hooray for reblogs – Siblings-a-Fixin'

thetiltedjolteon:

So I’ve been writing an OC for years and done very well. So I wanted to give some advice to OC writers. It makes me sad the amount of OC writers I see giving up because they feel they have no other option.

First, if you choose to play an OC you need to be aware you are likely to struggle and that is normal and nobody’s fault tbh. We as a community have agreed, have we not, that you can roleplay with whoever you want, and also NOT roleplay with whoever we want. These rules don’t change even when they stop benefitting us.

Before you start going on about how canons have it SO MUCH easier though, you need to remember that you play an original character, not a character thousands upon thousands of people know. This doesn’t mean it’s always easy for canon muses because it’s not – they’ll tell you that – but it does give them an advantage you do not have. Since thousands of people know this canon character, that means they are likely to be sought out in the roleplay community. They may have an easier time finding partners and have a much better response when they make starter or plotting calls. Not always of course! Canon muns struggle too I do NOT want to act unaware of that especially if the canon muse is a very minor character or not popular. But they have an edge because they’re character is known and likely to be sought out and at the very least, people don’t even NEED a bio to know what that character is ‘all about’.

So what does this mean for OC writers?

It means waiting for people to come our way can be a bad move a lot of the time.

People aren’t going to be trying to seek you out because they don’t know your character exists. You might think following people and gaining followers and making starter and plotting calls and posting your promo a lot will be the way to go but to be truthful, I’ve witnessed a lot of OCs taking that path, relaying on just these methods and then becoming unhappy and giving up because no one’s reaching out. They are GOOD methods to try and reach more people but should NEVER be your only method to try and find partners because if they are… you will very likely end up wanting to give up.

The truth is, people are bad here at making the first move in the community in general and especially toward OCs. It has a lot to do with people just not being sure how to begin with an OC. Unlike the canon they know everything about, even after reading your character’s bio they still may not be sure how to write with your OC. Add that in with the fact a lot of people’s dashes move VERY fast, your starter calls, plotting calls and promos may just be getting overlooked. People are more likely to pay attention to canon players than OCs, and I know it’s hard not to take it personally, but honestly, it’s to be expected, people pay attention to those they already know and like. It takes extra effort to make people feel interested.

So you might think “okay so how do I stand out?”

The better answer is who do I approach?
Yes, a nice promo and a theme that highlights your character’s personality/image is always good and will draw people in and make them follow but truthfully, it’s not always going to make them reach out.

Now, a lot of muns don’t like ‘approaching people’. It’s sad in my opinion given we are a community of collab writers that has become so terrified to reach out we only do it passively “aka starter calls, plotting calls, aka, posting on the dash wondering why no one wants to RP… to name just a few passive methods…” We’ve become so passive out of fear. Many of us have reached out and either been ignored or blocked. Ironically, people ignore or block out of fear too because they’ve had muns handle their rejection badly. So we’ve made this mess for ourselves, we’re all to blame for this passive terrified community.

So you might be about to ask me why bother then, I go to people all the time and I’m ignored so why bother? Truth is, I would say it is still the BEST way to find partners and start creating amazing stories with your OC if your passive means aren’t working for you. To resort to only passive means to find partners is what makes many OC writers end up deleting, giving up, going on the dash and wallowing in sadness that no one wants to write. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been rejected over twenty times recently, you have to keep going. Sometimes I’ve wanted to write with a canon muse and been rejected by the players over and over and over again until at long last, I found one who was excited and wanted to write. If I had given up it never would have happened. Quitting is never an option, unless you’re truly willing to quit your OC. A special OC is worth fighting for, aren’t they?

If passive means to find partners isn’t working, this is your best option. Maybe your only option. You know the saying don’t fix something that isn’t broken? Well it goes the other way. Don’t stay doing something that ISN’T working.

So what do I do?

First, you ‘scout’. Ask yourself WHO do I want to write with? Go on a search. Scout canons you like. Scout OCs you like. Read and learn about fellow OCs. Check out canons you know and learn about ones you don’t know. Think of ideas of how your muse could interact with that muse. Always be thinking of ideas. This is crucial. DO NOT expect other muns to come up with ideas for you for how your OC could interact with their muse. I know some muns like having their partners plot back with them which you can do of course but you must have some kind of idea to share to begin or else people will not know what to do. Having ideas is extremely important and you never want to approach someone as an OC and have no idea or expect them to have an idea or be willing to come up with one with you. You MUST give them something to start with as this in turn will help them. Once you’ve got your ideas, it’s time to pick a person you scouted to approach!

Once you’ve found someone you like, you of course read the rules. Also, are you mutuals or not? If you are NOT mutuals, and the rules say mutuals only, don’t turn away yet! Many muns are actually open to non mutuals sharing ideas with them. If the rules don’t make it clear, you can send a polite anon asking if a non mutual can share an idea with them. I’ve started up plenty of partnerships with people I wasn’t in a mutual follow with this way.

Okay so the person you scouted, their rules confirm you can approach! So what next?

YOUR APPROACH MESSAGE

This is extremely important. And you also have to be careful. So here’s the dealio. A lot of muns will even say in their rules they do not like three worded messages such as “Hey wanna RP?” People like having an idea of what you are thinking about for a plot. BUT they don’t want five paragraphs of you going into detail about all your ideas out of nowhere either. Haha trust me I’ve learnt this all from experience.

So the key is being short and to the point when you’re approaching a new person, mutual or not!

