Yankee

Why Is No One Joining My RP (General Advice Thread)

Here's a tip free of charge: don't keep a tally of your failed RPs, cause that's literally just a discouragement machine in the forefront of your mind. Anyone who's been RPing for a few years or more probably has dozens, if not hundreds, of failed RPs under their belt, but they also probably can't even remember most of them cause they moved on rather than dwelling on it.

Think of it this way. If we ranked hockey players by how many shots they missed and not by how many goals they scored, even the best of the best would look like hot garbage.

@Obscene Symphony

Agreed, I had to go back and count my old saved characters to come up with the number it can definitely turn into a kind of self fulfilling prophecy. If you're focused so much on failing, you will continue failing.

Why Is No One Joining My RP (General Advice Thread)

There are some gems of advice in this thread. @BangoSkank good job updating the OP to include them.

Just to jump in with my personal experience... A few months ago I celebrated my one year anniversary of joining this forum. During this time, I have been part of...

33 RPs that died!

That number is only the RPs that made it passed the planning stages, and there are probably more I don't remember. Some are groups, some are 1x1s, and one I even GMed myself. Shoutout to ERode for bringing up Windfall which is not dead! I think the most important thing that's been mentioned so far is what Rapid Reader wrote:

You have to ask yourself, "what does success mean for me as a GM/RPer"?

For me, it's 100% about having fun, so as long as I had fun while the RP was active, that's what matters to me. I understand this isn't a sentiment shared by everyone, so now I'll share some stuff that attracts me as a potential player to people's roleplays, to help people looking for what they can do to attract more people and achieve the success they are looking for. I'm sure some of this has been mentioned already in the thread but bear with me.

Presentation is very important. That doesn't mean a lot of fancy bbcode, but it does mean taking a moment to present your ideas in a clear, concise way. For example, a large wall of block of text can be a big turn off, but breaking that wall down into multiple paragraphs is already an improvement to help with information digestion. Also, less is more! Especially when it comes to 1x1 checks, not to come off rude but... no one needs your life story. Make your RP ideas front and center, at least!

Passion for an idea can show through your interest check, so make sure you put your heart into it if it's an idea you really want to try, and don't give up! Even if it's a more generic idea, if you show you're serious about it, you'll have more attention.

As far as reputation goes, you'd be surprised how far a name and avatar change can go along with a dedicated plan to turn over a new leaf. If you're worried about your reputation putting people off, try on a new "brand" so to speak and work to change it, especially by reaching out to others. They say you get what you give, so joining other people's checks will give some good karma

Edit: there are some interesting things to read in this thread too about what people are looking for that may help with getting interest!

Galarian Stories

_{_ _ _______________________________ _ _
mentions: @Ambra@Prints Avoid + everyone}

As the ceremony's start time drew close, more and more of Galar's favorite celebrities arrived until they were all there, minus only two. One of the two happened to be the shining star that they all aspired to reach, which wasn't like her. More than that though... Nordy?

"Oi, we talked about the nicknames. Fio-- ugh." Nordrin scrubbed a hand down his face as the Flying-type expert was swept up in Moira's entrance. The gym leaders' escalating arrivals and feats were driving the crowd into a near frenzy, and with Fiona's permission (whether he needed it or not), Nordrin turned away from the group and made to head inside. He passed Joseph and Thomas on the way into the stadium, bidding each of the other men a curt "hello" before leaving the group behind, the two milcery lagging behind, staring at all of the other pokemon. From inside, the chairman's assistant came stomping over to the group behind him, and Nordrin let out a quick, low whistle. Guess we're in trouble.

---

The ceremony was about as much as Nordrin expected. That wasn't to say he was bored by it or anything, quite the contrary: with Elijah and Victoria's absence, the chairman and the remaining major leaguers stepped up and made things even more exciting in the arena. It was downright inspiring, especially for this year's challengers. That was who this who shebang was really for after all. Personally, Nordrin didn't face many league hopefuls. Most trainers headed toward the Isle of Armor where they could face two minor league leaders on quick succession, or they sought out the more experienced Malik. The chef's reputation as a hard ass probably didn't help much either. Still, the couple of trainers he'd gifted his recommendation to were among the group venturing onto the pitch. Nearby, Zeke's Loudred was warming up for something.

