Erotica

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Contents 1 Introduction 2 Erotica in a TGS game 3 Comfortzones 4 The Words of the Act of Love 5 The Words of Sex 6 The Words of an X rated movie 7 Plotline Suggestions

[edit] Introduction

For a long time Erotica has been a forbidden subject in PBP gaming. A majority of the larger games traditionally always held to the PG13 norm, based on American movie ratings, also described as a family atmosphere.

However, in the last five years or so something has happened in the role playing community at large, most notably in the fantasy section. We are maturing. Roleplaying has become more mainstream, ditching its association with 12 year old boys in a garage. Instead it is something grown ups do. With the older members comes an increased commercial interest in this niche market. Lord of the Rings is but one powerful example.

It is only natural that as increasingly roleplaying is something for grown ups, more mature themes are in growing demand. If you watch the movements in the market of Play by Post gaming by what kind of game players are asking for you will see words like gritty, dark and adult surfacing more and more. Erotica is just one genre within the whole package of mature themes.

As role-playing in some sense does reflect the real world, so do the characters that live in the worlds we create. They are ‘alive’ not only on the page (or pixels) but also in our minds, and they happen to have lives of their own. In some cases, this means they happen to have love lives as well. Some have very active ones and others not so active ones. Some are experienced in all manners and others are not. The same goes for the players behind the characters.

[edit] Erotica in a TGS game

See also Sexuality

Erotica is one of the most mature genres. It mostly appeals to the older players, even though there is no age limit. Because of the nature of the subject you should never feel forced to integrate this in your writing. Comfortzones are not just for players, but for moderators as well. Only write what you are comfortable with.

Erotica is something else than mere smut or porn. It should always be part of a plotline and thus serve a function. Note that this guideline for moderators is taken lightly when there is a case of a strictly player interaction thread by players only which doesn't take away any moderator resources.

Here are some guidelines what makes for a good erotica thread:

1. some kind of underlying theme to the scene other than the erotica: a powerstruggle, a violation of ones norms, an exploration of emotions, a challenge, a religious revelation, a devilish contrick etc.
2. Don't do repeats. Each scene must bring something new to that PC.
3. Don't treat other players like a commodity that simply must like sex. Many players are very picky. Be mindful of assumptions as well as stepping over people's personal comfort boundaries.
4. Have fun! Sex isn't always amazing, sometimes we make awkward movements or strange noises. Erotica doesn't need to involve both partners climaxing at the same time, and it will be more 'real' if you don't.

[edit] Comfortzones

Keep in mind that in role-playing games, the character may reflect the player in some manner, but not in a true sense. There may be boys playing girls and girls playing boys, and heterosexuals playing homosexuals and homosexuals playing heterosexuals. There may be virgins playing whores and whores playing virgins. These are things you, as the moderator, have no way of knowing, unless the player volunteers the information, which isn’t often. For this reason, we have developed the comfort zone ratings and have asked the players to rate themselves according to a simple scale from A (no sex) to G (anything goes). Most players do comply, but occasionally, you will find yourself in an interesting situation with a player who isn’t self rated. When this happens, it is up to you to find the player’s comfort zone, if (s)he isn’t telling.

This can be done many different ways, but the easiest way is to let the player lead the action. The most obvious way would be to communicate with the player via a separate OOC thread or PM to ask how far they wish to take the impending sexual scene. If they respond, then follow their wishes. If they do not respond, then the easiest thing for the moderator to do would be to fade to black at a suitable time.

Finally, take note of a players age. While in some countries people are okay with 14 year olds writing about sex, this is not universal. What is more, sometimes older people do not want to write with young people. This is why comfortzones also ask for an age indicator. This may be for legal considerations but also because experienced sensualists choose not to write with virgins who do not know what they are on about.

[edit] The Words of the Act of Love

The act of love is a natural part of life, and even in role playing games it should be treated as one. For this reason, there are many words associated with it. You can use euphemisms that are related to religion or culture of your setting. These euphemisms are most commonly called Purple Prose in erotic writing, and should be used with caution or they can be totally laughable. For example:

• gender neutral: soft curls, rosebud, sensitive flesh, loins, groin
• male parts: manhood, love rod, virile member, sword, family jewels
• female parts: peaks of love, velvet pedals, blossom, womanly flesh
• the sex act: causing the bud to bloom, sipping nectar, dancing between the sheets

These are all words that should be acceptable to most people for whom the sexual act is acceptable. The language is a little flowery as it alludes to the body parts and to the acts of sexual function with out coming out and saying what the characters are actually doing. This type of writing leaves much to the imagination, and can cause much amusement to those who read it. If the player or moderator decides to go this route, please, be creative and don’t over use the prose. It is most effective to use this type of “Purple Prose” in combination with other forms of erotic writing.

