RP in CoX

Well, really, it depends on the manner and topic of the conversation. Since none of that was provided, we can't really give a fair judgment of the situation. Discussing general news events of the day? Maybe there's an in there without being rude. Discussing what their best friend did at the D the other night? Randomly jumping in with your own D story uninvited might very well be rude...

1) Rumors are rumors. Who'd you hear them from? Where'd THEY hear them from? Unless you're talking to someone about their firsthand experiences, you're seldom getting the full story.

2) What do you mean by "graphic RP environment?" Sexually graphic? Hardly. It's a big ol' nightclub, and while there probably ARE some people engaging in "ERP" in the corners, there's also villains talking smack to heroes, heroes talking smack to villains, people on the dance floor dancing and talking about everything under the sun, people crowded around the bar(s) talking about whatever comes to mind and occasionally hitting on each other.

There are people talking about their latest crimefighting adventures or criminal enterprises, their supergroups/villain groups and what's going on there, or about a hundred other drama-laden topics like who broke up with who (yawn), who thinks who is hot (yawn), and what they were working on in the lab when (pick one) the experiment came to life/meteors started crashing into Galaxy city/someone they know got kidnapped/some other player-created plot point.

I just spent about two hours in the Virtue D talking to an SGmate, and I didn't see or hear anything I wouldn't have heard a non-superpowered version of in any bar around here IRL. And there certainly wasn't anybody naked or doing R rated stuff on the pool tables.

So, it's kind of like a dance club/sports bar/get-drunk-and-start-an-argument bar all rolled into one. There's a dance floor, there's multiple bars to congregate at, and a few quieter but highly visible places where you can stand in a corner and hear yourself think. And while the occasional pair (or worse) might be RP frolicking partially nekkid in the restroom, it's not like it's going on in the middle of the dance floor. And also like a real bar in the real world, if someone hits on your character and you're not in the mood, just smile politely and explain "sorry, you're just not my type/gender/species." And on the other other hand, it's my personal perception that most of the ERP* crowd these days tends to stick together and look for people with "ERP" in their character bios. Your mileage may vary -- I'm seldom in there during Eastern US "peak periods."

*It's also my perception that the "lite RP"/"RP"/"MRP"/"ERP" crowds have less overlap and confusion than before, thanks to the ERP crowd finally going "okay, fine. We're done being embarrassed -- it's cybersex. Happy now? You 'mature' roleplayers can have your 'M' for your darker-than average superhero fodder like deaths and dismemberments and drug addictions and gritty graphic novel stuff, and we'll be over here making out -- in a mature manner, you understand, but with our 'E's'." (Which is not to say that MRP characters don't have virtual sex, or that ERP characters don't do "omg srs bsnss" RP too, but it's more about what the character and/or player are primarily after.)

3) As other threads have said, try looking for RP everywhere, and all the time. Try putting some sort of "LF RP" tag in your character's bio. Try looking for other RP'ers in PUGs, at the train station, at Wentworth's, standing by mission doors, or pretty much anywhere. Atlas is apparently like "The Barrens" in that it's a loud starting zone that attracts pretty much everywhere, and did I mention that it's loud? But just look around and if you're looking FOR RP, you'll probably find it.

And yes, good idea to poke around the Virtue forum as well -- and good luck!

Walk up to a group of random people in New York City who are engrossed in a conversation and just jump in with "hi, how are you doing?" and see what happens. I guarantee you that more often than not your response will be absolutely nothing. When you do get a response, most often it'll be a glare, a look like you're crazy, or some such. Every now and then, you'll get a friendly response, but not often. You might have a better chance at positive results if, say, they're talking about politics and you open with something that actually contributes to the conversation. On the other hand, you may get a "Who the *&(^ asked you?!?".

Point is, being ignored or a hostile response isn't in the least an "unrealistic" IC response. It doesn't necessarily mean the RPers are being exclusive of others. It might, but that's not automatically the reason.