(07-19-2016, 06:51 PM)ExAtomos Wrote: I'll check their user info, then their FC info. I prefer user info that gives me something to work with; if it just says [rp], I'll keep walking.After reading through the thread, this post here covers a lot of how I feel about walking up!
Recently, I've taken to writing current physical appearance in the info box like:
I've had more success with these than anything else I've squished into that limited space.
- Burned on right half of body, partially healed (or "Pulls down sleeve to hide burn marks")
- Glances furtively around before shuffling away.
- A friendly face.
eta: I may be wrong, but it really seems like for every one person that will just march right up to initiate RP with someone, there's 9 that won't. So you have a bunch of people just sitting around all night, hoping someone will walk up. I've initiated conversation and I've been ignored more times than I can count as the person/people nearby have either a friend or someone else who is more palatable to their RP style walk up. So, you kind of have to be okay with rejection.
When it comes to people who are not currently doing RP at the moment I observe them, I pretty much always check search info and FC info (my fingers have become incredibly quick at this) and since there's very little space there, what you choose to put in it is VERY important to me. Here's an example of the kind of search comment I rarely ever get interested in:
M / D / Para RP
Tells / walk-ups
Currently: IC
This tells me almost nothing. What style of RP you're into becomes readily apparent just in how you write your character, I've been burned lots of times by "tells and walkups welcome!" being a complete lie that I don't care about the second line, and the status indicator in the third only tells me you forgot to change it back or you're afk or something.
And none of it is about who your character is, or prompts someone could be curious about!
Here's an example of an "Okay but still not ideal" search message. Also it's the one I usually have up:
(( RP yeah! Interrupt me! ))
Infinitely Curious Explorer
I think specifically asking people to interrupt me while I'm mid-RP is clever, because it pre-empts a 'what if she's in this 1on1 scene and I'd just be disrupting her' thought. Of course, it's still a lot of that 60chr space taken up for not much.
The other part at least gives some idea of what sort of things the character could be lured into a scene with, and a hint of reputation. Even though that's my own thing, it's still not the kind of search info that gets me to walk-up most often. Though I might mark down the name and description in case I ever need a Courier / DRK Trainer / Fence / whatever you are.
The search comments that add the most to my "Gumption To Walk-Up" meter are like the ones ExAtomos wrote above- quirks or traits that make me immediately curious, or just interested in kicking off a silly little one-shot scene. Stuff like:
Stares intently at anyone who walks by carrying food
Being trailed by curious bats
Obviously oiled his muscles before going out
---
AND THAT'S JUST EFFECTIVE SEARCH COMMENTS!
So I should get back to the actual question: What wakes me walk up?
Records show that the biggest commonality between people I've done walk-up RP at is that they were brooding and staring out over a cliff. Especially when I see this out in the world! Now, I can't say that's a surefire way to summon walk-up RP because holy crap who's gonna even find you out there, but it's what's drawn me in most often!
A lot of the other stuff is based on my character's nature. She's an unrepentant eavesdropper and she absolutely loves stories. If I see someone on the street is telling a story to their friends, there's a good chance I'll butt in and appreciate the heck outta that story. And because my character is not very sneaky and really enjoys trying to get inside people's heads, she will rarely have an eavesdropping session that doesn't end with her busting into the conversation with perfect timing and unwanted 'advice'
The eavesdropping thing leads in to one other style of walk-up I try to do once in a while- and that's that Arblis will occasionally try to bully the toughest person in the room in a social situation. "It's great practice for digging in to someone's mind, and if I screw it up, it's also great practice at running away!"
I like walk up rp.
But it's really exhausting to initiate. I'm secretly not actually a very social person.