[edit] The Words of Sex

Modern language can also be used, depending on the player’s and the moderator’s comfort level with the language and the situation. There is nothing wrong with calling a body part what it is, if the situation calls for it, and the player is comfortable with it. However, unlike the more flowery terms listed above, here you are calling a breast a breast and leaving nothing to the imagination. Remember your audience. You are not writing porn nor are you writing a how-to manual for sexual education. In this situation you can expect to see words such as:

• gender neutral: pubes, anus, buttocks
• male parts: penis, scrotum, erection
• female parts: vulva, labia, clitoris, breast, nipples
• the sex act: copulation, fellatio, cunnilingus, sodomy, analingus

[edit] The Words of an X rated movie

Depending on the maturity of the player behind the character, you may see quite a different set of words. Some people consider these vulgar; others consider them base. The use of them will depend totally on the situation the character is in. For example, if a character is a street whore, these words may be considered appropriate, as would they if there was a rape involved between two characters. However, they would not be expected to be seen frequently, if at all, where there is a level of mutual respect between the characters or where there is a profession of love. In general we advise against using these words more than very sparingly indeed as their association is with porn and a focus on sex rather than story.

• gender neutral: arse, short hairs, bung-hole
• male parts: cock, dick, balls, boner, prick
• female parts: bush, pussy, snatch, tits, cunt
• the sex act: fucking, eating hair pie, blow-job, sucking off

In addition to those words there are also the kind of urban language words like "cumming". These are worse because they indicate not only a baseness but a laziness in writing, falling in the same category as using chat code. It goes without saying they have no place in a creative writing game.

[edit] Plotline Suggestions

What, sex is not simply sex? To have a string of unrelated bouts of sex is extremely boring. A good written erotical scene has something else driving it. It fits the ongoing potline, and words are chosen carefully to reflect a theme. You work slowly towards the actual act by building up the tension, a written seduction of your reader. Sometimes it does not lead to the ultimate conclusion, leaving the heroes all hot and bothered.

Here are some classical suggestions for scenes that fit into plotlines for fantasy games. Similar scenes can be thought of for other genres. You will notice that many befit a lady's romance novel. This is because often it is female writers that are attracted to this kind of writing, with some notable exceptions. Usually one of the two is a NPC, but if this is two PC's even better.

• The couple has just finished a ride on a horse together at great speed. They settle in a meadow with lots of flowers, just under a tree. Time for picknick and a slow leisurely seduction using food and a caress with flowers.

• A lady is bathing in a river, en route to somewhere. The hero changes upon her and is enchanted with her beauty. With a twist this can be turned around, with the lady admiring the fine forms of the rogue who took a bath.

• She is committed to another (a fiancée, a husband, a protective father) but he seduces her nonetheless, coming up to her bedroom with a rose between his teeth. A twist: at a delicate moment the other person enters the room forcing the rogue to flee with haste.

• She is a débutante at court. Without touching her the hero seduces her with words, witty repartee. If things get really hot they withdraw to the balcony for that illegal kiss.

• He is an evil duke with a lot of power at court, and seduces her because she has something he wants

• They are both courtiers, trying to control each other. Their seduction is a hidden power struggle.

• She is his prisoner. He has abducted her from her family for revenge, but cannot resist her charms. Twist: he is a pirate and has sunken her ship, and taken her for ransom.

• He is a rogue who robs their coach, and on a whim takes her with him. A twist: for some reason or other he is saving her but she does not see it that way. They camp out in the wilderness and during the cold night end up in each others arms.

• One of the two is a follower of the god of love, and the seduction is a conversion, the act a purely spiritual experience.

• One or both of them are mages. They use magic to enhance the experience, it may not even be necessary for them to actually touch.

• He is a mage and must sacrifice a virgin, yet cannot resist her charms

• He is a demon in disguise. The seduction is her ultimate doom; a conversion to dark forces. She is saved by the hero, but reluctantly so for she is hot and bothered. If she has already gone over to the dark side she may take the hero with her. (twist.. the demon was a vampire)

A note on rape and anything forced upon a PC: it has its place in dark gritty settings, but make doubly sure that you are within the comfortzone of the player. It can not be avoided if that is in the IC consequences, but there can certainly be a fade to black if the player prefers. Also be sure to advice your player how to avoid this as a consequence.