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Quix's Random Bullshit Thread (Comments Welcome)

Yes but then you wouldn't get the month's worth of being told you're right and ego stroking, in addition to the agreed four times a year xD I forget which four times a year those are. I know one of them is your birthday xD

My opinion on what? And change of heart how? Note my skepticism.

I am unsure about this truce...It seems too good to be true...
 
Malicious Lullaby said:
Yes but then you wouldn't get the month's worth of being told you're right and ego stroking, in addition to the agreed four times a year xD I forget which four times a year those are. I know one of them is your birthday xD

My opinion on what? And change of heart how? Note my skepticism.

I am unsure about this truce...It seems too good to be true...
Click to expand...
It's my birthday, your birthday, Valentine's Day for some reason, and the Indian Festival Day that I can't recall the name of, xD

I mean it, truce called as of now! :)
 
Tomorrow is again ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp) day, one of my favourite day's of the year, and the one that I (and a lot of others think) should be celebrated as our National Day, rather than Australia Day, which celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet and settlement of Europeans in Australia, and for some of our indigenous people understandably has negative connotations.

ANZAC day, however commemorates one of the defining moments of our nation and the Australian identify - the landing of Allied forces on the Turkish peninsula on the 25th April 1915, only fifteen years after Federation in 1901, and the subsequent battle of Gallipoli in which over 10,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers lost their lives. Not to neglect the immense other casualties on both sides.

Out of a total population of less than five million, over 420,000 Australian men enlisted in WW1, many out of a sense of adventure or duty to the 'Mother Country', with them or those left behind having no real idea of what would war really was, or would be like. Gallipoli is where it hit home. I've posted before on what I find the day so special and enjoyable about the day - Two-up, anyone? -, so won't bore everyone else with that again.

I've also posted the below song before, albeit another version, but fuck it, I'll post it again, as I still think it one of the best war/anti war songs ever.

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNZfi6V2YwI[/video]

What else sends a shiver down my spine are the immortal and gracious words of Ataturk, President of Turkey, in 1935, enshrined on a Memorial at the scene of the battle:

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After h
aving lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."


Many Aussies make a pilgrimage there on the 25th of April each year, and although I've never been, I hope to one day.
 
Mr Quixotic said:
Many Aussies make a pilgrimage there on the 25th of April each year, and although I've never been, I hope to one day.
Click to expand...

Aye. I'd like to go there one day, just to experience it, and then to see just what a hellish land the British High Command had dropped the Australian soldiers into.

Having read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Les Carlyon's historical account Gallipoli, I would love to see what the peninsula is like, even more than 100 years after the first landings.
 
Sync said:
Mr Quixotic said:
Many Aussies make a pilgrimage there on the 25th of April each year, and although I've never been, I hope to one day.
Click to expand...

Aye. I'd like to go there one day, just to experience it, and then to see just what a hellish land the British High Command had dropped the Australian soldiers into.

Having read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Les Carlyon's historical account Gallipoli, I would love to see what the peninsula is like, even more than 100 years after the first landings.
Click to expand...

I think it's one of those places, because of the legendary status the ANZAC's have taken on here, that most Australians would love to visit one day. I haven't read up a whole lot on it, as far as detailed accounts go, but I probably should, and that book might be a good place to start.

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Whilst I'm here, a couple of interesting articles I found on the web, in relation to the common misinterpretations or misunderstandings from people in regards to what I'm asking for in my threads. As much due to my inability to express to others what's so crystal clear in my head so that they interpret it the same way, as anything else.

The first is in relation to my general preference and request for 'character-driven' stories, over plot-driven ones. Though, since I find it hard to step back and look at my own work, I'm not even sure if my own meet the criteria. My instinctive thoughts are that of the five I have, four are definitely character-based with the fifth being slightly more plot-driven.

What is a character-based plot?[/color]]
Original link here:

Stories with significance have theme and meaning. A character-based story, where coincidental happenings and fatalistic plot progression is secondary to character strengths and weaknesses, is one way, if not the best way, to achieve this. For most writers, the meaning of a character-based story is vague. A genre writer, dependent on plot twists and surprises that characters live and react to rather than effect, would believe characters in a mystery, suspense or thriller story, especially superheroes, would qualify as “character-based.” Batman saved Gotham City. What can be more character-based than that? But the emphasis is different when trying to achieve meaning, theme, and enlightenment with a story. In this type of story, the plot actions are driven, or at least affected, by the character’s human characteristics . . . the foibles, flaws, or special gifts, usually related to goodness. Of course, Batman is a good guy with special (superhuman) gifts. But his humanity has little to do with saving the city. Instead, evil threatens the city and he happens to be in the right place at the right time to prevent destruction. He is a creature of the plot rather than the heartbeat.

