“I am seeking a Natasha to play against my Bucky”
“I am seeking a Steve Rogers to play against my OC”
I see a ton of ads that look like this. I used the Marvel fandom, but it could be any. And I think that people who post super-sparse, bare bones ads like this would get MUCH better results if they got more specific about the dynamic they’re seeking between characters (is it romantic? If so, is it slow burn or instantly established? Snarky sex partners? Enemies to lovers? Domestic fluffy lovebirds? Married with children?) and offered up a few plot ideas. Not only would the latter showcase what sorts of plots and themes you’re interested in—thrillers, fluff, AUs, emotional conversations, fast-paced action–it would also demonstrate that you have ideas you can bring to the table, you’re not just going to expect the other person to think of everything. You don’t need to pitch a novel, just a few basic sentences about what you’ve got in mind. Here are some examples:
“I really want to do a fantasy AU, something with dragon-riding! I’m looking for a mixture of action/adventure with more chill domestic aspects, like just hanging out flying together or taking care of their dragons and talking.”
“I’m seeking a nitty-gritty exploration of both our character’s trauma. Healing might be at the end of the tunnel, but only after they’ve both faced the worst parts of themselves and their pasts. I don’t want any sanitized, instantly-fixed-with-love stuff here, I want realness and long, drawn-out angst.”
“I really like conspiracy/thriller plots, and I have ideas for several. For instance, one or both of our muses loses their powers and they have to track down who caused this and find out why, or an important figure from one of their pasts comes calling with a dubious agenda, or there’s a heist where our thieves are both racing towards the same prize but fall in love on the way due to being so impressed with each other’s skills!”
These are admittedly pretty specific, so if you don’t have an idea that concrete in mind, you can always do something like:
“I’m seeking a romance in a dark setting”
“I’d like something lighthearted with a pre-established ship”
“I want platonic slice-of-life most, but I also have a couple AU settings I’d love to try”
And if your ad is for someone to play against your OC, whether it’s OCxCanon or OCxOC, a brief bio or overview of who your OC is and what they’re like would probably do WONDERS both at helping your advert stand out, as well as making people more likely to respond. After all, there’s nothing enticing about a total blank whom you know nothing about, but “my OC Maya, a no-nonsense pipefitter in her 30s with strong feminist and environmentalist leanings, a frank and direct demeanor, and a touch of paranoia due to past trauma. She’s likely to be found at the farmer’s market getting fresh local produce, enjoying some Korean food, or rocking out at a 90s alternative cover night.”
See? That wasn’t a massive bio, but it gives someone a pretty good quick picture of who Maya is, and they probably will have a better sense of if their muse would vibe with her or not. It may still be a “not” of course, but now the people who DO have muses who would like her will KNOW! Here’s some more examples with my OCs:
“My girl Lemon is in her late 20s and she’s a big buff boisterous ball of energy! She’s not the brightest around, but her heart is big and so are her biceps! She’s super sunny and always eager to meet new people and explore new things, but she can be a little (or a lot) much for people. She could be a shy friend’s extrovert besty OR their worst nightmare!”
“Aviram, or Avi for short, is a sensitive and introverted plant dad. He’s a conflict-avoidant vegetarian and while he’s great at listening and offering sympathy, he’s not good at actual solutions. Despite this, he has a love for controlled thrill scenarios like sky-diving, paint-balling, or spelunking.”
“Alya is a married woman in her 40s who is currently struggling with her faith due to a miscarriage. She’s maternal and empathetic, but these same qualities sometimes lead her to being manipulative with those she cares about due to feeling she knows what’s best for them.”
Then just combine them! I’d introduce the character first, then the scenarios you’re interested in. And even if you’re writing a canon character, it still may be useful to include any specifics about your own portrayal, such as what sources you draw on, if there’s any source material you ignore/disagree with/don’t include, relevant headcanons, etc.
