Building an erotic universe?

[djrip]

I'm working on a sci fi story that's literally an erotic universe in that it involves characters entering an erotic virtual reality, somewhat like the metaverse in Snow Crash, or an erotic version of Middle-earth, or if your memory goes back far enough something like the world of the comic Den in the magazine Heavy Metal in the 70s. I realize that's somewhat different from what the OP has in mind.

I only know it from the movie, but plus 1 for Den

 

[Rob_Royale]

I'm working on a sci fi story that's literally an erotic universe in that it involves characters entering an erotic virtual reality,

Ready Fucker One?

 

[djrip]

Ready Fucker One?

Nubilemancer?

 

[tenyari]

Building a fictional universe in printed media isn't a new idea.

Has anyone tried it with erotica? I've decided to give it a go with all my characters living/working in the same geographic area, and crossing over from story to story.

It's actually very common for there to be a larger 'literary universe' to people's erotic stories.

I used to contribute to a shared one set in high schools - which I left because I found the age issue disgusting.

There are plenty of them in larger stories. Non-human and Sci-Fi / Fantasy genres in particular. But in the ENF and CMNF space a couple of them have become standards that a lot of writers place things in. The "Blanke Schande" setting that I used in my most recent story, the "Tami Smithers" setting (which is a weird one because it's a "shared universe" of one protagonist - all it's writers write about her).

The examples I'm giving are all also shared universes. Which is a common place for this to arise. If you want other people to write stories around your specific kink - start a shared universe and invite people in to write stories for it.

That's the whole premise for my 'Naked Aliens' setting. I've put up a set of starter stories, and a 'what is canon / writer's guidelines' document.
- Even if no one ever takes me up on the idea of writing a story in there, the 'canon' document serves me as a guide for future stories, and is something fans of settings love to read (just google "Star Trek" to see exactly how obsessed fans of a setting can get about writing and reading setting documents).

I find it's a very handy way to have an 'outline' without having an 'outline'. If an outline gets in my way because I write so stream of conscious... a 'literary universe' keeps things held together for me. Even stories that have only had one single part in a short story - in my mind they have that 'universe'. And I always have the option of going back and writing another story in that setting.

I highly recommend it as a tactic to keeping yourself sorted. It can also be a source of inspiration. You had a minor side character in one story, and you can get a new story by exploring that character's journey.

 

[YDB95]

Since a lot of my stories happen at colleges, I've taken to specifically setting them at fictional Claxton College (although my first story to mention that name was about alumni who'd been elsewhere for quite some time).

 

[RetroFan]

I have a few crossovers in some of my stories.

For example, in my Loving Wives story 'Cheating On a Cheating Wife' which is set in Melbourne Australia the narrator Jeff recalls his younger years where he had a crush on one of his sister's friends growing up, a pretty redhead named Emily who was a talented singer/dancer/actress who was on a variety show for young performers. Emily, now a middle-aged divorced mother of two who works as an accountant is the aunt and narrator of my story 'My Nephew Got Into My Knickers'. Emily has a few crossovers of her own. She met Chloe, the actress in my story 'Cute Celebrity Comes To Stay' which is set in Geelong; when on holiday in Adelaide with her kids visited the same farm from 'The Unsuitable Girlfriends'; and while walking up a flight of steep stairs recalls when she was 18 and walking up the same stairs wearing her school uniform a fat pervy older leering guy up-skirts her, his wife yelling at him. The pervy older man Emily recalls is Uncle Merv - aka Merv the Perv - from my story 'Leanne the Lusty Lifeguard', which is set in Sydney, Uncle Merv clearly still up to his old tricks years later when on holiday in Melbourne.

Another crossover with the 'Cheating On a Cheating Wife' story is with my story 'Secret Sex With My Stepdaughter'. The stepdaughter in this story, Maddie, is a teenage popstar, and her lead dancer Aaron becomes increasingly paranoid after receiving a series of disturbing letters from an insane gay stalker who calls himself 'Mr Poof-Poof'. Years later in the Cheating Wife story, the wife Libby - a popular fitness blogger - is disturbed by some letters her father receives from an insane gay stalker called Mr Poof-Poof...

Across the Pacific Ocean and in America, my fetish story series 'Spoiled Princess Hates Camping' and 'Trailer Trash Teen Hates Rules' features the same family from Pennsylvania. In the spoiled princess story they have to put up with the spoiled cousin Madison from the mother's side of the family when they go on vacation to the New Jersey Pine Barrens; then the uncontrollable trailer park girl Breanna, a cousin from the father's side of the family when they return home in the trailer trash story.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Building a fictional universe in printed media isn't a new idea. Comic books have been doing it for decades and Stephen King has been fairly successful with it as well. I'm sure there are more.

