Anyone else a bit dissapointed in the lack of roleplays about sex?

[Shjade]

If I may, I think the title/OP of this thread may be slightly misleading, or perhaps misguided. As the various responses here should make clear there is indeed a great deal of sexual content on E, both in small and large games (though perhaps more prevalent in small games due to the aforementioned timing effects of sexual scenes being woven into larger group plots). This, then, suggests that what the OP is disappointed about isn't really the lack of roleplays about sex given that there is no such lack.

I think, instead, what may be at the heart of this discussion could be more accurately stated as, "Anyone else a bit disappointed in the lack of roleplays about sex involving players with whom I'd like to roleplay sex?"

It's a very important addition. Yes, there are sexual RPs all over this site, but does that mean they're all equally appealing to everyone? Hardly, that's part of why there are so many! For instance, as some here have noted, there are group RPs designed specifically to drown the participants in sex from the very beginning. To me, while the notion of sexytimes RP is appealing, the idea of RP being wholly anchored to that activity quickly leads to boredom and repetitious writing, so that's not really something I'd look for jumping into myself.

On the other hand, a more plot-heavy story about political intrigue, back room diplomacy, spying etc. that's spiced up by sexual interludes? That would be awesome! ...except that, as others have pointed out, usually when a story like that is suggested the participants and host tend to be more interested in the diplomacy and spying and the sexual encounters are, at most, an afterthought.

Thus, while there's no dearth of sex in E on the whole, finding it in the places one wishes to look can indeed be very difficult. In that much I can sympathize with the OP, but it isn't really anything unexpected. You just have to find that right mix of story, players and interests that matches up with what you yourself desire. For some this is more challenging than others - some combinations are simply more popular and others, less.

Would I say I'm disappointed with E's sexual quantity? No. Am I disappointed in the missed opportunities I've seen/been involved with in RPs I've participated in or ideas I've seen not go in that direction? Sometimes, yes. One incident in particular bothers me whenever I think about it in which the first opportunity for a sex scene in a group RP was directly interrupted by another of the RP's participants, an event which subsequently led (in indirect fashion, perhaps) to breaking up a good portion of the active group. That kind of thing disappoints me here, but that kind of thing disappoints me wherever it happens; it's hardly unique to Elliquiy.

Maybe I'm completely off base, but that seems like the root of the "problem" that sparked this thread.

[Madriv]

The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that there are only so many ways you can describe the act of sexual intercourse.

While I could be the poster child for RP-without-intercourse (that's where I spend 97.4% of my word count), I'm kinda gobsmacked by that statement. With all the different characters, attitudes, relationships, locations, positions, equipment, kinks, sights, sounds, smells, and sensations to describe in any given sex scene... I have trouble picturing it as boring.

[LunarSage]

While I could be the poster child for RP-without-intercourse (that's where I spend 97.4% of my word count), I'm kinda gobsmacked by that statement. With all the different characters, attitudes, relationships, locations, positions, equipment, kinks, sights, sounds, smells, and sensations to describe in any given sex scene... I have trouble picturing it as boring.

I'm not capable of describing it in more than about a half dozen ways.  To me, it gets old.

[Chrystal]

While I could be the poster child for RP-without-intercourse (that's where I spend 97.4% of my word count), I'm kinda gobsmacked by that statement. With all the different characters, attitudes, relationships, locations, positions, equipment, kinks, sights, sounds, smells, and sensations to describe in any given sex scene... I have trouble picturing it as boring.

Ah, but I wasn't referring to characters, attitudes, relationships, locations, positions, equipment, kinks, sights, sounds, smells or sensations... In fact, you have rather made my point for me.

Because, the way I see it, to have any of those things meaningfully in a sex scene, unless you are just going for deus-ex-machina type of thing, you need to have a back-story.

Example: One of my favourite kinks is watersports. But to have my character suddenly pee on her girlfriend during sex for no reason whatever just isn't going to work. There has to be a reason. Equally, one of the most frustrating (IMO) plots is the sudden change from normal sex to BDSM sex. Because unless you are a magician you cannot suddenly have a bondage dungeon in your house where there wasn't one before. The "Lets try out some BDSM stuff" scenario really doesn't work very well because it requires the characters to improvise what they use and it's far too tempting for the writers to magically produce a pair of hand-cuffs or whatever.