"Lait, Gateau," Nordrin summoned the amazed and dumbfounded Milcery to his side once more, this time recalling them to their pokeballs. Once safely inside so that they wouldn't be blown to pieces by the soundwaves, Nordrin tucked them into his breast pocket. As he'd thought, the noise was deafening so close. The chef grumbled a bit, rubbing his ears - but he couldn't really be upset with Zeke or his pokemon. Although Nordrin himself was far too busy with his restaurant to do so, he found it very admirable whenever his fellow leaders followed the careers of trainers they'd endorsed.

Once everyone gathered in the lobby, Nordrin joined them. He wasn't a total buzzkill, or at least he liked to think he wasn't. Tonight was one of the few nights a year he could get out and relax. Since pretty much everyone in Galar was in Motostoke or otherwise focused on the town, many businesses outside of it would be slow, High Steaks included. That being said, when Hestia give him that look, Nordrin's expression visibly soured. Lucky for the Fire-type leader, he didn't get a chance to retort.

"Keep us updated, yeah?" Nordrin said, nodding to Amaranth and Cereus. It was strange the champion hadn't shown up, but... well, the chairman had said it all already.

Then Zeke brought up meal plans and Nordrin scoffed.

"Why you lot are looking at me like I'm going to drag all your arses back to Hulbury I don't know." Really, they did this so often he should expect it by now. "Tonight, any place in Motostoke would feed us for free. If you're looking for a place with good deserts..." He paused, closing his eyes and scrunching his brows together. Thankfully, Motostoke was one of the region's larger cities, which meant there were more options. Nordrin's standards were absurdly high after all, so the more restaurants around the better chance there was for a least one establishment to satisfy him... but which one? Duke of Spice? Cafe Wonder? The Unovan Eatery? A Battle Cafe? ...eh, no, fuck those battle cafe bastards.

"I have a place in mind."

_{_ _______________________ _}

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Operation: Ground the Harpy

The two they'd picked up since arriving in France were making quite a bit of assumptions about the Speedwagon Foundation, as well as the agents themselves. Taras merely shrugged, happy to let Till assume what he wanted, though apparently he had Yonaka in his corner defending his name. I suppose that's what life debts will do to a person, he mused, vanishing his stand away when it's work was complete. Do wish she wouldn't treat「Bad Case」as some pet though.

With Yonaka's half explanation out of the way, Taras focused on the woman, Alouise.

"Alouise," Taras repeated her name, resting a heavy hand on her shoulder. "That is a tragic story, but you did the right thing by being here for us today."

Taras didn't even try to feign a smile to go with his words, as emotionless as they were. For Taras, there was only one option from here that made sense. He didn't need to consult the others. Certainly the group wouldn't stay here, they had a job to do - and in their line of work, knowledge was power, so they needed as much intel as they could get. The giant Russian squeezed Alouise lightly where his hand rested.

"Set us up the meeting with Lily the Pink."

World of Light

Word Count: 713 (+1 exp)
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 26/60
Location: Edge of the Blue: Limsa Lominscuttle

Taking over Sakura's position as cart puller, Cadet, Peach and Cuphead made their way back down toward Limsa's center, intending on heading back to Inkwell Isle. It was a good idea to have multiple options for the group. For as cool as the Atomos was, could it fit all of them inside it? Cadet hadn't even considered that at the time, but as they were moving the gold and thinking about other ships, the thought came to mind. Since it was an airship the could probably use it to get around to the other areas too, it would be a great way to move everybody - including those that had split off from them and went to the deadzone and the desert.

"You think he'll sell?" the hunter questioned, glancing at Cuphead. "Ol' Briney? Gee, I dunno. If he does, we'll get a pretty tough ship though!" After a moment of consideration, Cuphead added, "not too tough for me 'n Muggy, of course!"

Cadet nodded and humored Cuphead with a grin, "Yeah, of course!" He wondered what shape Shippy and the Atomos might take after an adventure or two. Big wings? Legs? ...more room inside?

As they passed closer to the city's center and the music grew louder, Ace Cadet's eyes were drawn to the performers, especially the purple haired dancer. She really had some moves. Cadet nearly crashed into the princess once she'd stopped to watch, but he paused just in time, BB sliding forward on the cart as it came to a quick halt. Then, the dancer twirled in their direction, reaching out the hunter and playfully inquiry about the chunk of wealth he helped carry.

"Oh, this isn't - I mean, it's not mine to give," Cadet said, stumbling slightly over his words. The dancer giggled and pulled him forward, and the Cadet let himself be spun around by the woman.

"I get it," she said, "but come on, not even a little~?" She laughed as the Cadet tried on a dazed smile, glancing back at Peach before his dance partner spun them both around once more. "Kidding! Don't worry about it."

