What do YOU look for in a partner request or interest check?

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Kestrel

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Just as it says on the can. When you, personally, are looking for a roleplay, what are things that make particular topics stand out to you? Conversely, what makes you avoid certain topics.

If this is different for partner requests and interest checks, you can also split up the answer. Either way, discuss.
 
ROMANCE CANDY PLOTS AND SUBPLOTS. As long as there is potential for romancin' I am hooked. 8D Yes, I am THAT girl.

I look for partners that prefer playing male characters primarily. The ones that say they play both girls and boys equally, usually end up ACTUALLY preferring to play girl characters and they are just playing boy characters too so they can get more opportunities to roleplay. Which ISN'T a bad thing at all, but I am always searching for "roleplay soulmates" and if we ever become super-partners I don't wanna end up in that "I'm tired of playing boys for you all the time, will you play the boy?" scenario. I want us both playing what we love to play, and not have one of us sacrificing that to please the other. D:

When I browse request threads, I am looking for people who have interests that are similar to mine and have plot ideas that sound like stuff I want to play! I always skip the threads that don't already have plot examples up and don't have a roleplay resume, because those examples are important. I hate messaging someone only to find out we have NOTHING in common, and then I have to tell them no-thanks after all. .__.; I dun think they like that either.

What I AVOID: Any mentions of grammar nazi, literateness, word counts, paragraph lengths, etc. Not because I dun think those are important, but because the people who stress those so strongly in their requests tend to make me feel insecure and worried about whether or not I am posting good enough for them. .____. I know that's a silly-dumb-fear, but I just like to play. I don't wanna worry about whether or not my typos or spelling is going to get criticized or if I am posting enough words with every post. @___@
 
Things that makes me interested in a 1x1 partner searching thread/things that makes them stand out to me:
  • List of things they expect from their partner or list of things they will give which also includes what they want from their partner. (I like lists o_o It feels more organized)

    Personally I like lists that includes:
    -How active they want you to be/how active they generally are.
    -Where they want to rp (skype, e-mail, threads, PMs etc.)
    - What their comfort zone is when it comes to writing. Flexible or prefer a certain length or in-between this amount and that amount. (Should include both giving and receiving end.)
    - Smut preference
    - Things they don't want to do/things that might be triggering or uncomfortable for them.
    -If character sheets are required or they don't want to do them at all, then it would be good to mention that.

  • Links to some post samples from their previous or currently ongoing roleplays is always a plus.
  • Plots. I want some plots to look at. They can be just two sentences long and we can build on them, but I need something to go on that's more than just a pairing o_o
  • Similarities between us. The more similar interests we have, the more likely I am to contact them.


Things that makes me more likely to click away immediately or lose interest fast:
  • Fandoms only plots or pairings. I rarely do fandoms, so I generally just click away if I see that that is all they wanna do.
  • Pairing lists only. I really can't work with this o_o It's too little to go on.
  • Smut/sexual roleplays only. Just take a look at my previous libertine rps (or rp, cause most of them didn't get to the sexy stuff) and it will be clear why I keep away xD Smut is not my thing.
  • Let's brainstorm something from absolutely nothing. No. My creativity is turned on by seeing stuff and reading stuff. Creating something based on zero doesn't work for me. At least give me one line of text to work from. I need a base to start from, otherwise you'll be brainstorming on your own while I sit there waiting for you to say something that inspires me.
  • No posts on the forum, links to posts or post samples. I want to check something to see if we have a matching writing style. Sometimes a mismatch in writing styles can ruin the whole rp for a picky person. (Sorry I'm so picky D:)
  • 1 paragraph or less and multiple times a day posting. I do not commit to even one post a day, much less multiple. o_o I need time to think. And since I take some time with my posts, I like to have them fleshed out a bit, so multiple paragraphs are my thing and I want it to be my partners thing too. (Though I do accept that at times there will come a one paragraph post because there's very little to say. I just don't want a roleplay with ONLY one paragraphs.)
  • 10+ paragraphs most of the time. This tends to be my breaking point. Since I'm (what I call) a mirror roleplayer and write about as much as my partner does, I do tend to feel rather shitty if I can't keep up with them. 10 paragraphs are above my level and I can only do them during time certain skips or if I have three main characters on the board (which I generally don't have as I tend to max write for two at a time, which doesn't include side characters). So generally I do keep away if this is a requirement or even if that's just how much they write but they don't require it from their partner.
  • Sci-fi, combat, dice driven games, sports are stuff I tend to keep away from, cause I either don't understand it or don't like it or both. (Zombie apocalypse can be an exception for sci-fi)
There's probably more that I have never thought about. o_o But I dun wanna sound even pickier so lets stop here :D I don't tend to check the interest check so I dun have lists for that.
 
