UltraLongTerm Roleplay

Long Term vs. Short Term

Long term and short term are two phrases you’ll hear tossed around a lot when looking for partners. Generally people will specify “looking for a long-term 1x1” in their search. I’m not entirely sure why, as in my experiences as a roleplayer, long term is the rule, not the exception. But before we get into that, the two need explaining.

Short-term roleplays are not necessarily short. Rather, they are planned. A short-term roleplay is more structured than most roleplays, with a defined start and end point. Short-term roleplays can go on for a quite a long time, but once the plot is finished, it’s done. The partners close the plot, put the characters aside and move on to other things. If you’re trying to co-write a story, making an outline and working a short-term roleplay with the guidelines is a very good way to work on it.

Long-term roleplays, similarly, are not necessarily long. Long-term roleplays are not planned like short-term roleplays. While many long-term roleplays start out with plots in mind, there is never a defined end point. The roleplay lasts as long as the roleplayers keep forming new ideas and situations for the characters to be in. Often, long-term roleplays don’t last after the original idea starts running out of steam, and the partners admit defeat or awkwardly cease communication and the roleplay shrivels and dies. However, if you can find a good partner, long-term roleplays can last for years on end- I myself have a roleplay that’s going five years strong, followed closely by one nearing it’s two and a half year mark.

In my entire time roleplaying, I have never once taken part in a short-term roleplay, so my knowledge on them is understandably limited. It is a good way to get a story written, but does not have a lot of freedom- the plot must stay within the guidelines set out at the start and be guided to the end point. Long-term roleplays are more flexible- much more flexible. Ask anyone who has a roleplay over a year old and they will tell you that long-term roleplays get really weird after the original plot starts wrapping up. Partners in long-term roleplays come to learn each others tolerances, limits, and expectations, and can determine roughly how many shenanigans their roleplay can handle. The answer tends to be surprisingly high, even in fandom roleplays.