Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

What makes a successful request thread?

littlerooster

Banned
Banished
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
I thought this might make for an interesting discussion.

Our request threads are our way of advertising for new partners, so what makes a good one from a bad one?

Some of the things I like to see in one is an idea of how the person likes to write, what they like to see in a RP, their style.

Also their ideas, sometimes if it is just a basic idea with a series of cliche partnering options then I am left thinking "..And?" I like to see that at least some of their ideas have some thought behind them, some idea of where they would like the plot to lead.

What turns me off in a Request thread?

I read one that gets bumped often that starts off with the writer reading me the riot act, they list a series of things that they do not like or want and that they are quite strict about, ok we all get annoyed when partners leave us hanging, I have come to accept that, that happens now, no need to carry on about it in my request thread.

One liner type requests, or requests where they seem to have every aspect mapped out from start to finish.

So what about every one else, what makes you want to answer someone's request thread?
 
I like to see a mix of things in a request thread. So, I like to get an idea of how my potential RP partner would write along with what sort of things my potential RP partner would like to write about--and by that, I'm not talking about just pairings. All too often, people merely list a pairing and leave it at that. I, personally, like to see settings and genres discussed and even a plot idea or two thrown out there so as to give me an idea as to what they can do as far as creativity goes. However, when it comes to plot ideas, I want it to be just that--an idea. I don't want it so fleshed out that there is no room for creativity. Or have it so set in stone that I feel like if I offer out something it'll be shut down without a further thought. I honestly cannot stand that and won't last long as anyone's writing partner should things go that way.

What amazes me though, is that a lot of request threads seem to only list out pairings and call it a day. I honestly have no idea how anyone can figure out anything from that. What's more, these threads seem to garner the highest view counts and the highest success as far as RP start up goes, BUT this doesn't necessarily mean successful RP because some of these RPs die as quickly as they begin. However, it truly boggles the mind that they garner the attention for start up that they do. But then, I suppose it all boils down to what one is looking for: Are you looking for a quick fix RP or a long term RP that has some kind of story to it regardless of how much sex is in it.
 
darkangel76 said:
What amazes me though, is that a lot of request threads seem to only list out pairings and call it a day. I honestly have no idea how anyone can figure out anything from that. What's more, these threads seem to garner the highest view counts and the highest success as far as RP start up goes, BUT this doesn't necessarily mean successful RP because some of these RPs die as quickly as they begin. However, it truly boggles the mind that they garner the attention for start up that they do. But then, I suppose it all boils down to what one is looking for: Are you looking for a quick fix RP or a long term RP that has some kind of story to it regardless of how much sex is in it.

Yep I have no idea about those requests either, when I start feeling like I have to come with all the ideas and will be the one carrying the RP I tend to back off. I agree as well, there seems to be two types of RP's the errr ones you use to "self pleasure" and the ones where the writers really want to explore themes and characters and the smut becomes part of the story rather than the main purpose.
 
Indeed. I have to agree that it seems like there are those two main categories that take up the majority of RPs out there. I know I fall into the latter and thus the one who focuses on the writing aspect. So, whether or not there's a lot of sex or not, my focus is to see how the story and characters develop based on the genre and back drop, etc etc. But, I do get that not everyone is wired this way and not everyone RPs for this reason. But... I'm a writer and this is a means for me to help improve that and exercise my creativity for it. :)
 
I've found smut based ones don't last too long, you can only have your characters being abused or having sex for so long before it gets repetitive. One shot RP's can be fun don't get me wrong but I think it needs to be agreed before hand that that is what the RP is going to be like.

I'm a writer as well, I like to use RP as a way to hone my skills and explore my creativity, Plot based is the way to go for me.
 
I think a lot is dependent on the individual and generally work under the assumption that how someone creates/displays their own thread is what they'd be attracted to in others.

I like to be able to see at a glance what others are and are not interested in - their kinks and dislikes - rather than have to read a whole wall of text to begin. This also includes preferences of genres and, as far as roles/scenes go, less is more - I like to have a basic idea then see where it leads to as we play. The other thing I immediately look for is preferred method of playing - threads, pm or IM.

