Tomorrow

[brigdh]

Oh my god! springkink starts tomorrow, and I only have one of my stories (of four) written. And that one still needs to be edited, and it's not even the first one due. Uh, whoops. Who else wants to panic with me?

Tomorrow is also the beginning of April, which is, as you may know, National Poetry Month in the US. Hopefully no one will be annoyed if I start posting poetry every day, since I plan to do so anyway. April also means my birthday is coming up! It's on April 10th. Just, y'know, saying.

Speaking of springkink by the way, trying to google anything about "bloodplay" proved surprisingly unhelpful. Not that I think the characters involved particularly care about the safety rules of such, but I thought it might be inspirational for me to research. And yet: barely anything could be found. I thought the internet was for porn! Though trying to do the same for the prompt of "fur on skin" proved to be embarrassingly high on the list of 'things I should not google while in public'.

Comments

[veleda-k.livejournal.com]

I still have to write my last springkink. I don't even know how to start it. Of course, it's only one, but I'm such a painfully slow writer.

I will not at all be annoyed when you post poetry, as I'll be doing the same thing. (I stopped before the end of the month last year, but I plan to do better this year.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I'm having that same problem with my story that's due first. It occurs to me that it's sort of a kink that seems a strange fit for the couple, and I'm having a hard time thinking of a way to make it work.

Yay, more poetry! And heh, yeah. Last year I had to start hanging out in the poetry section of bookstores and copying down poems that I liked enough to post. But since I knew ahead of time this year that I was planning on doing this, I should have an easier time.

[weirdquark]

And that one still needs to be edited, and it's not even the first one due. Uh, whoops. Who else wants to panic with me?

Me, me, me!

I take some comfort in knowing that my first one isn't due until midway through the month, but the extent to which I have not been writing since I claimed the prompts is not helpful.

I even have ideas of how to do them, but the words haven't been coming. I need to just sit there staring at the screen and make myself write crap for a while, I suspect.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I've got two in the beginning of the month (the 3rd and the 8th), and then my other two aren't due until after Remix, which I also really should be worrying about.

God, yes. I mean: I only need to write 500 words! I should be able to do this in a sitting, not take weeks and weeks on it.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

You make me laugh, ha ha. Even when I can do 500 words in a sitting, which is not bloody often, I can't have them be the right words in the right order in a sitting. Taking weeks and weeks? Is my life.

I was too intimidated to sign up for Springkink, but may I panic with you anyway? My yaoi challenge story wants to be a monster, and I have no idea how I'm going to manage even a shorter version than it wants to be in the three weeks I have left.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

*grins* Well, I'm certainly not doing it in a sitting at the moment. Though it would probably help if I was actually writing and not reading old fics in the name of 'research'.

Everyone is welcome to panic! Particularly since that is quite scary: a yaoi challenge story has to be an actual, well, story, as opposed to the little snippets I'm writing for Springkink. Though one of them always wants to be a monster, and I've been trying to convince it that, no, I don't need all these extra details, and doesn't it please please want to be a 500 word piece?

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

But reading old fics in the name of research can be very helpful! Sometimes it provides real and meaningful inspiration. I think that's one reason busy fandoms are easier to write for than small/inactive fandoms: you have so much less to react against.

Sometimes I think it's actually less trouble to go ahead and write the long version of something than to try to convince it to come in at a shorter length. Maybe if you gave it permission to be a monster, that would help?

Not that this approach is doing me any good, just at present. But in my own case, I have a dreadful feeling that the problem is a species of stage fright: I like the idea too much, and I'm horribly afraid that there's no way the story's going to live up to it.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Heh, I'm having the opposite reaction to a small fandom, actually: I have no one else's fic to read or think about, so I'm compelled to write everything myself.

I may have to try that. At the moment, I'm seeing if I can't have them drop references to earlier events instead of actually having to write all of those events out, but we shall see if that proves a useful strategy. Given that it's the last of the various stories I have due, I really should be worrying about other things at the moment instead.

You know, I don't think I've ever had that particular form of stage fright. Which I'm very glad for, as it seems like it would be incredibly hard to get past.

[ravenbell.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. The nice thing about this challenge is that most of the prompts got multiple writers, so I think nobody will mind if the prompts are interpreted a bit loosely.

I've just realized I picked a pairing I know very, very little about. Off to research!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

One certainly hopes so. I think two of mine aren't going to involve sex at all, and while that's allowed and all, it still feels sort of weird.

Hee. At least all of mine are characters I've written before.

