Racial RP: How do YOU do it?

[Berrod Armstrong]

One may need to appeal to others to nourish that sort of initiative, and it seems that the poster in question is determined to do anything but.

 

ANYWAY. HIGHLANDERS. I'M CURIOUS. How do you roleplay your characters? Well-integrated into their respective pieces of Eorzea? Clinging to the ol' warrior tribe in the mountain ways? As pretty princesses? TELL ALL!

 

I am a firm believer that it is not the culture that defines the character. While aspects of a race should certainly brush some tone over their perspective of life and choices, it should not be the tool that chips away their monument of their life.

 

Unless, their life was in a highly regulated cultural thing.... then I guess uh?

 

However, I am also a firm believer that it is the life the character lives that will define how they are. A certain seeker we all know that likes his towers certainly isn't falling into tradition. If a character has lived a life where tradition and culture more... common to his race has less weight, he shouldn't actually end up being SUPER TRADITIONAL MAN. If he is, it should be a choice he makes based on his life rather than an archetype placed on the character.

 

In the case of my highlander... he may be from a certain lost nation that was destroyed by a certain mad leader, but he holds very little on to traditions and nationalism. This is HIS Eorzea not the land of men who now lay six feet underground.

 

Culture does not equate to species or race.  Culture is usually more locative, though not necessarily (ex - some indigenous cultures in eastern russia and western alaska share more similarities than differences).  All the same, the larger the disparity in place/local ecology/method of survival (nomadic cultures vs farming cultures etc) chances are the bigger the gap in cultures.

 

Culture is also the baseline of what everyone knows in terms of how they act around others and what they grew up believing.  It defines certain behaviors.  While, yes, as you get older you can choose to overrule some of these things, a lot of them stick with you.  Were you taught that you should have a firm handshake?  Look other people in the eyes when you talk to them?  Greet people when you enter a room?  Wish people well on an endeavor?  Be comforting when someone you know is grieving?  Those are all cultural, and there are a ton more.  This is why diplomats are so important -- it can be terrifyingly easy to offend someone from a different culture without realizing it.  Many cultures share similarities, true, and those similarities increase as globalization occurs, but just look back to first attempts at diplomacy between cultures to see how this wasn't the case (Lord Macartney's trip to China being a big one).

 

which is why I was like 'screw u square' and tossed just about everything written about keeper culture.

While I would agree with this in general, if a fantasy universe defines a certain race by it's culture...I wouldn't really bother to disagree with it. What culture IS can change depending on how a world is crafted. I don't think this is what Square has done really, but it's something to note in terms of creating a whole world!

[Bopdoot]

When I want more of something (and I'm not finding it hard to rp like I am at the moment), I work to create a space where that sort of thing can flourish.  

 

I never thought of that before! I'll just hop back on my male Keeper Miqo'te and start a traditional clan based group that's highly matria-

 

Whoops.

What, exactly, is stopping you from making a Making Connections thread wanting to gather people to buck societal trends? I mean, there's a god damned Garlean FC and you're upset there's not a pre-existing off-beat RP culture for you? I said it in another thread today and it stands: Nobody here is obligated to cater their precious RP time serving someone else's need for a story. You want a traditional clan-based RP group? Then gtfo of the cities and go back to not being a part of traditional Eorzean society.

 

Whoops. No one's allowed to judge me, I've got my reasons for being more blunt than others.

One may need to appeal to others to nourish that sort of initiative, and it seems that the poster in question is determined to do anything but.

 

ANYWAY. HIGHLANDERS. I'M CURIOUS. How do you roleplay your characters? Well-integrated into their respective pieces of Eorzea? Clinging to the ol' warrior tribe in the mountain ways? As pretty princesses? TELL ALL!

 

Well I'm still working on the story with the person playing Amelia's brother, but so far we like the idea of striving for physical superiority as an apex accomplishment and perhaps a hint of race superiority over the small midlanders?... Though both of us are kind of learning lore as we go, so things will probably change a bit. :?

[Zhavi]

 

Culture does not equate to species or race.  Culture is usually more locative, though not necessarily (ex - some indigenous cultures in eastern russia and western alaska share more similarities than differences).  All the same, the larger the disparity in place/local ecology/method of survival (nomadic cultures vs farming cultures etc) chances are the bigger the gap in cultures.