"Oh! Ha," tension melted away from the hunter then, and he quickly reinvigorated back to his usual self, letting a grin spread wide across his face. "Don't get me wrong, I love to spend my money - if only this was mine! Oh but, we need it for something important."

"What's that?" the dancer asked, the pair of them swapping roles with the Cadet now leading.

"A ship to help save the world!"

The woman blinked, but she otherwise took the bold declaration in stride. "Sure you are."

"What's your name?"

"Shantae!"

"I'm the Ace Cadet!" He saw that look in Shantae's eyes that said seriously, that's how you introduce yourself? but before she could voice the thought, he continued, "Your dancing is groovios, how long have you been in town?" Somehow, it didn't seem like Shantae "matched" most of the rest of Limsa, like how Cuphead looked so different from the rest of them, yet seemed right at home on Inkwell Isle.

"Hmm~" Shantae, considered her reply, turning a few times in place. "I don't remember, really. I've protected Scuttle Town for a long time, fighting off pirates - but even pirates don't come around anymore."

"You fight pirates?" Cadet exclaimed, suddenly seeing the dancer in a new light. The conversation with the robed woman from earlier returned to his mind. "You should come with us!"

"And save the world?"

"Exactly!"

"I dunno~" Shantae lifted her and Cadet's hands above their heads, swapping positions once again and twirling the hunter back towards Peach and Cuphead. She met eyes with the princess, who gave her a polite smile. She could ask for payment, but that wasn't really her style. She'd always protected Scuttle Town simply because it was the right thing to do. But now, "Scuttle Town" was a lot larger than she remembered, things that should have been familiar seemed foreign, and there was a large group of strangers tromping through the city and buying shops. "...I'll think about it."

The Cadet smiled and waved to Shantae as she danced away, looking for her next partner. "This town is radalos," he said, scratching BB's head. "Alright, let's go buy another ship!"

---

Word Count: 779 (+2 exp)
Level: 2 - Total EXP: 14/20
Location: Sandswept Sky

Primrose listened politely to Tora's answer, and although she wasn't familiar with some of the specific terms he used she followed along well enough. He'd already mentioned that ether, the thing that apparently powered Poppi, was similar to magic - in some ways at least. That was all Primrose needed to understand. Magic was mysterious and powerful after all. The way the brunette understood it was that Poppi was an extremely advanced golem, and Tora: her proud creator and caretaker. They were an interesting pair, and Primrose found them endearing... well, a little, at least.

"I see," Primrose said, nodding once it clear Tora was finished with his explanation. "With as much faith as you put in her, how could the rest of us have any doubt?" She finished her sentence with a small smile. When Midna floated over and offered to take a look into ether, Primrose turned the smile on her, along with a single raised brow. She hadn't pegged the imp for any kind of wizard or scholar, but she did seem to be familiar with magics that Primrose herself had never seen - and she'd seen some incredible things in her travels, things none of her group of eight had imagined to find in Orsterra.

Somehow Primrose got the feeling that Tora wouldn't be so keen to let anyone look into Poppi. Pride bred possessiveness after all. She'd be wrong about people before though (utterly, completely, devastatingly wrong), so if it turned out that he'd let Midna look into ether, Primrose would like to be there as well.

For now though, she had something else she wanted to do.

She gave her full attention to Midna's report as the imp confirmed that everything seemed to be going alright. Or at least, it wasn't going poorly. Really, that was about as good an outcome as Primrose expected. Along with the good news came Midna's advisement that should Primrose want to head toward the pyramid, it was most likely safe to do so. The dancer hadn't exactly been subtle about her plan, so she only nodded to girl - woman? She didn't know the imps age, and her playful personality didn't give Primrose any hints.

"Good to hear. Then I'll go ahead."

The dancer was happy to take the wolf as a companion. She held her hand out to the masked beast despite it's happy tail wagging, and when it showed no aggression she reached further to pet it lightly on the head. "Aren't you a good dog?" she whispered to the glowing creature, "You're smaller than Linde, I think."

"Thank you," she said to Midna. Briefly, Primrose looked to the distant mountain that was the yellow team's ultimate goal. "With luck those kids are just fine."

