Magellan

Ildur's words are verywise. My slave would never willingly talk about her past because its simply too painful. It would have to be coaxed out of her by someone she deeply trusts, and obviously trust would be an issue for her. Her past should be evident in her actions and behaviors, not in her words. Everyone can spot a broken bird. Whether or not they get the story behind it depends on how much nurture and love they will put into helping the broken bird heal. In short; with this sort ofcharacter, its almost entirely up to those around you to draw out your backstory, since broken bird would probably be very uncomfortable doing so herself

Be careful of this one sister.... he's... not treating my Keeper Nica very well right now...

This sounds a lot my character Nica, who has been trained since childhood to be a slave. Its challenging, especially because I don't know if she will ever truly find freedom, but I certainly think its a plausible idea, and worth exploring.

Cool thread. I would like to offer the following connections for my characters: All my characters are on Balmung Isielin Danar'i Wildwood, Female, Age 27. Archer and Pugilist. Possible Connections: + Isielin grew up in an old traditions Wildwood clan deep in the Twelveswood. She was the clan elder's daughter. Her backstory is available for anyone who was part of the clan, or lived near the clan. + Isielin trained with the Wood Wailers for awhile. She is available for other Wood Wailers in her backstory. + Isielin currently works for the Knights of the Twelve, a good themed group based out of Ul'dah, available to be hired out to protect,serve, and assist the innocent. Also available to combat evil. Ioshi von Silver Highlander, Female, Age 29. Thaumartage. Possible Connections: +Ioshi is a noble, who grew up in a very competitive environment of shadow and intrigue, of manipulations and struggles for power. There is a huge opening here for people from her past. I actually haven't pinpointed where she grew up, so can work with people on this. +Ioshi runs an alchemist's lab out of Ul'dah. She is intelligent, with knowledge in several subjects, including medicine, science, and magic. She is available to be hired out for projects and quests. However, she is a noble. Gil holds little interest to her; she likes to trade in favors. Nica Locke Keeper of the Moon, Female, Age 19. Conjurer Possible Connections: +Nica is a servant looking for a master. She cooks, cleans, heals, basically whatever she is commanded to do. She can only serve for three days, before she is required to return to her mysterious employers. Anything beyond those three days, and her employers will come looking for you... Hope to hear from some of you! Dear Mr. Falkner; Izzy (Isielin) is a huge chocobo/animal lover, and would love to have this animal sanctuary in her background. Let me know if that works for you =)

Cool thread, and great questions! 3. I think an OOC connection is important here. If OOCly the person is willing to switch their characters upon request, and make their characters available, I see no reason to require 'mains with mains'. I've had several rewarding tales with alts; both my alts and with others. If I am crafting serious storylines, I would expect the other person to craft time with me to explore these stories. That's why I think OOC trust is the number one factor here, not seeking out people's mains only. Everyone has a limit to how many characters they can handle, and knowing your own limits is key. 4. Not on serious storylines, no. I have had a couple friends I stopped RPing with because EVERY time I RP'd with them, they had a different character. It made it impossible to develop any sort of foundation. 5. I can't picture a reason having one character would be frowned upon. I guess the only thing I can come up with is that person than limits themselves on their number of RP partners. Say I want to develop a storyline with Professor X, because I respect the hell out of X's OOC RP abilities, but Prof. X's character really has no opening to bring in another RP partner... I would be elated if they created an alt to give me the opportunity to RP with them as enemy/best friend/lover/other. 7. Three is my magic number I've learned, and I've been complimented on handling/juggling them quite well! I love all three of my characters, and would never deprive them of the time and growth they so deserve by creating a fourth. This falls under the 'everyone needs to know their own limits, if they want to create meaningful RP.' 8. Unless otherwise busy, I am always available to switch characters for some RP. Even if I am busy, I will try to set up some time when contacted. This is where that OOC trust comes in. As I've stated, I love all 3 of my characters, and have interest in telling any of their tales (if not all) any day of the week. Great discussion!

((very nicely done VLLL - welcome to Roleplay!! *hugs*)) Nica was being followed now by the night sky and a half-moon; both things she liked. She continued to peer over Lodine's shoulder at them, even making a small reaching motion with her hand... ... until the pain in her side flared up again. She whimpered, and drew her hand back. "Master..., I think the wench and the man want to talk to us. Maybe... one of them can help fix Nica..."