Here is a story that has lasted for hundreds of years. It will serve as an example to clarify the meaning of character-based story.

Once upon a time, in a village near the deep dark woods, Little Red Riding Hood wanted to take Grandma, who was very ill, a basket of goodies. She would have to walk through the woods for half an hour to get to Grandma’s house, which was in another village. ‘Be careful,’ her mother said. ‘Go straight on the path and do not talk to strangers.’ So Little Red goes into the woods and meets a wolf who wants to eat her but can’t because there is a woodsman nearby. The wolf asks her where she’s going, whom she will visit, and where. Red tells all. The wolf runs off and Red continues her journey, leaving the path to chase butterflies, and pick bluebells, and dip her toe in a cold refreshing stream. When she gets to Grandma’s house, the wolf has already arrived because she failed to heed her mother’s warning about staying on the path. He imitated Red’s voice to gain entrance, and he devoured Grandma. Then he dressed in her night clothes and crawled in bed under the covers. Little Red arrives. He tells Little Red to come in. As the wolf exposes himself little by little, Red listens to his smooth talk when she asks him about his big eyes, hairy arms and big teeth. Unsuspecting, she gets in bed and he devours her.

What has held this story in the collective consciousness of humans for centuries? First, it carries three significant messages. Listen to your parents. Innocence and naïveté can cause irreversible harm. Don’t trust a wolf in grandma’s clothing . . . you can get devoured. There is also the effective metaphor of the wolf for a child predator. But the significance of the story is mainly carried by the narrative story structure. Little Red is a character-based story. The plot moves forward because of Red’s human characteristics — especially her human foibles: she holds onto her childhood innocence, and she disobeys her mother.

This story could be framed as genre fiction. It could still be interesting, but it might not be as lasting because of the structure. Here is a possibility.

Red Riding Hood is kidnapped from the woods near her house. A few hours later some bones and scraps of skin are found at her grandmother’s house a mile away. The police are called and discover from the gray hairs trapped in grandma’s hand-woven throw rug that the wolf did it. The wolf escapes. Red’s mother grieves.

This version is a statement of happenings. Red is a part of the plot, but she is not driving the plot with her disobeying her mother and her wallowing in her innocence . . . and also the author would lose the effectiveness of the wolf metaphor when the story moves from fantasy to a more reality-based police procedural.

Here is another genre framework for the story. An action-adventure genre story. Something like this.

Red decides to go to Grandma’s house for a visit. In the deep dark forest she meets a woodsman. The woodsman is tracking a wolf that has eaten two children in the last two weeks. Red wants to help find the culprit. The woodsman agrees and sends her out as a decoy. The wolf tries to attack Red, but she stabs him with a knife the woodsman has given her. The wolf runs away, but the woodsman is able to follow the trail of blood. He finds the wolf near Grandma’s house, and after a life-threatening duel, the wolf is killed. Red falls in love.

In this story, again, all that happens in the plot is circumstantial. Who Red really is makes little difference. What she says, thinks, or wants would be irrelevant to the story. The same story could be written with Pinocchio as the major character.

To drive home the point, an author could restructure so that Red’s decisions do drive the plot to become more character-based again, but in another way. And the story gains meaning.

Red Riding Hood’s grandma, who lives in another village, is very rich and has a new dress, a box of Swiss chocolates, and bath oil waiting for Red Riding Hood for her birthday party the following week. But Red wants her presents now, even though her mother tells her to wait until her father can go with Red through the woods, which can be very dangerous. But Red goes anyway to get her presents early, meets the wolf in the forest, and is devoured.

Red is back driving the plot again, and there is significant meaning related to Red’s human attributes. Greed and impatience can be disastrous. The writer seeking to write great literary fiction can take two important points from Red Riding Hood story: Structure the story to display what it means to be human through character-based plot, and make the story significant. In Red’s case, the significance is partially related to the dire consequences of getting eaten by a wolf after Red’s seemingly almost innocuous actions.



The second is another article on character agency by a man I find myself nodding my head so much in agreement with that I might have to try and hunt down one of his novels to read, although I really have no idea at all what he writes!

How “Strong Female Characters” Still End Up Weak And Powerless (Or, “Do They Pass The Action Figure Test?”)[/color]]
Original link here:

The idea of writing a “strong female character” isn’t enough.

As shorthand, it sounds noble. It seems spot on. But a lot of writers — and writing advice about the subject — seem to get it wrong. I get asked about this a lot, I guess because I write women or girl characters like Miriam Black or Atlanta Burns who, on paper, kick a lot of ass.

