Rick's Rooftop...an OOC lounge

[ariosto]

Good Morning CG, you beat me up here this morning! You pose a good topic for today...putting on the coffee pot...

In regards to your second remark I think we should always be aware that we operate in a very limited medium. We have nothing but typed words to build our concepts of each other from.
It is easy to be misunderstood. No inflection, no expression, no body language to add the final note of clear understanding is available to us. Here at LIT we should always be willing to wait before we leap to conclusions and ask for a clarification if we think we've misunderstood something.

I have said ill timed things, regretted them and suffered the consequences. Anyone who has posted much I'm sure has done the same.

So let us all be gentle with each other...patient.

When will that damned coffee be ready!

 

[SexyChele]

HA! Beat Ari to the first cup of coffee! Nothing like the first cup! And what is it about me hating coffee in the "Art Gallery"??? Hmmm

Now, the topics.....

Well, I've only seen the first one happen a couple of times. It's one of the reasons why "newbies" aren't given a lot of credit that some are due. I know we have the "Club" and all, but I'm a firm believe in just jumping into a thread and learn as you go. Sometimes you are going to get slammed, sometimes you are going to get PMs telling you nasty things. Hey, it can't be personal - they don't know you. Besides, if anyone has ever submitted a story to Lit, then you know that you will get a mix sometimes of "Hey, great story" and "You suck". You shrug your shoulders, take positive critism, and get on with life.

As to item number 2, well there are really only a handful of people here at Lit that can truthfully say they have never been involved in something like this. I know I have - thankfully worked it out with those involved, except for one. Life goes on. As Ari said, this medium makes it difficult - we can't see the other person, normally we don't hear their voice as well. All we see are words - and those can be taken many different ways. I know that I have hurt people's feelings before (I know, I know, I can have a rather acerbic personality at times), and I know that my feelings have been hurt - usually over something very inconsequential, and something that would be totally overlooked in RL.

On top of this, people are voyeuristic. We like to watch dramas played out before us. Heck, why would we be here? Problem is, that "onlookers" can only add to the problems sometimes. Especially if pride is involved. It is so easy to fall into the trap of judgment, and we should all of us be cautious not to do that. Unfortunately, we is all people.

Okay....well that is post #1 - and I need another cup of coffee. Maybe I sneak another one in before Ari shows up!

 

[Kimcankom]

Coffee?

Smelling the aroma of ground roasted beans, I'm drawn to the "R>R>Lounge"

" Can I get a cup of "jo" and give you my humble opinion? " I ask the sparsly populated lounge.

(Presuming the words of a newbie are worth reading, I press on)

"It's been my experience (and yes Limited as it is) that even with a group of erotic writer's there are countless varied personalities, and interpetation's of what is written. Also no one is perfect No matter how hard we strive to be each day. Before a misunderstanding turns into something more serious an attempt to "clear the air" so to speak might be a solution."

(Taking deep breath and starting on paragraph two)

"Granted, Once the meaning of the statement is clear it may not be what the parties involved want to hear, BUT at least there is no "She said, He said" involved. As in RL we then have a choice how to handle each situation and how to react to it. Forgive and forget is an oft used word but seldom followed advice. If nothing else let us learn from the towers and realize even in here (the lit) what effect a few insane actions can have on many, many people."

(Hanging head in shame having never spoken this much in entire life, much less preached.)

"Could I still have a cup of jo?)

 

[TXExpress]

My $.02

I don't want to be too pithy about this, but I concur with the general theme here. It's hard to throw a blanket over this and expect all underneath it to conform (though, around here, a blanket is a nice touch; leads to some nice variations on a theme), so to say that one thing is absolutely good or absolutely bad is unreasonable. No matter what the medium, you deal with your share of idiots; in my profession, they write e-mails because they are not allowed sharpened objects. We deal with them individually (sometimes by not dealing with them) and move on. Case by case.

As for open-vs.-closed threads ... I'd best not speak 'til I start one of my own. Soon, dear readers, soon.

 

[ariosto]

Contest announced

The clintele has drifted downstairs to the
still swinging Café, giving Ari Time to craft his first contest for Rick's Rooftop....

Please translate this into Victorian Prose;

Mildred was shocked when she felt Winston's hands
begin to fondle her naked breasts. She quickly became excited in spite of herself and turning around in his arms, she dropped to her knees and released his stiff cock, taking it between her lips she began to pay him back with interest.