[animadri.livejournal.com]

I think two of mine aren't going to involve sex at all, and while that's allowed and all, it still feels sort of weird.

*giggles* Um yeah, don't mind me, I'm twelve.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

*grins* I mean, SpringKink! It just seems to call out for sex.

[ravenbell.livejournal.com]

Buh... I don't think any of mine have sex in them. ;_;

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee. I know one of mine will for certain, and the last I'm not sure about; I'll have to write it to see.

Now I'm all curious, since I've seen other people saying this, too! I wonder how many of the stories will end up sexless? *snickers*

[animadri.livejournal.com]

Now I'm all curious, since I've seen other people saying this, too! I wonder how many of the stories will end up sexless? *snickers*

Ya know, I'm going to start keeping track of that. I have a feeling that quite will end up sexless. *gets out pen and paper*

[threewalls]

Bloodplay is hard to research, possibly since blood = AIDS, these days.

You should be able to view this entry I made quite a while earlier discussing my own search for bloodplay resources. There's one semi-useful site discussed and a bit of personal experience from xandria.

If this is for Alec and Richard, it reminds me that I need to write... knifeplay, as opposed to bloodplay, with them. Somehow, it's more about Richard's swords than Alec's blood for Alec in my head, even when the two meet.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed. Almost all of what I could find consisted of the need for latex gloves of the danger of blood-born diseases and so on, which really does not seem to be an issue for this world (since, yes, it is Richard and Alec, not that I don't have a ton of other self-destructive characters for whom this would be an appropriate kink).

Thank you! That does look very helpful.

Ooooh. I really, really do encourage you to write that, since I found it to be just the opposite for myself. My Alec was only interested in the blood/destruction of it, in whatever way was most convenient to talk Richard into. I'd love to see your version.

[threewalls]

Blood and destruction is for every-day, for the affront given by windowpanes and unruly fist-fights, but getting Richard to hold any of his blades against Alec's skin... that's for very special occasions.

It may be that my Richard is particularly difficult about being talked into forms of Alec's destruction involving bladed weapons, or blood, and that so often Alec attempts to destroy himself are singularly by himself and Richard's part is only the bandages.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ah. I like that.

My Alec is compelled to construct his personality and relationships around corruption, particularly dangerous sorts; that he can convince Richard to do this with him is on the surface something safe (because it's just a degeneracy, after all, it's not like anything involving real emotions) but also deeply overwhelming (because it is something he wants, and it's something Richard is willing to do because Alec wants it but he'll only go so far, and the knowledge that Richard won't actually harm Alec even when given every opportunity makes it about affection after all).

Richard, on the other hand, is far more comfortable with Alec's destruction if Richard's the one in control, since he knows where to stop. And after the first time, he wouldn't be hard to talk into it at all; my Richard is intensely fascinated by anything that reduces Alec into shivering incoherence.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

I'm semi-panicking about my Yaoi Challenges. More peeved they're not done yet than anything, and poking at my brain to get it to cooperate. I do need to finish those last two springkink pieces, though....

Wish I could help on the bloodplay research, but I tend to just draw from the years of accummulated, unattributed knowledge in my backbrain for that. *G*

Also, I think I will be playing the linky game this year for the poetry, pointing people at things published in webzines now. Because the internet is also for pimping your friends. ;-)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yaoi Challenges do seem to be more panic-inducing, if just because they tend to be longer stories, while the Sprinkink ones can just be a drabble.

*laughs* No worries, I think I've got all I need.

Ooo, cool! That's a neat idea.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

They're longer and much more fic-exchangey. I mean, yes, people turned in requests for springkink, but the way it's being run de-emphasizes that aspect, so it's much less as though you're writing the story for the person who made the request. Whereas with Yaoi Challenge, you are specifically writing for someone else.

I saw you got pointed at some good resources. Lo, I am pleased. *G*

I figure this is a good way to let people see what's being published today. Also, I'm lazy, and links are easier to type than whole poems. *G*

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ah, and see: I hadn't even thought of that aspect to it. You're right, of course- there is always something especially worrisome about a writing a fic for a recipient as to just writing one to meet a deadline.

Heh, in truth it's too short a piece to have needed any guidelines. I had to stick any sort of preparations or clean-up and just write the middle of things, as it were, to fit it in 500 words. (I know, I could have gone longer, but this seemed so well suited to a short piece.) But the resources are certainly inspiration if I ever want to write this again, and I may well.