And that is often the focus of the question — they’re characters who can fight, scrap, throw a punch, fire a gun, and that seems to end up the focus of the question. It’s where the buck stops. But for me, that’s never where it begins. It’s not even what makes them who they are.

Instead of writing “strong female characters,” try to aim for “women or girls that possess agency.” I’ve defined agency before and so I’ll repeat that definition here:

Character agency is… a demonstration of the character’s ability to make decisions and affect the story. This character has motivations all her own. She is active more than she is reactive. She pushes on the plot more than the plot pushes on her. Even better, the plot exists as a direct result of the character’s actions.

Strong is a word with an often male connotation — it carries with it a lot of baggage. And what we end up with are female characters who are physically strong and little else. Meaning, they can fight, scrap, throw punches, fire guns.

But their ability to fight isn’t what makes them interesting.

What makes them interesting is that they choose to fight.

And it’s that word — “choose” — that matters.

We focus so much on their Powers, we forget about empowering them with the ability to choose, to have wants and needs and to make decisions based on those things. (You know, like real people do.) We think of Abilities and Skills like they’re stats on a character sheet rather than thinking about what abilities women possess inside the story to affect that story. We think of Powers like She Can Fly or She Knows Kung Fu or She Has Mastered The Ancient Art Of Laser Kegels when we should be focusing on the character’s internal power, her narrative power to push on the story, to be a well-rounded human being, no matter how vulnerable, no matter how strong.

Look at it this way: video game characters are notoriously without agency largely by design. The technology of a game doesn’t allow for a great deal of free-range character choice — in Halo, I can’t take my character outside the mission boundaries. In Tomb Raider I can’t say, “I want Lara Croft to leave this life of horrific blood-soaked spelunking to become a well-paid, respected accountant,” because she’s not my character. I only inhabit her and can only inhabit that character insofar as the technology allows, but the illusion is enough inside a video game for the most part because it feels active — video games are very good at lending you the illusion of choice, making you feel like, because you can choose a bow or a gun or because you can go down the left passage instead of the right, you have agency in the world.

But you’re not writing a video game character.

The illusion of choice is not enough.

The physical, violent strength of the character is not a meaningful metric.

Many “strong female characters” feel like something ripped out of a video game. Or worse, they feel like toys — objects that look tough, hold guns, wield swords, have karate-chop arms, but are ultimately plastic, posable action figures. Empty and maneuverable, they go where you tell them to go because they’re just devices.

Alison Bechdel coined the Bechdel Test, which asks if the story (or an overall body of storytelling) features at least two women who talk about something other than a man.

Gail Simone talks about the “Women in Refrigerators” problem, where women and girls inside comic books are used as fodder — raped, killed, or otherwise excised of power through violence (and often to make a male character feel something). The only power these women have in the story is to be damaged enough to motivate the story or the male characters in it.

Kelly Sue DeConnick talks about the “Sexy Lamp” test, which says, if you can replace the woman in the story with a sexy lamp and it doesn’t affect the story outcome, well, fuck you, that’s what.

It’s no surprise that these three amazing writers come out of comic books, where women superheroes are often hyper-sexualized and contextualized as objects — and you’ll note that’s the theme that runs through these three tests, and what I’m getting at here. Women in fiction are often presented as objects. They’re pieces to move around a chess board. They’re toys and devices and objects of lust and precious treasures to save and mirrors to reflect ManPain and things to break so that ManTears happen. They’re sexy lamps, cold corpses, and singular creatures who only exist in relation to the male characters around them. And we need to test against this.

(This is ostensibly why we see a lot of pushback against a story like Twilight or its sexualized fan-fic reiteration, 50 Shades of Grey — it’s because of the toxicity that results when your women and girl protagonists are given almost no agency within the stories themselves. They’re just pretty dolls floating down river, picked up by men who find them fetching.)

Thing is, we often expect that we’re undercutting this objectification by making the characters “strong, kick-ass female characters.”

Forget about kicking ass.

That’s not the metric you need to worry about.

The only ass that your female character need to kick is the ass of the story — that’s the power you want to give them. The power of agency. They can be sexy and sexual without being sexualized or objectified. They can kick ass or not kick ass or have Power or Not Have Powers as long as you elevate them above mere action figures (“Look how poseable she is when she does her sexy high-kicks!”) They can be vulnerable or flawed or unlikeable as long as you treat them like real people, not like video game characters or a list of abilities or dolls or lamps or The Reason That Dude Does The Thing He’s Meant To Do. They’re not proxies, they’re not mannequins, they’re not mirrors, they’re not Walking Talking FleshLights, they’re not princesses in towers waiting to be saved, they’re not emotionless ass-kicking chicks who still don’t kick as much ass as the hero. I’d even argue that calling them “female characters” has its problems because it sounds clinical, distant, a characteristic, a check box, a footnote.