Rules...No more than 100 words. No use of the words fuck, cock or pussy.
Submit entries here before midnight EST on Sunday night. Put CONTEST ENTRY in the subject bar.

Winners will recieve a magnificent virtual prize!

 

[rashid]

Morning in Cassablanca

soft breezes blowing in from the med, sun peeking through the palms, counds of life from the streets below fill my ears and hot coffee beckons. Thank you Ari, for taking the time to build this place. The first page of posts is delightful.

I haven't tried a closed thread but I suspect I don't have the time to do it justice anyway. At the same time I'm finding that the threads I am involved in are stretching my capabilities and challenging my imagination. For that I'm grateful. There are many writers here whose work is a pleasure to read and others whose work improves almost post by post. It's fun to watch and fun to play.

With all the commings and goings it's only natural that people will trip over each other occasionally. I, myself, once referred to Ari as a Cretin in defense of a "lady" who turned out to be a spoiled brat (albeit with a hell of an imagination and a great talent for the written word). One apologises, one forgives - life goes on. Sometimes, characters get confused with RL people and some people get caught up in their characters -

The hardest thing for me so far, has been trying to keep an ensemble cast of characters focused on a theme without killing their creativity. I'd love to work on a great story (like collaborating on a movie script) where the players had a clear committment to developing the plot, building the personalities of the characters and entertaining the reader instead of just themselves. (not trying to imply that writing shouldn't entertain the writer but that - in MHO - the idea is to entertain or inform the READER.)

Anyway - thanks to Ari for providing this new venue. It's appreciated.

 

[Honey_B]

(A shy smile for Rashid) I've sent you a message and I think the key to managing a large multi-writer thread is to play a devastingly gorgeous vampire that everyone wants and then string all the players along. ~evil grin~

Ari, what a deliciously fun contest. I do believe I will try my hand at writing erotica from a gentler era. Of course it was only the language that was gentle. Nothing beats the randiness of a repressed Victorian.

 

[TXExpress]

Uh, sorry to interrupt, but ...

(hint, hint)

There is a party under way downstairs.

 

[SexyChele]

Oh Ari, master of contests. Hmmm...interesting, but, being me, I shall bow out of this one. Never do well in contests anyway.

Geez, my sinuses are giving me hell this morning! Is the coffee almost done brewing?? I need it strong, dark, and sweet - just like my men. And I need it FAST!

So, no topic this morning, Ari? Nothing to argue or debate or discuss? Well, how about I submit something? I'm curious to know how much of true selves we bring into the SRPs. I know most of it is fantasy, and the idea of 1. doing things we might never do in RL, and 2. being able to be the person we might not be in RL. But how much of the real "us" plays a part? As in character development or relating to other players?

For me, I'm finding that it really depends on who I'm writing with. For some reason, some writers really seem to bring out the "real me" in my writing. Ariosto is one of those. So is Unit555 (although he doesn't visit here). And, of course, Julian, though he posts least frequently than any here. If people read the posts I make with these fellows, they will see snipits of who the real "me" is.

Does anyone else feel the same way? Or do you keep yourself totally under wraps? This has always been a curiousity for me, as I have met 2 folks so far from Lit in person. One was exactly as their personality was portrayed. (Okay, he was actually from the chat room, so I guess that isn't in keeping with what we are discussing) The other was a really nice guy, but very different than his persona here at Lit. (which, by the way, he no longer does - and that is a pity, he was a good writer)

So? Any comments?

And where the hell is that coffee? And a party? A party for what? What have I missed now?

 

[SexyChele]

Sorry...double post!

 

[TXExpress]

A good topic, Chele

Ah, Chele, one of the first avs to which I was attracted ...

I don't think anyone can write wholly dispassionately in any medium. I make my RL living as a journalist, where we are supposed to be "objective." Bullshit. No such thing. Unless you put something of yourself into each story, it might as well be a press release.

Each of our "characters" contains a percentage of ourselves, or what we would like to be. And let's face it ... erotic literature without erotic experiences just doesn't cut it.

Even if we cloak it in another name or even another gender, it's still us in there somewhere.

 

[queen-mab]

An open letter to Rashid

In case anyone missed the object of Rashid's pointed barb:

With all the commings and goings it's only natural that people will trip over each other occasionally. I, myself, once referred to Ari as a Cretin in defense of a "lady" who turned out to be a spoiled brat (albeit with a hell of an imagination and a great talent for the written word).

I wished to state publicly that I am the "spoiled brat."