My intention was to run it monthly =) Since the majority of my activities will be on Balmung, I figured I would run the event once a month on both servers. Perhaps bi-weekly if the activity level warrants it!

Something felt... wrong. Master was never this kind. Nor had she heard the name Lodine before. As the man paused to yell at someone, Nica turned her head, and looked curiously at the Duskwight. She was pretty; half her face was the moon, and half her face was the night sky, and she couldn't tell which half she liked better. "Whata lookin at ya wench!" the man cried, before walking away. Nica placed her head against his shoulder, to peer over it at the receding Duskwight. Were all pretty people called wenches? She would have to remember that, for future use. Part of her wanted to purr, part of her wanted to get away, and part of her waited for further instruction. Master would tell her what to do, he always had. Master... her eyes slid shut... Nica won't fail... "I promise," she said.

*hugs* welcome! all these new rpers today is making me squealllll!!!!

@Demon Fox: I came into this community pretty jaded from situations similar as yours; the old guard that looked down their noses at newcomers, seemingly intolerant to the point of trying to chase new players off (which boggles my mind) My very first post on the RPC was rather snarky and confrontational. Rather than be chastised, several people reached out to me and tried to get me to understand that this community is different. I've seen nothing but evidence to support that since. Will there be a-holes? Absolutely. Does the majority of this community want to see an RP family grow together and nurture each other regardless of RP experience, sex, age, race, and creed? I 100% think that they do, even if we disagree from time to time. Legacy status doesn't matter. Everyone, from the very first RPer on version 1.0, to our newest member signing up now, has a say in the creation of the future of Balmung. I implicitly trust this community, and what they are trying to achieve. I can't wait to meet them in game. By sharing our view points, and working together, I think we'll avoid any sort of elite warriors of light scenario.

Of course, and I honestly do not mean to stir up any trouble. I am very much looking forward to spending time with all my new Balmung friends. *hugs*

Hello and welcome! Apparently we hand out too many sweets around here, so... *hands out gysahl greens*

While this is very informative, and I am appreciative of the amount of effort that went into this, it feels like a soft lobby for Balmung, as Gilgamesh and non-legacy, as well as the purposes behind that server are rarely mentioned It does help clear up some confusion though. Good luck to all RPers everywhere, even the ones not on Bal or Gil! Happy storytelling to all!

Hello and welcome! I like your signature banner =)

Are you lost, kitten? The words reach her from far away, and she looks up at the tan highlander, a flicker of curiosity darkening within her eyes. She tries to sit up, mewling in pain as she does. "Master?" She asks. "Is that you?" She shakes her head, trying to clear it; so many odd thoughts tumbling around inside it. If any were to check the back of her head, they would notice the lump from the blow struck there, with dried blood caked to her white, dark-highlighted hair. "Tell me what to do..." she mumbles. "Nica is... lost."

((If your character was in Ul'dah, passing by, and saw this happening, how would they react? Describe their actions, and what they would say. Its as simple as that =). However, you can't force actions on another player, only offer possibilities. For example, if your character wanted to tackle Unlikely, you would write; 'VLLL lunged at the hyur, trying to knock him off balance'. That would give Unlikely the control to decide whether or not his character gets knocked over. If you wanted to scoop Nica up and run her to a clinic, or drown her in the ocean, you would write something like; 'VLLL went to scoop the Miqo'te up, sensing she was in danger/in desperate need to throw her in the ocean'. That way I get to decide if Nica is scooped up or not. Make sense? I'll wait for you to post. Rawr! :3 *squeals in excitement at new rpers entering the thread* it'll be a great chance to learn!))

I agree with Xerek that most new rpers tend to underestimate themselves. Building confidence is as simple as jumping in somewhere and practicing! Don't be afraid to make mistakes, we all started out at the beginning! Once the game launches, I'll be running monthly events geared towards giving new rpers a chance to get out there and break a leg!