 

Culture is also the baseline of what everyone knows in terms of how they act around others and what they grew up believing.  It defines certain behaviors.  While, yes, as you get older you can choose to overrule some of these things, a lot of them stick with you.  Were you taught that you should have a firm handshake?  Look other people in the eyes when you talk to them?  Greet people when you enter a room?  Wish people well on an endeavor?  Be comforting when someone you know is grieving?  Those are all cultural, and there are a ton more.  This is why diplomats are so important -- it can be terrifyingly easy to offend someone from a different culture without realizing it.  Many cultures share similarities, true, and those similarities increase as globalization occurs, but just look back to first attempts at diplomacy between cultures to see how this wasn't the case (Lord Macartney's trip to China being a big one).

 

which is why I was like 'screw u square' and tossed just about everything written about keeper culture.

While I would agree with this in general, if a fantasy universe defines a certain race by it's culture...I wouldn't really bother to disagree with it. What culture IS can change depending on how a world is crafted. I don't think this is what Square has done really, but it's something to note in terms of creating a whole world!

 

Saying a whole species is locked to one specific culture is bollocks. There is nothing else to support the fact that any of the species in this game is biologically locked to behaving in a certain way in any cultural sense. It's not done on purpose, it's because culture in most fantasy is a flavor footnote used to accomplish certain things plot wise. It should not become the guideline for how all members of that species should act -- especially when there are npcs in game who aren't wholly attached to that 'culture' thing.

 

edit - and just for clarification, I'm not angry or upset or anything. I just have very loud and boisterous opinions on this particular matter.

[Du'lance Fiourtune]

My Miqo'te character would make your heads explode, M'iraak Nuhn, and I am clan-less, harem-less, nor did I have to fight another for title of Huhn....

 

*mind.....blown*

[Bopdoot]

I suppose I generally stand with those saying people can RP how they want and if you don't like it, no one is forcing you to RP with them.  In a community this size, that seems the most valid conclusion.

 

On the other hand, I'll speak as someone coming from relatively smaller RP communities on Neverwinter Nights, where the whole server is made up of 30 people at most online simultaneously.

 

You are absolutely entitled to break your race/class/socioeconomic/etc norms.  It's a good idea to include reasoning, but that is honestly at your discretion. That being said, especially in smaller RP communities, there is a certain resistance to and perhaps even a stigma with too many "snowflakes".  If everyone is special, you can lose some immersion in the story you are playing in.  Like playing a server with a plot centered on Amn and Athkatla and everyone wants to play a friendly do gooder tiefling.. or all the aasimar being evil. 

 

Hopefully that makes sense and doesn't come across judgmental.

[Zhavi]

I suppose I generally stand with those saying people can RP how they want and if you don't like it, no one is forcing you to RP with them.  In a community this size, that seems the most valid conclusion.

 

On the other hand, I'll speak as someone coming from relatively smaller RP communities on Neverwinter Nights, where the whole server is made up of 30 people at most online simultaneously.

 

You are absolutely entitled to break your race/class/socioeconomic/etc norms.  It's a good idea to include reasoning, but that is honestly at your discretion. That being said, especially in smaller RP communities, there is a certain resistance to and perhaps even a stigma with too many "snowflakes".  If everyone is special, you can lose some immersion in the story you are playing in.  Like playing a server with a plot centered on Amn and Athkatla and everyone wants to play a friendly do gooder tiefling.. or all the aasimar being evil. 

 

Hopefully that makes sense and doesn't come across judgmental.

 

I think it makes sense, but I think some communities are too closeminded and rigid. My main rp squeeze (when I'm more active) is a community of 20-30 people. We have our established setting, the main place the rp happens, and there is a lot of rigidity in that setting. But, as long as you explain it, as long as it makes sense for the setting (it's medieval fantasy with a touch of steampunk -- we once had someone try to play a silver wristwatch wearing, sawed-off shotgun toting werewolf, which really, really didn't work with the setting), we'll work with you. Sometimes that means people have to play alts. Sometimes that means extensive use of npcs -- but when it comes to rping a species, to say that you cannot do this because there are too many people doing that already -- nahhh, man. I'd rather rp with other people, in that case.