It makes it more likely that the poems you link will be new to me, too, which please me. And since it's all about me... *grins*

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

I just...know my brain takes weird turns, and when writing requests where the person knows who I am, this is not a problem, because people who don't like the way I write aren't going to make requests of me. Anonymous ficathons, though, are a bit of a crapshoot, and I especially feel bad for people who participate in the Yaoi Challenge hoping for, y'know, yaoi, and instead end up with my special brand of...whatever the hell I write. I can't say slash, because the same rules apply to my het and my gen. Brain built on the nightmares of a lost civilization of gerbils, check....

I love how the piece turned out, and I sincerely hope you do write more in that vein, because. GUH. And also, it's just so right for them.

I've fallen down on the poetry thing, but I console myself you follow the other LJ, so you're still getting what I'm linking. *G*

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ah. You know, strangely, I've never worried about that, even though I also don't write to the standard yaoi tropes, or aesthetics, or rules, or whatever you want to call it. I think I've made my peace with the fact that it would make me unhappy to do so, and so don't worry about trying. It probably is something I should consider more for gift-fic challenges, but I'm fairly reluctant to do anything I know will make me irritable, and produce something I'll like less.

Hee, thank you. Well, I need to write one more, at least. After having had numerous discussions insisting they make more of a switch pair than strictly Richard-top/Alec-bottom, I should write at least one story proving my point.

I do! And you've been choosing excellent ones; I'm having a lot of fun reading them.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

Oh, I would never write something unless I thought I could get some joy out of it (sometimes I'm wrong, but that happens). And I don't tend to worry about it when I'm just selecting prompts someone's suggested, because I don't feel like the results are as much a gift story as they are for things like fic exchanges. But while I want to be known as an author with integrity, I don't want to be an author who's seen to disdain the wishes of her assignee. I find such a game pointless.

It says bad things about how jaded I am that I'm not surprised there are people out there who assign Richard and Alec strict top and bottom roles, doesn't it?

Damn it. SFWA threw me off my poetry bandwagon. I need to get back on it, and leave the jackasses to snort at each other.

[rm.livejournal.com]

1. are you doing something for your bday that people should know about?

2. barn dance is a week from thursday, not thursday. oops.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

1. No, I wasn't planning on it, really. I usually don't; I don't care that much and I don't want anyone to feel obligated to buy me presents. But someone once yelled at me for not having sufficiently warned her when my birthday was, because apparently it made her look bad in front of other people when she didn't know (yes, whatever, she was crazy, it's a long story), so now I always make sure to very publicly announce it with plenty of time.

2. Ah, cool.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Re 2 again because I am apparently slow on the uptake: would you like to have dinner sometime sooner, then?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Sure. let me ponder when. I will be repugnant after dance class tomorrow, so thursday or the weekend probably.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Heh, alright.

[veleda-k.livejournal.com]

I just checked, and you're right, there's a paucity of info on bloodplay. This is odd, because the last time I searched for that exact thing, there was quite a bit of info. Where did it go!?

I didn't save the vast majority of the links, because that would have been smart, but there is this: http://www.bondage-guide.net/post/blood-safe.html

There's nothing in my book SM 101, which is a disappointing, but understandable, since blood play isn't exactly 101 stuff.

I also remember that you're never supposed to do anything to the sub until you've tried it on yourself. Also, you should start out (as in, several days in advance) by running the dull side of the blade against the sub's skin, to get used to how the blade feels in your hand, and how it moves, and other such things.

I'm not sure how useful any of that is. I know that the Yamato is my head found it all extremely boring.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ah, thank you! That is useful.

I'm lucky in this, as the dom is a professional swordsman and thus can be assumed to know a great deal about how to hold a knife and what sort of pressure makes what sort of cut and so on without needing to do anything unusual.

Which is good, as this sub would also find all that extremely boring. Taking safety precautions, he says, would be missing the point entirely.

[veleda-k.livejournal.com]

Hee, oh Alec.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

*grins*

[childofatlantis.livejournal.com]

... oh SHIT. *totally forgot and hasn't even started* Uh.

WATARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! HELP!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee! Well, as long as yours isn't due on the 1st, you've got some time.

[redshoeson.livejournal.com]

If it weren't for you, I would never get my ficathon fics done! Now see what you did! :P

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Hey, shouldn't you be thanking me for convincing you to write them?

[redshoeson.livejournal.com]

*grumble grumble grumble*

::scurries off to work on remix::

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Oh, gooooooooood. I so need to write that.