Role-playing worries
Do I need a good command of English?
Elemental is a cultural melting pot where the citizens hail from all around Asia and beyond. While the vast majority of players are Japanese players, there is still a mixture of players from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, and many other countries.
Though the most common language amongst these players is English, it is not necessary to have a good command of English. However, having a good working command of English can help you stay immersed in world-building and help drive the narrative forward, which can be attained by simply starting to role-play!
The importance of consent and asking for consent
It is important to note that when you role-play, you interact with someone else entirely. They may not be comfortable with everything that you do to their character. It’s important to lay out some ground rules and have an OOC (out-of-character) discussion/check-in on the direction of your RP; setting clear boundaries for each other. Seeing your character, or any character, go through something close to a possible trauma of yours can affect you negatively, so it’s best to ensure that discussions on consent are made.
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So how do you ensure safety in role-play?
Discuss, explore, check in often, and reach an agreement.
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To help out, here is a quick guide:
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Set ground rules.
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Ask your partner what they are comfortable with, and what are lines that cannot be crossed.
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Remind your partner that they have the power to say no.
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Remind yourself that you have the power to say no.
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Respect each other’s boundaries.
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In the event that your partner is uncomfortable, divert or redo the scene.
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Silence is not consent.
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“Maybe” is not consent.
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If you have previously consented but realize you are no longer comfortable, it is okay to rescind it.
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If you and your partner can’t agree, feel free to drop the scene and/ or create a new one.
Remember, role-playing should be fun and safe for everyone. Encourage open communication, and respect each others’ honesty.
Don’t be afraid to be honest, and be open to communication with your partner as well!
FFXIV ToS on consent
Per Square Enix FFXIV fact article 68216:
"In the case of role-playing involving mildly sexual expressions (such as erotic role-playing) with a consenting group of two or more players, if it is conducted in a private area, it will not be considered a violation unless a report is made.
However, if you encourage or invite a player to participate in such role-play without being certain of their consent, there is a high possibility that you will be reported and penalized. Please be very careful."
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Respecting Immersion
When role-playing, be sure to respect the immersion of all parties involved. When necessary, ensure to keep all out-of-character (OOC) communication in brackets.
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((...)) [[...]]
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And to keep your out-of-character (OOC) communication focused on the story that is unwrapping before you!
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Imagine being in the middle of a role-play interaction, where your characters are fighting and receiving this:
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((What movie should I watch this weekend?))
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((Omgggg I’m so hungrrryyyyyyyyy))
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((What do you do for a living?))
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((Are you a real girl?))
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Pretty jarring isn’t it? Quite like sobbing at the death of your favorite character in a movie, only to have your friend ask what you want for dinner.
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If however, an emergency arises; feel free to tell the parties involved!
((Sorry, I need a moment. Can you give me 30 minutes?))
Notice that you do not need to give additional details. Simply letting your role-playing partner(s) know that you may not respond for the next 30 minutes is enough!
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Role-play venues
Mustered up the courage to walk your character into a role-playing venue but don't know how to join in on the role-play? A bit too shy to jump right in? Here are two simple solutions!
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Locate the staff
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Locate the staff of the venue, usually with a looking to meld materia or looking for party icon atop their character's head.
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Once located, out-of-character (OOC) send the staff member a /tell, expressing your desire to participate and your need of assistance to be eased into the current role-play happening in the venue.
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((Hello! Great venue you have here! I'm new and a bit shy...do you think you could help ease me into the current conversation?))
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Ease into the conversation with an emote
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Ease into the conversation with an in-game emote, or custom emote to allow the people currently in-scene to know that you intend to join in!
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/em leans their head in ever-so-slightly towards the heated conversation happening towards their right...
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Role-playing venues are meant for role-play!
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Feel free to jump right in! Role-playing venues are meant for role-play, so it isn't ever rude or imposing to join in on the scene happening in /say chat!
Do note that you shouldn't invalidate what other characters say or do, but play off of them instead! If your character is the disagreeable type, make sure you do an out-of-character (OOC) check-in with the people in scene to let them know, so that it doesn't seem like you're there to cause a scene that isn't in the interest of role-play.
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Chat etiquette: in-game chat commands for role-playing
In-game, there are two main commands that are used for communication while role-playing in public.
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Role-playing in public
/em
/em stands for /emote, and is used to create your own custom emote. This however, will not come with custom animations but is merely used to differentiate between what is being said and what is being done. When this command is used, the message that appears in your chat log will begin with your character’s full name. Be aware that this is visible to everyone in your character’s vicinity, meaning you should not use /em if it is not something you’d like for those not participating in your role-play session to see.
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/em takes a bite out of his apple, chewing slowly as he savors the sweet, crisp taste of it.
