1) I don't mind a good GM who powerplays the characters for consequences. I was in a game before and the GM seemed experienced in what he was doing: he would post a scene, we reacted to the environment and each other, he dictated what our actions entailed and sometimes he would drag our characters into actioning the next plot point. (The game style was forewarned in the opening post.) While it felt unnatural at first glance, I liked that he was respectful about it - he didn't powerplay excessively, only in doses - and in OOC he was always open for a contention. It moved the game along at a fast pace instead of having six players waffle on for ten pages. 

2) It's difficult to find a good partner who would stay on committed to the game and more importantly, who's communicative OOC about where they're at in the story, how they feel about it, or when they're going to post because of real life. Most people I've come across bail after the first few introductory OOC or IC posts, even after showing keen interest at first, and straight up disappear on me despite being around in the Guild. I blacklist all the players who've gone AWOL or do not have the courtesy to tell me they're not interested in playing with me when I initiate a PM for [i]their[/i] interest check. But when I found a good partner, the 1x1 provided a safe space to write that's different from an open thread. There's less pressure to post in a set time because I could tell them how slowly I was going. They were willing to accommodate sudden, different, weird ideas (and vice versa). We could work out something together and it's nice to have a chat with somebody OOC to get to know them better.

I'm not into smut. The 1x1 here seems mainly into romance and PWP. I don't get the incest and other kinks here, tbh. It sounds like a call for cyber. I'm not fond of relationships being the primary focus in a story. I like adventures and slow burn, so I feel terribly awkward about potential sexytimes from the get-go (god forbid I try to write a sex scene) and our instant-chemistry interactions always feel forced to me, which means I find it unnatural and not a good story. That said, I'm female and gay, and in 1x1 play characters like that; I also look for open-to-FxF female writers. I just feel more comfortable in such a setting that may lead to IC romance than to play a straight or male character I've little confidence in. I guess that same reason could be why some people specify M/F in their wanted pairings, even if romance isn't the main concern.