Has anyone tried it with erotica? I've decided to give it a go with all my characters living/working in the same geographic area, and crossing over from story to story. I'm not going to go at it hardcore and write nothing but that, but when the option avails itself I'm gonna use it. Sounds like fun.

Yes, my "Oz Beach Boy" stories all exist in the same universe. I have a central recurring character, but I often do stories featuring him, but told from a different perspective. I thoroughly enjoy creating connections between my stories, and I like introducing characters who will pop up again. I do a lot of "long game" stuff too, dropping in story details that will bear fruit much, much later. I don't think anyone notices, but it's a lot of fun, and is one of the things I enjoy most about writing for Literotica.

 

[shakna]

I have a couple references between some of my tales, but the big 'verse is probably the Toofyverse.

Toofy, Everyday Life With Bubbles! and about five others.

Just because it's erotica doesn't mean we can't have a huge arcing fantasy world.

 

[NoTalentHack]

Right after I posted in here previously, I started a new universe. My Geek Pride entry is almost like an Issue 0 for a series of novellas I'm working on now, set in the same superhero universe.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Most of my yarns are set in a pretty normal but unnamed Western setting. I have my House of Feathers series set in French Polynesia, just 'cause and it didn't involve a whole lot of explanations. My Cordelia series on the other hand, required 'world-building' as it is set on an ocean planet populated by humans and mermaids - explanations and background were necessary, but I tried to keep it casual. There were one or two others.

 

[oneagainst]

Right after I posted in here previously, I started a new universe. My Geek Pride entry is almost like an Issue 0 for a series of novellas I'm working on now, set in the same superhero universe.

I can't help myself... have to ask: is there a Man of Steel thrust into the middle of the story somewhere?

I'll get my coat.

 

[NoTalentHack]

I can't help myself... have to ask: is there a Man of Steel thrust into the middle of the story somewhere?

I'll get my coat.

There is definitely a Superman character in there; several, actually, but "flying guy with super strength" is, like, 70% of the characters in comics. The actual Superman-equivalent is called the Humanitarian, and he's incredibly burnt out. Imagine silver age Superman (the stupidly strong one that could juggle planets) who's starting to become as detached from humans as Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen. There's a story centering specifically around him and how he finds the connection again, but that's going to be like the second or third book.

For the record, there will be no Man of Steel/Woman of Kleenex interactions, although something similar might end up getting mentioned.

Seriously, if you thought I attacked Loving Wives stories with a passion, you have no idea what I'll do with a superhero universe.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Right after I posted in here previously, I started a new universe. My Geek Pride entry is almost like an Issue 0 for a series of novellas I'm working on now, set in the same superhero universe.

Interesting premise. In Frank Miller's Dark Knight Strikes Again there was a scene where Wonder Woman decribes to Superman their coupling that shattered a mountain top. I thought that was very provocative.

 

[Red_Owl]

Building a fictional universe in printed media isn't a new idea. Comic books have been doing it for decades and Stephen King has been fairly successful with it as well. I'm sure there are more.

Has anyone tried it with erotica? I've decided to give it a go with all my characters living/working in the same geographic area, and crossing over from story to story. I'm not going to go at it hardcore and write nothing but that, but when the option avails itself I'm gonna use it. Sounds like fun.

My stories are all in one universe. I don't really intend to have character crossovers but subtle mentions of important people or factions are in. I know at least one person has gotten the references and enjoyed it.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Well I've started crossing over my stories. My latest involves characters that have been in two or three other stories and I mention goings on from those stories. I mention this in the intro paragraph, and in the story I mention things that were not resolved at the end of the story as a hint of the next story. Reader responce has been very "meh".
I suppose this sort of thing is more acceptable in a established chaptered series, but interconnected stand alone stories seem to not appeal to the casual Lit reader.

 

[oneagainst]

interconnected stand alone stories seem to not appeal to the casual Lit reader.

Dunno about that. I think the larger you make the universe, and the more people dip into it, the more you get benefit from the crossovers. Anywhere up to half of my daily traffic is to non-new stories so I imagine a bunch of that are readers following the cross ref links in the story intros.

 

[djrip]

Well I've started crossing over my stories. My latest involves characters that have been in two or three other stories and I mention goings on from those stories. I mention this in the intro paragraph, and in the story I mention things that were not resolved at the end of the story as a hint of the next story. Reader responce has been very "meh".
I suppose this sort of thing is more acceptable in a established chaptered series, but interconnected stand alone stories seem to not appeal to the casual Lit reader.