Think of them as women or as girls.

Think of them as people.

Then give them agency within your story, within its world, and equal to the other characters.

So endeth my rant.


And as Chuck Wendig endeth his rant, his words also boil down to what my 'rants' and threads are about, and what I look for in a female character to write opposite of - one with independent agency within the story who, in his words, 'has motivations all her own' - but am very rarely able to find.

It seems to be the distinction, 'all her own' that leads to the lack of understanding when I ask for it, because, to me, it means 'uninfluenced by anything other than her personal needs, wants or goals', whilst for others it's that part they don't seem to get in the same way, and think that attempting to deny the male character of what he wants is the same as attempting to achieve something she wants, when there's a vast chasm of difference (and agency) between the two.
 
Heh... The "Strong Female Character" rant reminds me (very well - not that I need reminding of this character) of a character I played on a Neverwinter Nights server a long time ago.

Amy Swift was a Paladin of Torm (God of Duty), and leader of one of the three main factions on the server. I played the character for over a year, which translated to about 4 years of game time. As the leader of a City, Amy drove stories, got heavily involved in other stories, was involved in diplomacy and fighting (not that she was very good on the battlefield, courtesy of game mechanics) - she was a very fun character to play (and sometimes rather stressful). Even though it was an Adult server, she didn't get involved in adult RP much, to the point where I started joking that her virginity was growing back.

In the end I killed her off - she died in the way a leader and hero should: giving her life to save the city she loved.

Fun times; fun character. Definitely not a woman to be taken for granted, and one who remained true to her beliefs the entire way through.
 
Interesting; it's funny, in my time here, I've probably had more approaches from my male writers who instinctively know what I'm looking for and offer up without further prompting, to play such a female character than I have from female writers.

Though, for reasons explained on here before - of which I know many people will disagree, say 'it doesn't matter' or not view/recognise/care about the principle behind it in the same way I do -, I decline to take those up, in my own little inconsequential battle against the perpetuation of gender-stereotyping in fiction (which only continues to help perpetuate it in real life), and the need for people to switch genders to write a particular type of character/personality rather than to be prepared to switch the perspective from which they write their own.

The latter is seen even more obviously on E on the preferences threads where the vast majority of those who write both the male and female genders will have 'male characters who dominate, female characters who submit' regardless of what their own gender is, as if those roles were designated at birth and there's no other possible way for either to act or be. And that always make me grind my teeth.

In that vein, what amuses me the most is those who come to me with something akin to, "I want to play a vampire-ess, and for you to play a Werewolf, and my character has to be submissive because that's how I am in real-life." Obviously the first question that then pops into my head is, "What, so you're a fucking vampire-ess in real life too?"

To end with a touch of humour, I came across another interesting article, that inspired a particularly enlightening flowchart, on my travels, xD

(May be easier to follow accessing from this link)

5YaN418.jpg
 
Quiet again with a couple of my partners on semi-hiatus and, of course, with that my mind drifts, and came across this on the web today. I found it interesting - well, except for the childish narration! -, though may bore some others to tears, xD

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTx58SY8BVU[/video]

Although I have posted about him before, I can't help but to continue to think what a travesty it is that Richard Green Ingersoll is so little-known. Not only would he likely at least made a run for the Presidency of the United States if he'd simply agreed to keep his views on religion silent, he was a man who spoke out strongly and without fear in favour of the abolition of slavery, free thought, women's rights and equality for all, not to mention being one of the greatest masters in the use of the English Language, both spoken and written, the world has ever seen.


"the greatest writer of the English language on the face of the earth,'

Henry Ward Beecher

"Aye, in all the history of literature, Robert G. Ingersoll has never been excelled -- except by only one man, and that man was -- William Shakespeare. And yet there are times when Ingersoll even surpassed the immortal Bard. Yes, there are times when Ingersoll excelled even Shakespeare, in expressing human emotions, and in the use of language to express a thought, or to paint a picture. I say this fully conscious of my own admiration for that 'intellectual ocean, whose waves touched all the shores of thought.'

Ingersoll was perfection himself. Every word was properly used. Every sentence was perfectly formed. Every noun, every verb and every object was in its proper place. Every punctuation mark, every comma, every semicolon, and every period was expertly placed to separate and balance each sentence.

To read Ingersoll, it seems that every idea came properly clothed from his brain. Something rare indeed in the history of man's use of language in the expression of his thoughts. Every thought came from his brain with all the beauty and perfection of the full blown rose, with the velvety petals delicately touching each other.

