why do some private messages go into the inbox, others go into message requests. Seems random

If you scroll to the bottom of your messages you will find a button labeled "filter messages". Click on it and you can pretty much filter out all messages depending on the options you choose.

Seems random to me
I’ve wondered the same

If they never messaged you before, I think

Right side of your inbox is the filter.
If people are passing the filter and going to requests, chances are they probably have warnings or something making them not eligible to go directly to normal messages maybe.

It isn't the filter. I think if you are viewing a message the incoming gets routed to the wait box.

Little odd things, mysteries, like this are hints that we ARE in a simulation, (a bad one), with bumps and rattles and faults in the program of our pretend life that the novice programmer ignored giving us hell in minor incremental ways.

Why would you ignore them? Just answer them for little rude isn’t it unless the messages are rude

I don't remember, but I thought it was whether or not you're following them or not? Something like that?

Ones friends others not but u can change it in settings

Yeah i friend Ed u long ago and u didn't accept so bye bye