I started that one and paused, wondering, should I read the other mentioned ones first? And I probably will.

I have some interconnections in mine, shared characters, but I don't call them out, they're more like Easter eggs that someone might notice but would not need to know about. Except in one case but that was more like an actual sequel. I ended up grouping the ones that were related as a series, when that feature was introduced.

 

[theWriterInTheNude]

Most of my characters share a universe and occasionally cross over. Most take place in a fictional large mid-western city or a fictional Colorado. Some have magical or fantastical elements, but it makes sense as the magical beings make it a point to not to be seen. I don't call them out, but I do give looks at characters that had a series started but not yet finished.


A few of the characters are for one-of stories, but nothing in their tales would preclude them from being in the same world. If it makes sense, I could bring any of them back for future stories.

 

[KeithD]

Most of my GM stories are set in a universe where GM activity is given and accepted as is male prostitution--or at least the embracing of an active gay lifestyle. That cuts the corners off of having to establish that from story to story and allows me to get right to the plotline.

 

[JC_WELLS]

Building a fictional universe in printed media isn't a new idea. Comic books have been doing it for decades and Stephen King has been fairly successful with it as well. I'm sure there are more.

Has anyone tried it with erotica? I've decided to give it a go with all my characters living/working in the same geographic area, and crossing over from story to story. I'm not going to go at it hardcore and write nothing but that, but when the option avails itself I'm gonna use it. Sounds like fun.

Actually, this is what I'm planning on doing with an upcoming project! I call the universe "The DollVerse" and it has a different series within it. Some short some long. And quite often characters will cross over in different series and book!

 

[madelinemasoch]

There's a part in CC where Eleanor is literally reading B&W (my old story) in book form.

There also may or may not be a Brendan/Savannah cameo in WoS.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I’ve got one universe so far that I’m expanding in the next few months… and I’ve now let my mind run away with me on this high intensity space western idea I’ve had for Crime and Punishment and am now fully invested in fleshing out a twenty three planet galaxy for this endeavor.

Never-mind the ten or so standalone story seeds I have in various stages of progress, the Contest submissions, and several other mini series I have planned…

Send help.

 

[Djmac1031]

My latest story, Pornville, is about an amateur author named Todd Everman who wakes up one morning in the fictional world of his own stories.

I've been kicking around this idea of actually writing the stories I only breezed over as "Todd Everman."

But I'm too lazy to create an alt account for them .

If I do it, I may just put "as written by Todd Everman" at the beginning then tag the story back to Pornville at the end with a brief explanation.

That way each story stands on its own but with a connection.

 

[Voboy]

Well I've started crossing over my stories. My latest involves characters that have been in two or three other stories and I mention goings on from those stories. I mention this in the intro paragraph, and in the story I mention things that were not resolved at the end of the story as a hint of the next story. Reader responce has been very "meh".
I suppose this sort of thing is more acceptable in a established chaptered series, but interconnected stand alone stories seem to not appeal to the casual Lit reader.

You ABSOLUTELY need to make sure that all your stories are totally self-contained. That's the only way to make this work. You can't think of them as "chapters" at all, and when referencing past characters or events, you should make sure to keep those references very oblique. I normally include a note at the beginning, informing new readers that this is a part of an interconnected batch of stories, but reassuring them that they needn't read any of the rest in order to enjoy this one.

Then it's my responsibility to live up to that reassurance.

Almost everything I've written here is linked to something else I've written here, and reader response has never really been "meh." At least, not about the interconnections. Dedicated readers will find and appreciate the Easter eggs, believe me.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Building a fictional universe in printed media isn't a new idea. Comic books have been doing it for decades and Stephen King has been fairly successful with it as well. I'm sure there are more.

Has anyone tried it with erotica? I've decided to give it a go with all my characters living/working in the same geographic area, and crossing over from story to story. I'm not going to go at it hardcore and write nothing but that, but when the option avails itself I'm gonna use it. Sounds like fun.

In Eldritch Pact, [SPOILERS]

A demigoddess gives the MMC a glimpse into other dimensions. She is a creature of lust, and all of the sights she showed him were sex related... They were also cameos from my other stories.

The other universes were created by the goddess, Athœr. It doesn't take a genius to realize who she represents. So far, very few people have caught the references, and only one person has found the easter eggs unprompted.

My bio states that all of my stories take place in an alternate universe... This is my attempt to "canon-ize" that idea.