What Makes A Good Request Thread?

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What Makes A Good Request Thread?

JamesMartin

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What makes a good request thread?

In general:

1. Detail. Tell people what you're looking for and give them the information they need. A request thread that's one or two sentences and doesn't say what you want is a request thread that's almost certain to get skipped over. You're looking for a person you will spend a lot of hours writing with—it's worth spending 20 minutes now to give them some idea what you're looking for.

2. Ideas. Don't just say "I wanna Roleplay y'all". Give Some plots. If you don't have plots, give settings, if you don't have settings, have pairings. If you don't have pairings? Why not look at other people's threads instead of posting your own? Threads without anything for potential partners to message you about are threads deeply unlikely to get messages

3. Readability. Don't use text speak, don't write one massive paragraph, don't use impossible to read fonts or text colours, headings and lists are your friend. Bear in mind that a font colour that works on one site theme might not work on another and I'd strongly recommend against using them at all,

Specifically:

1. Length. Do you write paragraphs? One-liners? Varying lengths? Do you expect the same from a partner? All of these are important and will narrow the field on who you want to write with and who wants to write with you

2. Story vs Smut. Do you prefer one or the other? Do you want both? If you want both, which is more important?

3. Limits. Are you up for anything? Probably not. In terms of sex and in terms of violence, pretty much everyone has something they baulk at writing. Unless you're writing a Disney script, this is probably something worth mentioning

4. What do you not tolerate in a partner? Do bad spelling and grammar destroy your impulse to write? Do you need at least a paragraph to forge a reply? Do you need daily replies? Weekly? Does it not matter? It's easier to tell people now rather than later

5. Ideas. This has been said before and it bears saying again. You're the one making the request, you're the one who is itching to write, why not tell prospective partners what you're itching to write about?

6. Do you like constant out of roleplay chat? Do you like to be friendly with your partners and ask about their days?

7. Willingness to negotiate. Having clear, well-developed ideas is a great thing—but you shouldn't be so set in them that your partner can't bring anything to the table. If you want to determine every facet of the story and the characters, then perhaps a short story would be a better idea than a collaborative Roleplay. Nothing is more likely to turn away a partner than the sense that they won't have any agency in the story you want to write with them

Group Specific:

Group roleplays are a tricky beast. More partners mean more moving parts, more schedules to work around—it's worth bearing that in mind while writing the request thread.

1. Do you prefer a strict posting order or a free for all? The first is neater, but slower, the second is better for contextual chats but can cause certain players to dominate the chat

2. How many players do you really need? Sure, having a whole bunch of players can be fun—it can also be a nigh-unreadable mess. Try to keep it down to the bare minimum and have some idea of what characters you really need another player for. I'd personally suggest an ABSOLUTE maximum of 7 players and that only for people who have tried more and know they can handle it. I

This is by no means comprehensive. But from my experience, this is the difference between getting great long-term partners versus getting people you can't stand or who drop your brilliant story on a whim. You're trying to find someone you'll spend a lot of time and effort writing with. A good request thread is an investment in that and will pay dividends down the road.

If there's anything that makes or breaks a request for you, feel free to add it below!
 
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