Other One Liners

[eyflfla]

Just about everyone everywhere says they don't like one-liners. It should just be a prerequisite for the whole site. I sometimes think that the conflict is in the definition. I see more people say "no one-liners!" then I've seen actual one liners, or posts that might count as one liners.

Everyone likes a good misanthropic thread. So let's post examples of one liners.

Obviously try not to crush anyone's feelings, swap out names or post with a dummy account if you have to.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Each line is a different post.

Hi.
She smiled.
He looked at her.
Susie walked to the door.
Janet said "Hi." to Tim.
I looked at the others and nodded to show my agreement.

 

[Hige]

J'onn quickly pulled his stun gun out and knocked her out before getting in the car

This was in response to a paragraph I wote.

 

[rae2nerdy]

This was in response to a paragraph I wote.

lol at least they gave you an action and reaction.

 

[Hige]

lol at least they gave you an action and reaction.

Ahh yes, but their character there had been bitten by a large canid. And that was their response.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Ahh yes, but their character there had been bitten by a large canid. And that was their response.

Not saying it's a great response admittedly but I'd count that as like the "advanced" version of one-liners. ( Also totally an auto-hit but that's a separate issue entirely )

Edit: Assuming we're counting one-liners in general as just short ( one line of text or less ) responses that are near impossible to respond to.

That would be on the better end of that spectrum because aside from auto-hitting you ( knocking out your character ) they at least provided an action and a reaction in the response.

 

[Generic Brooding Antihero]

One liners is like that best friend you have unresolved sexual tension with, and you kind of just let it go unresolved forever because you don't want to mess what you have.

With the right partner, I think it could be great, but right now it's not a risk I'm willing to take. It's too bad, because I fucking love rapid banters, and you can't get that with a 'no one-liner' type of RP. Or, at least, it just doesn't sound natural. One-liners should be reserved for fast-paced dialogue exchanges, but then again, you'd have to trust your partner to know when to pick things up again.

 

[Killigrew]

One liners is like that best friend you have unresolved sexual tension with, and you kind of just let it go unresolved forever because you don't want to mess what you have.

With the right partner, I think it could be great, but right now it's not a risk I'm willing to take. It's too bad, because I fucking love rapid banters, and you can't get that with a 'no one-liner' type of RP. Or, at least, it just doesn't sound natural. One-liners should be reserved for fast-paced dialogue exchanges, but then again, you'd have to trust your partner to know when to pick things up again.

The usual resolution to this I've seen is "collaborative posting" wherein folks work out a conversation or action between their characters via PM. It's a quick back-and-forth in a way that doesn't freak out the rest of the cast because it arrives on the thread in a clean package

 

[Killigrew]

Also here are some oneliners from another RP site:
POST 1

"I can beat you all if I have to. I am stronger than all of you. I will even let him make the first move." He laughed.

NOTE [Jace] is strong but more so cocky than strong.​

POST 2

[Jace] looked around and saw all four of them looking at him. "No because I won't make a mistake but I will kill you!" He raised his swords and slashed at [Keith].
​

POST 3

[Jace] sees this coming a little too late. [Jace] manges to keep himself alive but he gets cut badly. The was too much and he falls to the floor. His life was now in [Jacob's] hands. "Don't kill me" He gasps.
​

Some oneliners are nice. But others are kinda shocking haha. I think it comes down to Bone2Pick's point (in another thread) that a consistent tone is necessary to the longevity and enjoyment of an RP.

I think a lot of it comes down to wisdom, too. Sometimes things need to be described or else they lose their impact and are just no fun to read!

 

[rae2nerdy]

Killigrew see I would only count Post 1 as a one liner. The other two might be short/simple responses but I wouldn't necessarily mind them in a roleplay ( well with some caveats that I'll get into below )

Post 2. I would actually consider a good response. I mean I would maybe ask my partner to clarify that bit of dialogue ( about mistakes and killing ) because to me it reads a little awkwardly. But I wouldn't consider that in any way a bad response and definitely not a one-liner.​

Post 3. Same thing only in this case I'd ask for clarification of what/who is attacking Jace ( I assume Keith but I'm not sure ). Now in context that might be answered by the response previous to this one so if that was the case I honestly count this as a good response.​

I think for me as the OP indicated the problem with saying - "No one-liners", is that everyone describes one-liners differently.

