What do you appreciate in this site? Why is this community valuable?

[AchtungNight]

What keeps me coming back here? It’s one of the best erotic stories sites online. Possibly the best. Several stories on the site can be found nowhere else and never fail to excite me in a positive way. I have also published over 80 stories here and want to keep an eye on them. And I know a few people on this board with whom I enjoy conversing. That’s enough.

 

[alohadave]

Strip poker on the old IBM, with Suzy and Melissa...

Wow. I haven't thought about that game in a very long time. Back in the CGA and EGA days where 16 colors was high tech.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

e-ve-ry-thing!

 

[redgarters]

In one of the best derailments this forum has to offer, this thread somehow became the Four Yorkshiremen of porn.
"That's nuthin' lad, in ma day we 'ad to ring op t'internet and wait hours for t'pixels wit tits to load, line fer bloody line!"

Come to think of it, I don't think we had that many pixels either

Strip poker on the old IBM, with Suzy and Melissa...

CDs? That was progress. I remember when magazines were the only source.

My first view of computer porn was when my boss asked for help opening a file that her husband had sent her. The green/black graphics were so hard to parse that it took us several seconds to figure out what was going on. Cue embarrassment all around.

I expect that he got a severe bollocking that evening.

 

[MerryeMikee]

‘Ey up!

 

[SissyBrandi19]

I’ve never (consistently) been a super active or long-term member of this community, but I’ve just logged into my account for the first time in God knows how long, and I want to express how much I appreciate this space everyone has created.

Maybe some of you will remember my brief contribution. I’m glad to see some familiar names from an (admittedly short) period of my life - and I’m curious to know what exactly keeps other authors coming back to erotica, and to this site specifically?

It was really sweet seeing some of the same long-term posts/threads pop up when I first opened back up the forums. The New Milestones thead, the Comments That Made Your Day, the iconic game threads created by @SamScribble, even the endless threads about those treacherous AIs - it’s just so comforting to see this familiar community still thriving.

As much as erotica might be thought of as cheap, disposable, or shallow, I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been in this kind of community can quite understand just how wholesome and beautiful it all is!! I’m an experienced writer myself, but during that period in which I was active here, I always found useful tips, discussions and encouragement in this community that felt, compared to many other spaces, uncommonly candid and human. In an online world which is continually becoming more toxic, polarised and charged, this feels rare. I truly think that, after my first ever story here, I would never have posted a second time had it not been for you authors’ engagement.

As it stands, I’m not sure when or if I will ever post a story here again. Commitments to my professional writing and personal life have swept me away, so the small amount of erotica I’ve written since neglecting this site has not been anything close to publication-worthy. And yet I came back to the forums, because I think this space is worthy of appreciation and engagement.

As a caveat, I remember and recall many widely-discussed issues in this community. Those include management issues (which, me being so removed for many months, I don't feel I have the authority to speak on), and the rise of AI, which is still happening in our shitty society, to the point where I genuinely fear for the future of both my career and the legitimacy of human art - but these issues do not, in my mind, detract from the importance and beauty of the human beings who discuss, fight, and write on this site (or in any art-driven community). We can appreciate ourselves while acknowledging fears and flaws.

So I’m curious - what keeps you guys coming back? What keeps those familiar names I’m seeing engaged with the community? Or more generally - despite the occasional troll or argument, of which I’ve witnessed (and participated in) many times - just what do you like about this community we have? What keeps you coming back, beyond the raw numbers that fuel our collective egos? For me, it’s the human side of the site; it’s people connecting without pretence, with anonymity (which grants candidness), with authenticity and a love for both writing and intimacy as human experiences.

For me it does a few things, speaking as one who takes writing seriously but cannot use the term "writer" to self-reference as that is not how I earn a living....yet...

1. A place to practice writing (I see no reason that erotica should have a lesser seat at the writing table, it takes skill like any genre) and of a certain type, where it's read, appreciated and one gets feedback. Contests and such also give the opportunity to practice directed writing.
2. The community aspect is amusing - enjoy the forums they're fun, even if I disagree with certain things or people, that can be fun as well, I mean...if disagreement is triggering then holy shit you're on the wrong planet...or the right planet but the wrong dimension, like me (stupid CERN assholes and now I'm stuck)...not that I get upset or triggered by people who have different opinions. No, I feel deep sadness and pity for them, I mean it must be horribly difficult having stupid opinions, I just can't imagine that hard of a life. It makes me feel thankful for being blessed with a Big Brian Brain (dammit).
3. I appreciate as well there's even a place to submit and get feedback on non-erotic writing, which I've recently taken advantage of...that's not trivial!
4. It's just overall a well-done site, it's fun, a learning experience, has appeal on many levels, very interactive and I think very enjoyable for those who focus on writing OR those who just love reading hot stories OR those that enjoy the community aspect, not to mention the erotica element is very inclusive as to themes etc. And all that without some cumbersome process to register etc. which is also rarer each day.