I know this from being tempted to do so myself!

To have a decent BDSM sex scene the D MUST already have her "play room" set up, which means there is a history, even if it is implicit.

Now, to address the things you listed that best make my point for me : Characters, relationships, locations.

In order to establish a character and make her credible, it is necessary to tell the reader something about her. And not just that she makes a lot of noise while having her orgasms. That doesn't say anything about her character.

Relationships are something that develop over time. So unless the relationship is "Rapist and victim" there has to be some history between the two characters - in fact, even with a rapist and her victim, there is an implicit history: Why did the rapist chose that boy? how long has she been following him, etc...

Locations: Bed.

Yes? No.... of course not. Come on, describe the room. At the very least describe the damn bed, yeah? The more exotic the location the more detailed the description needs to be so that the reader can picture it.

So, what have we got now?

We have several posts establishing the characters, several more defining their relationship to each other, a couple describing the location, a couple describing how the characters got to that location, some posts detailing why certain kinks are in place, and no one has even taken a garment off yet...

And guess what? ALL of the above stuff is a great big fat turn-on to myself and a lot of other players on E.

But what is a massive turn-OFF is when we go to all the trouble of creating the character, the scene, the relationship, the environment, and all our writing partner does is post:

"Ellie moaned and thrust her hips forward".

And yes, I have had that happen a number of times! Yes I'm exaggerating a little, but I'm sure we've all had the one-liner reply?

Then there is the player who extends the first sex scene beyond what is logical by refusing to have an orgasm. And of course, the one who is ONLY interested in that sex scene, shows very little enthusiasm for descriptive writing until you get there, and then the moment that first sex scene has happened, just drops the RP.

I like a well written sex scene as much as the next pervert, but I like a nice big side order of story with it.

I think I can summarise my point best by saying this:

All those things Madmartigan mentions, that he says provide variety to a sex scene and make it interesting, are unavailable to you unless you have a story in place! Or, perhaps more accurately, unless you have a story, your characters are one dimensional, their attitudes are fixed, their relationship is stagnant, they are confined to one location, have no reason to explore different positions, have a limited amount of equipment available, have a fixed number of kinks, see the same old sights, hear the same old sounds, smell the same old smells and feel the same old sensations, for the duration of the roleplay.

So unless your RP is limited to one sex scene - in which case, as I already pointed out, it is a one-shot, writing repeated sex scenes is very quickly going to become monotonous.

[Michael Corvus]

If I may, I think the title/OP of this thread may be slightly misleading, or perhaps misguided. As the various responses here should make clear there is indeed a great deal of sexual content on E, both in small and large games (though perhaps more prevalent in small games due to the aforementioned timing effects of sexual scenes being woven into larger group plots). This, then, suggests that what the OP is disappointed about isn't really the lack of roleplays about sex given that there is no such lack.

I think, instead, what may be at the heart of this discussion could be more accurately stated as, "Anyone else a bit disappointed in the lack of roleplays about sex involving players with whom I'd like to roleplay sex?"

It's a very important addition. Yes, there are sexual RPs all over this site, but does that mean they're all equally appealing to everyone? Hardly, that's part of why there are so many! For instance, as some here have noted, there are group RPs designed specifically to drown the participants in sex from the very beginning. To me, while the notion of sexytimes RP is appealing, the idea of RP being wholly anchored to that activity quickly leads to boredom and repetitious writing, so that's not really something I'd look for jumping into myself.

On the other hand, a more plot-heavy story about political intrigue, back room diplomacy, spying etc. that's spiced up by sexual interludes? That would be awesome! ...except that, as others have pointed out, usually when a story like that is suggested the participants and host tend to be more interested in the diplomacy and spying and the sexual encounters are, at most, an afterthought.

