(no subject)

[maderr]

I really wish the stupid cat would come back inside so I could go sleepy x_x I wanted to be in bed awhile ago, but noooooooo. Fucking cat >.> We're gonna have stew for dinner tomorrow. Chinese stew.

In other news, because I'm tired and trying to stay awake, cracked open a torq story I'd never gotten around to reading and all it's done is remind me why I stopped reading some the med to hard kinks. I fucking hate the way so many stories do dom/sub stuff. The dom is always some asshole I wish would fuck off and die, and the subs are whiney babies I want to punch in the face and just ARGH

Mostly it's the dynamics. Such a fascinating dynamic to work with. I love it. So many stories fuck it up or lay it all out in paint-by-numbers fashion, a lot of telling but not showing so I feel more like I'm reading some sort of really shitty instructiong manual more than a romance.

Ugh. I guess I have no room to talk. That sort of thing isn't something I've really tackled. I guess I have my dwtd dragons, but I don't know if they count per se. It's a bit different, there, because the dragos are. not. human. they can look human, and act human depending on how lazy they are (Cal does really well, the twins not so much). So, I dunno. You've got Charlie (angel from dwtd) but again that's different -- Jed made him, literally. He wears a collar as part of keeping him what he is, and to show who made him, etc. I have harem, but again -- not a true play of dom/sub roles.

I dunno. Maybe it's beyond my comprehension and that's why it's bugging me. But I do know how important characters are, how crucial it is to get their dynamics right. If all you're going to do is beat me over the head with shit instead of showing me, and if you're more interested in A is Master and B is Sub and beating me over the head with THAT, then please to be going away. It can be difficult to write certain characters, oh my god do I know this. I'd like to see someone nail Dieter and Beraht, go ahead and try.

The most important thing is that the story is not about the fucking writer and what she wants to see. It's about the character, the story. How would A act? How would B act? If A did this how would B react? Would he react differently if C was around? If all you're going to do is cut out stupid ass paperdolls and force them into the situations you want to see, or worse -- change them because your'e too fucking lazy to do it right -- then get the fuck out of the sandbox.

What makes me saddest is that my words are empty. The sad truth is that it's the crap that gets published, and I can write 'til I'm blue in the face and get nowhere. No one wants details, or characters that work, or worlds that make sense. They just want tissue paper stories with lots of smut. As hard as I try, the likes of Prisoner or my fairytales or DwtD or Kidnapped just don't amount to much.

Would like to see a GOOD dom/sub story. It's such a pretty dynamic when done correctly. But that's the ultimate problem I guess -- damn near every story I read makes it ugly. It should be hella pretty. I mean come on, it's not like it would even be hard to do it properly. I mean most people take the cop out of B learning from A so A immediately throws him into the dom/sub games, regardless of what B was actually hoping to learn (which, generally, is just learning how to be a good fuck toy. the creativity, it slays, especially when there's no goddamn fucking cultural basis for anyone to be acting thi way or choosing to do this). There are much better foundations to start from. No, I'm not telling you. But I will say that old school is best school and sometimes the best place to start is with the obvious. People try too fucking hard and wind up sounding dumber than they would have otherwise.

Ugh rambling now.

Whatever. Tired. Cranky. Seriously annoyed. Cat back. Ignore me. To bed I go. Peace out.

Comments

[graphitesmudges.livejournal.com]

STOP ECHOING WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY. O____________O You have no idea how FREAKY that is.

As for the third point, >.> I've read this good Dom/Sub SMUT, but plot-wise? Eh. I'm not so sure myself.

[avalon13.livejournal.com]

I THRIVE ON BEING FREAKY.

I am a very romantic(tell NO ONE) person. Dom/Sub relationships have never seemed very...romanticky to me?

[maderr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what bugs me the most. the only thing that tells me it's romantic is that the author TELLS me they're in love. But based on action alone? I so never get that vibe.

[avalon13.livejournal.com]

Based on what I've heard, Dom/sub relationships(lets just call it DSL, shall we?) are based a lot on trust and the sub being very dependent on the Dom? Since there's a lot of trust involved in letting someone else tie you up and drip hot candle wax on you, I don't think "Give it to me! Give it to me harder!" and "Take it! Take it and like it , bitch!" exactly conveys that trust.

