I know that when people join a RPC for the first time, things can be hard. You’re not really known by anyone, you’re probably still setting your muse up, and for some it may even be the first blog they’ve ever run. Thus, getting involved with a community can be hard – frustratingly so – and yet I wanted to lay out a few things that may be able to help people out! When I first joined this RPC, I didn’t have nearly the amount of traction I do now. Getting stuff started was challenging and it took a bit to get started, but the following points helped me out CONSIDERABLY and I wanted to lay them out for anyone that needed them:
1) Understand that you’re not owed anything. I know that sounds harsh (and maybe it is), but you must understand we’re all human. If you join an RPC without any connections, you can’t expect everyone to drop everything for you. A lot of people in long-standing communities have friendships, plots, and other things that are ongoing that they’re invested in. Thus, as frustrating as it can be, please keep your expectations realistic and understand that some people may not be ready to connect with people they don’t know yet.
2) Find a way to market yourself. I don’t want to make RP sound like a business – this is for fun, after all – but having a degree of confidence in myself went a long way. Relating to the first point, I reached out to a lot of people first, explained my character to those who wanted to be mutuals with me, and established myself with drabbles and headcanons. I also went out of my way to give a lot of varied, engaging starters to help keep people hooked and give them something to talk about. I’m not saying you should go overboard, but I am saying that people are attracted to confident passion and that is worth considering.
3) Be patient. Again, the first two weeks of this RPC were hard on me. I was mostly RPing with my friends from the Nintendo RPC because I joined when a big, massive event was going on and everyone naturally wanted to prioritize that. My follower count was low for that time period and it was a bit hard to get stuff going in this RPC. However, by remaining patient, I eventually found my stride and my blog grew considerably as a result. Never forget that people are people, and that they naturally are going to focus on what they already know before that goes to you.
4) Don’t make posts that are self-deprecating about any lack of attention you may be getting. I get it – believe me, I do – but you also have to understand that people don’t want to feel guilty. Even if that isn’t your attention, people will misinterpret that from you and will naturally want to avoid writing with you. Again, I know that this can be tough and that it can sometimes feel like you’re throwing things at a brick wall, but hurting yourself won’t make it any better. Hold yourself with pride and understand that you DO have something to offer to the community and that it might just take a bit for that to shine.
5) Get involved. This is perhaps THE most important tip I can give to you. Things looked up considerably for me once I found natural ways to get both myself AND my muse involved in the community. From sending random asks, sending ask memes, talking to people in IMs and Discord, and even just engaging in silly dash stuff, people began to grow more comfortable with me as a result. Getting involved CAN be tough when you’re starting out, but you’ve gotta start somewhere. A lot of people consider me an inspiration in this RPC, but it wasn’t like that when I first joined. I gained that reputation through getting involved with others and showing what I have to offer and who I’m all about. Don’t sacrifice your own boundaries and don’t force anything out of you, but do understand that making friends with others is one of THE best ways to make RPing more enjoyable for you.
I also want to stress that this isn’t directed at anyone in particular. Instead, I just wanted to share what helped me get really established in this community. I understand that getting traction can be hard and it WILL be different for everyone, but you DO have something to offer to someone. People will want to write with you and people will want to connect with you, but just keep in mind that it sometimes won’t be spontaneous. People are people just like you, and so it’s important to keep that in mind moving forward!
Lastly, take care of yourselves! Self-care is so much more important than something that’s supposed to be a hobby. If this at any point becomes very stressful for you, understand it’s okay to step back, reorient yourself, and determine what’s good for you. RPing is a fun and awesome hobby that can be incredibly satisfying, but don’t lose sight of the fact that you always come first.
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