Thanks to the silent ones

Cyan stories don't get much recognition from the EMCSA crowd, but I know people read them even if they don't comment on them. For instance, I haven't received much feedback on "How Did It Come To This?"; but Stat Counter shows me how many readers are clicking through to my blog from the story.

I don't have any personal information about my visitors, but the statistics are nice in their own way. They let me know people are out there, all around the world, enjoying what I have to say. That's a great feeling.

So let me return the favor. I don't post on every forum I visit, or e-mail every writer who floats my boat. I appreciate the privacy of lurking, and I appreciate the fact that you stopped by even if you didn't say anything. You might not have known it, but you made me smile.

A Peek Beneath the Duct Tape: How Did It Come to This?

I hope I fooled some of you with the red herring in How Did It Come To This? - and I hope none of you dropped the story before you found out it was a red herring. If I ever wrote another vampire tale (and after collaborating so successfully with Jukebox* on The White Album, why should I?), it certainly wouldn't have a vamp as traditional as Jimmy would have been...if he'd been a vamp.

Admittedly, my first idea for a hockey-player-vs.-figure-skater story did involve a Nosferatu, but there's a reason the story didn't work out that way. I couldn't make it work out that way; it would have been too boring. I didn't get enthusiastic about the tale until I realized Jimmy didn't have to be a real vampire; he just had to seem like one. Then it occurred to me that the lyrics to "Time Is Running Out" would fit incredibly well with an EMC story, and I got really enthusiastic.

I don't know how many m/m fans are also Muse fans (though the "belldom" phenomenon would suggest some overlap ;)), so I won't go into much detail about the Muse-related Easter eggs in the story. If you're not a fan, you won't even notice them; and if you are a fan, you'll get a few extra laughs from the story. Here's a hint: Aside from TIRO and "Hysteria," I've referenced at least seven other Muse songs; and I've also given each of the band members his own hidden shout-out.

Not all the Easter eggs are Muse-related, though. Larry Szymanski isn't a fan of Stephen King, but I am, so there's a reason for the capitalized "It" in the fortune cookie scene. You'll get "It" if you've read It. ;)

Speaking of which, my first idea for Jimmy's fortune was a fortune I received myself: "Good sense travels on the well-worn paths; genius never." Eventually I worked this out to be a bad translation of something like, "Good sense always travels on well-worn paths, but genius never does." In other words, genius goes its own way.

That's Jimmy, I think. He succeeds even though he never takes the well-worn paths and never does the expected. In fact, he's so instinctive in his actions that he doesn't always realize what he's doing, himself. I wasn't sure about that at first, but in the end I realized he was just playing by ear and having fun. Of course, he never doubted he'd get Larry in the end. After all, he's not just a genius; he's a fae.

Good thing he's an iconoclast fae, though. Imagine what could have happened to Larry if Penelope had gotten hold of him!

*My collaboration with Jukebox was so successful that I think some of his influence carried over into this story. You can see it mostly in the humor and in Jimmy's banter.

This and that

This post is sort of a mishmash, but I have a lot of things to talk about today.

First, I've sent the final chapter of How Did It Come to This? off to Simon, so expect to see it in next week's update. I hope you're enjoying it so far. I haven't received much feedback, but my Stat Counter tells me that lots of people are popping in here from the EMCSA - and lots of people are enjoying the Johnny Weir pics. I take that as a good sign. But remember: writers really love feedback! If you're enjoying the story, or even if you're not, drop me a line. Oh, and don't assume that all of Larry's assumptions about Jimmy are correct. ;)

Second, I thought you'd like to hear about a dream I had recently, since it involved so many things the EMC community holds dear. I dreamed that Supergirl was transformed into a mind-controlled zombie much like Tabico and Iago's Olithoi (first introduced at the end of this story arc). She had grey skin and white eyes, and she was utterly mindless. Her controllers sent her after another superheroine who was, I think, Supergirl's sidekick. For some reason this sidekick looked like the model Nicotine. Eventually I became this second girl, so I got the firsthand experience of being strapped to the brainwashing machine and plugged full of IV's and electrodes. So nice. :) I don't remember what happened after that, but for me, the induction is always the best part of any MC scene.

Finally, I just stopped by Asudem Latex's blog and found an amazing video. It's not embeddable, but I've taken a few screen shots to whet your appetite:

This is technically an art installation, but it's sooo easy to build fantasies around. In my mind, the two women (and one man, not pictured) are either nude or totally encased in black or silver. They've become mindless, living art displayed by some world-conquering MC'er like John Dominic of What Do You Give the Man Who Has Everything?  They don't move to make the piece more interesting; they move because all they think or know now is pleasure. And so they squirm, wrapping themselves around their enticingly placed tubes and plunging them slowly in and out, in and out....

And that reminds me of a story I read once as a teen. I'd love it if someone else remembers it and can tell me how to find it again. The story was science fiction, part of an anthology by an author I don't remember now (I once thought it was Clark Ashton Smith, but now I think I was wrong). The story was about a performance artist who paid the bills by posing at a living statue. In the centerpiece scene, she stands nude on a dais at a dinner party, stock still on her toes, with a thick tube running between her pussy and her mouth. Later she does other pieces involving silver contacts and things like that. At the end of the story, her type of performance art has gone out of style and she just lies down in the street like a piece of trash, motionless and still wearing those contacts; she just doesn't know any other way to live now. I would so love to read that story again. Someone help me out!

