Christmas Spirits from the past

[holliday1960]

I was thinking of you all today and of other great friends and writers who are no longer (for whatever reasons) active on Literotica. While I want to convey my best wishes for a Happy Holiday to everyone, I thought it might be a good time to remember some of the spirits of the past... So who comes to mind for you, that you would love to revisit, rekindle communications with, reread, or just remind others that they were once here? Tell us what who you miss most and somethings about them that make them memorable for you. Lets see if we can drive new reader traffic to some oldies but goodies in appreciation. One of my own favorites was SamScribble. As a writer, he had a wit and charm that was understated and smooth as silk. As a person, he was unsurpassed in charm and sophistication, and he was as unpretentious as they come. Reading from his story list, you couldn't go wrong. You'd walk away with the feeling you'd spent the evening sipping a drink by the fire and chatting with an old friend. Now, lets hear yours...

 

[lovecraft68]

Pennlady,

Great writer, selfless editor, great contributor to the forum who was always levelheaded, fair, and helpful.

I've heard from her a few times over the years, and Last time she was dealing with cancer and that was some time ago, hopefully she made out okay.

[No personal attacks or trolling - including creating accounts for this specific purpose. Heated discussions are fine, even welcome. However, personally attacking / kink-shaming a fellow author or reader is not allowed within the Author's Hangout. Threads which devolve into the exchanging of insults will be closed and repeat offenders will be given a timeout, per the AH rules.]

 

[Duleigh]

DarkRaven13 - a young writer with a lot of potential and a favorite among those of us with plenty of life experience in the AH Coffee Shop. Then one day she stopped answering emails, her stories were all removed and no one has heard from her since.

Gelfet - my favorite dragon lady. She went in search of something that I hope she found

Christie052780 - Not a great writer, but she unabashedly wrote about things few writers ever touch - rape from a woman's point of view. She was an original, she was here from day one I grew to love her work, then on July 27, 2019 she posted the following

There's no graceful way to say this so I will simply say it: I've been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and it got caught late and even though the doctors and nurses say nice things their faces say everything else.

There have been no new stories from her since 2018

 

[Candy_Kane54]

@SAbitch - She came in 2012 -2013 and wrote nine great stories including my favorite, One Million Words. Then, nothing for four years, and then she updated her profile page with a picture. That was the last time she posted anything. I just think about her from time to time because she was from South Africa and that country has turned really dark lately.

 

[holliday1960]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far to the thread. I thought it might be a nice way to introduce a few of the newer writers to some of the writers who paved the way. I'm saddened each time I come by the AH and realize how many have come and are gone now. I'm always amazed by the imaginations of our writers. I hope we can encourage the next generation to carry on... I hope those of you that are still here from the past know how deeply appreciated you are. Until I see you all again, keep writing! Have a happy and prosperous new year, everyone!

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Sadly I never really made a connection with anybody here over the years, to really miss anybody. The closest was StellaOmega and other than helping me with a story and scolding me about a certain now gone thread, there wasn't much raport to the degree that some have here.

One does get used to seeing names, one day you just don't see them anymore, and might forget them until somebody brings them up, or you run across an old thread, or early pages of a really long one. Some people just move on without bother and it's no big deal. Like changing jobs, or maybe a place one frequents has an employee you're used to, but it goes no deeper, despite chitchat, then one day they're gone and it's just not even a thing. It's funny how somebody can spend so long on a site and then just leave and it didn't matter(or seems like it) at all. I've done that on some car board, but it's not like I was ever a large player worth remembering, I was just an active poster.

 

[onehitwanda]

she was from South Africa and that country has turned really dark lately.

There was a ten year grace period where we felt like we could do anything. We were the success story; a country that had transitioned from minority rule to majority rule with no civil war and a functioning, strong society that faced the evils of our past head-on and without apology...

And then everything changed.

Now, every few years, there's a new diaspora as those few who can leave leave and those who have made peace with the sacrifices they must make to have comfortable lifestyles buy more generators and solar panels.

Sometimes I stare at the wall and want to scream about how it all turned out. And I'm one of the lucky ones; I had skills and the fortuitous accident of birth that made leaving easy - physically anyway.

I'm going back to visit in March; I am beyond stressed. I know I'm going to cry when I step off the plane and smell the air and see the Southern Cross again. I know I'm not going to stop jumping at every sound or shadow for the month that I'm there - it's not a holiday to go home, it is constant stress and fear.

And I know I'm going to cry again when I have to leave - both from relief but also from bitter, never-healing heartache.

But there's no future there. Home is elsewhere now. But that doesn't make it stop hurting even a little bit. I don't think most people know how much it hurts to be an expat - even when it's by choice, it still leaves deep wounds on you.

I didn't set out to make this about me, but I saw the reference to home and... well, things just bubbled out and wouldn't stop.

edit: see how much it fucks me up? I refer to both places as home, even though one isn't any more and the only ties I have to it are aging friends, fading memories, and a passport I'm tempted not to renew.

edit 2: I did some digging and found @SAbitch 's facebook page. The last public photos there are from 2016, and she's with someone. Hopefully that means she went offline and is living her best life.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Sadly I never really made a connection with anybody here over the years, to really miss anybody. The closest was StellaOmega and other than helping me with a story and scolding me about a certain now gone thread, there wasn't much raport to the degree that some have here.