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So, I'm really easy to please. I have a couple of hard limits and no-gos, but regarding everything else I'm usually pretty lax. I don't really do anime (anymore) but am open to just about any genre.

The thing I actually look for is the sort of general feel of the partner request.

It's hard to explain. Diana touched on it a bit - the grammar nazis and the word/paragraph counters... the types of requests that generally just sort of feel unwelcoming tend to drive me away. I'm really fickle on this in general, though, so there is something else. Some kind of intangible, indescribable quality about some requests.

Something about the charisma of the person, whether they seem friendly or funny, or like a good partner? I dunno. It's hard to enumerate!
 
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Proper grammar is a real panty-wetter for me.

Personally for me and my writing style, the second I see pairings like "princexprincess", I click the back arrow. I know that isn't everyone. It's just me.

I really like lengthy but fluid interest checks because I'm a freaaaaak and I love to read them.

Format and ease of reading is also a real eye-catcher once I've opened the thread because I believe it represents a put together, experienced roleplayer. (readable font, nice color, centered)
 
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Personally, I quite dislike this outside of the headers. For me, centring paragraphs make them harder to read because the sentences start in different spaces and as such break the flow of reading. Can you explain to me what you feel makes them indicative of an experienced roleplayer?
 
Personally, I quite dislike this outside of the headers. For me, centring paragraphs make them harder to read because the sentences start in different spaces and as such break the flow of reading. Can you explain to me what you feel makes them indicative of an experienced roleplayer?

That's fair that it makes it harder to read. I just like the way it appears and it catches my attention. It doesn't have to be centered though, left aligned is fine as long as their interest check is organized and clean. Say for example they start using bullet points, they need to continue doing that for each category that they first did bullets for.
 
That's fair that it makes it harder to read. I just like the way it appears and it catches my attention. It doesn't have to be centered though, left aligned is fine as long as their interest check is organized and clean. Say for example they start using bullet points, they need to continue doing that for each category that they first did bullets for.
So consistency is important in formatting. Good point. Thanks.
 
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Aside from genres/plots etc that match my interest, and ability (grammar, sentence/story structure, etc) and style which match well with mine...

  • Someone who seems mellow about finding a partner and isn't demanding my attention RIGHTNOW or getting frustrated in their bumps. It kinda comes off like a temper tantrum when I see that, and I don't have time for people who throw fits whenever they are not on the top of my mind and centre of my sights.
  • People with at least some idea of what they want; don't make me figure this out for you, I'm your partner, not your shrink.
  • Friendly, understanding language; no all caps "DO NOT DISAPPEAR ON ME" (I don't like being yelled at), or phrasing that implies I need to earn the right to RP with them like "meet my standards" or "if you wanna be my partner" or "I'm strict about this" or basically anything that sounds like they're viewing this more as an employer seeking an employee than a peer seeking a peer. (it's a game, and get off your high horse)
  • People who are open to new ideas or having their plots tweaked; roleplay is a collaboration! Don't make me feel like I can't voice my ideas.
  • No divas. I want room in plots for our characters to share the spotlight; I don't like it when my character has to feel a certain way about the other for the plot to work, either.
  • I'm fine with being set in a particular role, but gimme some wiggle room to make it my own, and especially in fandom RP, please don't tell me how to represent a canon character. I have a different brain from you, and am going to interpret/write these characters differently; accept that.
  • Open ended plots; I don't like being railroaded
I think there's probably more but those are the big 'uns :)
 
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I usually only join Group RP's now, so the things I end up looking for are organization, activeness, a sense of community and something to get the plot line going.