Writing style isn't that important to me. I wouldn't consider myself a 'great' or even 'good' writer, but I've met those who are who bore me to tears, and some not so good writers who are incredibly creative and enjoyable to play with. It's really how we work off each other because I think chemistry is more important than perfect grammar.

Of course there has to be a certain standard of literacy and I do understand that, for some some, the writing aspect is the main reason they are here. Different strokes for different folks.

What I dislike is threads where all of the plots/pairings are just a variation on the same theme, ie "me submissive, abused female, you dominant, abusive male". I mostly play to hone my creativity rather than my writing skills (though that is a benefit), so it's an immediate turn-off as I look for people interested in exploring a wide variety of themes, character types and personality traits.
 
littlerooster said:
I've found smut based ones don't last too long, you can only have your characters being abused or having sex for so long before it gets repetitive. One shot RP's can be fun don't get me wrong but I think it needs to be agreed before hand that that is what the RP is going to be like.

I'm a writer as well, I like to use RP as a way to hone my skills and explore my creativity, Plot based is the way to go for me.

I couldn't agree more. Besides, wouldn't it be nicer to have a story and then perhaps the chance for your characters to build up some kind of relationship--whatever it might be--and then possibly engage in all sorts of activities more than just once? lol. And it's even nicer if it actually blends with the story itself, not to mention build up just makes it any scene ten million times better. But hey, that's me. haha!

andy6943 said:
I think a lot is dependent on the individual and generally work under the assumption that how someone creates/displays their own thread is what they'd be attracted to in others.

I like to be able to see at a glance what others are and are not interested in - their kinks and dislikes - rather than have to read a whole wall of text to begin. This also includes preferences of genres and, as far as roles/scenes go, less is more - I like to have a basic idea then see where it leads to as we play. The other thing I immediately look for is preferred method of playing - threads, pm or IM.

Writing style isn't that important to me. I wouldn't consider myself a 'great' or even 'good' writer, but I've met those who are who bore me to tears, and some not so good writers who are incredibly creative and enjoyable to play with. It's really how we work off each other because I think chemistry is more important than perfect grammar.

Of course there has to be a certain standard of literacy and I do understand that, for some some, the writing aspect is the main reason they are here. Different strokes for different folks.

What I dislike is threads where all of the plots/pairings are just a variation on the same theme, ie "me submissive, abused female, you dominant, abusive male". I mostly play to hone my creativity rather than my writing skills (though that is a benefit), so it's an immediate turn-off as I look for people interested in exploring a wide variety of themes, character types and personality traits.

I agree that it does depend and that different people require different things. It's what makes us all unique. I do know for myself, however, that writing style can make a difference. If the flow is off or if the person tries to control my character, etc... problems arise on some level. However, chemistry is also very important too. So, I need both for the success of any RP. If either fail... the RP will not succeed. I mean, any RP will have its hiccups because we all go through our rough periods in life--busy days, traveling, bouts of writer's block--but those will be overcome if everyone is patient and both the chemistry and writing style mesh. At least for me. :)

So, if I see a request thread that merely shows me a list of pairings and gives me nothing else to go off of... I'll ignore it because I won't have been given enough of anything to gain any sort of insight as to what they can do or would truly like to do. I mean, I suppose I could PM and find out... but, when you're busy... who wants to do that and wait for a reply. I'd rather see it in their thread and see them put forth the effort in their advertisement. It shows a level of care to me that they want people to know about them and what they can do as an RPer. But again, I do get that everyone is different. And different is good. :)
 
darkangel76 said:
I couldn't agree more. Besides, wouldn't it be nicer to have a story and then perhaps the chance for your characters to build up some kind of relationship--whatever it might be--and then possibly engage in all sorts of activities more than just once? lol. And it's even nicer if it actually blends with the story itself, not to mention build up just makes it any scene ten million times better. But hey, that's me. haha!
 
darkangel76 said:
littlerooster said:
I've found smut based ones don't last too long, you can only have your characters being abused or having sex for so long before it gets repetitive. One shot RP's can be fun don't get me wrong but I think it needs to be agreed before hand that that is what the RP is going to be like.