[maderr.livejournal.com]

I agree. If I was going to attempt such a thing, I would def focus less on the goddamned smut and more on the other dynamics. What would interest me would be building a culture around such a thing. People always half-ass that shit -- pleasure slaves and the like, without ever saying why it's done or actually making it work, culturally speaking. Some half-ass it as a status thing, but never really make it work. It's a popular theme in sci-fi porn. "planet of sex-crazed maniacs who keep pleasure saves whom they treat like shit but who madly love them anyway" =_= I think if it were going to be a cultural thing, then it would more likely be the exception rather than the rule. Something everyone whispers about when the pair in question walks in the room, you know? Which to my mind somehow screams magic, or something like that, but I'm not sure how. Not wholly unlike alchemists in black magic, I guess, but much more with the dsl.

Oops, blathered on a bit didn't I? ^^;;

[twilight-angel.livejournal.com]

Someone mention building a culture around a BDSM lifestyle? *evil grin* Okay, I know the stories are Stargate: Atlantis fics, so if that's not your thing, oh well. But if you want a really interesting take on a culture that revolves around BDSM with the society being intrinsically bisexual and part of growing up is figuring out if you're a top or a sub, readThe General and Dr. Sheppard and its prequel Coming Home (in that order). They're long, fascinating, and really enjoyable. And there's actually romantic, too.

PS: Totally agree about people constantly doing BDSM without romance. I hate it! They all just seem so...empty. Great, now you've got me thinking about it, too. :p

[graphitesmudges.livejournal.com]

I HAVE THAT WHOLE THING COPIED DOWN IN MY COMPUTER. *_____________________*

[twilight-angel.livejournal.com]

I've read them three times and ought to copy them into my harddrive, too! *dorky high-five!*

[avalon13.livejournal.com]

Don't mind a bit. We're bonding. I think that a real DSL would be a lot like a Dieter thing. *grins* He'd rough you up and then kiss away your tears. Also, we can't forget the whole 'in Prison, the weak are the bitches' thing. That seems to be a favourite too. It's not DSL exactly, but it's like a related cousin twice removed. I'm sorry, but normal people, when turned into sex slaves and treated like shit, only love you back when they've gone around the bend. If you're going to do that shit, you've got to do it right, darling. I imagine something littered with reassurances, tender kisses, and a nasty nipple clamp.

[hyperjirou.livejournal.com]

See this is why I feel the fic I mentioned earlier is worth reccing. The love between the couple is actually conveyed. And it makes *sense* because the dom is so devoted to caring and helping his sub.

[avalon13.livejournal.com]

I find that I must also admit, that while I don't dislike S/M, it is not really my cup of tea. Call me boring, but I like my vanilla romance kthnx.

..I'll write kink though. It's like vanilla with sprinkles.

Plus Weiss is not a fandom I am familiar with.

[sunandshadow.livejournal.com]

Hmm magic D/s? I don't really see the connection but, I suppose the point could be to channel magical energy from the sub to the Dom, or maybe to channel yang energy to the Dom making him a better fighter while at the same time channeling yin energy from the Dom to the sub making the sub a better healer or shield caster.

Hmm or maybe going into the 'sub space' mental state unlocks access to subconscious reservoirs of power or levels of the world's magical structure that mages don't usually have access to. But it would be kind of lame to have to stop and do magical work in the middle of a sex scene.

[graphitesmudges.livejournal.com]

But reading my mind!? O______O Too freaky for me.

I don't need to tell anyone. EVERYONE KNOWS. That obsession with Dieter? Is because deep inside, he's a cuddly romantic who's totally in love with Beraht.

I like Dieter because he's hot in bed. ^^ I'm actually a very smutty person. XD

[avalon13.livejournal.com]

I bet that right now you're thinking how freaky I am.

Why yes, he is. But don't tell meg or him I said that.

You DO remember who you're talking to, rite?

[graphitesmudges.livejournal.com]

Of course I didn't. ^^ I was talking about myself, hon.

Like I'd tell. If I did, I'd probably be the one in trouble cause I started it. XD

But then again, I love you when you're being a freak. XDDD Actually, everyone here's a freak and that's why it's so awesome being here.

[avalon13.livejournal.com]

HUZZAH FOR FREAKYNESS.

[graphitesmudges.livejournal.com]

Not today for me. ^^ My freak muse comes every other day.