ALL ABOUT RBL

The History of RBL Romantica

Once upon a time, on a Web page far, far away, there was a place made especially for lovers of romance. It was a magical, whimsical place, where the joy of a good book and appreciation for the art of love could be shared with people from around the world. A small clan of women gathered there. Feisty women. Lusty women. Intelligent, beautiful women. Women who banded together when one of their clan was hurting. Women who rejoiced when one of their clan triumphed over adversity. This is their story.

As a romance novel reader, you may understand how difficult it is to find others with your love of books. Romance as a genre is greatly misunderstood and vilified. So when we, as readers, found a Website where others talked of their love for books, it was like finding a new home. Remember the excitement of finally talking to someone who loved the same author you did? It was like a dream come true. We talked of books, movies, and current events. As we began to be more comfortable, we began to post about our personal lives. This is where the problems began.

We started to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY when it was someone's birthday. We began lists of self descriptions. We would post about our kids' awards or the fight we had with our husbands. But then the Powers That Be would remind us that this was a book discussion board, not a social board. We were not free to share a great romance site with our friends. We were not allowed to mention certain authors' books, and when we did ... those posts would mysteriously disappear without a trace. New people would come out of "lurk" mode to staunchly agree with the Powers That Be. Then these "newbies" would never be heard from again.

The beginning of the end came when an author's book was getting rave reviews. This was NOT a BOARD author, and the Powers That Be did NOT like it one bit. After a lot of discussion and views on this book ... the board disappeared! It was unavailable for several days. When it came back online, the Powers That Be said a tornado had knocked out the board. However, a second book club board these same Powers had was left intact. The ladies didn't believe this story, and dared to say so. The Powers That Be then insulted and belittled us as romance readers!

One lady was emailed by the Powers That Be, and was told to *get a life.* She then decided she had had enough; she posted her thoughts, then posted the Powers' thoughts, aware that both posts would be erased ASAP and she would disappear as so many others had. The Powers That Be posted their highly insulting reply and then removed it and then someone kept reposting it ... so anyone visiting would know how they felt about women in general and us in particular! That was what finally took them down! And no one ever figured out who the mystery poster was!!! (Insert evil laugh here!) One other woman decided enough was enough and left the board ... then another ... then another. The Powers That Be realized they had been beaten.

The women had spoken and had been heard. They could be proud that they would not tolerate such treatment. However, it was a bittersweet victory. They thought it was all over. The good times were gone. No longer would there be a place to talk about our heroes, no place to find a *good recommend.* The clan dispersed throughout the Web, scattered to bulletin boards far and wide. Some did find a temporary home, but it didn't last long. The board was unable to keep up with the volume of people who flooded it, and so it hit an iceberg and sank ... never to be seen again. We were sad and disheartened. Our tiny world within the Web was gone. It was suggested that we start our own board, but this didn't seem possible with our limited knowledge. We thought we were lost! We felt so alone and cut off from each other!

Then Linda, sitting staring at the 'puter screen on the Sunday after all this happened, thought, "What the heck! I could try, darn it!!!" (We all know Linda used stronger words than HECK and DARN, but for the purposes of our story, we've made it less colorful.) Well, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, it was not so hard after all!!! Linda took her Mighty Mac in hand, and she set up RBL! It was bare in the background and nameless at first. Someone suggested RBL Romantica and everyone agreed that WAS us! The RBL stands for REBEL, which is what we felt like ... we rebeled against being censored. Romantica stands for our very essence. At the beginning, it was to be a temporary home until we found one with a format we felt was better and faster. But after only a few days, we all felt so at home, we decided the best course of action was to stay right where we were.

RBL has become a clan unto itself. We encourage you to share your favorite Websites, book reviews, your personal life. We want to know the people behind the posts! We provide you with scenery fine enough to make your cursor wish it were your hands. RBL is a potent cocktail of romance, laughter, and freedom. So sit back, relax, and let us pour you a martini glass full of RBL Romantica. You are, after all, one of our clan.

~Rose~

Heeerrre's Hugh!

Meet HUGH. The keeper of our gates and a real *hip* guy (if ya know what I mean ... wink, wink!). And this is how he came to be ...