Thoughts of diamonds and pearls, rubies and sapphires rolled off his tongue as if from an inexhaustible mine of precious stones.

Just as the cut of the diamond reveals the splendor of its brilliance, so the words and construction of the sentences gave a charm and beauty and eloquence to Ingersoll's thoughts.

Ingersoll had everything: The song of the skylark; the tenderness of the dove; the hiss of the snake; the bite of the tiger; the strength of the lion; and perhaps more significant was the fact that he used each of these qualities and attributes, in their proper place, and at their proper time. He knew when to embrace with the tenderness of affection, and to resist and denounce wickedness and tyranny with that power of denunciation which he, and he alone, knew how to express.”

― Joseph Lewis, Ingersoll the Magnificent


Hyperbole, perhaps? Not to me, there's no other proponent of the English Language whose written word can affect and inspire me as much, and if I can introduce just one person to Ingersoll and his underappreciated status as not only a literary giant who influenced illustrious figures such as Mark Twain and George Bernard Shaw, but also a man who's place in history and the public consciousness should have a much greater prominence than it does, I'll be happy indeed.

For anyone who is even slightly interested, his entire works can be found here. I'd suggest starting off with The Liberty of Man, Woman and Child, which Elizabeth Cady Stanton,called after he delivered it as a Lecture, "The greatest triumph of oratory I have ever witnessed," with my personal favourite being Some Mistakes of Moses.
 
Do you ever randomly get into a mood where you just miss certain personalities on here, old partners or friends that haven't logged on in a while? I got struck by that today, an old partner who got taken away by real-life commitments, but I know that if she ever finds the time to return, the first thing she'll do is message me with a smart-ass, cheeky comment, and we'll pick back up our story right where we left off. Our agreement when she told me that she'd need to disappear was that it'd remain 'forever open.'

Another is a friend I've known for almost three years who's usually on daily but I now haven't seen online for a few weeks. Although we only talk once every three months or so, we follow each others presence, and she's one of the very people who just naturally intuits how my thought process works, 'gets' my sarcasm - not only the humour inherent in it, but also its intent -, and often appears psychic by popping me a morale-boosting message precisely when I need it to reaffirm that at least to one person what I say makes perfect sense. If only I could understand why my writing and characters seem to strike the chord with her that they apparently do, but then writing what I just have probably explains it. More importantly, as we do only talk rarely even when she is online, is with not having seen her around for an unusually lengthy period of time, hoping that she's okay.

Anyways, all of that's to say that I'm in a contemplative, melancholy mood - not to be confused with sad, as it's a mellow feeling I rather enjoy - listening to some more of the brilliantly talented Nick Cave, the 'Prince of Darkness'. whose songs perfectly fit the occasion. The first brings back memories of Dad, xD

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6LZoRBTuL4[/video]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqhOVY58zIo[/video]
 
One story on hiatus, but finally started another, on E, however, still can't find anyone for Internet Killers or a similarly themed plot.

I've had a few approaches, but it seems that most want to either play their female characters as submissive to the male in intent (big surprise!) or complete 'crazies', neither of which I'm interested in.

I'm more searching for realistically portrayed sociopaths as I think keeping that tone and portraying the characters as intelligent and 'normal' enough to be completely self-aware of their own complete lack of empathy towards their victims and the grief to be suffered by their families - but not giving a shit; in fact reveling in it -, and making that as much a part of the story as the acts they commit to be the more psychologically provocative. Which with this type of collaboration and theme is one of the reasons for wanting to write it; an attempt to achieve that effect.

I'm sure as long as I keep trying, I'll eventually come across someone on the same page.

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Not certain how the subject came up, but a conversation with the ever amusing Mali led to the name Ted E Bear being raised. Not the one I was initially thinking of, it brought back memories of ventriloquist's David Strassman regular appearances on a tv show over here. So, in contrast to the melancholy songs above, this time some humour:

Ted E Bare

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI62gl6mX7w[/video]


And, of course, there's also Chuck E Wood

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVyubT5mBGw&t=34s[/video]
 
Malicious Lullaby said:
I rescind this ventriloquist horror for you >.< -shudders-
Click to expand...

Are you sure? I thought you promised to let me portray a serial-killing, clown-costumed ventriloquist in our next story!
 
Malicious Lullaby said:
I said IT not all of that shit! >.<
Click to expand...

I guess there's always room for surprise twists once the story is underway, xD I know you like twists!

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Talking about stories, looks like I've picked another up on E, so with one here on hiatus, for the first time it looks as if I'll have as many active there as I do here which is slightly disappointing, but you have to take them, and those willing to write the type if independent-mined female characters I prefer to write opposite if, where you can find them. However, no fear, BMR is my 'home' and the friends, partners and stories I have such a part of my life that you'd have to shoot me to ever leave this site!

