Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Updates may be sparse...

Just a quick note to say updates may be sparse again this week. I'm writing from the ER, waiting for a family member to be seen.

In the meantime, do read http://thequeensthrall.blogspot.com - she's having a great time! (It almost goes without saying that I am too.) Also having a great time: Jukebox. After almost a decade of tranceplay, I've managed to surprise him. http://jukeboxemcsa.wordpress.com has the details. (And I apologize in advance if the links aren't clickable. Not sure how to do that on my Blackberry client. I'll edit later.)

Good wishes for my family are appreciated.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Hectic, sick week.

Wonderful and yucky things all at one this week.

Yucky:

I think I have the flu. Not a G-I bug, I've been able to keep food down. But headaches, fever, achy body, wanting to sleep a lot and not able to sleep because of the fever. And I still had to go to work for my day job. I actually called out from doing things I wanted to do, including a meeting I should have attended. I haven't been to the gym since Monday. No podcast, either.

The fantastic:

Thrall. My goodness, thrall. This is going to be so much fun. I don't expect to have another pet, since she's taken and monogamous, but the fun of training her and teaching her is beyond words. It doesn't hurt at all that I'm a huge fan of her writing. Some toys, you get to keep; some toys, you just borrow and give back. Don't worry, thrall fans: I'll take very good care of her!

My website launched! It's been a long, long time coming. I'm thrilled with the look and feel. Go have a look! (In a new window. I'll wait!)

My CDs launched! See link above. I plan to do one or two new CDs a month, so watch for that!

Jukebox is back from his trip, and he blog posted as well. This post amused and pleased the hell out of me, because I can imagine exactly how he looked at different points. Yummy.

More tomorrow. I have a lot of places I have to announce the launch!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Another 'cast topic...

I'm going to have to do a podcast on "The Mentalist," I guess. I was watching season 1 episode 2 today, and it was right there in the opening teaser.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Email on DO podcast

I got an interesting email today from a listener.

Without quoting exactly, largely because I don't have permission, the writer said that sie would really be interested in hearing about Dark Odyssey, no matter the squick factor. Sie went on to say that it was good to know about things like DO because it allows people who cannot (for whatever reason) attend to know what's going on and helps these people to more fully realize their kinks.

Thanks for the response, Gentle Listener. You've given me a lot to think about. What I might do is "special bonus" podcasts on the topic, and let people decide for themselves what they want to download and enjoy.

At the same time, there was a post on Fetlife from someone who had been unable to attend DO and wanted to hear stories. I suppose this is a good way to put that out there as well. I'll make sure to post links to the Fetlife DO board.

In the meantime, I still have time to think of the best way to present these.

Podcast this week will be on vampkink. I suppose I'll end up mentioning my hours and hours playing Vampire: The Masquerade and hope for minimal mocking! (Dominate is too easy and too limiting. Presence. You want to use Presence and hypnosis skill for hypnosis in V:TM.) Really, though, the issue with this 'cast will again be the surfeit of material.

Finally, I am starting into the books on Tantra I bought, two of which are by the wonderful folks at TantraPM. I have a feeling that the mediation and trancework will be easier. The balancing, perhaps not so much!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Busybusybusy!

Tonight so far, I have:

Gone to an hour and a half long yoga class;
Uploaded the latest podcast;
Worked on the webpage;
Set up NF appointments for Tuesday and Wednesday (I still have Thursday free, and each night this week after 10:30 pm eastern);
Worked on some scripting;
Had a really yummy shower;

And helped Copper realize how brainwashed he is.


I think we can call tonight in general a win.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Podcast recorded!

I ended up doing hypnotic mantras, though, instead of Dark Odyssey.

Why? Because of the amount of stuff I have on DO, and the fact that I really don't want to shortchange any of it. At the same time, I don't know how many people are really interested in hearing my personal stories. It's kind of a tough place to be in. I love to share, I love to hear others' stories... I also know other people don't necessarily want to listen to those.

We'll see.

So hypnotic mantras, instead, because of a request from Master Raven on the MC Forum. After that, I'll decide what I'm doing next.

I'm working on my NiteFlirt hours of availability for this week. So far, it looks like I've got some space nightly at 22:30 eastern time. Interested parties should let me know!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Sometimes it all comes together...

...and then sometimes it doesn't.