A *Preliminary* Peek Beneath the Duct Tape on "How Did It Come to This?"

I have more to say about my latest story than usual, so I'm splitting my commentary in two and devoting the first half to non-spoilery talk about the inspiration for Jimmy DeVere.

Of course, if you're interested enough in gay men to read a cyan story, you probably already know about Johnny Weir. In fact, you probably know more about him than I did when I started writing How Did It Come to This?.

I used to enjoy watching the Winter Olympics, especially the figure skating, but I gave it up before Weir burst onto the scene. Oh, I heard about him here and there, but I never saw him skate and only once saw him interviewed before I started writing. My impression of him was based mainly on pictures, a few sports articles, and the shitstorm he braved at the 2010 Olympics.

I always knew that if I wrote my "hockey player vs. figure skater" story, Johnny Weir would be the model for my MC'er; but it took a long time for me to work out the plot. Once I did, I was dying to start writing; so I researched hockey and figure skating as quickly as I could, then went with what I already knew about Johnny Weir. That might sound odd to you, but I thought I had a strong enough mental image to build a character around. Besides, Jimmy was never meant to be Johnny exactly; he's more of an intentionally uninformed fantasy version of Johnny. That gave me license to play around with details like his musical taste and personal life, not to mention his species. ;-)

Once I had the rough draft in good shape, I could relax enough to satisfy my curiosity about the real Johnny. I started with YouTube, where I found (among many other interesting things), the video below. The routines he performs in competition are beautiful, but I can't help liking his exhibition performances better because they really allow him to be himself.

Later I discovered that all ten episodes of Weir's reality show (Yes, he has one all his own), Be Good Johnny Weir, are available online. I highly recommend them. The show is awesome and Johnny Weir is even more awesome. He doesn't always come out on top, but his courage and ability to bounce back are amazing. And he never, ever caves in to bullies. He always remains true to himself, no matter what the cost.

Watching the show (and several more interviews), I realized Jimmy isn't as much like Johnny as I thought. Considering how much Johnny values personal freedom, he might be horrified to know about my story. What I'd like to think, though, is that it would give him a good laugh. Weir has a great sense of humor, and he took a hilarious jab at homophobic hockey players in one episode of his show. As you read the following quote, bear in mind that I wrote my story before hearing him say this:

Let's go brave these hockey players. Last week they called me "Johnny Queer" and then made a blow job gesture....When you walk by a group of jocks and they're making fun of you, in general, I'll want to turn around and say, "Okay, if you want a blow job, present your penis." Sexually, I enjoy being pursued, or taken to dinner and then pursued. I think it's trashy to do it behind your back.

I so love this man. :)

Now here are a few last Johnny/Jimmy-related notes before I send the next chapter to Simon:

• Johnny's teeth turned out to be straighter than I remembered, but they really are a little...peculiar looking, aren't they? And those canines are definitely worrisome.
• Yes, I've seen Blades of Glory, but I didn't name my MC'er after Jon Heder's character. I named him "Jimmy" because it was the closet name to "Johnny." I enjoyed the movie, but I don't think it made a big impression on my story.
• Yes, I've seen The Cutting Edge, but it was a couple of decades ago and I don't remember much about it. Any coincidences beyond the obvious really are just coincidences.
• Yes, I know about the Canadian reality show that pairs hockey players with figure skaters. No, I never got to see it.
• Yes, I know about the reality show that pairs figure skaters with non-skaters; and I know Johnny Weir was a judge for the show. But I didn't find out about it until after I finished my rough draft, and I haven't seen it yet.
• Yes, I'm sure the figure skating sections of my story have a few technical problems. Just take a deep breath and use that extra buoyancy to suspend your disbelief, okay?

The good news and the bad news

Bad news first: Chapter 1 of "How Did It Come to This?" didn't make it into this week's EMCSA update because Simon thought it didn't have enough overt MC content. He asked me to send him more of the story.

Thus the good news: I've just sent him the second chapter, so that means you'll probably get the first two sections of the story in the next update. They're only 4,000-5,000 words each, so I don't think that will be too much for anyone to read in a single week.

Honestly, I was torn myself about whether or not chapter 1 had enough MC to post alone. The content is there, but it's pretty subtle, and you won't understand what's happening until the end of chapter 4. On the other hand, you won't have any trouble spotting the MC in chapter 2...or the sex, either. ;) Part 1 is mainly humor. And strippers. ;P

I can't help being disappointed that Simon withheld my story, but I understand his point of view (and I'm glad to know he really reads my stuff ;)), so I can't complain. I just feel bad for anyone who was looking forward to starting on "How Did It Come to This?" this week. To make it up to you, here's a rerun of the clip that launched the whole story for me:

Whew!