(As for the rest of it, I can only thank Rashid for his charitable assessment of my creative powers.)

Some of us write because we view writing as a craft which requires constant refinement. I am one of those. But writing is a very lonely profession, and stupidly I had the idea that it might be possible for me to write with others. I do not doubt that others here at Literotica do indeed find much joy and comraderie in the act of communal writing. I must say that I envy them.

Unfortunately, creation is a very personal act for me. Every smallest scrap that I write has my "all" in it. I found that I was becoming very resentful of my fellow writers who did not take their work as seriously as I did mine.

Which is my problem, certainly, and not theirs. Every person here has the right to approach writing in their own way. For some it is a hobby, for some it is a vocation.

Rashid, I apologise if my departure from The Golden Eagle upset you. I really cannot justify my actions except to say that every day I was coming to dread the paragraphs I would have to write. You know the reasons for this and they need not be aired in public.

The art of writing was once viewed as a kind of magical art. I still think it is. It is every bit as exacting as alchemy, every bit as dependent on balance and proportion as chemistry. If one has the right "ingredients" one can almost transmute lead into gold. If one has the wrong "ingredients" explosions are inevitable.

My time in The Golden Eagle was, unfortunately, one of the explosions.

I hope Ariosto will forgive me for using his premises for my rather tardy farewell. He has always been the best of friends to me, and he knows my frailties better than anyone, so I have some hope that he will. My apologies also to SexyChele, for posting something so far off-topic. Although in some ways, I think this controversy does illustrate in small measure the differences between author and character.

I loved writing with you, Rashid, for what it is worth. Your work is always a pleasure to read, and I shall go on reading it, though only as an observer from here on out. I do wish circumstances had been different. But I like to think that somewhere, perhaps on Aldebaran, Delia and Robert are happy.

I wish everyone well, and hope that all will find what they wish for here.

mab

 

[ariosto]

Welcome to the RoofTop everyone! Chele can you play us a tune on that Steinway over there? And here, a fresh cup of java for all our WestCoast risers rubbing the sleepy dirt from their eyes.

Very good topic too! Have a dollap of brandy with your cup.


Chele is correct at least as far as I'm concerned.
There are certain threads where I feel more like
myself than others. I also feel freer to post as 'myself' when I know my partner well.
There are some threads though that require us to post out of our own character and these can be rewarding too though I tend to look at them more subjectively as a kind of literature.
In the choice of the threads we start ourselves we can see some telling signs of personal interests as well.

I have always felt easier posting in the third person for some reason which I'm sure must be related to my own makeup though I'm not sure quite how.

THis is an erotic fantasy land of self indulgence, it is a heady brew and near addictive. I think we all glomourize ourselves here to attract others to us.
But that's how it is in RL too isn't it?

Rashid did you really call me a Cretin?
see...forgive and forget.

Do not forget the contest!

 

[SexyChele]

Tex, so tell me what exactly is it about you Texans that make a girl's heart melt at just a few words? *sigh* Guess I'm just a big sucker (and NO, no pun intended!) for the Lone Star state.

You are right, of course. We all of us bring forth a bit of our own personalities into our postings. I know that posting here, with real live people, has given me the opportunity to expand and explore fantasies that I otherwise wouldn't do in RL. I also enjoy the idea of being able to fall in and out of love with various characters - no, not the real people behinid those characters, just the characters that are created.

This could not happen if a tiny bit of myself wasn't included in each post. But for some reason, unexplained to even me, there are certain people who can just bring more of "me" into my postings. Other threads have been completely make believe - a captive in a pirate thread, a street hooker, even a Native American (or is that Native Canadian?). It's just interesting to know how others feel and approach their writing.

 

[ariosto]

Farewell to the Queen

We cross posted.
I would like to pay tribute to one of the best writers to ever appear at Lit.
I had the good fortune to post with her on a thread called Chiarascuro.
She was a wonderful teacher and pulled out (or at least tried to)the best in me. The attempt to write to her level was a chalenge and a labor of love.

Good bye Queen, I hope we will see you again someday.

 

[SexyChele]

Queen Mab

I hope you stay around long enough to read this.

I never had the opportunity to post with you, but I have read what you posted and enjoyed it. You obviously do take your writing very seriously, as it shows.

It is difficult to write with other people, though. After having been on the SRP board for more than 6 months, and pretty active in a lot of threads, this I can attest to. I know there were times that I simply wasn't as dedicated to threads I was writing in. And the lack of quality showed through - loud and clear, unfortunately.

