I've never really had problems in the long term finding people to RP unpopular themes. In addition, like many people who've been complaining about their difficulties finding RP, I'm extremely introverted. I'm shy, I have social anxieties, and I have difficulties communicating with people. I've managed to overcome these things and successfully find RP for pretty much any theme I want, because I've adopted a very specific strategy.
I ask, and I help.
I started out RPing on Balmung with the idea that I would play a supporting character in other people's stories. I'm there to make them look good. To make their story go in a way that they enjoy. In the beginning, that was basically the only thing I did. As time went on and my character developed, I started RPing C'kayah's stories. And I discovered that I had a ready pool of people who were happy to RP with me there, because I'd already created relationships based on making their RP fun for them. That's the helping part.
As for the asking part, I developed this habit: If I'm bored, I'll sit somewhere where there are a lot of people. If I see anyone who looks interesting (they're walking, they're RPing, etc), I'll examine their character. If they look like a RPer (i.e.: they have a RP tag), I'll send them a /tell to say hi. If their character text says they're interested in a specific kind of RP, I'll usually ask about that - even if it doesn't seem like it's my cup of tea. We'll talk about what they're looking for, and I'll mention what I'm looking for, and we'll chat about the possibility of RPing together. Many times this leads nowhere. Many times the other person won't want to engage, or they're not looking for the sort of RP I'm looking for, or they're busy, or any number of other things. But many times they'll say "That sounds fun!" Then we'll send each other friend requests, or arrange to meet for RP. It's a numbers game, ultimately: The more RPers I meet, the greater the chance I'll meet someone who likes the sort of RP that I like.
It can be hard to reach out to a stranger and ask. I know this. For me, I have trouble thinking about what to say. I ended up basically coming up with a few set "pick up lines" for this: "Hi, how are you? I saw your search text. You're a roleplayer? What sort of RP are you looking for?" I take pains to be polite, to not be pushy, and to generally be a welcoming member of the RP community. And for those of you who this is especially hard for, I can offer this: It's a skill. It can be learned. It gets easier with practice.
One last thing that I do which really helps with this is to keep notes on the people I meet. Just simple things, like "Ailis Ashling - Elezen smuggler". It helps me when I see someone online in my friends list, because I can check them against the list and see what sort of RP they like.
I ask, and I help.
I started out RPing on Balmung with the idea that I would play a supporting character in other people's stories. I'm there to make them look good. To make their story go in a way that they enjoy. In the beginning, that was basically the only thing I did. As time went on and my character developed, I started RPing C'kayah's stories. And I discovered that I had a ready pool of people who were happy to RP with me there, because I'd already created relationships based on making their RP fun for them. That's the helping part.
As for the asking part, I developed this habit: If I'm bored, I'll sit somewhere where there are a lot of people. If I see anyone who looks interesting (they're walking, they're RPing, etc), I'll examine their character. If they look like a RPer (i.e.: they have a RP tag), I'll send them a /tell to say hi. If their character text says they're interested in a specific kind of RP, I'll usually ask about that - even if it doesn't seem like it's my cup of tea. We'll talk about what they're looking for, and I'll mention what I'm looking for, and we'll chat about the possibility of RPing together. Many times this leads nowhere. Many times the other person won't want to engage, or they're not looking for the sort of RP I'm looking for, or they're busy, or any number of other things. But many times they'll say "That sounds fun!" Then we'll send each other friend requests, or arrange to meet for RP. It's a numbers game, ultimately: The more RPers I meet, the greater the chance I'll meet someone who likes the sort of RP that I like.
It can be hard to reach out to a stranger and ask. I know this. For me, I have trouble thinking about what to say. I ended up basically coming up with a few set "pick up lines" for this: "Hi, how are you? I saw your search text. You're a roleplayer? What sort of RP are you looking for?" I take pains to be polite, to not be pushy, and to generally be a welcoming member of the RP community. And for those of you who this is especially hard for, I can offer this: It's a skill. It can be learned. It gets easier with practice.
One last thing that I do which really helps with this is to keep notes on the people I meet. Just simple things, like "Ailis Ashling - Elezen smuggler". It helps me when I see someone online in my friends list, because I can check them against the list and see what sort of RP they like.