I'm a writer as well, I like to use RP as a way to hone my skills and explore my creativity, Plot based is the way to go for me.

I couldn't agree more. Besides, wouldn't it be nicer to have a story and then perhaps the chance for your characters to build up some kind of relationship--whatever it might be--and then possibly engage in all sorts of activities more than just once? lol. And it's even nicer if it actually blends with the story itself, not to mention build up just makes it any scene ten million times better. But hey, that's me. haha!

andy6943 said:
I think a lot is dependent on the individual and generally work under the assumption that how someone creates/displays their own thread is what they'd be attracted to in others.

I like to be able to see at a glance what others are and are not interested in - their kinks and dislikes - rather than have to read a whole wall of text to begin. This also includes preferences of genres and, as far as roles/scenes go, less is more - I like to have a basic idea then see where it leads to as we play. The other thing I immediately look for is preferred method of playing - threads, pm or IM.

Writing style isn't that important to me. I wouldn't consider myself a 'great' or even 'good' writer, but I've met those who are who bore me to tears, and some not so good writers who are incredibly creative and enjoyable to play with. It's really how we work off each other because I think chemistry is more important than perfect grammar.

Of course there has to be a certain standard of literacy and I do understand that, for some some, the writing aspect is the main reason they are here. Different strokes for different folks.

What I dislike is threads where all of the plots/pairings are just a variation on the same theme, ie "me submissive, abused female, you dominant, abusive male". I mostly play to hone my creativity rather than my writing skills (though that is a benefit), so it's an immediate turn-off as I look for people interested in exploring a wide variety of themes, character types and personality traits.

I agree that it does depend and that different people require different things. It's what makes us all unique. I do know for myself, however, that writing style can make a difference. If the flow is off or if the person tries to control my character, etc... problems arise on some level. However, chemistry is also very important too. So, I need both for the success of any RP. If either fail... the RP will not succeed. I mean, any RP will have its hiccups because we all go through our rough periods in life--busy days, traveling, bouts of writer's block--but those will be overcome if everyone is patient and both the chemistry and writing style mesh. At least for me. :)

So, if I see a request thread that merely shows me a list of pairings and gives me nothing else to go off of... I'll ignore it because I won't have been given enough of anything to gain any sort of insight as to what they can do or would truly like to do. I mean, I suppose I could PM and find out... but, when you're busy... who wants to do that and wait for a reply. I'd rather see it in their thread and see them put forth the effort in their advertisement. It shows a level of care to me that they want people to know about them and what they can do as an RPer. But again, I do get that everyone is different. And different is good. :)

Yes, I find I want to know why the characters are having sex or being abused etc, what has made them want this or why is the "villain" doing this to them, I like to explore the feelings and emotions behind it all. To me this is probably why a lot of the "One Shot" style RP's don't last too long, nothing wrong with them but you need to make your characters real or once the smut has passed and even before and during the RP runs out of steam. It is no different to watching an action movie where you see people killing each other and there seems little or no reason for it, it is boring regardless of how big the explosions are.

To me that is where the basic requests that just list pairings put me off, nothing wrong per se with teacher x student, father x daughter, boss x secretary etc but what makes pairings interesting is how do these people relate to each other, what are the problems with trying to have a sexual relationship, what makes them attracted etc Otherwise all you have is two people having sex which is much the same as any other two people having sex.

Makes me think of strippers who dress as school girls or Police women etc they look quite exciting in the costumes and then once naked they are well, just naked. The fantasy aspect is gone.

I totally agree with you Andy on how some good writers can be boring, I also write poetry on a very average level and I have read stuff by barely literate 15 year old girls that is just brilliant emotionally and poems by people who have studied poetry that although technically correct bores the absolute shit out of me!
 
I won't quote the posts I'm responding to here...as I think it would make this way too long, so:

Darkangel, I totally agree with what you said about writing style. I just refer to it as 'playing style', and I've found what you see in the threads isn't necessarily how a person is when you're playing. My own writing is (I think) too 'formal' when posting a thread, but a lot more natural when bouncing off someone.