And then, there were the threads that, for some reason, I felt a certain "pull" towards. I loved developing them, reasoning out a plot, getting to know the other players so well that I could be in tune with them completely. Those are the threads that I remember fondly. But they are difficult to assemble. The hardest thing is to try to get a group of people together, develop a plot, stick to a story, and allow freedom of creativity. Very few can truly achieve that, but when they do - well, it's magic! And it makes writing a joy, not a chore.

I'm sorry to see you go, if go you must. I feel like I know you without knowing you. Does that make sense? I don't know the details of your time here, and I truly feel sorry they were aired in a public forum, but I do hope you will visit us from time to time? And, please, in some way continue with your writing. You have some amazing talent!

 

[cgraven]

CONTEST ENTRY

I shall try Ari.

I am timid, Yet his seductive praise guides and encourages me. My mind reels with the struggle of values learned, now discarded. I take him into my chaste mouth. I coddle and suckle his member. I am lost in a world of pleasure and lust. He entwines his fingers in my hair and presses my face to his groin as his seed fills my mouth and throat.

"She is yours gentlemen".

Winston catches the ruby the price of my innocents. The price of his admission to the "Hell Fire Club".

 

[Ovbit]

Looking for a thread

Hi!

Am looking for a thread to get involved with but due to RL commitments, it can't to be too demanding. Maybe posting once or twice a week.

Any ideas?

 

[captainb]

A clattering of brooms and mops as he stumbles out of the closet. After hurriedly shoving them back inside, he leans nonchalantly against the door.

That's what I get for letting my mind drift. I've let my time on Lit slack off quite a bit lately, lot of RL going on. But I just discovered Ari had built this place, and these three pages of posts already testify that people have been hungry for it. Forgive me if I wander over subjects already touched on.

I've had a great time on this site during the past year, and have learned a lot. Not just about writing, but also relationships and cooperation. Everyone has a unique style; being able to work with styles and combine them with your own to create something that you want other people to read, that's a challenge that the writers here deal with to varying degrees. When it works, it's great. Even when it stumbles or fades, you can just rationalize it as a workshop.

The points about an ensemble cast are worth noting. I've seen many of these threads, both here and on other boards, that die away despite the best intentions of the cast. Others continue in spurts, depending on the action and inclinations of the writers. It does take a strong director to plan the plot and hold everything together, if there is to be a definite plot.

I guess it helps to have a thick skin too, if you are creating a plot-driven thread. The beauty of this site is the unpredictability, a continuous work of improv that can surprise despite the best of plans. While one person's originality can be another person's nonsense, it is improv, something we create not just for ourselves but also our audience. Is a story not going the way someone had hoped or planned? Then they should have just written the whole thing themselves. We're putting on a show, a performance, willingly baring our best and worst before others whether they have avatars or not. We're not just voyeurs, but also exhibitionists. That's a big difference over an e-mail exchange.

I know I had amazing expectations for my latest thread. It's difficult for me to say what went wrong, or if in fact anything is going wrong. I've been in plenty of other threads that had an exciting plot, and were interesting to read from all posters, but still quietly passed away. Others still exist with varying degrees of life. I think I've only been in one complete thread that actually had what could be describe as an ending. Surprisingly (to me), it was one of the sex romps.

It's hard to say how much of me appears in my characters. It depends on the tale. I've been a D&D player for decades, and have been on stage several times. All we're really doing is playing "Let's pretend," just a bit more advanced than our five-year-old personas. I look on it as opening an inner door and letting what's inside escape for a time. I've written horror stories and created Halloween "Hellraiser" masks, but again, it's another extension of fantasy. They exist in my mind and so, to a degree, they do define who I am.

I'm not going anywhere particular with this, I guess. It's just cathartic to have a place to vent and share and discover, and people to learn from and care about.

 

[ariosto]

Send a bottle to the Captain's table Turk, I want him to have a special welcome up here.

"Cap we are glad to see you. I hope that you'll be able to post with us more often now and I think there's some new ladies around needing to be swept off their feet by a class act such as yourself."

We are exhibitioists, we are voyeurs, we are part of a pretty extraordinary place and while I think of it let me say this;
I have been on many RP sites and online communities and I have never been on one that runs as smoothly as LIT. The people who built and run this place from Hecate and Shyguy on up deserve our thanks for giving us this marvelous free playground to enjoy.

A toast to them!