HUGH was a *mistake* but don't tell him, okay? See, way back a long time ago, we, the Ladies of RBL, used to gather every Friday night to chat on ICQ. It was a great time, lots of crazy, let-your-hair-down, end-of-the-week, anything goes time. And we used to take turns writing hot, erotic love scenes to present to the group. Along with being great fun, we had some really sizzling material!

At this particular period of time, we had decided each of us would be assigned a *body part* to be used as a *tool* for the seduction of our *hero.* The body part assigned to me was my foot (and a darned talented foot it is!). The *objet d'art* of my story was a glorious, naked blond god, with what one might call rather *huge* dimensions in a *south centrally* located area of the anatomy (get my drift??). Since I had been composing my story right up until chat time, I did not have time to proofread it. Soooo, the FIRST time I spelled *huge* as *HUGH,* our wonderful school teacher, Ms. Judy, goes for the jugular and asks everyone, "Hey, who's HUGH? (Hahahahaha!)" Well, need I tell you that's all this group needed??!!?? Somebody says, "It must be Hugh Grant." Then another says, "No, it must be what the blond god calls his *member* (member being a polite word for the word that was actually used!)." And on and on it went! As I continue burning up the keyboard with my hot seduction scene, I am totally clueless as to what is going on, or that I have misspelled *huge* at least two more times. The hilarity continues on through the *climax* of my story. I take my bow, look up at my screen, see what has transpired, and lay my head on the keyboard and LMAO!!!

After that, for the sole purpose of annoying Ms. Judy, each time I had the occasion to use the word *huge* at the message board, I would purposely write it as *HUGH.* In no time at all, the rest of the *class* was using the misspelling as the proper way to spell it, and before we knew it, by gosh, the word became the correct and proper way to spell *huge!* And since RBL Romantica was, at that time, still in its infancy, I proposed that *HUGH* become our official *Rebel Yell.* "YES," they said, "HUGH HUGH HUGH!!!"

Shortly after that, I had to be away from the board for a few days. When I came back online, I got an Instant Message from Linda and Rose asking that I click onto a page they had created and check out something *special.* I did, and who should be there, lying in wait, but our very own HUGH in all his glory, with the *official* RBL logo very strategically placed!?!

And so, HUGH was officially *born.* He is our mascot, the Keeper of Our Gates, and the *host* of our annual *HUGHIE* awards - and who knows what looms in the future for him?!?

We've had a ball with my misspelling, and anyone who visits RBL quickly learns the *proper* way to spell the word which most aptly describes the glorious dimensions of my *objet d'art* - HUGH!!!

xoxo ;-)
~ Vic~

MOAS
Man on a String

Several years ago, I worked with a group of men – a few were my peers, a few were business clients, and some were management. They were all under the illusion that each one was the most important person I had to deal with, and that my response to their demands should always be positive and instantaneous. This situation, along with the fact that I was the only person in the company who could do my job in the entire state, my age - I was younger than most of them by at least fifteen years - and my firm belief that the marks of a true professional are that you are polite, calm, and in control of your actions no matter what the provocation, and that you complete your work in a timely manner - even if it means overtime and weekends - without complaint, caused my internal stress level to soar almost daily.

Mom suggested I take a yoga class - because I had so much spare time - or work out at the gym in order to bring down my stress level. I was talking to two good friends one day, and we decided I needed a Voodoo doll – only I wasn’t interested in sticking pins in him. No, I really wanted to give back some of the headaches and other misery I’d been suffering. And a Voodoo doll really didn’t make a satisfying *thunk* when you threw it against the wall. Well, a few days later, as I was shopping for a child’s gift, I saw it. It was perfect – the exact thing I had been looking for!

Ken.

Thus *Man on a String* was born.

*Man on a String* will fit almost any situation, and any man, really. The components for making your own Man are simple and the directions for use are easy.

MOAS
Ingredients
      1) A male action figure doll (Ken, GI Joe, or something similar)
      2) White-out and assorted sharpie markers
      3) A wide rubber band, extra long – or two medium ones.

