inb4 "I don't lol"

Each person has a style when it comes to their writing. What is your 1x1 "style" with your partner? This can vary wildly.

For example, @Aviaire is my usual 1x1 partner. Every single one of our 1x1s is a GM/Player experience, rather similar to tabletop gaming. The player usually controls one character and builds all the facets of that character. The GM creates a setting, generalized plot idea, NPCs, etc. Most (if not all) of the worldbuilding is done by the GM. The player only really has control over their own character. The GM controls how everything plays out as a result of the player's actions. The player generally writes less as a result. It's very similar to Duet D&D, but without the dice and numbers.

We've never done anything where the plot isn't (somewhat) decided beforehand, we've never done scenario RP, and we've never done an RP where each person builds a character and they interact while the players build the story and plot together.

What's YOUR 1x1 style? Examples are appreciated :)

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I've tried a handful of 1x1's here, and either they got dropped on me or I ended up dropping them (which, if I did a 1x1 with you and dropped it and you're reading this, sorry!). I was much more used to doing groups than 1x1, so it took me a while to figure out what worked and didn't work for me personally. Even if I loved someone's plot idea, there was always something not clicking for me. When I started a 1x1 with my current partner, I took on a GM-role where I play most of the cast of NPCs. It's so much fun! I think for me, someone needs to be mostly in control of the narrative: either myself as a GM or the other person.

I've mostly had 1x1s on Discord with my close friend (now ex-girlfriend) for about a year and a half now. I usually lead the plot with the most amount of characters and NPCs though it's always clear that she could take it in any direction that she'd liked. We've have had several 1x1s going at once in the past with similarities between each. Usually, it's characters or setting interwoven into our multiverse. We currently have one ongoing plot, Starfall, though it's on hold at the moment for a few reasons. And most of the reasons are me, admittedly.

Generally speaking, we usually discuss our concepts beforehand and plan out characters, even ones that'll appear later, from the start. We do alright though usually stray after a few months into the project and get bored only to abandon it. My best friend from high school and I also have a 1x1 that we've been doing since 2017. This has been mostly been "on the spot" plotting and it mostly focuses on character development or world lore. We've had retcon things here and there, but we aren't writing professionally, so I don't worry about it too much. We started on the days of Skype and have since switched over to Discord. We also met in our math class which is always funny to me!

As for on the Guild. . Eh? I've been invited to a few 1x1s here and there, but my partner(s) have been dipping or there's been a radio silence between us. I had one Roleplay that I was in the process of writing eleven characters for, but then my partner left all of our DMs and hasn't responded to my Discord message. I've been working on a 1x1 interest check too, but uh. . It's very slow going.

I've been around the 1x1 circuit for about 4 years now. I've tried everything from ERPs (still do on occasion) to regular 1x1 experiences (aka the non-smut one). And, honestly, I've enjoyed doing 1x1s. Back when I was at the peak, I could do multiple posts a day by just going back and forth, but those days are few and I can't do it as often as I would like, so I've regulated myself to google doc roleplays. Sometimes, I'll admit, they don't feel quite the same because I really started by writing post to post, so trying to convert that into a more chapter like format was a difficult change. Still, I have a partner @Rosalia who is really good at being patient with me (even when I'm hella slow in my responses/decision making). That being said, I still do miss writing on threads for my 1x1s but I know I'm probably not able to keep up with the rapid-fire style it usually demands - at least if you want to get anywhere at a decent pace.

While I tend to heavyweight most of my 1x1s and do most of the plotting and NPC-ing, I like my partner to have equal input so we both enjoy the plot, and if they have a great idea, it can be incorporated. We also each have our "assigned" main characters, then share the NPC-ing of everyone else. Sometimes, it's just easier to switch off some of the heavier NPCs, especially if one partner has multiple MCs that need to interact with them while the other doesn't at the moment.

