Wanted Advertisement Expectations

[NyxDarklore 92]

Wanted advertisements are a bit of a hit and miss for me (for multiple reasons that I won't go into) so, in general, unless the character I'm requesting is one that I'm comfortable with someone else putting their own spin on (an expectation when you create a wanted advertisement) or that I know cannot be NPCd because of the development that should come, I generally don't bother with them. They're a neat way for people to get involved, but that's just my personal take.

 

When I put up a wanted advertisement, I include as much (or as little) detail as is necessary. If something has been established in the history of the character they are being requested for, if something has been established in a thread, etc then I will include it. Everything else is left open to discussion with the person who takes them (and to that person's imagination). This leads to some wanted advertisements being more involved than others.

 

That's all to provide a bit of background for the topic of discussion and where I'm coming from in terms of my position/biases.

 

Recently, I experienced something that I hadn't dealt with in my history of wanted advertisement posting and that was someone who had clearly ignored [i]everything[/i] posted in the wanted advertisement and hadn't read the history of the character in question. For the purposes of this, the characters were siblings so there was relevant information in the history as well as the wanted advertisement. These weren't little changes, either. These were changes like the wanted advertisement stating "X and Y haven't seen each other in the last fifteen years" whilst the application for the character said "X saw Y periodically over the last fifteen years".

 

So here's my questions to you: what are your thoughts on both creating wanted advertisements and on how much you're willing to be flexible if someone isn't adhering to things you've laid out? How much detail do you go into and do you expect people to talk to you whilst creating a character for you?

[Veino 26]

Honestly, I’ve never found much use for them. If I really need a different character that important, I’ll make them myself. Otherwise, I’ll see if somebody I already know and is familiar with the first character wants to be involved and take that aspect of the story and character. Otherwise, I’ve found it to be very erratic and unreliable, with lots of people interested in the short term, but don’t have the investment to do it in the long run. 

[Keaton 133]

How weird. You have to wonder if that person is just not detail-oriented, or if they were so excited they just skimmed the ad. It seems odd to make those changes deliberately, or to at least not reach out to discuss them, when they know they'll be playing with you.

I would think if you legitimately really want a character to be applied for, and you don't have a friend willing to take up the mantle, it's probably better to have the wanted ad than not, because these are presumably established details that are either implicit or explicit in your own character's gameplay. I do think allowing maximum flexibility is the best course of action, but if you've got established details, that's then game canon, and better to have those spelled out there than not. The only other option I see is to not have the character in the game at all.

I don't have much experience with OC games, but in panfandom games I've been in, it was common practice to talk to a player if you were even considering applying for someone close to them. Nobody ever said no, to my knowledge, but it was just a respect thing, and to get the other person up to speed. I presume that would be even more important with OCs, since you're effectively building the relationship background together. I think I would be kind of put off if someone didn't talk to me first when applying for my character's brother, but then again, if there's time, you could always reach out yourself before the app is done, put a little goodwill out there and let them know your expectations.

Hope it works out for you despite the rocky beginning!

[Nightingale 3]

So over the years, I've seen 2 kinds of role players when it comes to Wanted ads. There are players who exclusively play Wanted characters, and there are players who will pick up a Wanted character either because they were asked or because they want to write with you. This distinction is important because of how it affects what each type would be looking for in a wanted ad and how a wanted ad should be written to attract the right kind of person you would like to fill the role.

 

In my experience, when it comes to the amount of info to place in a Wanted Ad the more information you have in it, the less likely some one is to pick that character up. These characters are often picked up by the people who exclusively play wanteds because someone else has already done all of the work for them by creating the characters and there's not as much room for creative freedom -- they like this because it's less work for them and it places them right into a pre-established plot/family/etc. and provides a launch point where they can then make the character their own. This is a great option for you, as the person writing the ad, when you have a very specific idea of what you want and you are not willing to budge on your vision.

 

My personal preference is to give minimal details in my wanteds -- just the bare basics of what I'm looking for and what my plot ideas are. This is great if you have people in your writing circle you'd like to reach out to and market the character to so that the role is filled by someone you trust won't flake out on you in 2 months. It's also a great options for anyone who prefers a basic outline that they can merge their own ideas with and create a unique characters of their own that fits into the role you are looking to fill. It gives both you and the potential writer more flexibility. Always include the details you are absolutely not willing to budge on in your wanted ad.

In either instance, you are the ultimate decider in what you are and are not willing to accept for the proposed application of the wanted character. If you're unhappy with how someone is attempting to portray the character or there's a discrepancy in your idea of the character and theirs, my suggestion is not to compromise on your vision. There should be communication between you and the person potentially taking your wanted and I, personally, have never been afraid of telling someone I'm not comfortable with them taking my wanted if they're being unreasonable with their communications or what my original outline was.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Nightingale

[Huskerdust 625]

I don’t normally ask for much when I post a wanted ad so if they’re not adhering to what little I’ve put forth—and this happened last year with an ad I posted—I just make the character myself or ask my bestie to. In that case, the character was a daughter of my character but love interest for my bestie so we both had hoped for an outside third party to play the daughter. Instead, she ignored my characters last name (her dad) and completely twisted this character into something I didn’t want. And didn’t even fulfill the purpose of the ad. So. I made her myself with dads last name. And this is also why I’m not a fan of asking randos to play important parts to my characters. 

[reuwille 4]

I know this thread is over a month old, but—

 

Stick to your guns. I'm conflict-avoidant enough to let people get away with little details here and there, but those little details pile up and eventually I'm stuck with a plot I'm satisfied with only partially or not at all. A thing I've learned from my current main partner is to be stubborn about what's non-negotiable, even if it seems petty — if it will affect your enjoyment of the plot to change it, you should put your foot down, even if it's something as simple as not budging on a face claim.

 

When it comes to want ads, I tend to put in all the information that is non-negotiable up front and then wax poetic about potential different directions. But starting out unwilling to communicate is already a bad sign — it could've been negligence or poor word choice on their part, but it's always worth setting the record straight.

[psychodrow 10]

From a player-of-a-wanted point of view (picking up or stepping into a wanted ad), I've had people come at me specifically requesting I fulfill some role they want filled. Personally, I pick up 'wanted' characters because the general premise is exciting or prods at one of my muses. The moment that someone comes at me to define every little detail about the character - including their personality behaviors and the kinds of choices they would make and words they use in dialogue - then it feels more like someone wants a puppet and less like someone wants a partner, and I am quick to step away.

 

However, I consider myself a pretty strong creative force and find most wanted ads entirely impossible to play, simply because the burden of someone else's expectations comes through really heavily and can be more than a little overwhelming when my people pleaser wants to make someone happy and my muse wants to take creative liberties.

 

When I put up wanted or available characters, it's because they are fringe characters who can create an opening in the world with pre-existing connections. I work really hard to limit the constraints or expectations put on them because since I like to flex my creative muscle, I'd like to leave the same opportunities to other authors.

That being said? Because my general outline IS so 'general', if someone can't stick to even the tiniest list of expectations - or even just be a good communicator with the hosting player? I get really intellectually and emotionally detached from the possibilities with that player and character, as it smacks of something that feels a little too personal. However, that's mostly my own fault for being so attached and invested in my brain babies.