torture, ultra-violence, and extreme psychological discomfort as intolerable in my rp as I'm sure others find 'social' rp. We are here for different reasons, and to make sure we are not upsetting someone else OOCly, or putting them into situations they really aren't comfortable with, or not enjoying, we must communicate. Of course, if you ARE uncomfortable with a situation, it does also fall upon you to SPEAK UP! You are in charge of your character, and if you feel their fun is being sucked away, or like you are consistently sad or depressed when playing them, then try avoiding the situations that are causing this, and seek out a different form of rp. There are many tastes and styles that permeate mmo rp... you should be able to find one that makes you happy and back to enjoying yourself again.

It is possible to get very attached to a character, yes. It is also possible to get derailed on a character, to the point that your reason for playing them is no longer there, thus depriving us of what the joy in playing that character was. Rp can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster at times. When you put a lot of time and effort into creating something, it can be frustrating when things don't turn out as hoped.

The short version: I'm looking for friendly, sociable people who love gaming and rp to join my skype group, HUGs (Helping Unite Gamers). The long version: Though I still plan on dabbling in ARR, the game has lost a lot of appeal for me. Its got an awesome community, but outside of rp, its just not.... fun. (To me) I enjoy myself for a couple hours here and there, but certainly wouldn't sink a 5 or 6 hour session into this games combat. Tired of jumping from guild to guild or game to game and losing contact with awesome people, and tired of starting new games without knowing anyone there, I decided to form my group. At our core, we are people who think beyond the boundaries of game and guild, and instead have a larger sense of overall gaming community. Try out new games together, help each other find new homes, and possibly explore other avenues of rp such as skype, forum, and online tabletop. People who are interested in forming strong OOC relationships regardless of game affiliation. Current games we dabble in are, of course, ARR, Tera, Guild Wars 2, (small) TESO communitty, a burgeoning Wildstar community, and SWTOR. Future games we'll be keeping a watchful eye on include Archeage, Blade & Soul (pleaseeeee come to NA o: ), and Black Desert. We are a family friendly group (which doesn't mean no swearing, but it does mean no lewd, derogatory, obnoxious behavior/remarks/topics). And I can't emphasize enough that we are looking for friendly, helpful, and sociable. if you like the idea of exploring mmos with others, trying out various forms of rp, and building a friendly community, then please PM me here, or leave your skype name, amd I'll add you to our group. Happy gaming!

The problem with spontaneous rp is it kind of leads back to your original post; spontaneous rp usually doesn't lead anywhere meaningful, and fails to set up deeper connections (though sometimes it does). In order for others to get invested in your character, and vice versa, there needs to be some sense of continuity, which is best developed with OOC communication and planned rp. Give them a reason to keep building a shared story together (whether those be IC or OOC reasons), otherwise it will just be fluff rp like tavern and whatnot.

Lol'd at the no Miqo's policy Good luck! I've rp'd with a few of you and you were always a lot of fun!