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Just back from a trip to visit Mum for Mother's Day. Headed down Friday afternoon and spent Saturday with her, as she had plans for Today. Good to see she has a nice bunch of friends who are all looking after her, and the guilt of enjoying life after Dad passed has mostly gone.

One of my brothers is heading down next weekend, and hopefully her sister and brother-in-law are coming up for a couple of months in July/August, whilst she's got another bloody cruise planned for December!

Happy Mother's day to all the awesome Mum's out there, if you're anything like mine who had to put up with three rambunctious, strong-willed, sarcasm-inclined competitive boys, not to mention a husband who was even more trouble and stubborn than those three combined, you deserve a medal! xD
 
A little head-clearing in an attempt get my thoughts organised as my brain's in a spin, and until all the random pieces settled into place, my mind will stress, wondering why the fuck it does this to itself :) From reasonably slow stories, I now have another up and going on E after being surprised with a very quick turnaround on an opener, and also woke up to five solid requests for Internet Killers after bumping that request on there yesterday. One even went so far as to write a starter after I hadn't responded to her original message, so keen was she (accompanied by a humourous note to let me know she wasn't a stalker!), and that looked promising, and the one I'd want to take up.

However, now what to do with the others; hold of on getting back to them in case this one doesn't pan out, in the meantime having five varied scenarios running around in my head to confuse me. Or pop them a message to say that, unfortunately I've decided to concentrate on another, so I'll need to put theirs on hold, and hope they'll still be interested if for some reason this one doesn't work. But then, "Thanks for the offer, you're my second choice, but I'll keep you in mind just in case the first goes awry," sounds fucking arrogant, and isn't the way I mean it! However, I also I do need to narrow them down to just one at a time to focus on.

The other thing with E is that I'm still not particularly keen on writing there or on the forum/posting and visual layout, and in particular the lack of ability to save drafts, so I continue to copy the stories over to BMR to compose my responses before heading back there to post them, xD
 
Opener from Dulce Periculum (Sweet Danger), on E. It's been a while, and damn difficult to find, but am glad to finally have the chance to portray a remorselessly evil serial-killer again. The opportunity to write such a personality is something I've definitely missed, and with this post, in response to her starter, now really feel that it's under way.

Happy with how it turned out, although I did plaigarise myself quite a bit from an old draft (warning: Dark content)

Dulce Periculum[/color] - Flickaha]


She’d been just like the other women; completely oblivious to his intent when he'd picked her up by the side of the road. Her expressions told the story, the screams and the moans that accompanied the opening of gashes in her supple, young flesh, before he'd literally poured salt on the wounds. Her face bruised, lips cuts and teeth broken, the girl’s eyes had glazed over, but the man hadn't allowed the bliss of unconsciousness to claim her.

A slap, a twist of the blade, a splash of water, the application of a lit match to her sensitive skin before he'd fucked all her holes in turn, if fucking was the appropriate word. It didn't sound anywhere near brutal enough, with every action designed to cause torment, to elicit another high-pitched squeal of terror, anguish and despair. To hurt.

Her screams had been music to his ears, her struggles, what he lived for. The man's ego would have loved to believe that the howls and moans he'd elicited were due to his sexual prowess, but he was realistic enough to know that they'd instead been caused by the serrated blade placed between her broken second and third ribs, strategically positioned to avoid any major organs, but deep enough so that each thrust forced it to twist and turn in her, and the tattooing of her face against the tree bark.

It was the aroma of her own frying skin, the stench akin to that of a roasting pig, that had sent her over the final brink of insanity, never to return. As flames illuminated the night sky and lapped at the screaming, screeching and writhing body of Cherise McMahon, her arms and legs bound, and choke collar placed around her neck, the man had kicked her in the jaw. The first strike of his steel-capped boot had snapped the chain, and almost taken her head clean off. It possibly would have, if the momentum hadn't been stopped by the thick trunk of the oak tree, creating a wet, thudding sound comparable to that of a water-melon striking the ground after being dropped from a great height.

He'd thought that had killed her, however, the groan of pain and gurgled breathing emanating from her mouth and newly rearranged nose swiftly said it wasn't so. The next strike cracked another rib, then he'd thrown water in her face, and entertained himself by adding a little fuel to the fire. Cherise remained alive and kicking, but had stopped screaming, and he'd stood there in the fire-lit forest, watching with an amused, satisfied expression until the woman had turned into nothing but charred flesh and bone.

"Goodbye, Cherise, you'll be missed."

He'd spat directly in her face, or what of it remained, as a final insult before departing the scene.

