Finding the elusive RP.

Feral

One thing you should not do is pick a throw away name just to try this whole MUD thing out and then end up buying credits because of an awesome mentor (I hope you are doing well out there @charlotte) and getting stuck with the character.

I strongly agree with the idea that you should try to maintain RP even when no one else is around. I had no idea that Divine would take over NPCs though, it has never happened to me. By interacting with mobs as if they are real really helps me maintain my immersion with the game.

I had the most success with RP by picking one aspect of my guild and then focusing on that. It caused me to advance in game while giving people a reason to interact with me. I then expanded that aspect outside of my guild to some key people in my city and then to other organizations and finally to an Order.

You definitely get to the point where once you get well known enough in your house/city people start coming to you to interact with and it gets easier. Keep track of the people who interact with you and make a point to follow up with them the next time you see them. Starting out it can be hard but as long as you work on being consistent people will remember you and it will create a positive feedback loop.

I also want to strongly second what @hasar said in this thread. I think one of the reasons I went dormant for so long was how much the game changed after I joined a few OOC clans. It really broke my sense of immersion and changed my connection to the game. That said I maintained one of those OOC friendships and it is the reason I started playing again so I suppose it can go both ways.

The last thing I would add is finding someone from an organization that is opposed to the one your character is in who is able to lose gracefully. You can then reciprocate in turn and some really great RP can result. Some of my fondest memories are the conflicts I had with a certain occultist.

Melodie

On that topic, OOC clans are both a blessing and a burden. If you're mature about it, just know when to turn one off and be able to have a thicker skin with certain people. If it bothers you too much, leave. But most importantly, don't let what's said on OOC clans overly effect how your character is and reacts.

I get a lot of gruff OOC some people sometimes, but if it's ever too much, I just take a step back. I also tend to turn off OOC clans when I'm doing something that requires my full attention, or when I don't want people's chatter to effect my immersion. OOC clans do have the ability to let me have a casual conversation with people when I need it, though, and helps lighten the sometimes very dreary world Melodie has been apart of from time to time. Also helps lessen how boring things like fishing or bashing can be.

Kyrton

I'll roleplay with you.  It has been awhile for me but I have played some rpgs in person in the past.  I find that I get a better sense of my characters through interaction.  Today for example I was faced with a decision that could have drastically affected my character but I stood my ground and inside I thought "Yes, this is Kyrton! This is how he thinks!" I don't know what the results will be until I play off what is happening in real time and that is what makes it so fun.