Directions
Dress your Man approximately like the person who is causing you stress. You don’t have to do this, but in the end it’s MUCH more satisfying if you do. Then, using the various colored sharpies, and maybe even some white-out (if he has gray hair), make sure the hair and eyes of your Man are a close match. Again, not technically necessary, but MUCH more satisfying. (Note: in extreme cases, you may need more than a single Man.)

Cut the rubber band so it’s one long piece of rubber. Take your Man and tie one end of the rubber band around his neck – you may use a knot like you’re tying a shoelace, a slipknot, or a noose – whatever you find easiest. Then carefully pick up your Man, take the other end of the rubber band, and tie, staple, glue, tape, or otherwise affix it to an overhead object. The underside of a counter or kitchen cabinets works the best.

Let your Man dangle gently and take a small step back. Take a deep breath, grasp your Man firmly by the waist, and pull down. When the rubber band is extended far enough, simply let go – and watch *Man On A String* go flying headfirst into a solid object, smashing his head against the glass ceiling as it were.

Always store MOAS away carefully after use so your family and friends won’t talk about you.

Note: MOAS is particularly useful in divorce cases, because if the person your Man represents shows up unannounced, you can always claim he belongs to one of the kids. Or the neighbor’s kids. Or it’s the new toy for the dog.

I found my Man was in use daily - sometimes I even drove home at lunch to slam his head into a cabinet because I didn’t think I could wait until after I got home from work that evening. Eventually I was approached to leave my company and work in New York City for a rival company. MOAS was carefully placed in a Ferregamo shoebox and taken with me. The men at my new company made the original group of men look quite appealing. There was one who knew I knew more than he did, and because he didn’t like reporting to someone fifteen years his junior, made it a point to call me *Kiddo* in meetings. There was one who was a peer, but wouldn’t talk to me because I was a woman – he would only communicate through e-mail. (It wasn’t personal thing - he treated all the women who were his peers like this.) And there was one who, to this day, makes my blood pressure rise. That one felt women belonged at home, and disliked the fact he had to report to me – a female and twenty years younger at that. He would stand in the doorway of his office and whistle for me to come down to talk to me. I really can’t continue describing them because I’ll need to go get MOAS out! Suffice it to say – MOAS didn’t spend much time in the shoebox during the seventeen months I worked in the city.

It was during this time that I discovered RBL – I stumbled across them in November of 1998, and I lurked. I traveled a lot for that job, so my lurking was spotty at best. I never posted because I never knew what to say, and I wasn’t really home on a consistent basis to keep up with all the different conversations. One day I stopped by after having been gone for several weeks, and a ReBeL was in the middle of a divorce and an ugly custody dispute. She seemed to be under a lot of stress, so I posted the directions (along with the benefits) of how to make and use *Man on a String.*

I’ve been here ever since. Sometimes I post daily, sometimes not for a while. But I read the board daily, and if a ReBeL sister needs some help, I pull *Man on a String* out of his Ferregamo shoebox and let him slam headfirst into the kitchen cabinets for her.

~Ann~

The RBL Message Board
Bill of Rights

You have the right to state your point of view respectfully. However, NO racial, ethnic, or sexual slur or slander will ever be acceptable at RBL! We follow the Website's rules concerning profanity.

You have the right to post a Website address of your choice.

You have the right to an incredibly erotic, well muscled man in the background of your posts.

You have the right to disagree with anyone's post - without making personal attacks or *flaming.* Feelings are a priority at RBL.

You have the right to post about a book you did or did not like. Your opinions are yours, and we always agree to disagree - constructively, tastefully, respectfully, and with sensitivity to each other and our authors.

You have the right to submit your most gorgeous HUNK for RBL wallpaper.

You have the right to invite friends to join in on the fun.

You have the right to drool over HUGH, our poster boy at the top of the board.

You have the right to a sense of humor. It would not be a true RBL board without a few LOL's and a darn good party now and then!

You have the right to ask questions.

You have the right to make suggestions - no matter how long you've been posting.

You have the right to vote in any contest or event - no matter how long you've been posting.

You have the right to make life-long friends and to be part of the close-knit RBL family.

~Rose~