[Vysce the Lad]

Caen uses his ears, nose, and tail all the time in rp. I admit he acts more like a hyur than he should because I offed his family when Dalamud fell and his guardians have been different people in Ul'dah. He's very much a miqo'te still~

 

:moogle:

[Faye]

To add to the initial post, I don't know if anyone has mentioned this--but some people simply prefer using short, non-descriptive posts. That's to say, if someone is playing a Miqo'te and doesn't mention ear/tail movements in their posts, it doesn't mean these movements aren't happening. Sure, this is why it's good to write clear, descriptive posts so everyone is on the same page about what's happening in the RP, but at the end of the day, it's just not everyone's personal taste or forte.

 

While descriptiveness adds greatly to the RP, to say that someone who doesn't mention these things in their posts is just RPing "a Hyur with cat ears and tail" is inaccurate because if the same person were playing a Hyur, they still may not describe facial expressions and body language, and you likely wouldn't accuse them of playing, idk, "a walking, talking cardboard cutout of a human" for the same thing.

 

I will say that I do understand, though, where allgivenover is coming from. I don't necessarily consider it as problematic or rampant is his quote in the first post implies, but I do see plenty of people RPing Miqo'te as nothing more "catgirl/catboy cosplay" as a vessel to live out there weeaboo and/or harem fantasies. But, people are gonna RP however they wanna RP, and more power to 'em I guess. There will always be people who give no fucks about the lore. There's no way we can make them follow it, and shaming them about it is mean-spirited and a waste of time, so it's best to just ignore/avoid those who don't follow the lore or our personal interpretations of it.

[Warren Castille]

I never, ever remember to post eating/drinking.

[SessionZero]

I never, ever remember to post eating/drinking.

 

This. More than once my characters have gotten hammered without a single emote about drinking the alcohol in front of them.

[Aya]

To add to the initial post, I don't know if anyone has mentioned this--but some people simply prefer using short, non-descriptive posts. That's to say, if someone is playing a Miqo'te and doesn't mention ear/tail movements in their posts, it doesn't mean these movements aren't happening. Sure, this is why it's good to write clear, descriptive posts so everyone is on the same page about what's happening in the RP, but at the end of the day, it's just not everyone's personal taste or forte.

This is so true.  I could turn every emote into a page of text if I wished.  But the line has to be drawn somewhere depending upon context, especially in the case of public RP.

 

Very nice Faye :-]

[Chris Ganale]

My Miqo'te character would make your heads explode, M'iraak Nuhn, and I am clan-less, harem-less, nor did I have to fight another for title of Huhn....

 

*mind.....blown*

Well, I was going for least lore-applicable miqo but I think you won.

[Faye]

I never, ever remember to post eating/drinking.

 

Same ;A; I usually mention my character getting a drink/meal, and then forget to mention it in every post afterward... whoops.

[Kage]

A lot of the times I did RP as Miqo'te I'd do things, forgetting to add maybe a small detail but then realized... it was small and felt redundant.

 

And then... how many times are you going to really RP out ordering a drink, drinking it, and then getting more? over... and over... and over...

[Aya]

A lot of the times I did RP as Miqo'te I'd do things, forgetting to add maybe a small detail but then realized... it was small and felt redundant.

 

And then... how many times are you going to really RP out ordering a drink, drinking it, and then getting more? over... and over... and over...

As often as you want the barmaid to come over and talk to you, in my experience!

[Du'lance Fiourtune]

A lot of the times I did RP as Miqo'te I'd do things, forgetting to add maybe a small detail but then realized... it was small and felt redundant.

 

And then... how many times are you going to really RP out ordering a drink, drinking it, and then getting more? over... and over... and over...

As often as you want the barmaid to come over and talk to you, in my experience!

Weird because I was actually thinking about you today......(dem awkward feels)

But I was wondering what happened to you, you served me my first drink in the Quicksand!

[Aya]

Weird because I was actually thinking about you today......(dem awkward feels)

But I was wondering what happened to you, you served me my first drink in the Quicksand!

Awwwwww, just not doing that as much as I have at other times!  I was gone for a month on holiday (got back near Christmas), and then took the time to catch up on the MSQ, and to work on an in-character project (which I've been hinting at in screenshot posts, but its not ready yet!), aaaand other real life stuff :-]

 

I was serving last night!  I wish I were there more often, because every time I am I have a good time!

