@NuttsnBolts I understand fully well that site development takes time and effort, my (very mild) gripe is only that previously I had been told that such a feature was either outright impossible to implement, or that I was somehow encouraging antisocial behavior by requesting as much.
Ah. As a possibility you may be referring to a previous topic I had with you
5 years ago, long before I became a moderator (appointed in 2017) and saw how things worked on the guild from the other side.
To expand on that comment from back then I still do believe a white list would be the a good starting point for thread interactions so the GM can control who can enter the RP, or at least post/see the IC component. That way you could have a blanket block on everyone that you wouldn't like to interact with your RP thread.
As with the Block feature there would have to be a long discussion and planning on how far it would go.
Should it Block PMs/VMs?
Should it Block visibility of your Profile? (Remember, profiles are currently public to all who haven't even signed up to the site)
How would it affect an RP you are GMing?
How would it affect an RP you are a only member of?
What potential impacts could it have elsewhere on the site?
That second last question in particular is the hardest to answer because we could easily say, "yes, a block must hide post by any user", however how would that be fair to any GM when straight off the bat they have two applying members who should be writing together in
their (The GM's) RP, but instead they have each other blocked and those two can't read each other's post. At that point a Block feature may have gone too far as it has the potential of negatively impacting the natural progress of an RP.
That's where we have to assess and weigh up the pros and cons of a new feature, or whether a suitable other option (like the white list example) may offer a better solution, or perhaps even a mixture of both (White listing for GMS, PM/profile blocking for the users). It's just finding that right balance.
Outside of that though and for the time being, do remember that you can raise any concerns about a member you may be having trouble with to an available moderator. My status is set to invisible only for the reason that I have a busy schedule and insomnia so some nights I'll be on the site at 3am. I do get back to all my PMs and share any necessary information with my fellow staff members, especially in the case where I may not be able to address the concern in a timely manner.
Note: Also do remember that RPs have an individual member ban listing under the "Edit Topic" section that can be used too.
