How do you end your threads?

[Bass 26]

When I started really getting into rp, it was on neopets. Most of the time, threads ended because people had to leave or the board reached the limited number of posts and exploded. Since then, I've been on forums that require all threads be completed using a template they provided as a sort of "The End" moment, threads that never actually end, and met all sorts of different roleplayers with different styles. There are a ton of different ways to end a thread. Most of my threads end up dying because of the inactivity of one or more people, but every so often we get to the end of a thread and it feels glorious to wrap it up nicely. My favourite thing to do is make a closing post that leads into the next in some way. Most of the time, by the time we reach the end of the thread, I'll have had a discussion with the other person on whether or not they are ready to call it done, if they want to do another thread and what that thread might be about. I always try and be a little reflective in my final post, too. Highlight something my character took away from the experience. 

 

When it comes to inactivity closing my thread for me, I generally don't make any more posts. I've seen some people make wrap up posts explaining why their character left or to fill the plot hole when the other character leaves the site, but I never bothered with those sorts of formalities. I just leave them open forever, let them get archived, and move on. I can honestly say that I have never had someone who went inactive on me request to continue the thread when they came back. I don't blame them though. If I go through a huge long hiatus, more often than not, I'm not in the same place I was when I was writing that thread, and it rarely comes back as great as it was.

 

So, how do you generally close out your threads?

[Icewolf 258]

It depends - sometimes a thread comes to an end because I or the person I'm writing with has to leave for some reason. If the gap is not too long, then I don't mind picking it up again, but sometimes folks just have to go offline. (As I rp a lot on twitter, most of the rps are chat-style ones which are quick fire - those are usually dropped because I have to go offline, sometimes I do more detailed ones and those are the ones I will pick up again if there are longer gaps. On a forum, I'd expect to have more serious and descriptive ones, though.) I rp with someone who is legally blind and our threads usually don't get finished because I don't think she notices them if they aren't completed 'live' - (that is, one of us has to leave abruptly) I don't mind that but I wish the rp could continue, but I know the reason why so it doesn't bother me.

 

I had to take a long break, and I wonder what will happen to those threads that I wanted to keep continuing, but it's been such a long while since I was last on properly that I think that I'll let them go - I don't expect the other person to remember where they were and as I needed to take a break from rp, it was me who dropped them. (Dropping them is usually rare for me as I only tend to drop them if there's something I don't like about the thread, but these are ones which I didn't want to drop but rl and my mood to rp had gone for various reasons.)

 

Ideally, I like them to come to a natural conclusion, but I've found that sadly, this hardly ever happens in rp because something always takes one or more writers away, or in some cases, you just don't get on with the writer or your styles don't mesh very well.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Icewolf

[Elena 546]

We do finish our threads almost everytime. It feels an accomplishment, story progression, completion of a milestone in the story/ characters' lives.

 

Usually the thread ends when it has run its course, it has obtained what was to be obtained for the characters involved and one of them gets "a memorable ending phrase". Sometimes, before "THE END", it is written "the story continues... here", with the link to the new thread. Sometimes, in case of collective threads, there are several such "the story continues here" for several characters. 

 

Sometimes the thread ends a bit untimely, because one or several writers had left.

 

If it is only one writer leaving in a collective thread, the others continue it to completion, while the characters belonging to the missing writer are considered at their duty/ not having much to say or they are officially sent away. If it is one writer in a one-to-one thread, then the remaining one posts a final post, implying that the remaining conversation has continued offscreen, that the action had continued and arrived to a satisfying conclusion, or excusing himself for having to leave suddenly. (Usually at a higher up's order). 

 

There are, however, cases when the writing partner vanishes before the story had got to run its course enough in order to benefit of the ideas above. It's in a too incipient stage, and then I have two possibilities: either I let it dead as it is, to be counted among the 4% abandoned threads we have, or, whenever possible, I invite another character and give the thread another turn. This last one is often successful!

[CovertSphinx 710]

I'm....very non-writery in my thread endings. I use an OOC tag regardless of how my IC post actually read. 