DO NOT FORGET THE CONTEST!

 

[SexyChele]

Captain!!! Gosh it's good to see ya around again! Missed your sense of humor and wit. You know, if Ari didn't have me playing this here piano I'd go over there and give ya big hug!

And as for your thread? It's not dead, hon. Maybe some tender loving care (and a post from me, definitely - sorry!!), but it is still alive and well.

I'd never thought of the exhibitionist aspect before, but you really are right on with that one. I mean, we are putting ourselves really out there. (and sometimes suffering the PMs to prove it!) But I think that is part of the fun, really. In RL we have so few opportunities to truly be exhibitionists, it's nice to have a "safe" venue for release.

Oh, and this is just a personal opinion, so do with it as you will, k? You know I love ya no matter what ya do, but I am personally not crazy about the av. Just my opinion, I know - and we all know what that is worth! Personally, I really liked the one of the girl in the panties with the man's hand draped on her thigh? Now, that one used to get me going just seeing the av!

 

[captainb]

My dear Chele, have you had a chance to read the graphic novel Mad Love? It's the tale of a sweet young psychotic thing and a not-so-sweet older psychotic thing, who discover the wonderful chemistry and chaos they can make together as they explore their own twisted passion. One of my absolute favorites of the genre.

But I've still got the hand on the thigh pic. Any guesses which famous star's thigh it is?

 

[SexyChele]

Okay, Ari, I'm going over my 4 post max, but consider it a loan on tomorrow!

No, Captain, I haven't read that, but it sounds very intriquing. And something quite capable of being a SRP.....

So the girl in av is some one famous? I never knew that! I know she has a great body - one I wish I could have! Ok. The panties she is wearing have the Playboy logo on them. But it would seem obvious to think that she is a Playboy bunny. Or is she? Is she a screen, TV, or singing star? Porn star? Ah, c'mon, Captain! Just a few hints here?? Please???? *batting my eyelashes innocently*

 

[melusine]

*Clambering out from beneath a table and dusting off her dress*

Would it be too much to ask what kind of psychotic fantasies these two share?

*Gets the look of a virgin sneaking into the adult section of the neighbourhood video arcade*

 

[Cutie Lillie]

I just love REAL discussions...

You know what hit me after reading all of the posts so far ?

Being here is like going to Baskin Robbins, there is no such thing as one best flavor.

I feel that each person, each writer, each situation brings its own perspective to the table. That as unique as we all are, we have our own expectations, desire, experiences, talents and ability to collaborate. I'm not a 'writer', I only write in papers due for school, so I enjoy both the imagination and the collaborative process here.


I've only done one thread. But that experience taught me some things that I think will benefit me in future threads.

What I learned (for me) was:

a. The parts I write, that I will enjoy the most, are the ones where a part of 'me' is built into the character. Sometimes that will be more of a challenge than others as I experiment in both content and writing style. To find something I can 'care' about in that character will make my contributions more fun.

b. That every exercise I will learn something new, either in myself or in my ablity to write. The process is what I am looking forward to.

c. In my first story I developed a partnership with the person I was writing with. We discussed, all the time, where the plot was going, or one would let the other just flow and see where it goes.. it was the process of TEAMWORK that was amazing and 90% of the fun of the me!

c. Communicating helps, big time. Writing with people who are flexible, not controling and having fun, as well as trust, is the best! Being willing to giving up my own 'ideas' to flow with the story is very satisfying to me.

d. Its one reason I think there is great value in the OCC threads.. like this one, so we can get to 'know' other writers. See into our real selves and hear how everyone thinks.

e. I like the process of getting into a character's 'head'. If I have experiences or knowlege that helps me to do that..it makes it more satisfying for me. I love the prep work, the research, the thought processes, the discussions that happen even before the first post.

e. And I love that there is no specific guarentee how a story will develop, yet there is a good overall structure and knowledge of where it will go 'in general'.

So, in other words, the bottom line for me is a love for the process. And the complexity of the differneces in all of us here adds to that....


I just want to finish by saying, I don't think is one perfect way to enjoy and gain a sense of satisfaction from writing here. I think I found a way that will work for me, and, as each person is unique, they too will find, or not, a way that will work for them.

There are some AMAZING (and I reiterate this strongly), Amazing writers here. I am more and more impressed with the ablities I read, so as with every living organism these threads willl pulse and come and go and create a life of its own.

So I say.. go for it, guys! You are darn good when it works !!!!