Well, folks, my newest story is in the pipeline. I just sent the first chapter off to Simon, so it should show up in the next EMCSA update. For some reason, this one took more polishing than most of my stuff, but it was worth it. I really like the way it came out in the end.

The story will have four chapters in all, and if you've been following my blog for awhile, you probably have an inkling of the plot already. In fact, if you've been following my blog long enough, you might even know who the (very thinly) disguised MC'er is. ;) But I'm not going to make it too easy for you to put everything together. I'll just say that I dropped my most recent hints in a May 2011 post, but the idea first occurred to me over a year ago. Yes, I know that's a lot of ground to cover, but if anyone is bloodyminded enough to try, keywords will be your friends. ;-)

For the rest of you, I'll just give you the title to look out for: "How Did It Come to This?", and the story blurb: "A hockey player signs on for a reality show and finds himself paired with a flamboyant figure skater."

You've probably figured out by now that the story is cyan, but I think most of my regular readers are fine with that. Besides, it's a damn funny story, if I do say so myself. ;-) I hope you'll enjoy it.

Stream of (sub)consciousness

Back when I was a teenager, I read Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions. I hardly remember anything about it now, not even the central plotline; but one bit has always stuck with me. There's a character in the book who's writing his own book and has everything planned out ahead of time. Then suddenly one of his characters surprises him, doing something he didn't anticipate (Hmm, or maybe one of Vonnegut's characters surprised him; like I said, I don't remember much about it anymore).

The reason this scene stuck with me is because it rang so true to my own experience. When I'm in the zone, my characters actually do write themselves. Sometimes they even dictate to me. For instance, the MCer in the story I'm working on now is wittier than I'll ever be, but his dialogue came naturally to me (Yes, it's a "him" this time - but the story's not yellow. I wouldn't dare!).

I also wrote most of the rough draft without fully understanding the MCer's methods. That's where the title of this post comes in. I go mostly on instinct, trusting my subconscious to make sense of things I don't consciously understand. Now, my MC'er in this story is pretty capricious, so I assumed he was going on instinct, too...until I slipped in a particular Easter egg. The MCer's subject is making a wild guess about his plans, but after I wrote the guess, I realized it was right! I'm still not sure if the MCer realizes what he's he's doing, though. He hasn't told me.

Anyway, more on all this when I publish the story and post my "Peek Beneath the Duct Tape." For now, I just want to marvel at the things my brain does when I'm not looking.

Things to know

You've probably gathered that I'm working on a new story, but I refuse to set a deadline for myself this time because doing that always makes me feel pressured. However, I will drop a few hints today that you might want to keep in mind for...whenever:

• If you think you've spotted a Muse Easter egg, you're probably right.
• A few Lady Gaga references were unavoidable, but I've kept them to a minimum.
• The red is there for a reason.
  
• The fact that I'm using dreams again is pure coincidence.
• There is a red herring.

Your assistance, please?

There was a time when I only wrote what I knew, but I seem to be moving further and further away from that era. For instance, with the EMC story I'm plotting now, I'll have to know a lot more than I already do (which is practically nothing) about skating sports. Specifically, I need 1) technical knowledge of pairs skating and 2) comparisons and contrasts between hockey and figure skating.

Make of this what you will. ;-)

Anyway, Jukebox tells me there's a Canadian reality TV show where hockey players team up with figure skaters, but I can't access the YouTube videos because I live in the wrong country. :-/ If you can watch the show and have been doing so regularly, you could certainly help me; and if you have personal experience with both sports, you could help me even more. I'm also looking for people with in-depth knowledge of pairs skating (Lady K already has me covered on the hockey front).

If you'd like to volunteer your services, you'll get advance details and peeks on the story in progress, though of course you'll be sworn to secrecy; and I'll give you credit on my blog and in the notes at the top of the story when it's posted on the EMCSA* - assuming you do want that and don't want to remain completely anonymous. But if you would like a credit, I'll use whatever name you wish.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me!

* I make no promises about when it will be posted, but it'll happen.

It all makes sense now

It was quite obvious, really. I'm just surprised that it took a crackpot-conspiracy-theory website to open my eyes. Charlie Sheen's brain isn't fried from drugs, people; he's a victim of government-sponsored mind control! MK Ultra, to be exact...which gives me just the excuse I need to talk about Muse again. ;-) Get used to it. Their music will actually have a starring role in my next EMC story. ;-P

gay vampires on ice

For the last several days, my slash-loving friend and I have been discussing gay men, including fierce and fabulous figure skater Johnny Weir (who's so obviously gay and so cool about it that he doesn't feel any need to make an official declaration. Three cheers for forward thinking!). Yesterday I shared this video with her. Have a look, if you can; it's chock full of awesomeness.

Anyway, my friend noted that Weir's attractiveness comes from his physicality and his personality, rather than his face. She said his teeth creep her out because they look like fangs.

Amazingly, I hadn't even noticed this until she said it, but damned if she isn't right. Johnny Weir would make one hell of an interesting vampire. Throw in one of those hockey players he talks about in the interview (challenging them to do what Johnny does for a day "and not cry"), and you've got a perfect cyan MC story! Hmmmmm! ;-P