 

Vesta, greatly insulted by the brutish behavior of her consort, decided to lay her drink down and take her leave. No words or parting gestures apart from the steady click click of her heels against the cobblestone floor. 
((Exunt))

 

or if we move somewhere else

 

Vesta smirked devilishly. She gestured to the path before the group. "Well then darling, follow me~"

((Next Post: Hanged Man's Forest))

 

If it's not an "easy" ending, or we just want to kill it there, I usually just mark ((End Thread)) at the bottom of the post. 

[Quell 249]

I generally wrap threads when they feel like they're done. Sometimes that's 5 posts; sometimes it's 40. I don't usually like to do infinitely long threads unless it's in the context of a 1x1. (So, basically any time there would be a scene change in a movie is where I would end a thread and we'd start another one -- like CovertSphinx said up there "Continued In: _(link of thread)_")

 

But to end it in an obvious fashion, I usually tack a "The End" or "Fin." at the end of my post.

 

(To borrow this adorable colorized text idea... >>)

 

He nodded as the other man walked off the train. His eyes were closed, but somehow he still seemed to be watching him like a hawk.  The words came against his ear like a whisper so close you could feel breath.  "I'll see you around"

THE END.

[Sadrienne 242]

I struggle. So bad. With ending threads.

 

You know those phone calls that have been going for hours, and neither of you have anything left to say, but you don't know how to gracefully exit? So there's long gaps of silence, followed by awkward "Well, I'd better let you go.." and "Yeah... suppose I should get stuff done..." --- that's me ending threads.

 

Luckily I tend to RP with people who are more capable in this regard, so they know when to shout MOUSIE, STAHP, IT'S DONE! WE'RE DONE! MOVE ON!

 

I think I worry that if I close off a thread early, I'll take away the other writer's ability to put in something they had planned? Things that... usually I know aren't gonna be an issue (on accounta I do talk OOC with my thread partners a lot) but still. ANXIETY.

 

Once I get the signal to wrap, I'm pretty good at exiting. A nice post to sum up what my character is doing/has learned/plans to do next... and then start plotting the next thread!

[KARA BELLA 18]

Honestly ending threads has never been something I thought about much.  It just seemed to happen with out fanfare or any obvious sign like adding The End.  It happens when whoever I am threading with and myself decide the thread is done.  I have had lots of threads end at a point where some would never be able to tell it was over.

[SoulsRPG 15]

Oh man, roleplaying on Neopets!  Those were the days.

 

Usually I'll come to an agreement with my thread partner that the thread is "done", usually because either the "point" of the thread is finished or we just don't feel like playing it out anymore. We'll either end with one of our characters leaving, or just fade-to-black with the characters continuing to do whatever they were doing (and then archive the thread).

[MissQ 90]

Hmm I've never really thought much of it, though reading how some of you link to your next thread is an interesting idea. If I had to describe my style it would likely be how I imagine a scene ending on a show or transitioning into the next scene of a movie. My partners and I likely agree the characters spend the rest of their "time together" doing something (watching tv, going out to dinner, driving, etc) or it leads to the next "chapter" where their actions will be the primary sequence of events. I guess? I don't know if that makes any sense. 

[Raven 18]

I just write until the end of the scene I was attempting to write. After that, either the characters move on, and I say as much, or one leaves, and that is, the end.

[Kazetatsu 263]

I like when threads simply come to a plot end. The scene is over, the characters split apart, or its time for a time skip accompanied by a fresh thread.

 

More often, threads just fade out as one or more participants stop posting in them. that's ok in some situations, but I tend to prefer that important scenes reach some kind of conclusion. I've also been in situations where players don't know how to end, and the thread goes on for multiple plot arcs till the participants run out of ideas and narrative juice. Those have been some of my post intensive threads, but it can be rough when the thread finally does end.

[KainZilla 17]

In my experience, 90% of my threads end one of two ways:

 

1) The other player leaves the board and there is no resolution.

2) The thread never ends and goes on for years...

 

I love when threads reach their conclusion but it feels so very rare.