One does get used to seeing names, one day you just don't see them anymore, and might forget them until somebody brings them up, or you run across an old thread, or early pages of a really long one. Some people just move on without bother and it's no big deal. Like changing jobs, or maybe a place one frequents has an employee you're used to, but it goes no deeper, despite chitchat, then one day they're gone and it's just not even a thing. It's funny how somebody can spend so long on a site and then just leave and it didn't matter(or seems like it) at all. I've done that on some car board, but it's not like I was ever a large player worth remembering, I was just an active poster.

Why haven’t you connected more, hun?

Em

 

[JGittes]

There is, of course, Ogg.

JamesMiehoff, the guy with the Borat in the green slingshot swimsuit avatar, last posted in late April 2021 that he had cancer and was starting chemo. A couple of months later, I PM'd a few times to check up but never received a reply. His last stories were posted in early 2021. He left a good group of decent stories and thoughtful contributions to the AH.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

... I'm going back to visit in March; I am beyond stressed. I know I'm going to cry when I step off the plane and smell the air and see the Southern Cross again. I know I'm not going to stop jumping at every sound or shadow for the month that I'm there - it's not a holiday to go home, it is constant stress and fear.

And I know I'm going to cry again when I have to leave - both from relief but also from bitter, never-healing heartache ....

I wish you well and hope you can use those emotions to write about it so the rest of us can feel what you feel. I know you have it in you ...

 

[KeithD]

Pennlady is who first came to my mind. Then, when I saw SamScribble mentioned, I agreed with that as well. StellaOmega is another one I agree with. Slick Willie, as well. He was welcoming when so many others weren't. He was balanced in his posts and ran a couple of interesting contests here.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Why haven’t you connected more, hun?

Em

Ah dunno.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Ah dunno.

You could try, you know, talking a bit with people.

Em

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Pennlady is who first came to my mind. Then, when I saw SamScribble mentioned, I agreed with that as well. StellaOmega is another one I agree with. Slick Willie, as well. He was welcoming when so many others weren't. He was balanced in his posts and ran a couple of interesting contests here.

For some reason I feel like I may have seen Pennlady on City-Data. I could be wrong, or it could be a coincidence. I've ran into people from one board to another before. There was one guy I knew from either StangNet or AllFordMustangs, that was also on the boards for that old tv show BullRun.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

You could try, you know, talking a bit with people.

Em

I do talk to people and joke with people. I've talked to you, even.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I do talk to people and joke with people. I've talked to you, even.

But it doesn’t stick?

Em

 

[ElectricBlue]

I didn't set out to make this about me, but I saw the reference to home and... well, things just bubbled out and wouldn't stop.

That's from the heart, Wanda. Very moving indeed. Thank you.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

But it doesn’t stick?

Em

Guess not.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

There was a ten year grace period where we felt like we could do anything. We were the success story; a country that had transitioned from minority rule to majority rule with no civil war and a functioning, strong society that faced the evils of our past head-on and without apology...

And then everything changed.

Now, every few years, there's a new diaspora as those few who can leave leave and those who have made peace with the sacrifices they must make to have comfortable lifestyles buy more generators and solar panels.

Sometimes I stare at the wall and want to scream about how it all turned out. And I'm one of the lucky ones; I had skills and the fortuitous accident of birth that made leaving easy - physically anyway.

I'm going back to visit in March; I am beyond stressed. I know I'm going to cry when I step off the plane and smell the air and see the Southern Cross again. I know I'm not going to stop jumping at every sound or shadow for the month that I'm there - it's not a holiday to go home, it is constant stress and fear.

And I know I'm going to cry again when I have to leave - both from relief but also from bitter, never-healing heartache.

But there's no future there. Home is elsewhere now. But that doesn't make it stop hurting even a little bit. I don't think most people know how much it hurts to be an expat - even when it's by choice, it still leaves deep wounds on you.

I didn't set out to make this about me, but I saw the reference to home and... well, things just bubbled out and wouldn't stop.

edit: see how much it fucks me up? I refer to both places as home, even though one isn't any more and the only ties I have to it are aging friends, fading memories, and a passport I'm tempted not to renew.

edit 2: I did some digging and found @SAbitch 's facebook page. The last public photos there are from 2016, and she's with someone. Hopefully that means she went offline and is living her best life.

I didn't know you were from the motherland.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I didn't know you were from the motherland.

Something in common - send her a PM!

Em

 

[StillStunned]

But it doesn’t stick?

Em

What's brown and sticky?






A stick.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What's brown and sticky?






A stick.

Surrealism at its finest.

Em

 

[StillStunned]

Surrealism at its finest.

Em

You must have low standards.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Something in common - send her a PM!

Em

No, I'm just regular black

 

[EmilyMiller]

No, I'm just regular black

OK - my bad