[Briggs]

I usually don't let racial choice steer how my character acts or is roleplayed.

 

It doesn't define my character; nor does being gay, tall, or a ninja. It may influence his upbringing and personality a slight bit, but he isn't a walking fireball zealot from the bowels of volcanic hell by any means. As Lohengarde, he's culturally influenced to being down to earth and hands-on and is familiar with how to earn martial coin in Limsa Lominsa and Ul'dah. 

 

Being big kind of stinks in mainly Lalafel and Human inhabited cities when it comes to finding armor and gear, but he's made friends with a number of Sea Wolves that have hooked him up from time to time.

[Harmonixer]

As someone that has lurked this board for (years now? hard to recall) and more or less, introduced themselves as 'someone who returned to a game they had otherwise forgotten about because of a particularly appealing upcoming playable race', I feel as though I have to post.

 

I'm a little worried that this will come as too little, too late, seeing as how this is at page 11 and the topic changed so much but I'll deal with it all the same.

On the subject of cats and mannerisms in general:

 

I guess you could same I'm somewhat of a gimmick rper. I enjoy making trademark things about character, since I feel people are largely the same way and making them a part of their core. People change their lives based on media they intake. Things like music, hobbies, social views. All these things are almost always apparent in one way or another, so it's only natural that characters ears flicker, or click claws or grind their teeth, play with their hair. Sure they don't have to do it every single sentence, but it should come up on occasion I feel. We're obviously more complex than the underwear we do or don't have on, but it does play a part in what we are in some way.

 

Now this is sort of where I derail slightly-

To be clear, I fully admit that I came back to play this for a few reasons. The primary one being the advent of an expansion, and the Au Ra. I have already rambled on why I find them appealing but along comes a lot of 'social obligations' to roleplay. I purposely choose RP because I find it to be the most enjoyable format for me to play a game over a longer period of time. I like community, I enjoy meeting new people and making friends, I greatly enjoy learning things.

 

When 2.0 was announced I was pretty excited to learn about male miqos- I had always wondered why they weren't much of a thing before and thought like many others 'hey that'll be cool'. This was long before I had realized what their lore and the community would become. I should have known, thinking back. So, 2.0 launches and I roll one, learn a little about the lore and quickly realize that they really aren't the race for me. I think their animations are lovingly done and their appearance is welcome but ultimately, they make me uncomfortable to RP.

So, to prevent myself from experiencing what I like to call 'the text based facialdickslapping' I ended up rolling something I think I can accurately RP and still find pretty cool to play as, a highlander. Their lore, appearances mesh well with me and for the most part I'm met with success when I actually spend time with other players. Eventually, I lose interest in the game and move on for the time being, Promising myself that this is indeed a great title and worth coming back to. Just not really catching my eye now.

 

Smashcut to where I am now:

 

"holyfuck, Seathe's the Scaleless daughter from Dark Souls is a fucking playable race? There's

dood versions and their stupid tall and brooding and edgelordy? I HAVE TO COME BACK"

 

Then, the reality:

 

"There's not a lot of lore, I have no idea if I'm ever going to like them outside of appearances, I don't want to be a dick to others by lorebreaking too much and while that shouldn't matter to anyone but me... I'm part of a community that is strongly divided on the subject of cats and everything in between"

 

I would not go as far as to say that I purely want to please others by RPing this accurately. I believe there is a merit to contributing to a group but it should really be about enjoying myself WITHOUT hindering others, as many as possible. Everyone bends lore a little, it's perfectly fine and I'm by no means trying to defend being flat out 'wrong', but I'm at a point now where I can't even make a character to exist amongst others because I don't have enough information.

I've decided for myself, long before this that I would try to never ever RP something that people couldn't be around. It's not fun to RP by yourself, or to be a character that simply 'can't' exist. So my hands are tied on him. I can't even decide on his appearance because that too, might be lore breaking. And the obvious lack of images for what's available to us as players and the like.

 

My point is, I shouldn't have to feel guilty for wanting something because I'm worried that I might not be exactly to someone else's liking or set up rules. I should however be respectful and understanding of others on their decisions when it comes to RP. It's funny, isn't it? My performance, so to speak is going to strongly effect my enjoyment of time spent with others. Such is the core of a lot of RP.