I also differentiate between 'writing' and 'role playing'. There's the technical writing aspect, the ability to create a mood and atmosphere, etc, then there's the ability to maintain each others interest in the story being told, how you interact with each other, how you leave them something to work with for the next post. The two, to me, don't always go hand-in-hand, I think you can be good at one without necessarily being great at the other.

As far as pairings/plots go, I struggle with how much detail to include. Any pairing has unlimited possibilities in the way in which it can be played so it doesn't tell you anything at all. Then again, having too much detail can be limiting, or appear that way to whoever is reading it.

Littlerooster, I'm in agreement with you as well. I don't see the point in playing if it's just pure 'smut', without any character development or motivations. I like to have reasons for the things the characters do in a play, and for their actions to be a natural extension of what's happened before.

If I'm going to be dominant then I don't like that to be "just because I am". I want there to be a reason for it, and I want the other character to somehow 'earn' what happens to them.

With your comment about the poetry and boring writing, I think it's mostly in the eye of the beholder. Give me a choice between Denis Lehane or Vladimir Nabokov and I'd take Lehane every time, though some would think that heresy.
 
I agree with you about detail in a RP request thread, all that is really needed is an outline of the plot, the setting and perhaps the pairing and/or kinks (if that is going to be part of it) that the writer wants to explore. I've read some requests that have it so mapped out that I wonder if they even need me to be a part of it. On the other extreme I have already mentioned the ones with almost no detail that make me think "yeah and?".

As with you, motivations are everything to me, if a character wants to be gang banged then lets find out why, just because she thinks it will be fun is quite dull. Likewise with dominant characters, let's explore why they are like that in the first place. One of my favourite set ups is characters who are actually dispassionate about the kinks they are acting out and are actually doing these bizarre things for reasons other than sexual excitement.

I know what you mean about Lehane vs Nabokov, at the end of the day many of what we are told "classic" novels are outdated and tiresome to read, styles have changed and I believe writing has evolved from the days of writers spending pages describing a mountain range as is done in the novel "Last of the Mohicans".
 
Nice discussion littlerooster and andy. <333

Anyway, you both are bringing up great points and points I agree with wholeheartedly. Details and motivations are important to any RP (and thus request thread), but since this is RP, it's something that should be discussed between writing partners to an extent or left to be determined by your partner depending on the character that needs to be developed. Often times, when someone comes up with an idea they fear giving creative liberty to their writing partner, which is rather sad. But, as we all know, that's sort of the point of RPing. XD Therefore any idea we might come up with, is bound to be tweaked or go off in a way we might never have anticipated... but that's the beauty of it, I think. I know when I write my replies, I go in expecting any and everything as far as reactions go from my writing partner. I never expect anything specific. I also try my best to leave things as open ended as I can so that there are options to work with. Sometimes there can be a couple, sometimes a few. But all in all, they'll have something to work with as that's the point. You create a character, make them do/react according to the situation/scenario and then........ see what happens...... :)

As for the literature part... this is why I've been starting to get more heavily into YA fiction. The language might be more simplistic, but dear god the imagery is fantastic! And the stories are just amazing! XD
 
It is a good discussion!

One of the things I have problems with at times is I like complex characters, so even if my character is doing things that might not be very nice it doesn't mean he does them without thought or care. His actions haunt him, they affect him, some people like a straight forward approach with a one dimensional type baddie character. Fair enough, there is more than one way to RP, but I like to see what happens when you take normal type "characters/people" and put them in crazy situations, so if my character cheats on his girlfriend because women just throw themselves out him and it is too easy to pass up, that doesn't mean he doesn't love his GF for example. I find premises like that intriguing, I think although there might be a theme and a plot that needs to be followed, it is also fun to keep as much open ended as possible.

Lit wise - I think the bonus of a simple worded novel is you get to read it quicker and that allows you to experience the story in a way you might not if you are reading something that is written in a more complicated manner.
 
A very interesting discussion. I've never really thought that much about the different reasons people enjoy playing. You know, rather than people posting threads, maybe everyone should just contribute to this one! In some ways it might be easier to see who you are compatible with.