She bid a short goodbye to the imp and nopon before disembarking, heading toward the lakeside battleground with the wolfos in tow. Once the situation was settled there, she didn't know if the others would go on toward the mountain or enter the pyramid, but either way she'd be fine. Although she'd gotten used to traveling with a large group, ultimately she was more used to being on her own. The wolfos sneezed once as if sensing her thoughts, and Primrose glanced down at it with a silent apology. She wasn't exactly alone. If the team went on without her, then eventually she'd meet back up with them with the phantom thieves. The thieves seemed driven and unlikely to abandon the quest to defeat Galeem. She didn't want to say something like she knew what impulsive young people were like, but... well, she knew what impulsive young people were like. She was one herself too.

The dancer stuck to the city's outskirts, trying not to draw attention to herself. Nearby she could hear the gathering of people chattering and arguing about whether to join up with the 'people from the giant camel' or go on fighting like they always have. Glimpses of red and blue could be seen whenever she looked down alleyways toward the voices. Underneath her cloak, Primrose's dancer's clothes were dyed a rich ruby. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the middle if these fighting obsessed desert dwellers went back to war with each other.

The city turned out to be smaller than it looks from the outside, though by the time Primrose traversed it she was sure that the diplomatic party of Fox, Poppi and Sectonia would be returning to Naboris soon in triumph or disappointment. She stood outside the great pyramid's entrance, pausing to listen for anything strange or even mundane before she ventured in, pursuing those in their own pursuit of their friend.

Greetings! Candy Cane Service!

Oh jeez I didn't see the note to leave thanks here instead of returning the PM.

Still thank you sender! And thank you elf for forwarding everything!

Time to say hello!

Hey, welcome! If you're already used to forums you should be right a home. Hope you find some groups you mesh with!

Hello!

Welcome! I'm sure your friends gave you a behind the scenes tour but if not, pretty much everyone is friendly and will answer questions. Hope you have a nice time writing here!

What Are You Listening To?

Galarian Stories

_{_ _ _______________________________ _ _
mentions: @Psyker Landshark + everyone}

"Skies are crowded today," the cabbie called down over the wind to his passenger. Indeed, every year during gym challenge season the air over Motostoke was full of flying taxis and trainers on their own Pokemon alike. A flash of orange zipped by and shook the cab with it's windy aftershock. "Whoooa! Lotta excitement down there!"

Inside the cab, Nordrin leaned towards the glass windows, catching sight of the Charizard leaving them in the dust.

"I can only guess who that is," the man sighed, sitting back in his seat and crossing one long leg over the other. It was rare to see Nordrin outside of Hulbury, and even rarer was he wearing anything but his chef's coat, but today was a special occasion. He chose to wear clean black slacks with a cool blue button down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There was movement from behind Nordrin, and after a few moments two little faces floated out from their hiding spot. Nordrin gestured for the pair of Milcery to float out in front of them and they did so, looking around curiously and peering out of the cab's windows before Nordrin snapped his fingers twice to regain their attention.

"Hey, you two have a lot of growing to do if you got scared just by some wind," he said. "I'm bringing you both along so you can get some experience, so don't blow it alright?"

The Milcery looked a little sullen after being chastised, but Nordrin sighed and reached out with both hands to gently rub their heads. The gesture was much appreciated.

Very soon the taxi approached the gym where the Galarian gym leaders were gathering. Below, Nordrin could see many more Pokemon in all colors. The larger ones were easier to make out: Hestia's Charizard and Liam's Togekiss among them. The silver haired man check the watch on his wrist and thought for a moment he was running late, but that wasn't the case. Most of the other leaders were just eager Bibarels. Hulbury wasn't very far from Motostoke, and normally Nordrin would just take a quick train ride over, but over the years he'd acquired a taste for flying and if there was ever a time to indulge and scratch the itch for air, it would be today.

When the taxi set down on solid earth, Nordrin stepped out and combed his hair back with his hands a few times before paying the cabbie and waving the man off. "Come," he told the Milcery, and the trio made their way through the crowd toward where the other leaders were standing.

"Circus is in town, eh?" Nordrin said once he'd escaped the clutches of fans and paparazzi. Thankfully most of their attention was directed towards Isla and Zeke. Nordrin nodded his head stiffly at those already gathered, giving them a rather clipped greeting, "Ladies, Gentlemen."

Well that's enough pleasantries, he thought to himself. While his Milcery floated close by marveling at all of the other Pokemon gathered, Nordrin caught the Motostoke leader's eye: Fiona.

"Mind if I head in?" he asked her, extending at least the basic courtesy of asking permission before he just waltzed into the gym's waiting rooms and left everyone else behind.

_{_ _______________________ _}