Example: I have a 1x1 Nightmare Before Christmas AU. My main characters are Lock, Shock, and Barrel, my partner's are some of their monster OCs to play off of them. Depending on the scene, we share characters like Jack, Sally, Dr. Finklestein, and the witches, since they're heavyweight NPCs that our main characters end up running into often, and then the rest of Halloween Town as in-general NPCs as needed. Sometimes it's just easier for my partner to take Jack so LSB can play off of him, or I'll take Jack and Sally because more of their monsters are in the scene, but LSB aren't, or if it's a big crowd scene, we'll both play various Halloween Town citizens and switch off Jack as needed depending on what's easiest to keep the flow going. Just whatever needs to be done, we both have the power to do it instead of relying on one person playing this one NPC all the time.

I don't like doing 1x1s with strangers, I tried to do it, it failed. I prefer doing it with someone I've RPed with before.

You may be wondering, how that's different from RPing with a group of strangers? It is different. 1x1s are much more intimate. I prefer doing that with someone who knows my RPing style, and knows how to work with me. As well as vice versa.

What's YOUR 1x1 style? Examples are appreciated :)

Player/Player, rather than the GM/Player style you mention. Both sides work to develop the world and continuously push the plot along with every post.

I don't eyyy @tyrannosaursrex

I have done plenty of 1x1's on here and way more often than not, the other person dropped me. (Leaving the DM's. IDK why but it hurts still.) And I'm more used to them than groups (as groups for me tended to die quickly) the results haven't been the greatest for me as it seems nothing really sticks no matter the effort. Overall, I do them with a Player/Player style with two people contributing to the RP and also the story and plot direction as it shows engagement and interest to me. I also have done ERP's as well as I have been on the guild for 3 years but 1x1's I have been doing for way longer.

Player/Player, rather than the GM/Player style you mention. Both sides work to develop the world and continuously push the plot along with every post.

^ This.

It's more fun to collaborate and build together than have one person do the work. Sometimes the original idea is mine, sometimes the idea is theirs but we both have things we toss in the pot. We generally build the setting and the beginning plot first but leave it open-ended so we can have fun along the way.

Also, don't be afraid to reach out if you're stuck. Kind of like "Hey, I don't really know where to go with this next post. Where or what is the next point/place/goal we're trying to get to?" Your partner may be able to help. Communication is key to a lot of things in life. That includes your writing and your writing partner.

I love collaborations in general, so I very much tend to the player/player kind of style. I usually have SOME idea of where the story is going to go- not necessarily an end point, but a goal for the characters to work towards at the start. Both of us contribute plot points, characters, etc.

Sometimes there’s a lot of discussion beforehand, sometimes there’s not. During the stories there is always OOC discussion (in a separate thread) as to where we’re going.

The biggest thing is finding partners that I mesh with, I think.

The biggest thing is finding partners that I mesh with, I think.

This. A million-billion-trillion times this.

<Snipped quote by nightmare medx>

This. A million-billion-trillion times this.

Seconding this, especially as someone who looks for non smut-related checks in a section populated by smut checks. Personally I think smut checks should be separated out into their own subsection under the 1x1 tab, but I don't want to derail this thread complaining too much.

<Snipped quote by Ruby>

I don't want to derail this thread complaining too much.

I'm okay with that. I usually don't see much 1x1 discussion, cuz people usually just discuss it with their partners. It's harder to observe trends n stuff with this type of thing too because it's all private. People can be like "oh there's way more fandom in casual now" or "wow advanced is dead lol" but it's harder to do that with 1x1.

I roleplay exclusively in the 1x1 section and absolutely have a blast with all of my partners. We write player/player, long term stories (that's the key word there) and come up with all sorts of fun things. I got my start in RP with group settings but learned quickly that most of those don't last long enough to get into the juicy parts of a plot, so I switched to 1x1s because my personal preference is long, drawn out stories that go on for years. Out of the six partners I currently have, the newest ones are still people I started writing with about 8-9 months ago. One of my conditions for writing is that I only do long-term stories, and this year, I happened to have great luck finding like-minded people who haven't dropped any of our RPs. ^^ I enjoy 1x1s because I find it easier to plot and communicate with just one other person rather than try to manage an entire group. Also, it gives me the freedom to control lots of characters besides my MC, which is entertaining to me because I write novella style (500-1500 word average).