I roleplay for, not so much the story or act of writing itself (though, don’t get me wrong, both are important to me), but the improvisation and need to think on my feet, which is why I prefer to play on IM's. Having to come up with a realistic and logical response/action on the fly, while maintaining the integrity of the story and my characters previous motivations, I find a fun challenge.

It means when posting my own thread I probably don't have as much detail as others would like to see. I usually only have my kinks/preferences and a very brief outline (which is what I also look for in others). Basically, until I start playing, I really have no frigging idea where it’s going ;). Saying that, give me someone with similar interests to bounce off for 15 minutes and I’ll come up with a million ideas. I can completely understand though people seeing not much plot/story detail on a thread and assuming that’s how the person plays.

Darkangel, I notice some extremely detailed requests and my first thought is, “doesn’t leave me much room to move”, or that they’ll dump it as soon as I deviate from what they specifically have in mind. I totally agree with your comment about some not wanting to give over creative liberty. At times, I’m not really sure if the other person is looking for a ‘roleplay’ partner, or just someone to write/play out their kinks for them.

Littlerooster, the idea you posted sounds like it could be interesting! I too prefer complex characters, and the ‘one dimensional baddie’, whilst it can be fun (I mean, who’s never thought of being to do absolutely anything they desire and get away with it!) definitely isn’t something I want to play all of the time. I like both characters to have a little good and a little bad in them. Another scenario I like is where one of the characters is ‘forced’, because of circumstances or actions of the other into doing something he/she would never contemplate otherwise.

Lit wise –, agreed about simple-worded novels allowing you to experience the story.The main reason I read fiction is simply for entertainment, if I want something that makes me think I’ll generally read non- fiction. I don’t read any YA, but maybe I should give it a try!
 
Finding someone you click with to write with them is half the battle, I think after a while you start to develop a feel for it and you can tell after a few PM's if you want to RP with them or not. The qualities will be different for each person, for me I like bouncing ideas off each other watching the idea develop as we go.

I have played via IM's in fact I started that way, it is fun to have to improvise on the spot and see where it takes you. I have also noticed though that sometimes waiting between posts can change what I might write and sometimes is far better than what I would have written off the cuff.

Thanks for liking the cheating boyfriend idea, it was actually someone else's idea that I liked a lot but they were not happy with my slightly complex idea, to me I was being realistic, he would want to be nice to her if he wanted to keep her happy so he could continue to cheat!

As you say I like the idea of "forced" as well, love creating a strange scenario and dropping ordinary characters into it to see how they cope.
 
It's awesome when you do manage to find a person who just seems to be on the same wavelength. I usually like a bit of OOC chat or discussion about the scene before starting a roleplay, that can tell you a lot of times if you're going to click.

I'm actually starting to come around to the idea of playing on threads/pm's, though still think it would have to be with someone I've played with before via IM, or at least chatted to OOC.

As you said, I'm can see my writing being much better and more polished given time to revise and edit my posts, though one of the reasons I do like IM's is because of the instinctive reactions of the characters rather than being given the time to think of how they 'should' react.

No problems, it sounds like an interesting idea, I'm sure you could make something out of it, and depending on your partner, could also include the motivations of why she continues to stay with a guy who she knows, or at least suspects, is cheating.

As for the forced/putting normal people in extreme positions, lately I've been thinking of something themed along the lines of "The Lord of the Flies", or The Standford Prison Experiment.
 
Both those would make really interesting RP themes, taking The Standford Prison Experiment and maybe "tweaking" it to make it a situation where the safety valves that were put in place to stop the people playing Guards from getting too out of hand have been removed or sabotaged, so now you have a bunch of ordinary people playing Guard and Prisoner for real.

Another interesting one would be a Big Brother type of show where either the show has been axed but the housemates aren't told or some kind of disaster has occurred in the outside world and the only survivors are the housemates and the crew, and slowly the housemates start to realize that something has happened. I have heaps of ideas and different versions that are coming to mind right now.
 
I think they would, too. That was my thinking, to take out the safeguards and see just how far it would go, maybe with a male/female dynamic in both the guards and the prisoners, rather than having one group all of the same sex.