Thus, while there's no dearth of sex in E on the whole, finding it in the places one wishes to look can indeed be very difficult. In that much I can sympathize with the OP, but it isn't really anything unexpected. You just have to find that right mix of story, players and interests that matches up with what you yourself desire. For some this is more challenging than others - some combinations are simply more popular and others, less

I agree, though I would say that it might be more accurately stated as, "Anyone else a bit disappointed in the lack of roleplays about sex involving players with whom I'd like to roleplay sex and the kinds of sex that I'd like to roleplay?".

I agree that there is certainly no shortage of RPs abount sex as there is a shit ton of sex RPs about sex on Elliquiy. One has only to look for a moment to find many to choose from. However, not all of them appeal to me. In fact, MOST of them do not. For one thing, RPs based entirely on sex lacks ambition and creativity and quickly grows stagnant and dies, in my humble opinion. A good story/game should have many ingredients to add to its flavor. It should be balanced between being plot and character driven and include some good action/sex/suspense/drama... flavor to taste. Writing sex just for the sake of writing sex, to me at least, is boring after a short time.

Would I say I'm disappointed with E's sexual quantity? No. Am I disappointed in the missed opportunities I've seen/been involved with in RPs I've participated in or ideas I've seen not go in that direction? Sometimes, yes. One incident in particular bothers me whenever I think about it in which the first opportunity for a sex scene in a group RP was directly interrupted by another of the RP's participants, an event which subsequently led (in indirect fashion, perhaps) to breaking up a good portion of the active group. That kind of thing disappoints me here, but that kind of thing disappoints me wherever it happens; it's hardly unique to Elliquiy.

As far as another RP participant directly interrupting a sex scene, I think that all depends on the context. If there was no reason for the character to have interrupted, or if it was out of character for that particular character... then that's just shitty RPing. If, however, it flows with earlier posts and makes sense for the character involved to have interrupted... say, for example the character accidentally walks in on the developing sex scene, being under the impression that something that concerned him/her was taking place on the other side of the door, then that would be good RPing that would cause some good RP drama and fuel further RP between the parties involved.

If the character just popped out of nowhere and had no viable reason to interrupt the scene, accidentally or otherwise... well then that would be in bad form and shitty RPing. But mistakes and assumptions will be made when it comes to RP, regardless of where the RP takes place or with whom. When things like this occur, assuming ones intentions and motivations or pointing fingers at other RPers is never the answer. The best thing to do is to communicate with the parties involved and try to make sense of what happened and why. It could be as simple as someone misread another's post, or someone mistyped a single simple word that changes the whole context of the scene.

While I could be the poster child for RP-without-intercourse (that's where I spend 97.4% of my word count), I'm kinda gobsmacked by that statement. With all the different characters, attitudes, relationships, locations, positions, equipment, kinks, sights, sounds, smells, and sensations to describe in any given sex scene... I have trouble picturing it as boring.

That's all very true, and not everyone will find it boring, but for a good many of us, RPs that are focused entirely, or even mostly on sex, can become tiresome. There's a whole lot more going on in a story than just the sex lives of the characters, and for many of us, that's where the real story is. That's not to say that I don't enjoy writing a good sex scene, because I do, but I enjoy knowing the rest of the story. That's where character development takes place.

I'm not capable of describing it in more than about a half dozen ways.  To me, it gets old.

Yeah, I hear ya. I can think of many different ways to describe it, but I mean... changing a position or mixing up verbiage to say the same thing you said in the last sex scene, only in a different way can still feel sort of ... repetitive. At least to me. Oh... I said "pounded" instead of "hammered" or "her sex" instead of "pussy." lol.

The bottom line is that I think it's pretty clear that RPs about sex are very much alive and well on Elliquiy.

EDIT:
I started writing my reply before Chrystal posted hers and got distracted with a phone call, but I agree with her points wholeheartedly.

[Shjade]

As far as another RP participant directly interrupting a sex scene, I think that all depends on the context. If there was no reason for the character to have interrupted, or if it was out of character for that particular character... then that's just shitty RPing. If, however, it flows with earlier posts and makes sense for the character involved to have interrupted...