I started recording my About Dark Odyssey 2009 podcast tonight. I thought I'd have to stretch to get 25 non-personal minutes out of it, because a lot of what went on there was very personal. Not a surprise; it happens at any kind of convention. And I didn't do as much out-in-public hypnosis this year as last year.

Instead, I found that I'd need at least three podcasts to do it all justice.

I got thirty minutes in and I hadn't talked about trancing people Friday night, barely got to mention Wiseguy and Dani Fantom's wonderful dinner/hypno party, had to elide much of the hypnosis I observed during the rope bondage and flogging workshops... and didn't get anywhere close to the really interesting things I wanted to say about being in hypnosis and Domspace while having physical things done to you.

I'm re-recording tomorrow.

Friday, March 6, 2009

WinterRose is right!

So, yeah. I live in a fun state. A state where people feel free to rally and say stupid things.

David Gibbs III, a lawyer who in 2005 fought to keep brain-damaged Terri Schiavo on life support, told rally participants gay marriage would "open the door to unusual marriage in North Carolina.

"Why not polygamy, or three or four spouses?" Gibbs asked. "Maybe people will want to marry their pets or robots."


Now... I don't talk about politics often, nor should anyone expect me to. So I'm not really going to touch the irony of a guy who didn't respect a man's right to make medical decisions for his long-gone wife talking about the sanctity of marriage, except to mention it at all.

I'll simply note that the Alt-sex-fetish-robots people are probably saying "Well, OK!" and the polyfolk like me are saying "Now that you mention it..." But look out, because Gibbs Esquire is coming down a mighty slippery slope there. Can we just get gay marriage OK'd, or civil unions for all and marriage decided in various religious organizations first? Thanks!

(And while I love my Roombas, I don't love them That Way.)

Genderfluidity

I have a headache today, and nowhere really good to trance it away. In spite of that, chapter two of my book is done. I even got a little more scripting in. Go me!

I spent some time with Lyinar/Kitty last night. L/K is my genderfluid pet; I'm never quite sure how zie will express zirself energy-wise at any given time. Last night was really confusing, as I got a lot of both with rapid changing around. Sometimes I know I was talking to a boy. Ten seconds later I was equally certain I was talking to a girl. It made getting the right pronoun a bit of a challenge, and sometimes I just gave up and went with the equivalent of "hey you." Zie doesn't mind, so I'm not going to worry about it!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Slow joy

I got a bunch done on scripting today. I could have done more, but this nasty thing called a day job got in the way. Still, I'm feeling fairly productive.

Last night, I spent some time with Copper working on some programming. Copper is not just my pet, not just my love (though he is both of those things). His submission is a slow, joyful work in progress for me. Sometimes he gets impatient with his slow surrender, but for me he is and always has been worth waiting for.

Copper is a very analytical man, and he is also very private. I love to play in public; he was nervous to the point of safewording about playing anywhere outside of his room. But he longs to be controlled, longs to let go to me completely.

I've seen analytical people complain over and over they can't be hypnotized. Copper was the same way, but with time he's become incredibly good at going deep. it would have gone much faster were he not thousands of miles away.

And he is changing... flowering into my control. In a few weeks we'll attempt some things we haven't before. So far, the programming is going beautifully.

It's fun to brainwash someone, whether quickly or slowly. Programming Copper and binding him ever closer to My desires has been and is a deep, lasting joy.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Working on my book...

It's nonfiction, so of course it's going slowly. I am making progress, though!

In the meantime, here's a piece of flash fiction. Because I feel like it, that's why. :)

*****

She held the rope taut in her hands, right in front of his eyes. "Bound."

His gaze went straight through the rope, unfocused. "Bound," he whispered. Dazed, dreaming, deep.

She looped a knot through the length, swaying the rope back and forth in his field of vision. "Bound and blank."

He repeated her words in the same soft voice, eyes moving just enough to follow the knot. His eyelids lowered with each pass. Finally they drifted closed. He was ready.

She slipped the cord over his shoulders, leaving it hanging loose. "Your mind is bound as I bind your body. Chant it."

"My mind is bound as you bind my body..." There was a moan in each word, a begging that increased her heat. Around and back and forth and through, she caught each wrist in a loop and secured them together. He whimpered each time the soft cord slid across his skin. Goosebumps rose. She smiled, running her fingernails over his thighs. He was already hard, but at her touch his erection jumped. The tip glistened with moisture.