I'm liking your Big Brother idea as well. It's funny how you can struggle to think of an idea but then once you do, a million possibilities of how it could work or where it could go enter your mind. My initial thought was maybe a billionaire businessman setting up his own private version of Big Brother, streamed on the web to exclusive paying customers. I find it interesting how reliant the contestants become on the approval of 'Big Brother' and wonder how far that could be pushed.
 
littlerooster said:
I'd be interested in trying to develop one of those ideas if you want to chat about it.

No worries, feel free to send me a pm if you'd like, or reply here. Whichever works best for you.
 
This thread began with the statement that a request thread is a form of advertising, and that is off course true. But there are different forms of advertising. A request thread isn't like an ad for a product that you want to sell, and the more you sell the richer you get. If you market coca cola you don't give a fuck about who is buying it, as long as they pay.

Instead a request thread is more like a profile on a dating site. Sure, you want to attract someone, but most importantly you want to attract the right one. You don't want to waste your time with bad matches, so writing a profile becomes just as much about chasing of the wrong people as attracting the right.

Just writing a simple list with pairings might be a strategy for just that. You wont get any replies from those tedious story fanatics who never gets to the good part (people like me, that is) but only from horny people who just want to write about how the thing on the left side of the x fucks the thing on the right. So whenever you read a request thread, frown and hit the back button, maybe that was exactly what the writer intended.
 
Adam Edwardson said:
This thread began with the statement that a request thread is a form of advertising, and that is off course true. But there are different forms of advertising. A request thread isn't like an ad for a product that you want to sell, and the more you sell the richer you get. If you market coca cola you don't give a fuck about who is buying it, as long as they pay.

Instead a request thread is more like a profile on a dating site. Sure, you want to attract someone, but most importantly you want to attract the right one. You don't want to waste your time with bad matches, so writing a profile becomes just as much about chasing of the wrong people as attracting the right.

Just writing a simple list with pairings might be a strategy for just that. You wont get any replies from those tedious story fanatics who never gets to the good part (people like me, that is) but only from horny people who just want to write about how the thing on the left side of the x fucks the thing on the right. So whenever you read a request thread, frown and hit the back button, maybe that was exactly what the writer intended.

That is true, everyone has their own specific wants and needs, nothing wrong with that at all and request threads allow people to decide whether or not the person might make a suitable RP partner.

And I agree some people might be happy with Secretary x Boss for example and play happily at the idea of the coupling having sex or perhaps they work out some kind of story line in PM. Fair enough as well.

For me though as has been discussed above, I like to delve deeper regardless of pairing. And also I have found when I have PM'd some of the people who simply list potential pairings even they too want some kind of a plot to glue the smut scenes together, so why not detail a little of that in the request thread. Each to their own of course.

I also have some RP ideas which are "one shots" and not overly concerned with a long complex plot, so I do get it, and I also understand that RP is very different to writing a story most of the time.
 
I read over this thread a bit and I figure it can't hurt to put my two cents in to the talk. Having read it, I think that Adam makes some legit points. To figure out what makes a successful request thread you must of course determine what you determine as successful before anything else you do. I would argue what successful is as being able to get the right rp partners for you to RP with. Then the goal of the rp request thread would be to get the right people to contact you and want to rip with you, using the ideas you want to use. How successful it is at this than is what I would consider a determining factor on if your request thread is successful. For the record, I consider myself a poor to below average writer most likely poor would be honest. So, I can say for a fact there are people who I won't even send a request to cause I consider them to good for me, and therefore I don't even bother sending a pm to request a pairing. Also likewise as a poor writer I know people who have directly or indirectly told me I wasn't good enough to rp with them and I avoid pming them too. I write with people who fall into my target audience and I'm fine with this.