Disappointing != bad RP. Good RP, or at least plausible/reasonable actions, can be very disappointing. I'm not trying to judge skills here.

[Thufir Hawat]

But what is a massive turn-OFF is when we go to all the trouble of creating the character, the scene, the relationship, the environment, and all our writing partner does is post:

"Ellie moaned and thrust her hips forward".

And yes, I have had that happen a number of times! Yes I'm exaggerating a little, but I'm sure we've all had the one-liner reply?

I'm too lazy to explore my posting history, but I don't remember it ever happening on E., actually. If it had happened, I wasn't bothered enough to care.
That really has nothing to do with your arguments, I just thought to mention it's not nearly as universal an experience.

[Caehlim]

Equally, one of the most frustrating (IMO) plots is the sudden change from normal sex to BDSM sex. Because unless you are a magician you cannot suddenly have a bondage dungeon in your house where there wasn't one before. The "Lets try out some BDSM stuff" scenario really doesn't work very well because it requires the characters to improvise what they use and it's far too tempting for the writers to magically produce a pair of hand-cuffs or whatever.

Wow, that actually sounds like a really fun roleplay and a good writing challenge. Two characters desperately keen to try some bondage, working on improvising bondage equipment out of everyday objects found around the house. Nerf ball ballgags, knotted bedsheet ropes and a belt turned into a collar.

I would totally base a game around that idea, just for the macgyver style inventiveness you could try. Plus you could throw in some comedy with some of the ideas they try just not working well, knots coming undone, etc.

But what is a massive turn-OFF is when we go to all the trouble of creating the character, the scene, the relationship, the environment, and all our writing partner does is post:

"Ellie moaned and thrust her hips forward".

And yes, I have had that happen a number of times! Yes I'm exaggerating a little, but I'm sure we've all had the one-liner reply?

Yeah, I've had that before and it's frustrating.

Of course it's not always down to the length of the post. I've had equally frustrating long replies, where the carefully established scenery is ignored or after describing what my character is wearing they're suddenly dressed completely differently in the response.

[Chrystal]

Wow, that actually sounds like a really fun roleplay and a good writing challenge. Two characters desperately keen to try some bondage, working on improvising bondage equipment out of everyday objects found around the house. Nerf ball ballgags, knotted bedsheet ropes and a belt turned into a collar.

I would totally base a game around that idea, just for the macgyver style inventiveness you could try. Plus you could throw in some comedy with some of the ideas they try just not working well, knots coming undone, etc.

Actually... Yeah, you are right, thinking about it. In the right context I bet it could be great fun. And you have, incidentally, just backed up the point I was making, so thanks for that. My point being that in order for the story to work it has to be in the context of two people deciding to try it out, and the players have to agree on what improvisations they are going to use...

What I think I was trying to say was that it is wrong for a couple just deciding to try bondage to suddenly have a basement full of BDSM gear. They could acquire such, but it would take time, and require the story to be told of how they converted the basement.

Yeah, I've had that before and it's frustrating.

Of course it's not always down to the length of the post. I've had equally frustrating long replies, where the carefully established scenery is ignored or after describing what my character is wearing they're suddenly dressed completely differently in the response.

God-moding is universally frowned upon, but you can get away with it if it's in context and moves the story forward, but what you just said, that sounds to me like the worst kind of god-moding.

Not reading the other person's post, or deliberately ignoring it are possibly the most heinous of crimes in my opinion.

I agree, though I would say that it might be more accurately stated as, "Anyone else a bit disappointed in the lack of roleplays about sex involving players with whom I'd like to roleplay sex and the kinds of sex that I'd like to roleplay?".

I have my own opinion about what the title of the thread ought to be, but I'm keeping it to myself...

EDIT:
I started writing my reply before Chrystal posted hers and got distracted with a phone call, but I agree with her points wholeheartedly.

Thanks. :)

[Caehlim]

Actually... Yeah, you are right, thinking about it. In the right context I bet it could be great fun. And you have, incidentally, just backed up the point I was making, so thanks for that. My point being that in order for the story to work it has to be in the context of two people deciding to try it out, and the players have to agree on what improvisations they are going to use...