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"Ohhhhh fuck." The man shuddered in his chair as he re-ran the events of his latest conquest through his mind; each detail as vivid as it had been at the time three weeks ago. His legs writhed, his chest heaved, and he panted and puffed, then collapsed in his seat. A moment later, he reached for a tissue, wiped up the ejaculate, zipped himself in, tossed the soiled paper into the wastebasket and opened his eyes to catch a pair of glowing yellow ones staring straight back at him.

"Here kitty, kitty, come on." Rubbing his fingers together, the man smiled when the black tabby jumped up and nestled in his lap, scratching under its chin as he reached for the laptop on the coffee-table.

After bringing the device to life, he clicked on the Tor Browser icon and navigated to the website, scanning the latest message board entries for a few minutes before typing his own.

"Five dead, ravaged bodies. Five families who'll forever live with the pain. How many more?

This board is filled with pretenders and fakes, men who only wish they had the balls to do that which I make reality, and women who'd faint at the sight of a real corpse.

How does it feel to play God, to hold the power of pain and suffering, of life and death, in your hands?

With the lights darkened, and Mr Biggles purring contentedly in his arms, the man fixated his eyes on the screen, safe and secure in the knowledge that his messages were encrypted and their origin untraceable. It was amazing how many perverts there were out there. Even on this local, dark-web message board, there were usually at least ten or twenty online, boasting about their supposed exploits and seeking attention with their lies.

I know. You can only continue to imagine, in the sad, pathetic fantasies forever trapped inside your head.

And that was the difference between them and him; he'd long ago allowed his free reign in the real world.

One difference from the first time I wrote a similar story is that the relationship between the two protagonists will eventually become an (extremely unconventional, depraved) romance. So, that had me wondering how I was going to lay the groundwork for my character, as a pyschopath/sociopath, possessing some capacity for affection to show towards her later on, as fucked-up as that mutual affection may be.

Then I came across an article - an amusingly honest 'cat-for-adoption' ad from Pet Rescue Australia, partly reproduced below - which provided the answer and inspired the introduction of Mr Biggles, name and all. Why not give my character a pet to coddle!

Mr Biggles - Utter bastard of a cat[/color]]

Original link here:

"Mr Biggles (also known as Lord Bigglesworth) is an utter utter utter bastard. He looks gorgeous with his slinky shiny black fur and big yellow eyes... but beware. If he doesn't like what you're doing he will give you a nip! Sometimes he likes to swipe at your feet too. It just depends on what he can reach at the time.

Mr Biggles does not like to be thwarted. He throws a catty tantrum if he can't go outside when he wants to be let out. Not being fed on time, or allowed to strut across the kitchen benches helping himself to whatever is there is also a tantrum inducing exercise.

Mr Biggles is a despot and dictator, he will let you know he is not happy, which is often because things are often just not up to his high standards. There is some warning that Lord Bigglesworth is displeased with you, his eyes will go dark and tail will start swishing harder. Mr Biggles likes his cuddles on his terms, and will sit in your lap when he decides it's time. If the stroking is not up to his standards, he will nip you.

Shhhhh... Mr Biggles does have a secret soft side... he plays with kittens and actually does love a cuddle from time to time. He loves to be involved with what you're doing and loves to have a chat, he will respond if you talk to him. While he's not a fan of being picked up, likes a pat and cuddle from time to time and even permits kisses on his shiny black head if he's feeling mellow. He loves sleeping on the end of the humans bed, and in his cat bed (and he snores just a little bit, it's so cute). He loves to be out in the backyard stalking the chickens and supervising the gardening, and he has been seen playing with the dog (and not drawing blood).

And now I'm in trouble for telling his softie secrets so I have been ordered to say that Lord Bigglesworth believes he was put on this earth to be decorative and be worshiped by his human slaves!"

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If only I lived in Melbourne, I'd look at adopting him. My love of an independent mind and hatred of submissiveness extends to more than just humans, and he sounds just my type, xD He's even got his own website.
 
For those millennials out there looking to buy a home of their own, but can't stand the idea of having to give up either coffee or avacado to be able to afford it, an Australian cafe has just come up with an ingenious way to have a little of each, whilst saving half the cost.

Introducing the 'Avalatte'
[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwxsyWuZXJY[/video]

Now we'll all be able to move into that dream home so much sooner!
 
The expression I imagine on most people's faces, including other guys, when they discover there's a male who truly possesses not one iota of sexual attraction to women who define themselves and/or their sexuality as submissive.

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Which is why I probably, after all this time, still continue to receive approaches and comments along the lines of, "Oh, but you just haven't met the right submissive woman yet."

Yep, just like the gay woman who'll immediately turn straight once she's been screwed by the right cock.