"Good boy..." she crooned in his ear. "Good boy, going so deep for me." The ends of the rope slipped through the loop she'd first made. She tugged, letting him feel how truly he was caught. "This is what you've always wanted. To be bound for me, mind and body. To be truly helpless. Now your body knows what it feels. And every time I tell you you are bound, you will remember this moment, and your deepest self will carry you back to right here, right now, helplessly in my thrall. You are my toy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes my Lady, your toy understands..." His hips pushed, feeling the tension of the rope on his skin, thrusting out into empty air. She could see that he was almost ready. "Every time, your bound and helpless and enthralled toy..."

She wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Good boy. Now my toy comes for me. Now."

She held him as he bucked and cried out. Her embrace kept him from injuring himself or pulling the ropes too tight. As he settled, loose and limp in her arms, the firm grasp turned into a slow side to side rocking motion. "Deeper and deeper. Remembering this pleasure, this bliss always. Mine."

"Yours..." he sighed. And they could both hear the joy in the sleepy affirmation.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Excellent.

The Blackberry posting is, indeed, working. That means I'm not tied to the laptop if something occurs to me while out and about. Which is great, because I tend to have fun ideas in the car.

Today in the car I was scripting in my head. When I'm working with someone live, I don't use scripts at all. I tailor the inductions to them. I find I have much better results that way. But when I'm recording, I find that it's far better to at least outline a script and read from it. I think I'm skilled enough to avoid the monotone "I'm reading this off a cue card" effect.

But before I can get to a final script, I end up going through a multistep process, and this is where I am deeply grateful for Copper and Kitty's patience. First, I record a freeform rough draft... what I would be doing if I was live with someone and they were reacting well. Then either Copper or Kitty transcribes that mp3. I polish up the script, record it rough, and get feedback. Then it's further polished, and then I go to the studio with it.

Right now I have scripts for several CDs and ideas for several more. I know I can put out a CD a month; I'm fairly sure I could even do two at this rate. Certainly I've got enough fantasy ideas to keep it going for a while.

I just wish there were more hours in the day!

Just a test!

Just testing blogging from the Blackberry. Indulge me!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Refining written inductions

Jukebox is one of my pets, and I adore him deeply. It took a while for him to get comfortable with certain kinds of play. Sometimes, I can still see shadows of old fears peeking out. I do try very hard to deal with those issues head-on and address them.

He's been writing inductions for me off and on. Some of them, like "Imagine" and "Winter Wonderland," have already been recorded. Some are going to go onto CDs - "Relax," "Zero," and a few others. There was one he'd written that I just couldn't get into as originally presented, though: "Here Comes the Rain Again."

Most of the induction is absolutely fantastic. But there was one section in the middle where I could tell that J was trying to deal with his own fears. It wasn't obvious to anyone who didn't know him, but the way some things were phrased just didn't feel right to me.

This morning, we began the editing process. It was difficult for me on many levels, because I don't like to second-guess his talents, but I couldn't do it as written. Thankfully, J is good at taking constructive criticism and understanding it's not personal. I pointed out the specific phrasing with which I had issues and made suggestions for substitutions. Once it was pointed out to him, he understood and fixed the issue, even expanding the induction and making it longer.

I am thrilled with it now, and think it'll make a good short induction for CD or NiteFlirt. I won't put it out on the podcast; the one time I did that I had someone complain that it was a bit strong for them. This, even though the text of the induction is available on the EMCSA for anyone to read and see what they're getting themselves into in advance.

The best part, though, was that I was able to use this to reinforce his training. Once he was done, it was a simple matter to drop him into the warmth and get him all worked up, thinking hazily about how his words were going to be used to hypnotize someone else.

I am absolutely sure that part of him is already writing the next induction, so he can experience that kind of pleasure again. I can't wait to see what that induction is.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

New Podcast is up...

And I'm so glad that it is. It took a lot of effort to get back into the swing of things, but I'm hopeful I'll be able to record a few ahead on them.

This week's topic is social networking and the developments in it since last year. I hope I get some good feedback on it.

This week, the CDs should go live on CDBaby's site at some point. I'm deeply hopeful that the complete website will be live by halfway through the month. I have waited a very long time to get this going, and it's been a hard road getting it done.

Also, check out Jukebox's blog. He'll be writing in it by my Command sometimes. I'm very proud of him.

I should be updating this daily... so keep checking back!