I’ve decided to sever the link between the discord server and the GayKinkyStory sites.
Creating a Discord server for GaySpiralStories in January 2019 was an experiment to create a community of like-minded people outside the sites. It was an astounding success, and I’ve had a great time. It was one of the most intense times in my life.
However, in the last weeks, the server has had a severe impact on my life, affecting me in a not-so-good way. My ideas of how to run the server kept causing fights and in the end, this ruined all the fun I used to have.
I had a great time in the four years - was it really just 4 years? It felt so much longer - but it’s time for me to go. The server still exists, I wouldn’t destroy a community just because of my own issues, but they have to do without me. The old invitation link I created and which was published here on the site doesn’t work anymore (probably because I’ve left the server and it was a link I created). A new, working link can be found at the bottom of this post.
Our forum will have to take over as a place to discuss things about the sites. Also, if you want to reach me, the best way is a DM here in the forum (click on my profile picture and then on “Message”). You can also write to martin@gayspiralstories.com but e-mails are not really reliable these days, a forum DM is guaranteed to reach me.
Thank you all for giving me those amazing four years on Discord. I love you all.
/Edit:
The Discord site is now managed by Grand Spiral. It’s now considered hosting a “fan community” for the kinky story sites, without being directly associated.
I have the upmost respect for you. For all you have done and continue to do. I want you to know how much this site has changed my life. I never thought of myself as a good writer. I actually have a learning disability around it, and thus never imagined being published or finding my voice though words.
The place has allowed me to challenge my notions of capability. It’s allowed me an outlet for creativity. I have seen my writing improve over time.
You will always have my respect and understanding.
Just wanted to wish you the best and thank you for all the hard work you’ve put into GSS over the years. I’m glad you’re putting your mental health first and knowing when to disengage with toxic online debates.
I also have a selfish reason for being happy that you’re severing the link with the Discord server. In recent years, it’s felt like the Discord was the hub for discussions about the direction of the site, but I always had a hard time feeling comfortable posting there. It felt like a very distinct discourse community, one with a lot of unspoken rules and norms I didn’t realy understand. That’s no fault of yours; I’m just happy to see that now this forum will be the sole hub for discussions about the site, because I find it a more comfortable environment.
You’ve become one of my favorite authors and it’s an honor to have you on the site! And I couldn’t be more proud that you’ve chosen us as your outlet and becoming so successful with it!
Some of the behavior on the Discord was juvenile at best. Inside jokes are okay I guess but all the crap people were giving each other was a bit much. Somewhere along the line people may get turned off by the unfriendliness that such behavior seems to indicate. It is tiring when grown adults act like 5 year olds.
Just wanted to say that it may not have gone on forever, but I really appreciate that you put the Discord server together in the first place. During the early days of the pandemic it was a bit of a refuge from the constant cycle of real-world news and I loved it.
In the past couple years I lost interest in it – I just wasn’t finding my time there fulfilling. I’ve kept it in my Discord list to vote on polls and poke my head in when it seemed relevant. You’ve done a remarkable job with this site, and as long as that Discord was part of the network, I was going to be a member. I’ve just left the server too – I don’t know or care what the issue was, but without the association with this site I’m just not interested
You’re doing a great job here. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this site. Looking forward to many more years of reading and writing smut with y’all.
Thanks for all that you do, Martin. You’re an absolute sweetheart and a gentle soul and I find it irksome that anyone would give you a hard time about how you run the site.
I had my own issues which caused me to leave the discord (although I’m certainly not as nice and congenial as Martin so there’s plenty of blame to go around there).
It’s some comments (actually, a bunch of them) that were made on the discord channel about me, long after I’d left that assured me that leaving it was most decidedly in my own best interests.
That discord server no longer seemed to be related to your sites here anymore anyway. It was all over the place and did not make sense. OR, maybe I’m just old - lol.
That you tried to provide yet another place for people to come together speaks highly of you and not so flatteringly of the people who abused it. You do so many amazing things for the community and want to be authors. I’m glad you’re taking care of your own needs. That means you’ll be around longer than if you didn’t. Thank you for all you do!
The situation wasn’t nice, for sure, but in hindsight I certainly overreacted. There was another trigger at work, but that’s nothing to discuss in public.
Not that this will be adding any news, but yes Martin: thanks a lot for the effort you put into this site and also into the Discord. Together with all the admins/mods of course
GSS/GKS pushed me to even consider starting to write in a creative way, which now has even landed me a small freelance gig as a podcast script writer (way less sexy, but oh well). So I think I owe quite a bit to this nice little corner of the internet Thank you Martin, and through you also a big thanks to all the people contributing to the websites, of course.
The old Discord site is now managed by @Grant_Spiral. It’s now considered hosting a “fan community” for the kinky story sites, without being directly associated.
Thank you Martin, and through you also a big thanks to all the people contributing to the websites, of course. 