Say hi to begin. Then tell them that you are interested in interacting. Tell them just a little about your OC. You have a bio of course so they can learn more so do not get lengthy, you just want to give the person a small idea of who your character is. I’d say a sentence or two is good. Now you can end it here if you want by saying if you are interested in interacting with my character I have ideas I can share with you OR you can end it by sharing one idea you have (describe idea very briefly) and then say you have more ideas/or would love to plot if they are interested but if not that’s fine you just wanted to share the idea.

I like to add something reassuring so the people I approach know they can choose not to respond or turn me down and I won’t get upset. If roleplayers fear anything more than rejection to themselves, it’s rejecting others. I want to give the impression I am simply a writer who wishes to share ideas with those who may be interested.

The results!

You may be ignored. You may be turned down with words. It may happen a lot.

But trust me, I’ve been doing this for almost seven years. You do find people. Like I said earlier, I’ve been turned down over and over by canon muses before I found ‘the one’ who was excited and wanted to write. People will read your ‘approach message’ and because you were NOT passive, you will have brought your OC to their attention and you may walk away with a new excited roleplay partner. As much as the rejection can hurt, being met with excitement when I’ve introduced my OC to people and my ideas is so rewarding. I encourage people to brainstorm ideas because if you have ideas for people, that can help spark interest and excitement.

And again you bring your muse right to other people’s attention! You may feel like your starter calls and plotting calls are all being ignored on purpose but tbh? A fast moving dash among people writing with others can work against you.

If Sally is following 200-500 people, and writing with like 10-30 people chances are Sally is going to miss lots of stuff you post or EVEN if Sally does see your starter calls, she just is focused on her current stuff. Sally followed you yes because she liked the look of your character and your writing but Sally might just be waiting for YOU to approach her because she doesn’t know how to begin with you or she just hasn’t thought about it yet. Not because Sally doesn’t care.

Speaking of which, AVOID posting NOBODY CARES OR WANTS TO RP statements.

The roleplay community believes that people can write with, or not write with, anyone as I said and the last thing you want to do is act like people are in the wrong for not being responsive. This could push people away out of annoyance, hurt your writing partners who won’t feel appreciated if you act like those that DO write with you don’t exist, put a target on your back for anon hate by people who are getting annoyed and ultimately keep you in a victim mentality state and keep you from putting yourself out there. This is why you also NEVER make statements like “I have ____ followers and not a single one of you is sending memes or liking my starter calls!” NEVER passive aggressively attack your followers for not being responsive. I feel the need to stress this given the large amount of muns I’ve seen doing this and then whining on the dash about how people keep unfollowing them. It made me realize many muns lack the self awareness to understand how bad this kind of behavior actually is and how it makes followers (who maybe would have wanted to roleplay if you approached them) turn away from you. Even your own partners may turn away out of hurt because you don’t seem to appreciate them.

I must also recommend considering your OCs strengths and weaknesses. Any writer who chooses to write an OC who is a sibling or child of a canon character SHOULD BE VERY AWARE that you are making things extra hard for yourself. If writing an OC is hard enough, you’ve just made the game twice as hard for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with writing siblings or children of canon characters but many muns will say in their rules they do not interact with characters like these because their very existence is a godmod of the canon. You WILL find muns who are interested in the idea but just be aware why things will be extra difficult for you. But also think of your advantages, OC siblings or children of canons offer a unique AU twist that many muns will find interesting and wish to explore with you.

As for stand alone OCs, think of what may make it hard for you to find partners and what about your OC could interest people. What kind of stories could other writers tell with your OC? Become self aware of your OC’s strengths and weaknesses.

OCs will be a challenge. You should expect that always. You’re going to have to work extra hard and really put yourself out there. Before you say it’s not fair, I think it is fair. What else could you expect when you are playing a character only known to yourself and your followers? People don’t want to write with just ANYBODY, they want to write with characters that interest them, that have unique stories that give them a chance to explore different themes. People may be more drawn to canons because they are so well known to them. Think of your muse and how hard you’ve worked on them, think about what makes them special and unique and FEEL pride and say to yourself…

I don’t have to wait. I can go out there and approach people I want and even if I get turned down, I’ll approach others because I have ideas and I want to write them, I want to explore these ideas with other writers so I will keep trying. And when I find people, I’ll keep finding more. I want to make my character somebody to others. And so I will. Whether they come to me or not I won’t stop trying.

A lack of response doesn’t mean your OC is bad, your OC and ideas just may not be something that person is interested in and that is okay. You just have to keep searching. Do not be passive. Being passive is…

I couldn’t have said it better myself! Being passive can be a TRAP. It can trap you, make you feel unwanted and miserable. Yes, putting yourself out there could do the same but you are far more likely to eventually find people and gain partners than the passive approach that has muns moving their mouse to the delete button. Also, appreciate those that do write with you and remember, you can find more partners. The key? Don’t give up. Don’t get yourself in a trap where you just put yourself down all the time and throw pity parties on the dash. I have to be harshly honest here. You will give up and you will delete if you remain passive, I’ve seen it again and again. I’ve seen passive muns struggle on here each and every day and I want you to have the ability to understand how you’re dragging yourself down with the attidude and if you want things to change, you have to work even harder. You may feel like you are working to hard already and you probably are, but that’s the way it can be sometimes if you want to be an OC on here that has partners.

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Advice to OC writers

It means waiting for people to come our way can be a bad move a lot of the time.

Speaking of which, AVOID posting NOBODY CARES OR WANTS TO RP statements.