Generally it's Fandom (Universe, not the characters), Fantasy or Sci-Fi Campaigns that interest me.
But I'll generally join anything if the enough of the above is covered well enough.

That and the post levels are either around my skill level (1-2 Paragraphs per post) or they are more loose about that stuff in general.
 
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I pretty much exclusively do group roleplays, and I look for four things in interest checks in exactly the following order.

First is decent formatting. If your interest check thread looks like it is the embodiment of a schizophrenic rainbow or makes me want to gouge my eyes out for any other reason, I'm not going to bother reading through the thing. I've lost count of the number of times I've opened an interest check, cringed at the painfully terrible formatting, and closed it without giving it a chance.

Second thing is basic skill with the English language. It doesn't have to be perfect, but if you write so poorly that it makes my inner grammar Nazi froth at the mouth then I'll just save myself the annoyance and not join. That may be somewhat elitist, but I make no apologies for it, it's just how I roll.

If my interest is not immediately killed by formatting or grammar issues, the next thing to look for is to see whether or not the general idea actually sounds good to me. The premise has to be something that makes me say "yeah, that'd make an interesting story." To do that, first off there has to be a premise, something that actually hints at there being a real foundation for a plot. As fun as it may sound, "sandbox roleplay" translates into "directionless mess that will die quickly" 99/100 times. Also, ancient premises like "let's play a band of heroes off to get the world-saving MacGuffin" need something more to make them interesting to me. It's just a super subjective test of general interest after getting past possible presentation problems.

Finally, even if the general idea interests me, there has to be something in there that makes me think "awesome, I wanna make a character for this right now!" This largely comes down to the setting information, and as such I'm often willing to express tentative interest for something that meets the above three criteria and wait to pass final judgment after reading whatever they present for the OOC. It doesn't matter how interesting the premise is to me if there's nothing specifically about that roleplay that inspires me. After long experience of repeatedly getting burnt out on roleplaying after pushing myself to pursue interesting premises without that spark of inspiration, I've found it just isn't worth the time or effort to bother with them any more. This may sound extraordinarily picky, but it's really not, I find things that inspire me to make characters in the vast majority of roleplays with interesting premises. It tends to be mainly roleplays that end up having generic settings or sandbox roleplays that fail to do this.
 
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Friendliness goes a long way, and I think this applies in any situation where one is communicating with prospective peers. I don't want to feel judged; roleplay's all fun and games, and I have enough anxiety dealing with my-perception-of-your-perception-of-me (there ought to be a word for that) as it is. I think this is common of most roleplayers, but maybe I'm just projecting hardcore.

Honestly, formatting is pretty and all — and I do love a nice layout — but I'm happy with a block of text. As long as it's paragraphed nicely so it's not a literal strain on the eyes (and even then I might forgive you), the appearance of a non-visual media isn't a priority for me. The cooperative aspect of roleplaying is significant to me in that I'm more interested in the players than the game, and while genre can be a deal-breaker, existing relations with the players can be a deal-maker. An existing community of peers who already know they can rely on each other is attractive to me, as well as the presence of people I know. It warms the hearth, you know?
 
