Getting approved is a pretty painless process
Doesn't need to be small talk. I encourage you to browse through our Main Lobby or our Writer's Circle forums for threads that might catch your eye. In particular, the Writer's Circle is more roleplay centered discussions that may appeal to you.
We don't expect everyone to be GOOD at socializing. We just ask that they try. We
are a roleplaying site, but we
also have a large emphasis on maintaining a healthy and supportive community. So the approval process isn't a test to see if people are great social bugs, but rather that they respect the ideals of the site enough to put in a little time and effort.
It's also a great time to ask questions if you have any about how things are done here. You can also talk shop with other players as far as roleplay ideas go. You're more than welcome to use your introduction thread for more than just small talk about yourself. The introduction forum as a whole is an excellent place to connect with other players of matching roleplay interests so that once you're approved, you already have an idea of a roleplay you might be interested in joining (or starting).