Tldr; My 1x1s are player/player, long-term stories in novella style

<Snipped quote by nightmare medx>

This. A million-billion-trillion times this.

Finding people that meshes? I disagree tbh from experience.

<Snipped quote by Ruby>

Finding people that meshes? I disagree tbh from experience.

What has your experience been? Did you mean that you think anyone can mesh or something different?

1x1 really is the best RP. I've found multiple partners who I enjoy writing with. I like the increased editorial control of a 1x1.

My experiences in the RP scene have been terrible. By my experiences and attempts, it hasn't gotten any better. Sure what I'm about to say may go off the tracks but at this point, I am fed up with it.
I meant different because of my experience that NO ONE can mesh, let alone me with anyone else. My RP luck sucks. I had 45 dead RP's here in a year, one year!
I tried to take a break when it was in the 20's, came back but it worsened.
Been here three years and it is over 50 dead total in a three-year span. I really don't see anything changing for the better for me. Even in searching for new roleplays, my luck is bad, really bad.
I'm tired of being ghosted on and frequently as now I see it as nothing but dishonorable and cowardly. And I feel like no one literally looks at my side of things as whatever I bring up they want to bury underneath the rug.
I feel like I am up against a stacked deck when I try to find partners and I can't find anyone.

Have you considered that your attitude towards 1x1s is making this a self-fulfilling prophecy? You post about it quite often, and I don't know about other people, but the promise of being called 'dishonorable and cowardly' for dropping a roleplay is pretty... disrespectful, and perhaps indicative of how you might view the other player's feelings on a 1x1. It may be putting off more partners than you think, because people do read the off-topic sections.

People dip out all the time from 1x1s, especially with strangers. You're not the only one in the world who has been ghosted several times. Barring catastrophic life changes, it is usually because the player is uncomfortable with continuing the roleplay, whether they can tell that their roleplaying style doesn't gel, the plot isn't grabbing them, they expected a different level of writing or activity, or even because they just ain't feeling it. It can be hard to be honest with someone, especially someone who you don't have a pre-existing rapport with.

Communication is hard and everyone has different styles of it, in real life and in e-life. It is important in a long-running, healthy 1x1, but arguably understanding what a partner wants on a personal level – what motivates them to want to write, and what might prompt them to go dark – is more so. It requires some insight and self-awareness into one's own failures too.

I understood why people ghost the moment I tried to be direct and say 'yeah, sorry fam, this isn't for me' in a polite way and then had to justify, explain and defend my reasoning for dropping in a back-and-forth argument. Ghosting is a learned behaviour, and bad experiences are why people learn to ghost. I am wary of someone who says they are so frequently ghosted because it implies to me that they do not understand why they are being ghosted.

Also... Just because you can't mesh with other people doesn't mean no-one else can, as evidenced by the other incredibly positive responses in this thread.

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To reply to the topic at hand, I find all the discussion about 1x1ing really exciting to me because it's one of my favourite forms of RP, and @stone is 100% right that 'it's harder to observe trends n stuff with this type of thing too because it's all private'. Loving all the 1x1ers coming out of the woodwork to explain what they're doing behind closed doors.

Right now I am in a RP which uses a player/player collaborative style as others have said, but we write the posts from one POV (to make it easier to read through later). My partner's character is the POV because she writes more convincing internal dialogue than I do and I adore reading it, while I generally try to write around it with action, more 'neutral' observations, scene-setting, and of course, my half of the romantic banter 'cus we are shipping trash.

Also while we're writing (in Google Docs) we're sending a huge back and forth of future headcanons or alternate universe versions of the characters in the OOC or just general chit-chat about roleplaying, usually like 600 messages when we're in the zone. I think this is the most important part of 1x1ing for me. Maybe even more important than getting the actual writing done.

It's amazing how much planning you find reading back, all interspersed with:

what if we did a bad end!au where everyone dies
omg aaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaa
a n g s t