For some one who is a elite rper, they would want to create a thread that would get other elite rps to notice love one of their ideas and want to partner up for one of these ideas, short term or long term. They also, would therefore use this as a barrier to keep the inferior rper out a kind of barrier to entry into rping with someone. It does this by intimidation and set ups with lower skill writers may look at and go never mind and then hit the back button or if they do go on learn, they are not good enough and just ignore said rover and their threads from then on no matter what they say, thus it becomes successful in cutting down the numbers and the Rogers to the selected ones they want. This also works in the case of lower skilled rupees, they might just want self satisfaction from a short rap or some simple idea. Thus they put simple ideas out in search of the none elite rper. When they do this, they will find people who are like, oh if love this and this pairing and would love to try them. Where as it discourages the elite rper who hates that the thread lacks information and leaves, thus cutting their base to what they want, or at least people at their skill level. Thus either way it works out and the writer gains the target audience they are after.

Of course it goes beyond this as well. Some of the short rps do well cause they use key words which draw the attention they want to their thread, I think these key words especially when placed in the title can have a large impact on the success of a rp thread especially when they draw eyes, then you have the break down I talked about before which takes place and the people not in their target audience leave and those in it stay. Also, what you put that you want will of course limit your target audience as well to those who like the same type of rps thus by having that you are more likely to be successful in finding what your after. Another fact is newness, I think in a lot of,cases people are naturally drawn to new rupees to see their ideas, whereas they might know the style of a old rper and thus don't look at their request cause they have a good idea what it will say or at least they think they do. Finally, gender plays a role, I think that it is much easier for females to get a lot of eyes on their threads then males. I think in ways it makes it much harder for females to find their target audience as they might be hit up by many people who just want to rp, and pm them or connect them just cause they have a thread never reading thought it. At the same time, much harder for males to get eye so their threads, which causes I would guess the general reply rate to a request thread by males to be lower. Thus they both would add a additional challenges to making a successful request thread. Well that is just my two cents anyhow.
 
Aw, Yajirobe. You're a damn good writer, don't say that.

I've also been glancing at this thread too ... but every time I try to figure out how to word things here, it never goes well.

And now ... quite a few of the things I could have said have already been pointed out.

I suppose, however, I can admit that my own thread .. is likely worded in a somewhat intimidating way. And while I don't by any means try to give such an impression, it really is annoying at times how over the past year I've been here, I got tons of PMs asking for awkward RP ideas, fandom-based or not. And that's a good reason I have so many rules in the first place. I don't like having to include quite a few of them, especially as some just should be common sense like "No Godmodding".

But people have broken that rule regardless ... and when it becomes more than one, it just seems like I have to put it up.

And unfortunately, it's made my rule list .... longer than I originally wanted, especially from when I joined BlueMoon last November.

In fact, the flaws of my thread have almost made me consider doing a third - and hopefully better worded out - thread. One that still makes all the valid points and yet doesn't come off as too demanding, I suppose.
 
It's good to see some more action on this thread and read the different perspectives.

I think everyone has a point and that, in the end, your request thread is about trying to find partners who are on the same wavelength as you. David is right, in that it they are as much about weeding out the types of partners you don't want as much as attracting the types you do.

LadyYuna, I don't think your thread is intimidating however, personally I tend to avoid those who have too many rules. Maybe it's because, as you stated, a lot of them 'should' be commonsense, therefore having them all there can give the impression the person takes things too seriously. Though, if you felt the need to put them there obviously not everyone thinks they are commonsense, so I should probably keep that in mind in future.

The issue i have with my own request thread is that it is too generalised. Whilst there are things I definitely don't like, my tastes are so varied that I very rarely have 'specific' cravings.

The same goes with plot ideas - I have millions of possibilities floating around in my brain but narrowing it down to one of two detailed 'ideas' on my thread seems limiting. I can see how that could make people think 'he doesn't have any ideas or opinions' which is definitely not the case - I'd just much prefer to bounce them off a potential partner.

To me, the most important thing is not actually the plot or the story to be told, it's the theme and, as one of my partners has on her own thread:

"The roles aren't necessarily paramount to having fun, the "tone" of the role is the most important thing to me... Getting the attitude of the two (or more) protagonists right is the key"

What I look for on others threads is a sense of their 'personality', and whether it could lead to good roleplaying chemistry. Regardless of the type of character or story being played, it's how they are played I most care about - and I can usually get a good sense of how compatible we are either from their thread, or the first couple of PM's.
 
Back
Top Bottom