To me a one-liner is a response that is literally one-liner of text or less AND something that does not have anything I can respond to. Which is why I gave those examples in my first post. Those are one-liners because they're both short and ( more importantly ) they give your partner nothing to respond to.

That's why to me your first response ( Post 1 ) is a one-liner where the subsequent responses are not. The first post is only one single line of text and more importantly it gives your partner nothing to respond to outside of the literal dialogue. It doesn't really move the story forward and ( I presume ) is just a literal reaction to whatever the previous post was. So that means that the person responding has to move the action on by themselves. Optionally they might respond to the dialogue if their character is the type to exchange quippy comments but the partner is still doing more work in moving the story forward rather than whoever posted for Jace.

 

[Killigrew]

To me a one-liner is a response that is literally one-liner of text or less AND something that does not have anything I can respond to. Which is why I gave those examples in my first post. Those are one-liners because they're both short and ( more importantly ) they give your partner nothing to respond to.

I see, gotcha. I'd call a oneliner a post that summarizes information intended to be dramatic, and is itself not quite enough to reach paragraph-level. As in, any post that describes being cut with a sword as "He survived the fight but was cut." It streamlines the story and speaks about events happening realtime as though they've already happened (whereas most rps take place in a realtime style). The information is also difficult to interpret because of its brevity.

To me, just having a reaction and something to react to isn't enough (although I do find it necessary). I also want to enjoy reading their post, get a taste of their character, and feel like things are happening in real-time.

I guess to encompass both our definitions, we can say that oneliners are subjectively a post that is no fun to reply to?

 

[rae2nerdy]

I see, gotcha. I'd call a oneliner a post that summarizes information intended to be dramatic, and is itself not quite enough to reach paragraph-level. As in, any post that describes being cut with a sword as "He survived the fight but was cut." It streamlines the story and speaks about events happening realtime as though they've already happened (whereas most rps take place in a realtime style). The information is also difficult to interpret because of its brevity.

To me, just having a reaction and something to react to isn't enough (although I do find it necessary). I also want to enjoy reading their post, get a taste of their character, and feel like things are happening in real-time.

I guess to encompass both our definitions, we can say that oneliners are subjectively a post that is no fun to reply to?

In fairness I wasn't trying to say you're definition was wrong just that mine differs. Sort of going back to the OP's comment that the problem with saying - "No One Liners" is there isn't really a universal definition for that term.

I will agree that the one thing that most definitions do have in common is just - A response which cannot be responded to by your partner.

The length part of the definition seems to vary on what you consider to be a minimum to make a good response. Which is the part that is usually specific to the individual in question.

 

[AzamiRp]

Concerning definition, I, personally, would remove the last part of rae2nerdy 's definition. I think one-liners simply refers to something that is only one line long, as in the title. In my early rp days like 5 years ago, I was in a few rps that only lasted one to two lines a response.

While most one-liners people produce are difficult to respond to in a paragraph or more, like most more advanced/experienced roleplayers do, if both players are responding like that then it can work. If I'm making sense XD

So the responses that can't be responded to properly, like "Hi" "He dies" are both one-liners, but are also just really lazy and in general terrible response.

 

[Idea]

Hello

 

[rae2nerdy]

On the one hand points for spelling out the full word. On the other, I would be so confused. Like are you saying hello? Is the character saying hello? Who is saying hello to who?

 

[Killigrew]

In fairness I wasn't trying to say you're definition was wrong just that mine differs.

I'm really not that sensitive, lol. I figured we were just sharing perspectives.

 

[Whisker]

I think it all boils down to personal perception. I know I’ve seen some one liners of better quality (action and reaction) than some of the “paragraph” (internal monologue) posts I’ve received.

Some people just like to get down to the point. I think that is okay, so long as all the elements of a decent post are there. It shouldn't be a requirement to post tons of superfluous detail when all the characters are doing are exchanging dialogue in much the same manner as would be seen in a typical novel.

 

[AzamiRp]

I think it all boils down to personal perception. I know I’ve seen some one liners of better quality (action and reaction) than some of the “paragraph” (internal monologue) posts I’ve received.

Some people just like to get down to the point. I think that is okay, so long as all the elements of a decent post are there. It shouldn't be a requirement to post tons of superfluous detail when all the characters are doing are exchanging dialogue in much the same manner as would be seen in a typical novel.

I'd agree with this as well, for me, I don't really care too much about the length my partner responds in, provided it contributes in some form or another to the rp at hand XD