So yet again, here are examples, this time using my OCs with canon characters from X-Men, She-Ra, and The Vampire Chronicles/Interview With the Vampire:
“I’m seeking a found family RP for Laura Kinney and/or Gabby Kinney with my OC, Maya. Maya’s an adult woman, so it would be a protective/platonic thing. She’s a no-nonsense pipefitter in her 30s with strong feminist and environmentalist leanings, a frank and direct demeanor, and a touch of paranoia due to past trauma. I like the idea of her finding one of the girls and protecting them as best she can from those after them while also trying to convince them she’s safe, especially since she knows how hard it is to trust when you’ve been hurt. Definitely a feels-heavy RP, with some action scenes from the bad guys after Laura/Gabby/both girls. It would be set in the Marvel comics universe or the “Logan” movie setting. Trigger warnings for a lot of dark themes and trauma exploration definitely apply.”
“I’m seeking someone to play Scorpia against my OC Lemon! Lemon has a LOT in common with Scorpia, she’s also a big energetic buff lady! She’s not too bright, but she has a HUGE heart. I think they’d bounce off each other really well! NGL, I’m hoping for a ship but that doesn’t have to happen. Wholesome fluff either way! Also, I’m a sucker for college and coffeeshops AUs! My biggest plot bunnies right now is that they’re university study-buddies, roller derby teammates, or that Scorpia gets set up on a blind date with Lemon (maybe by Netossa and Spinnerella who know her from a local Pride group?) after being rejected by Catra again. Open to other ideas though ;) “
“I’m seeking someone to write Claudia, Armand, Petronia, Gabrielle, or their own Vampire Chronicles OC against my VC OC Gaspard. Gaspard is a non-binary English vampire as well as a fencer and a violinist; they’re dapper, elegant, reserved, and chivalrous. I think they would really want to protect Claudia or Armand, and I’ve always wanted an ending where Claudia survived. Of course, if they protect Claudia, any relationship with an Armand would be kill-on-sight! For Gabrielle or Petronia, I’m seeking more shippy vibes, but they could end up enemies with Petronia too due to Petronia’s predatory nature. I really like the tragic, existential themes of the books, so that’s what I’d want to play out, but I do love goofing around with crack too! Gaspard became a vampire in the Victorian era, so my picks for setting would be either that, the 1920s in Paris, or modern-day US or UK, but I’m open to other scenarios. Please note I use the BOOK canon, I haven’t seen the show and I don’t like the movies much. I won’t write nsfw with Claudia or Armand, but it could be on the table for the others with the right buildup.”
Also, while I think this advice could help ALL kinds of ads, I do admit it was inspired by seeing so many adverts that just say "I want someone to play [popular male canon] against my OC" I don’t mean to sound mean, but I often wonder if the people posting these ads realize just how MANY ads exactly like their own are out there----why should players of these often highly in-demand characters pick YOUR ad to answer when they're probably swamped with such requests? The fact is, they’re probably quite wary at this point of these sorts of ads, as some will always be people just seeking someone to fulfill their personal fantasies while contributing nothing in return. I’m not saying that’s all OCs–lots of canon writers are the same, I can attest to this!---but if you’re playing a popular canon, especially a male, you do get gun-shy after awhile due to too many bad apples. So hopefully spicing up your advert with the above will help you stand out as a very good apple, and get you some bites!
Some other things helpful to specify in your ad:
- Your typical reply length and reply speed. For instance, I tend to reply every few days to a week at my best, and prefer multi-para
- Triggers, squicks, and no-gos. You could also include stuff that, while it doesn’t bother you, you’re just not interested in. For instance, I’m not a meandering fluff-type person and I’m largely not interested in romance/shipping. I also don’t like writing the female half of m/f couples. And there are some FCs that I won’t write with.
- If you’re seeking a nsfw RP or not, if you’re willing to do smut or not, and what sort of kinks or sex acts you WON’T do (similar to triggers and no-gos, but specifically for smut) Including the sort of sex acts and kinks you’d strongly prefer can also be helpful finding someone with similar interest!
- If you’re a minor or not, and what age range you prefer to roleplay with. Even for sfw stuff, many older roleplayers can be uncomfy writing with someone significantly younger, and vice versa.
- If you do doubling
- If you give out your Discord, or if you’d prefer to communicate through Tumblr’s IMs or asks
Note that of course I understand you can’t send this much detailed info in an ask to an RP advert blog, but if you’re just posting in the tags? More detail might be the way to get more results! Give it a try, you have nothing to lose!