I haven't noticed generic replies that much, but it's something that can happen easily with the quieter or nicer characters, so there's always a chance I simply haven't been encountering it that much, while others did.
I agree on the ways you used the events being great, creative and lots of fun to play and stalk! It also resulted in "unusual" posts for those characters, and that sort of variety felt very refreshing. Even with characters who have been around for ages, it feels you always find ways to shake things up again and not let them become stagnant or boring.