Frankly you're already on the right track. You're communicative and respectful to the players around you and that goes a long way in any RP, antagonistic or not.
I don't agree that playing a villain will necessarily net you better RP in the long run as Blue said, nor do I think playing a good natured character decrease one's chances of maturing; to be honest, I find that insinuation absurd when there's infinitely more ways to grow outside of morality. Even then, there's plenty of angsty and/or edgy sorts out there that are some combination of bland, laughable, one-dimensional or just straight-up offensive making the 'darker' side of things all that much more of a shallow pool to pick from.
I do, however, agree that OOC bonding helps a lot, though once again, this goes for all RP, especially anything that goes past a casual level. Also think Harmonixer asks a lot of good development questions, though I'd definitely pass on the OOC stalking and just straight up ask. Some people just won't be interested no matter what, you know?
In regards to my personal experiences; they're similar to Khaine's with a character that has some of the issues Telluride describes. In this case, it's my beloved but much maligned Foxglove Kyo.
To preface: I personally would not consider her a villain, though I think some would given her previous, albeit relatively short blood-soaked Garlean service. For me she is more of antiheroine, or at least that is the direction I'm trying to go in given a number of her inspirations (Think Nicholas Winding Refn's protagonists, Snake Plissken, Lady Snowblood, countless leading ladies in the Shaw Brothers erotica canon, Walter E. Kurtz, etc.)
At first meet, she's typically defensive or otherwise off-putting, sometimes even creepy and/or downright mean. While her reasons for being this way are both sympathetic and entirely understandable, it still hasn't prevented Foxglove from earning a negative reputation within the community. This has left her frequently dismissed before she has a chance to shine with her more charming, compassionate side she keeps locked away.
That's the thing; she's not a sociopath, just a multi-dimensional character made of numerous, conflicting layers. There are times where she misses all that power and control, sure, but ultimately she has remorse for her actions, frequently haunted by them in her thoughts and dreams despite any questionable desires that may still linger.
On the one hand, you have to develop the character right and play them thusly. On the other, there's also that reliance on the players around you to do their part, as well. Unfortunately today's average roleplayer lacks the patience for anything more than positive, casual interactions that satisfy on the short-term. Long-term plotting just really isn't in vogue, certainly not in the 'mainstream' if you will.
This combined with every other issue previously mentioned puts characters like ours at a great disadvantage. Sad, but unfortunately true. That said, if you truly love what you're playing, then by all means, keep at it; you may not find them tomorrow, but there's someone out there's that's going to appreciate what you're doing and it's going to be worth the wait. It almost always is.
I don't agree that playing a villain will necessarily net you better RP in the long run as Blue said, nor do I think playing a good natured character decrease one's chances of maturing; to be honest, I find that insinuation absurd when there's infinitely more ways to grow outside of morality. Even then, there's plenty of angsty and/or edgy sorts out there that are some combination of bland, laughable, one-dimensional or just straight-up offensive making the 'darker' side of things all that much more of a shallow pool to pick from.
I do, however, agree that OOC bonding helps a lot, though once again, this goes for all RP, especially anything that goes past a casual level. Also think Harmonixer asks a lot of good development questions, though I'd definitely pass on the OOC stalking and just straight up ask. Some people just won't be interested no matter what, you know?
In regards to my personal experiences; they're similar to Khaine's with a character that has some of the issues Telluride describes. In this case, it's my beloved but much maligned Foxglove Kyo.
To preface: I personally would not consider her a villain, though I think some would given her previous, albeit relatively short blood-soaked Garlean service. For me she is more of antiheroine, or at least that is the direction I'm trying to go in given a number of her inspirations (Think Nicholas Winding Refn's protagonists, Snake Plissken, Lady Snowblood, countless leading ladies in the Shaw Brothers erotica canon, Walter E. Kurtz, etc.)
At first meet, she's typically defensive or otherwise off-putting, sometimes even creepy and/or downright mean. While her reasons for being this way are both sympathetic and entirely understandable, it still hasn't prevented Foxglove from earning a negative reputation within the community. This has left her frequently dismissed before she has a chance to shine with her more charming, compassionate side she keeps locked away.
That's the thing; she's not a sociopath, just a multi-dimensional character made of numerous, conflicting layers. There are times where she misses all that power and control, sure, but ultimately she has remorse for her actions, frequently haunted by them in her thoughts and dreams despite any questionable desires that may still linger.
On the one hand, you have to develop the character right and play them thusly. On the other, there's also that reliance on the players around you to do their part, as well. Unfortunately today's average roleplayer lacks the patience for anything more than positive, casual interactions that satisfy on the short-term. Long-term plotting just really isn't in vogue, certainly not in the 'mainstream' if you will.
This combined with every other issue previously mentioned puts characters like ours at a great disadvantage. Sad, but unfortunately true. That said, if you truly love what you're playing, then by all means, keep at it; you may not find them tomorrow, but there's someone out there's that's going to appreciate what you're doing and it's going to be worth the wait. It almost always is.
