Confessions of a Sympathetic Sadist - NSFW!

[Makemyday]

Welcome friends!

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This will be a place where I will indulge in a little self-expression. Not surprising I'm sure, seeing as we are all here to express ourselves through the written word.

Thoughts, musings, observations and insights will be posted here, along with the odd image that catches my fancy or that relates to something I want to explore. Due to the content, this journal will definitely be NSFW.

I won't mind if people respond to my posts, but please keep things on topic and be respectful. The diversity on display on these forums is dizzying, and I think a good thing. Live and let live, I say. I hope we can leave our judgements behind and have some interesting chats.

See you around folks.

 

[Makemyday]

You know, erotic roleplaying isn't all that easy to do. There are many variables involved that have to match up - genres, character pairings, and plot ideas. Not to mention desired posting lengths and frequency, desired locations for hosting the roleplay (e.g. here or some place like Discord), sexual preferences, fetish interests and preferred POV to write from. And then once started, there is the tone, the setting, the pacing, dialogue, description and myriad other details. It feels like sometimes roleplaying is about two weirdly shaped puzzle pieces rotating and spinning in different directions while trying to see how well they fit together. When the fit is good, it feels like it works. When it doesn't, pieces tend to disappear or mutually agree to go their own way in search of better fit.

For those of us who prefer roleplays that explore non-con scenarios and D/s types of stories, there are additional challenges. Based on my experience, the dominant partner will drive the story more by virtue of their character having much more freedom of action than the sub character in the play. Not that partners can't discuss where the story should go and what sorts of interesting things should happen along the way OOC, but if this is not happening to a large extent, then someone (i.e. the dom) has to drive the bus, so to speak. And if the sub partner isn't completely on board with where the bus is going, then problems are likely to occur.

It seems to me as well that the sub partner has an even more difficult task, as their character's freedom of action is often literally constrained by the use of bondage. Only so much a character can do when she's tied up, gagged and blindfolded. Really places the challenge on the writer to convey the inner workings of that character when the outer environment is closed off. And I know that I have been guilty at times of not providing enough detail about what is happening and where it is taking place, what the sights, sounds and smells are for my partner to react to. I don't know who needs to be more creative - the dom or the sub! All I can say is each time I begin a roleplay, it is a learning experience, and I try to be a better writer/player with every opportunity.

I don't know about others, but my preference is to communicate openly and often about what writers want from their roleplay. I like to give my partners what they are seeking from the experience, and at the same time I'd like to get from them things that make me happy too. I would rather err on the side of too much communication and planning, than too little, as I feel that can lead partners down an uncertain road. For others, that may be exactly what they want; they want to be surprised, and react to whatever pops up on their screen in front of them. Still, for others, the middle ground is the preferred place to be - some general planning that leaves room for surprises along the way.

Despite all the challenges though, it's a lot of fun when it works.