Short Responses for rps

[VenusLove]

So I really don't get this at all. I love rping and for those that I role play with I let them all know that I hate (absolutely hate!!) 1 sentence responses! I have tried very hard to stay away from those people but yet I start an rp with them. They start off okay and then suddenly just start giving one sentence!

How can you guys just do that? I take my time and effort to think of a character to put into the story process and at least give some detail as into what they are doing how they are doing it. So how come when I feel like I give the other person a good response that I only get one short sentence. That doesn't seem fair to me or any other person who you rp. I know that their are some people who are big on the site for doing one sentence responses, but it's not fair to give them to people who have been rping for years!

Sorry for the rant you guys but I had to get this off my chest because I tell so many people that I hate one sentence replies. So is it childish of me to just drop off a thread when I feel like I can't make a response? Or should I just continue to try and finish the thread so that the other person can get enjoyment out of it while I suffer? Answers?

[star478]

In my honest opinion, I don't think it's childish of you at all for dropping off a thread. If your partner is doing something that you so not like, whether it be one sentence replies or something else, then feel free to just stop. 

I'll be honest, I occasionally use one sentence replies myself but only if I am having extreme difficulty thinking of something for the character(s) to do. It has been a while since I've done that, so I myself have gotten used to writing semi-detailed responses now. 

Anyway, that's my opinion. Not sure if anyone else feels that way, but I sure do.

[Sazzy]

Venus, I am so on board. rp-ing, in my opinion, is like an interactive story. if I was reading a book, and every once in awhile came across a chapter that consisted of "I ran out of the house in a hurry" and that was it...know what I mean? it's like, I could have more fun just fantasizing on my own WITHOUT having to drag your part of the story along too!

[Buggy Girl]

I have tried very hard to stay away from those people but yet I start an rp with them.

My advice? If you *know* someone is prone to giving one-line responses don't start an RP with them.

While I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt, if you've seen evidence of people not having an RP style that is compatible with your own, simply don't give them the chance to disappoint you.

I mean, to me, that seems like the most obvious course of action.

(Not to sound snobby or anything, but that is precisely why I don't RP with anyone from here at all.)

[Sazzy]

buggy, I don't think that statement was out of line at all. I've noticed that a lot of people get into rp's just to hear someone else talk and get off on it, but that's not AT ALL what it should be. role playing is the epitome of the age-old description of what ANY personal interaction should represent: THERES TWO SIDES TO EVERYTHING.

a lot of people looking for immediate satisfaction don't get that...

[BigPregBelly]

I really prefer shorter and faster back and forths. I think it lets characters and people bounce off each other in a way that back and forth paragraphs don't. And personally I find writing paragraphs tedious, especially guessing what someone's reactions are going to be.

[oh2bpreg]

People have different styles. Some prefer long detailed messages, other prefer short and sweet. Both have their advantages and disadvantages (i.e. Great detail but long wait time vs. little detail but quick response) Not everyone is going to be a match for everyone. It's just a matter of finding some whose style works with yours.

Personally, length is not really the big issue imo. It's about the ability to keep the story going. If your rp's are along the lines of "Bob worries about what's to come", you're not giving the other person much to work with (unless the other character is a mind reader, you're just standing there in character.) And there are people who can say that exact same thing, but in 200+ words. That doesn't help either. Advance the story and give the other person something to work with so they can do the same.

[Buggy Girl]

And personally I find writing paragraphs tedious, especially guessing what someone's reactions are going to be.

Ah, but for me, half the fun is not knowing what the other person's reaction will be. Because that -to me- is true to life. You can predict what other people's responses to your actions will be, but you won't actually know until you see for yourself what their reaction is. I like that sort of realism in my roleplay.

I also love a real time roleplay. For example, my real life BFF and I have been RPing with the same characters for, like, nine years. They've aged in real time. They celebrate holidays and anniversaries in real time. Last summer, two of the characters got married -- They got engaged on Christmas and we played stuff involving their wedding prep right up until the day they got married (IIRC, their anniversary is on August 12). We didn't skip any time to make the wedding occur faster -- They were engaged for eight months before they got married.

I love that kind of detail. I love long-term RP. I know that's not for everyone, but...*shrugs* It seems more like VenusLove is on the same page as me.

(So Venus, you probably don't want to RP with BigPregBelly :P)

[FolkMaster]

I agree with Buggy. Not knowing is half the fun. You can't be challenged as a writer if everything is predictable. If you want to maintain control and always know what's coming, go write a short story or novella. Buggy is right, we face each day not knowing what's going to come out of other people's mouths, what they are going to do, or how they will react to what we say. Maybe your character says or does something that completely offends the other character, and boom, perfect character building opportunity because now you need to make sure you react appropriately. Will you engage in character conflict by fanning the flames of war, or will you retreat and suffer the awkwardness of your character's blunder? Not knowing where you are going can lead to much grander places that you thought were out there.

The other thing that gets my goat is when someone states in their role play profile that they prefer short/long paragraph responses, but then when you actually start writing with them, they give you a bunch of one sentence replies. False advertisement. If anyone asks me to role play, I go digging through their posts first to see what kind of style they TRULY use before saying yes or no.

[Craddenali]

Myself I like the semi-short responses meaning give me alittle detail but not a paragraph. Like this one guy I let him start I kid you not I waited like 5 minutes went out to the kitchen made a sandwich came back and he just got finished writing basically him sitting on the couch feeling the baby kick inside of him. Plus with the shorter responses you can quickly tell the person hey I'm not ready for that or I don't like being called that or whatever without going half way though the last persons comment.