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(09-06-2016, 03:00 PM)Kilieit Wrote: For big events held at private houses, I find asking if there's side-rooms available for overflow is usually a good bet - as is attending with a friend, so there's no mistake that you're sat in silence because you're AFK (as opposed to being shy/overwhelmed).Sadly I have to admit that the majority of that I have been actively trying (though it's admittedly been burning me out lately, hence my not being on as much the past few days.) I've tried tumblr in the past with little success, I've gone to a few events, with a friend, actively RPing and looking for people to draw in who look alone whenever we see them. I have tried to talk in Ex's Linkshell often enough, and I always offer to help run things whenever I can (I happen to love running dungeons, especially leveling dungeons) but I am a little shy (I have my good days and my bad days) so sometimes I get drowned out and just stop trying for a little while.
Smaller tavern nights, watching for plots to get involved in, creating scenarios over IC linkshells that 1-2 characters can respond to... aaand talking OOCly over tumblr or twitter about "what would be cool for our characters to do", and then doing it... are how I've made most of my RP contacts.
ExAtomos' linkshell is a good btw.
In general though, I think my core piece of advice is this: be eager to initiate. Both in IC and OOC.
Most people don't have the time or energy to repeatedly reach out to strangers and try to draw them out of themselves. If you're present and active and giving "hooks" for people to join in with in the form of "idle-emotes" (like... your character is just standing there in-game, but they're not doing the same thing IC, right? They're looking around nervously, or smoking a cigar, or fiddling with a linkpearl, or something; emote that out loud.), then it's more others will be meeting you half-way. It's easier on them - and therefore more likely to result in something for you.
The same goes for OOC conversations in linkshells - bring up topics, suggest activities, offer help, ask if you can add people to your friends list for future contact, and just generally be chatty.
I get that this isn't always easy, and TBH I need to take a break for a day or two soon because I'm getting frazzled; need to nip that in the bud before it turns into burnout. But that's how I made the RP connections I have now, anyway!
I guess the point of what I'm trying to say is back to my original topic, where it's frustrating sometimes being a veteran roleplayer who knows all the usual tricks, but 'has' to be on an overly populated server with established communities that are much harder to break into than the norm (at least in my experience). There's still a part of me that wants to try to establish a community on another server, but I'm not sure if there are enough other RPers like me who have difficulty on Balmung and would be willing to try, and I'd miss the few people I do happen to know and have fun with on Balmung. Though I guess that's what alts are for XD (I have this fascination with lalafell alts that I can't quite explain.)
Anyway I've gone a little off topic, but I'm still interested in communities on other servers, even if it's just for an alt. If anyone reading this happens to know of one that I can be invited to please let me know.