((Hey all! Please feel free to jump in and join me if you like, or I shall simply keep adding pieces as the inspiration hits)) My Soul to Keep Nica: http://i40.tinypic.com/205z4.png Pale white, skin of the moon, she seldom shows her teeth. Eyes aglow; shimmering gold - minute observations made beneath layers of distance as vast as the Thanalan desert sands surrounding the city she was in. Nica, by name; Keeper of the Moon, and prowler of night - distant in soul as the stars shining quietly over the Ul'dah streets. A bundle of cute and tragedy wrapped in a petite, five foot frame. She walked with a shuffling, directionless, stumble as the blood on her side dripped through her robe and touched in rhythmic splashes onto the dry sand beneath her bare feet. Slumping against a wall; her hand guided her, seeing what her eyes could not. Not that she was blind, but the great golden orbs that were her pupils stared unfocused, while her hand clutched her side. Sticky. Wet. She lifted the bloody palm in front of her face and slowly blinked. As the nighttime activities of the shady city-state went unnoticed around her, she sat with a plop. Her legs no longer seemed to work. She stared at them; watched her toes move, and wondered who these feet belonged to. "Who am I?" She asked.

Being new to RP, and Eorzea in general, I would recommend one of two things: if you are the type to launch yourself fully into something, then utilize this great site, and the great people here to ask thousands of questions about race, lore, RP specifics, etc. I've never come across a friendlier community than this. If you are the type who feels overwhelmed, 'where do I start!' (As I did when I first started rping), I recommend taking it slow. Consider a hyur, or a hyur-raised character, raised in a familiar setting to you, so that your character is 'easier' to play. You won't hav to know lore and racial histories right away, because they won't pertain directly to your character. You'll be able to piece them together over time, either strengthening the story of your current character, or perhaps inspiring you to make a new one altogerher! *Don't be afraid of mistakes, we all make them. *Don't be afraid to ask questions, your peers love to help! *Make up several backstories. Make up 20! The more you practice it, the better and more fleshed out they will become. *Do not rely solely on your backstory! Remember that your characters live in the present! If they are defined only by their past, their present amd future will not be very interesting. I've been rping my current character for 2 months, and she's only revealed parts of her backstory to 2 people. Backstory is a foundation that should help shape your character, not completey define them. By being receptive to what goes on around you right now, your character should find plenty of RP opportunities. *I love to RP with new people, to try and spread the RP love, so hit me up anytime! Good luck!

*grumbles about lack of Wildwood information and growls at the Duskies* J/k, =p Very informative thread, and its really nice to see the community work together to compile information like this!

I tend to define lite/medium/heavy as this: Lite: anything goes. Consequences do not matter because the whole point is just to socialize and RP for fun. Scenes don't have to include continuity. Lite RP is akin to running skits in an acting class; there isn't a whole lot of accountability because the story isn't the point, the act of RPing is the point. Medium: Medium is that strange hybrid of trying to make things matter, while at the same time being inclusive to all. You try to tell stories together, but are willing to flex and bend quite a bit when others step out of bounds. Because at the end of the day, its just a game. Heavy: everything matters. The story is the point. Those you invite to participate must adhere to it, or it spoils the fun for all. The storytelling is the reason everyone is there, and to defy the etablished rules means your character shouldn't be there. They don't belong. They are being disruptive. It sounds like your person isn't doing a 'strange mode' of godmoding, they are flat out godmoding. Their character is impervious to the rules that everyone else is, cannot be bothered to work appropriately within the provided storyline, and are there for their own gain, without truly caring for the others around him/her. They want their character to be 'cool', and therefore unable to be overpowered. I've run into this in the past, and have promptly said no thanks and walked away from it. You might explain to them that the purpose of your group is realistic storytelling, in which every action must matter and must have consequences, or else it spoils it for everyone else. Tell them they need to respect this with the way they play their character, or that character is no longer welcome in the group. Hope that helps and good luck. Its never fun to have to try and manage these situations

Yay a fellow archer Welcome and well-met! Hope you find your stay in Eorzea a pleasant one! (But not too pleasant, drama is great for the RP =p)

Hello and welcome! Please make yourself at home; *hands out cookies*

They donn't belong there ICly, so remove them ICly. I have been in many situations with my own character where everything is great OOCly, but my character simply doesn't fit ICly. He or she would have absolutely no reason to stick around long term. Rather than try to force the sitaution, I merely go along on my way. Feels like that is what needs to happen here. Edit: Your poll seems to outline the difference between lite, medium, and haevy RP immersion. Once your group figures out which it wants to be, your decision should be easy =)

*frowns upon Robyn's partiality to rolling female* :c *looks at own female characters* ....oops..... awkward~ Anyway, I plan on running a bi-weekly event on Balmung specifically for new rpers, so would love to meet up with you anytime ! Kupo!