 

tl;dr

 

I'm going to try to make the best dragon man for myself that others can enjoy without compromising what ultimately makes me happy. I'm waiting till we have more info, in the meantime I'm rping an male elezen which I think I've seen like 20 of on the whole realm and it vaguely weirds me out.

[Chris Ganale]

On the note of race, my two miqo'te are weird.

 

R'tahz was born tribal and lived that way for the majority of his life, but getting his ass beat fifteen consecutive times trying to become nunh soured him on the whole ideal, and when his tribe was forced to combine with another R' tribe after the Calamity and he got eliminated in the first round (to nobody's surprise) of a tournament-style nunh challenge, he finally got fed up with it all and left the tribe. He kept his prefix and title because he was too lazy to come up with his own name, but because of his experiences he's skittish around other seekers, especially R' tribe, because "The Boy Who Could Not Be a Man" is pretty common knowledge in his parts and he's tired of hearing it. Granted, nowadays he's less bothered by it since he got himself married to another tribal outcast, but he still doesn't want to deal with it. On that note, he's pretty much terrified of the prospect of running into any nunh from either R' or J' because he holds the irrational fear that they might try to forcefully take J'karu from him on the grounds that he's never been a nunh. Nevermind that any offending party would get lit the -EXPLICATIVE DELETED- on fire by J'karu. And he has yet to realize that he, himself, would stab his fake Gae Bolg through somebody who tried to do that with an extreme prejudice.

 

Now Chao, Chao is a train-wreck of lore. Long story short she's a tech genius from Doma who has no tribal affiliations and looks down on tribal Seekers as primitive.

[Melkire]

A lot of the times I did RP as Miqo'te I'd do things, forgetting to add maybe a small detail but then realized... it was small and felt redundant.

 

And then... how many times are you going to really RP out ordering a drink, drinking it, and then getting more? over... and over... and over...

As often as you want the barmaid to come over and talk to you, in my experience!

 

AYA, WHY IS THERE A PARASOL IN MY GLASS?

[Du'lance Fiourtune]

Weird because I was actually thinking about you today......(dem awkward feels)

But I was wondering what happened to you, you served me my first drink in the Quicksand!

Awwwwww, just not doing that as much as I have at other times!  I was gone for a month on holiday (got back near Christmas), and then took the time to catch up on the MSQ, and to work on an in-character project (which I've been hinting at in screenshot posts, but its not ready yet!), aaaand other real life stuff :-]

 

I was serving last night!  I wish I were there more often, because every time I am I have a good time!

Though I doubt you remember, I was the male Miqo'te who awkwardly jumped over the railing when you asked if I'd like to order something haha

[Kellach Woods]

ANYWAY. HIGHLANDERS. I'M CURIOUS. How do you roleplay your characters? Well-integrated into their respective pieces of Eorzea? Clinging to the ol' warrior tribe in the mountain ways? As pretty princesses? TELL ALL!

 

I didn't play her yet, but the Highlander I made on previous maintenance was adopted by a Midlander couple. She's also snowflakey as fuck (think tattoos and heterochromic eyes) so I don't know if I'll actually play her or fantasia her into a Midlander woman... or anything else and pay for the name change if SE's gonna get off its ass and let me.

 

Typically though I try to go with the lore in terms of racial portrayals and against common stereotypes. My Midlander isn't a precious jewel wanting for sempai to notice him. He's flawed but tries to do his best. My Roegadyn is fairly sophisticated and not the giant ruskie stereotype. My Lala is lewd as FUCK and is likely to ask she can oil you up some 'cause she wants to see you glissen, babe.

 

Though I have said I'd never roll a Miqo, I'm tempted to make an asexual Tia going around challenging Nunhs for their rights to reproduce and just straight up taking them away. I have no motivations other than being a dick for doing this, so I won't do it, but it'd be funny enough to see him try.

[Aya]

Though I doubt you remember, I was the male Miqo'te who awkwardly jumped over the railing when you asked if I'd like to order something haha

Oh, I remember that! haha ^^

[Aya]

AYA, WHY IS THERE A PARASOL IN MY GLASS?

BECAUSE YOU LIKE TROPICAL GOODNESS!