What I think I was trying to say was that it is wrong for a couple just deciding to try bondage to suddenly have a basement full of BDSM gear. They could acquire such, but it would take time, and require the story to be told of how they converted the basement.

Oh, I agree entirely with this and your original post. I just got distracted by the idea of a fun game about improvised bondage. I sometimes have trouble staying on-topic without wandering off into other lines of thought.

Not reading the other person's post, or deliberately ignoring it are possibly the most heinous of crimes in my opinion.

Agreed.

Although sometimes it can happen by accident. I know I've read back through page after page of a story to try and figure out what length the characters skirt was, or where we'd attached the chains or whatever and missed it completely. Then usually after I've written a massive reply based on a faulty assumption, I'll finally notice the post I missed where it was all established. [sigh].

[kckolbe]

What's funny is that I am often frustrated with the opposite.  I think the issue might be more along the lines of games either being all sex with no story/character/etc, or all plot with no sex.  For example, I've been in some wonderful system games hoping for just a touch of sexual stimulation, and I've browsed numerous group incest games and been turned off at the lack of character development.  Maybe it's just an issue of moderation?

[Chrystal]

What's funny is that I am often frustrated with the opposite.  I think the issue might be more along the lines of games either being all sex with no story/character/etc, or all plot with no sex.  For example, I've been in some wonderful system games hoping for just a touch of sexual stimulation, and I've browsed numerous group incest games and been turned off at the lack of character development.  Maybe it's just an issue of moderation?

Okay, here's a great example for you...

And now I'm going to put a new request in the one-shots thread...

I did, I put a request up for a one-shot that basically catered to all my kinks. I got a response and started discussing it and the more we discussed it the more the characters and back story developed, so when I started the story it was in the regular Extreme Solos forum. (By the way that one-shot request is not marked as taken...)

Now, this is an entirely smut-based story. But so far we are on six posts (including the opener and no sex! OMG! SHOCK HORROR!

Somehow I suspect that our friend who opened this thread lacked the patience to read through the build-up and the character development, to get to the actual sex bit!

Oh, I agree entirely with this and your original post. I just got distracted by the idea of a fun game about improvised bondage. I sometimes have trouble staying on-topic without wandering off into other lines of thought.

Heh, I hear ya!

Agreed.

Although sometimes it can happen by accident. I know I've read back through page after page of a story to try and figure out what length the characters skirt was, or where we'd attached the chains or whatever and missed it completely. Then usually after I've written a massive reply based on a faulty assumption, I'll finally notice the post I missed where it was all established. [sigh].

Oh yeah! I've done that too... With a monster group game it can be really hard to keep track of such things, but that is what the OOC thread is for. In a one-on-one it's easier, but can still be tricky when the story gets up to 500 posts or more... Sometimes it's helpful to create a spreadsheet or a wiki page or something that which records relevant information.

[Noelle]

Writing sex over and over is boring. Writing sex with characters that come from a healthy variety of backgrounds, upbringings, and histories in a variety of situations and backgrounds is not boring. Finding a way to bring them together and not turn sex into something that happens like a thunderclap with no other reason except they both have genitals that want the other person's genitals is exciting. I have been writing Usury for several years now, and it took us 60-odd pages to get to the sexytimes just because setting up the story wound up being half the fun. When the sex finally happened, it was far more interesting and gratifying because it was a moment not only of self-indulgence, but of actual further character development. Using sex as a way to explore a character is a lot more fun, in my opinion, than doing the verbal equivalent of bashing a Barbie and Ken doll together over and over and hoping for something more titillating to happen.

It's not for everyone - some people want one-shotters with plot being used more as a path to more bumpin' uglies, but if you're disappointed in the quality and satisfaction you're getting, it might be time to write for story substance and let sex come as a natural consequence instead of a prime motivator. Just my two cents, anyway.

[Anteros Vox]

I like dangerous sexual themes, tension if you would, treading the lines of wrong and right. I can't roll into sex scenes with out setting up the history between characters. But I like smut, to make that clear. :]