balmung An Old Guard's Return to the Fray

[Kylin]

Hi all. Some may or may not recognize my name. I've been around since the dawn of FFXIV, and despite my occasional retreat into the shadows, I've actually never left the game (at least not longer than a month at a time). That's right. I've been around, even if on other characters, since 2010. Insanity or just insane dedication? >.>

 

I have, however, become increasingly distant to the RP community at large. I admit, I've been struggling to find an 'in' of any sort and feel a bit displaced. Tis probably a natural thing for someone who is technically considered part of the 'old guard.' This will be the third time in the last few years I've attempted a making connections topic like this, and it will admittedly be my last ditch effort to stay active in XIV's RP community, so I'm really hoping for success this go around. But I simply can't do it alone, and am fully willing to admit that after playing solo for about 1-2 years now. Despite my vast history with the RPC, I'm actually not that big of a socialite >.>;. Most/all of my past connections have moved on in some capacity or another, and I'm unfortunately not so good at moving on myself. I'm the type who typically finds something he likes (people/environment/etc) and want to keep that for as long as possible. I also think the culture of the RP community has changed gradually over the years to something that, for me, is very challenging to engage in. So here I be, asking for help in making new connections that can make me comfortable around people and RP again. I'd greatly appreciate any help that can be given. With that said, here's some things I'm looking for!

 

My old characters (Kylin, Elza, and the entire Felstar/Mavanix clans) have been permanently retired. I have no intention of bringing them back, aside from possible cameos or something akin to that if the need arises (unlikely). I'm starting a new character, from the ground up with zero interactions so far. Details of this character can be found on the wiki here: https://wiki.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/pages/Malik_Ishvari

 

I'm looking for linkshells, possibly a FC, and connections beyond those to create various types of potentially long term stories and relationships. I prefer heavier RP, moderate lore compliant leanings, stable environments (poofing people/characters has been a massive problem for me over the years), and a healthy balance of slice of life RP and big storylines/action/etc. I love IC drama, as long as it's believable and stays IC. My past characters have been known to do all kinds of things that brought various different RPers together across the board for different reasons (usually dramatic IC scheming fit for soap operas >.>; ). While I may have 'dulled' a bit with age, I still crave some level of those types of interactions.

 

Availability is heavy on weekends (Friday/Saturday being the only days I can stay up as late as necessary). I work early mornings M-F, and can be available in the late afternoons for a few hours at a time. I am on Eastern Standard Time.

 

As the character is an eco-terrorist, the easiest means of interacting would be bonding over mutual love of nature, or doing something that may be perceived as a threat to nature and thus becoming a 'target.' I am open to other methods as well of course.

 

With that wall of text done, please feel free to reply, PM, or tell the linked character in game with any story/RP ideas and invites. I really want to stick around this community and game (there really isn't any other MMO that interests me in the slightest...). I just need some meaningful interactions to get my head back in the game is all. If you actually read all of this, thank you for your time and consideration!

[voidVirago]

Welcome back to the community! I know how it goes, falling in and out of things. I've gone through a lot of periods where I just wasn't feeling it.

ANYWAY - Anyone with a <LUXE> tag would be happy to RP and help you get into the swing of things, myself included! I've been around for a few years at this point and am always wanting to get some new connections in!
 

Feel free to PM me here or message me on discord if you're interested

[LiadansWhisper]

While I can't point you at a particular guild, given that my character operates out of Gridania, I could see the two having a run in at some point.  I'm glad to see you back playing, Kylin.

[D'eshel]

I'm in a similar spot as you are, friend. I've been playing MMOs for a longer while and have been roleplaying in them since, though for about a year now I've realised that my love for roleplay in any kind of setting seems to have waned for some reason, maybe due to age or some other circumstance. Still, I'm a stubborn bastard and I'd like to keep trying to get invested in this particular activity.

I've got a character that I'm willing to toss your way, having a quick glance at your toon's wiki I spot at least one idea of a story that could happen between them. Do contact me in whatever way you wish if you're inclined to chat about it!

[Mermaid]

Big mood in regards to the last ditch effort. I've been poking around for a year and have yet to be able to find anyone consistent. Feel like I might be due for a last ditch effort myself since it seems like I can't get anything to work.

 

I'm extremely shaky with in game RP (I hate the "walk-up" RP everyone loves where it's literally just "run into someone at a bar and start talking") and I'm not sure how well I could make times match. You're free to hit me up if you manage to catch me though and best of luck finding RP.

[LiadansWhisper]

6 hours ago, Mermaid said:

Big mood in regards to the last ditch effort. I've been poking around for a year and have yet to be able to find anyone consistent. Feel like I might be due for a last ditch effort myself since it seems like I can't get anything to work.

