I'm a little shocked at the distaste for para-RP in this thread! Though I can understand the complaint about post speeds, I'm generally more than happy to wait 5-10 minutes for a good, rich post. Especially since I get more shit done that way. Granted, most of my scenes tend to be on the longer side. I genuinely can't imagine doing a 3+ hour scene where the posts were coming in rapid order.
A few big points for me, though:
What do I like? Honestly, that's an easier thing for me to list out.
A few big points for me, though:
- Grammar/Spelling. I make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes! But glaring issues like leaving out punctuation on the regular and/or misspelling words to the point of me not understanding them is a big, big gripe of mine.
- Post length. I'll admit it. I'm a wordy bastard. I'm likely not going to be engaged in the roleplay (if it's a longer scene) if the posts are less than a paragraph. Granted, that's moreso for private scenes. In a public venue it tends to shift towards shorter, more succinct posts. Mostly for the surrounding folks' chatbox sake.
- I can't stand it when it becomes clear that the player has an agenda for their character and will stop at nothing to achieve that agenda. Nothing makes me nope out faster than feeling pressured into having my character behave in a certain way OR ELSE.
- The writer's voice is also incredibly important to me. If you can't pound out 2-3 paragraphs while keeping a consistent and engaging voice? Don't! I won't hold it against you if your posts are shorter but entertaining and rich in content. I'm guilty of it as well, but I'll zone out of a scene really quickly if the posts I've receiving are basically just a checklist of what that character is doing in reaction to mine. Give me some meat! A book is rarely just, "And so and so does this and this and then does this!" Spice it up a little bit, and I don't mean by using flowery words.
- Posts that take too long. I like having some downtime between posts if the scene's a more private one. I really do! But taking 15-30 minutes for a post is a bit absurd. Tone it down a little bit if you're going to run long. Please.
- And last, but certainly not least, when people get OOC upset due to how my character is acting. Everyone will agree with this, and while I genuinely understand being a little butthurt when a scene didn't play out the way you wanted it to. Conduct yourself like an adult.
What do I like? Honestly, that's an easier thing for me to list out.
- Unique characters. This runs the gamut, but in general the best way to put it is that there's some obvious thought put into the character's actions. Not everyone does this, and that's cool! But it's not for me.
- Hooks. I love it when people approach me with a hook in mind. It doesn't always pan out the way anyone wanted it to, but that typically leaves more room for interaction later. So long as everything didn't immediately go up in flames. Any RP I've had that lasts any significant amount of time has happened because either myself or the person that approached me had something in mind for how the interaction could begin and/or continue.
- Voice. Voice, voice, voice. This is literally the opposite of my above point. I love nothing more than when I get to read something interesting that carries the author's voice with it. It's a nebulous quality that's hard to pin down, absolutely, but it's honestly the most imperative one for me. Y'either got it or y'don't.
- Meaty posts and knowing when to use them. You aren't going to be dropping a shitload of prose at me in the bar if we're gonna get along. You just aren't. However, if we're in a private scene I definitely want something I can latch onto. Be it either prosey-ass-prose that gives me ideas for future character interactions or--well, anything that allows me to bite down and chew at it for a while. I've met a lot of people that equate this to extended posts, but it's not that at all. Just know what you've got and work it.