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Seeing someone with paragraphs of rules tend to drive me away even if I understand why they feel the need to put them up, also I tend to talk to people a little first before roleplaying since it helps gives me a feel for them and sometimes lets me know if I want to rp with them or not. For example even though I'm very shy I stay away from someone that isn't open to communication in an rp, I don't mean that we have to gab about everything under the sun but if ideas or concerns show up I'd like to talk about them and if I get blown off especially over a concern I have I don't want to rp with you. I'm now just sticking to very few fandoms to not over run my plate so much so in those cases I try to look out for things like how lore friendly is the character? I am fine with some lore bending but not head scratching breaking lore like for example being the child of someone from one fandom and putting it into another fandom where it doesn't make even a little bit of sense. I also prefer people to be a little patient with me cause I do get weird slumps where I'm gone for a while and can't bring myself to do anything its not a requirement but I do appreciate it when they understand. One thing I look for the most though or one of the top things is that the spot light has to be shared cause I've dealt with people who will do whatever they can to keep it all on them even if we're rping split style and there's no reason to do that. As long as they seem nice and respectful and of course we're interested in the same fandom I'm more than likely gonna want to rp with them.
 
The thing that drives me away from rps the most 9/10 is the introduction to the idea. It lets me know immediately if there is something of substance to be expected from the idea over a general skeleton that just popped up on a whim ten minutes before it hit the interest thread. In my opinion, RP longevity takes a backseat to typical story formats. It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end - a goal for our characters to accomplish. After all, what is the point of making a story if there is no reason for the story to exist to begin with? If it is just general sandbox things with only a hollow shell of a setting, I will most likely be passing it by even if the idea is in the ball park of what I'm looking for.

And as many people in this thread have touched on, I'm not fond of being forced into a large set of rules. It is particularly the reason I don't delve into fandom rps at all. I don't like my creativity being constrained and having to constantly keep base with what is and isn't permitted. I like making my own characters that I can identify and play appropriately without constantly having my toes stepped on.

Other than that I'm an open book. Except for fandoms as I stated above. I'm hopeless at them ... especially if they are anime based. I don't watch anime and I literally only recently just found out what the hell "Senpai" meant. Yes, I've been living under a rock ... or whatever. It's just not my thing.
 
I'm rather picky, and my tastes are kind of hard to pin down, haha. But a few things that make me more likely to consider joining are:
  • a solid hook and introduction, that give me a good idea of what the RP's going to be about
  • an overall friendly tone
  • a little bit of polish -- nothing super fancy, just a little bit of color and basic formatting to show that you care about presentation and you want things to be neat and readable
Conversely, here's a list of turn-offs:
  • An extremely bare-bones idea. Sorry, but if all you have is "I want to do a Pokemon RP. Anyone interested??", then it's not really enough to pull me in...
    • If you said something like that for a relatively uncommon fandom that catches my attention, then you might get somewhere. But since Pokemon RP's are a dime a dozen, a bare-bones idea like this just doesn't offer anything new or interesting. Same goes for any popular fandom or premise.
  • Atrocious spelling and grammar. I'm usually somewhat forgiving of spelling/grammar mistakes, but if it's really bad, then... yeah...
  • Really bad formatting mistakes, or just awkward formatting in general. Your interest check is your chance to make a good first impression; take some pride in your work. :/
  • Really tiny font size. I'm picky enough about interest checks as it is -- I'm not going to bother with anything that requires me to zoom in just to read what it's about.
  • An overall aggressive or elitist tone.
    • Bonus points if the GM says "literate players only"
  • Information overload. And/or, taking too long to get to the gist of what the RP's about. Having lots of lore and stuff is nice at the OOC stage (and even then, it's nice to have a basic introduction before all that...), but in the interest check especially? I want to quickly get a feel for whether or not I'd be interested. I don't want to have to read 5 paragraphs of prologue before I can find out what the basic premise is.
  • A character sheet template. I'm a bit slow when it comes to making characters, and I like joining at the interest check stage because I can get invested in the story idea and start putting together some character ideas while the RP is still in-development. If the GM already has a character sheet template up, then I feel like I might as well have browsed through the Group RP signups section to find something to join. And I don't often enjoy joining at that stage, because then I feel like most of the other players will already have a CS up while I'm still trying to get inspired for a character idea, and then I feel like I'm holding everyone up...
 
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