 

I'm extremely shaky with in game RP (I hate the "walk-up" RP everyone loves where it's literally just "run into someone at a bar and start talking") and I'm not sure how well I could make times match. You're free to hit me up if you manage to catch me though and best of luck finding RP.

 

I really have trouble with walk-up RP, too, unless I know the people involved.  Thankfully, I got involved with Roll Eorzea and have gotten to have a lot of fun participating in storylines there.

[Dravus]

6 hours ago, Mermaid said:

Big mood in regards to the last ditch effort. I've been poking around for a year and have yet to be able to find anyone consistent. Feel like I might be due for a last ditch effort myself since it seems like I can't get anything to work.

 

I'm extremely shaky with in game RP (I hate the "walk-up" RP everyone loves where it's literally just "run into someone at a bar and start talking") and I'm not sure how well I could make times match. You're free to hit me up if you manage to catch me though and best of luck finding RP.

 

I was in the exact same place up until recently. My advice? If you can, try and focus on finding people who are invested in the game as a whole rather than those who claim to only be interested in role-play. The former tend to stick around more than the latter.

 

Another obstacle is to avoid those who over-commit. If you see them offering to interact with as many people as possible, chances are they won't have the time to actually interact with your own character to any meaningful degree. I tend to let people come to me these days as being the one to reach out all the time proved to be exhausting - especially when so many role-players aren't open and honest about their commitments, desires and level of lore adherence. 

 

It can be tough to find people to click with - but it isn't impossible. I do believe there's an element of luck involved, though. At least insofar as being in the right place at the right time to stumble upon something that just 'works' for you. 

[D'eshel]

I think a lot of roleplayers have this unhealthy approach to roleplay as do people have to any kind of relationship - it's a sort of desperation that when you find someone who shows an initial sign of interest, you stick with them no matter what because you might not find anyone else.

I've been the sort of guy who always had to ask others for roleplay, it never really felt natural and at times it also felt like I was either begging or forcing some of my friend (ridic, I know) to play with me. It gets tiring eventually. It's been a long, long time since I've been in a guild where roleplay was this natural, spontaneous thing that happened without weeks and spreadsheets of preperation - when it does happen, it's limited to tavern roleplay which just isn't for everyone and frankly quickly gets boring.

[Zhavi]

I've always been the aggressive one in asking for rp.  I usually get what I want.  Not because I'm anything special, but because I am tremendously persistent in seeking people out.  Kylin posted this wonderful post here, I remember him from way back and never got to rp with him because characters, so I sent him a pm.  Now we have rp scheduled.

 

You're not always going to hit it off with people.  Your OOC RP philosophy might be different, the characters might not mesh well (and I mean that in a sense that the effort required to arrange situations for them to interact outweighs the fun the players are having), your writing styles might be too different, the directions you want out of plot and character story might be too different -- there are so many areas where you might not mesh.  The most successful rp partners I've had are people who are as invested in planning rp with me as I am with them, who work with me to find similar rp directions, and who aren't afraid to concrit my shit if I go off the rails.

 

I tend to wind up with a host of rp acquaintances I can call upon for certain rp things (and, likewise, they can hit me up for small little scenes), but stick to one or two people at a time that I spend the most time plotting and planning and writing with.  Yeah, it takes a lot of time and effort to find those people, but once you do, man, you are set.  But you know, irl strikes sometimes, or this or that (I've had my share of burnouts, too, where I start out strong and something takes me out for months), so you wind up back in the ring scouting for new people to rp with.  I don't think that's a bad place to be -- you can meet some pretty damn cool people that way that you wouldn't have otherwise.  It ain't over until it's over, you know?  If you're feeling the itch, keep putting yourself out there.  You'll get what you're looking for eventually.

 

And yes I am the most optimistic shit sometimes. #noregrets

[Mermaid]

Whoa, okay. I'm really grateful for all the advice, especially for Ryuji making a few points that just sort of made the light-bulb turn on, but please don't derail this thread. My comment was meant to empathize with OP's struggle to find stable partners not steal his (or her?) thread. Again, I'm really grateful and anyone with further comments is free to message me directly but I feel terrible coming back and seeing half this thread's posts seem to be directed at me.

[Faye]

Hello there, welcome back! Oh jeez, you're making me feel ancient here, but it's good to run into someone else who's been around for a while, regardless! I'd be glad to role-play sometime, and I'm not sure how well your character would mesh with them, but you're welcome to check out my FC/Discord.

.

[Savarah]

That entire post may as well have been ripped straight from my soul, minor alteration of details aside. I recently created a new character that I've been thinking about for the better part of a year, and have similar availability (standard M-F office job, with responsibilities to certain things here and there on weekday nights). If you ever see a Fyna Rhiannon hanging around in game and wanna start some trouble, 100% feel free to poke! Alternatively, I practically live on discord (Savarah#1873).