Submission might be considered a gift by some, but offering it to me is akin to presenting a box of tarantulas to a known arachnophobe for Christmas and expecting him/her to be appreciative rather than repulsed. I'd rather socks and a tie.

People are free to enjoy whatever floats their boat, but they should also be respectful and aware enough - considering my clearly stated preferences - to keep it well the fuck away from me.


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Oh, and Happy Winter everyone :)

My favourite season of the year, which is why I'm glad that in Australia, unlike virtually every other place in the world, we can't be fucked waiting until the Solstice to officially welcome it!
 
A brilliant start to my morning; just found out:

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Welcome back -semi-back, kind of, a return to our story can wait for as long as it takes- to one of my favourite people and long-term friends.

Of course, only posting this here where you'll never see it because I wouldn't admit to your face that I've missed you or that my time on BMR just hasn't been the same in your absence! Not many others (Mali, I'm also looking at you here!) put sarcastic shit on me quite like you do, xD


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Also had an partner return to what I thought had become a dead story on E yesterday, the site which I've found myself becoming accustomed to and gravitating more towards lately. Particularly as I've currently close to twice as many active stories there as I do here.

Not that I'll ever leave BMR or stop looking for stories on here - too many friends and partners with whom I love chatting to and writing with and are stuck with me for life, xD - but I've felt the tone of the site has changed in the last few months, plus believe I've pretty much exhausted my pool of potential collaborators on here.

Now that I've been out and about on there a bit and am feeling more a part of the community, I'm also finding E does appear to offer a significantly greater creative variety, with many more prepared to portray women who fall outside of an extremely narrow 'submissive female/support actress to male lead' character range.
 
Crazy, crazy week at work so far, and also got a bit going on at home, so busy all round, if I'm a bit lax with my replies and OoC that's why. As much as I think my middle brother can be a pain in the butt sometimes (and he thinks the same of me in return) I do appreciate his help. Anyone who knows me would be aware that organisation is not my strong point, and that I'm not exactly what you'd call a handyman.

Give me a hammer, due to my impatience and lack of care for attention to detail or how something looks aesthetically - as long as it's tidy and it works - I'm more likely to put a hole in a wall than I am to worry about getting the nail in straight, so he's been helping me organise a few maintenance things that need to be done around the house. Which the tradies, under his direction, will be coming in during this week and next to fix up. I've no idea how he missed inheriting the 'mechanical/spatial incompetence' gene that was passed onto my other brother and I from Dad, but at least I'm not as bad as the eldest whose car blew up because he didn't know where to find the dipstick to check the oil!

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As far as my stories go, I think I'm on track for possibly my highest ever word-count this month. Head's in a bit of a weird place after finding out one of my new partners is a published novelist. Not that she told me, I discovered it coincidentally, and in a way, it's a compliment that she approached me, but damn, at the same time, it's not as if I'm not already self-critical enough, or don't place pressure on myself!

Although it's roleplay, not novel-writing, and I have incredibly skilled partners who enjoy what my lesser natural talent produces, there is something extra about that phrase/discovery that sends a "oh, shit, I'm never going to be able to keep up, I should cut my losses before I really make a fool of myself" shiver of insecurity down my spine. But then, I'm way too stubborn to ever do that, and so will just enjoy the additional self-induced stress, xD

On another note, in three years of writing, for the first time I've a partner than uses the same variant of English as me. The weird thing is whenever I read a word that she spells 'correctly' as far I've learnt it, my initial reaction is to furrow my brow and think, "No, that's not right, you spelt it wrong." So accustomed have I become to expecting to read the Americanised version from my collaborators.
 
I feel ya on the spelling thing Quix, I've been lucky to have worked with one or two people that have the proper for anywhere but America spelling.

Give yourself some time, you'll get the hang of reading it again. :p
 
I'm hoping so, Alvis, but it likely still won't stop the times on my end I confuse my own brain by looking at the red squiggly lines that appear under the British English spelling and double-guess myself. Do I have it right, or do I not, and don't even get me started on the word 'humorous', or others of its ilk, where the British variant does randomly decide to drop a u! :)
 
I'm torn on this because I both love reading British spellings of words and hate seeing red squiggly lines in my own text boxes. I think this is the closest I've ever come to sadism in a roleplay. :s
 
CassandraV said:
I'm torn on this because I both love reading British spellings of words and hate seeing red squiggly lines in my own text boxes. I think this is the closest I've ever come to sadism in a roleplay. :s
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, and there's certain English spellings/words I like, but hold back from using. The thing that stops my brain from completely going around the twist is that at least the red squiggly lines disappear once the save draft or post buttons are hit :)
 
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