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In-game, this will appear as:
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(Your character name) takes a bite out of his apple, chewing slowly as he savors the sweet, crisp taste of it.
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/say
Used in quotation marks, it signifies what your character is saying. The quotation marks are not mandatory but help people understand that you are currently in character (IC).
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“My family owns the orchards in Summerford Farms. I may be biased, but apples from any other place simply cannot compare!”
Some people have characters that are full-on IC characters. This means that they only engage as their characters, and do not speak out-of-character (OOC) unless absolutely necessary. Oftentimes, these characters will forgo the quotation marks, and everything they say is meant to be in character (IC) unless specifically stated otherwise.
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If you plan on making a full-on IC character, please do an out-of-character (OOC) check-in with the parties involved so that they may be in the loop!
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((My character is fully IC and I don’t engage in OOC unless necessary.))
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Role-playing in private
Sometimes we find ourselves in need of privacy while we role-play. This can be done via /tell or /party. It is important to remember that when describing your character’s actions in private, do not use /em, as /em makes it public for everyone in your vicinity to see. Instead, opt for asterisks.
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*Eddard Baker hands the stranger a suspicious glowing vial.* “The best in stock, if I do say so myself.”
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Or you could opt to keep your actions without asterisks, and your dialogue within quotation marks.
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Eddard Baker hands the stranger a suspicious glowing vial, “The best in stock, if I do say so myself.”
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It is advised to use /tell for role-playing if the interaction is to be kept brief. An example of this is if you were to greet someone in private, or if this individual is seemingly already in a party. It is much more convenient to role-play within a party so that you do not have to switch between your chats to ensure you’re talking to the right person.
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Scripted or Improvised Role-playing, which is better?
The answer is: it’s purely up to preferences. But first, we have to understand the difference before we decide what we prefer!
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Scripted role-playing
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Scripted role-playing is when you and the parties involved in role-playing decide a blueprint ahead of time as to what is to be role-played during your session.
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For example, you and the parties involved may decide that during today’s role-playing session, there is to be a chance encounter at a local café where character A and character B converse, and eventually character A makes a move to pursue character B romantically. This would act as a sort of guideline as to how the session will go, without specific dialogue being discussed. However, if during this session character B feels the way character A has been wooing their character wouldn’t spark any romantic interest, the owner of character B may do an out-of-character check-in to allow the owner of character A, to know. They would then discuss what may be done for their characters to progress with the initial intended direction, or if they should drop this story.
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This means there will be intended causes and effects for your character, and the characters involved.
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Improvised role-playing
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Improvised role-playing is when your character reacts to the characters and things happening within their environment in real-time. Your character will react and respond to whatever information they obtain from other role-players, and progress according to their own personalities and how they interact with others.
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This means there will be unintended causes and effects for your character, and the characters involved.
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Now that you know the difference between improvised and scripted role-playing, you may try them and decide for yourself what your preference is! Please take note that it is important to also discuss with your role-playing partner(s) what their preferences are as well so that one isn’t imposing their preferences on another.
Disengaging when trouble arises
There will always be a possibility that unpleasant scenarios or moments may happen during role-play. As mentioned previously, it’s generally a good idea to communicate out-of-character (OOC) with people you intend to RP with for mutual consent before role-playing. Additionally, it’s also an opportune time to get a grasp of what topics would make both parties uncomfortable (think s*xual abuse, drugs, etc); along with boundaries. This is especially the case for characters who play the role of a ruffian or are more likely to offend others.
Even with the best of experiences, measures, and precautions; accidents and incidents can still happen. Should out-of-character (OOC) communication fail (i.e. the other party still doesn’t adhere to or respect your boundaries), what can be done to disengage?
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Thinking is more important than reacting
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It is quite easy to react before we think. Keep in mind that sometimes the differences in culture and language may come into play as to why our communications aren’t going smoothly, or as intended. It is important to reestablish boundaries in out-of-character (OOC) communications when problems arise and to be level-headed when approaching the situation. If the individual is still behaving inappropriately, be sure to take screenshots of the interaction, and present them in your report to FFXIV.
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Utilize ‘The Blacklist’
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If after communicating, you realize the individual is purposely choosing to not respect your boundaries, FFXIV has a built-in system that allows you to blacklist the individual, preventing them from further interacting with you in chat. You may still encounter them in Party Finder, or Duty Roulettes, but they will be unable to interact with you via chat.
The beauty of the virtual world is that you may simply click a couple of options, and have whoever has impacted you negatively have no means of interacting with you further. In situations like these, save yourself the energy and simply blacklist the individual to protect your space. If the individual is still behaving inappropriately without having access to chat, be sure to take screenshots of the interaction, and present them in your report to FFXIV.
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I'd like to report a player
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