This is a truly massive post. Just sayin'.
1. Re: the SGA plagiarism drama: I haven't seen anybody mention this, and I came upon it totally accidentally and in a spectacularly ass-backwards way, but jdr1184 undeleted her journal and came back to man up and apologize. Granted, her apology leaves a little to be desired (but I of course have no way of knowing if she's contacted the authors involved directly), but she did take total responsibility for her actions, which I thought was quite classy and unexpected of her.
ETA: Aaand deleted again.
2. OMG, Kink Bingo is over!
So here is what I wrote:
Line one (June 7-27):
The Hanging Gardens (Stargate: Atlantis, Woolsey/John, suspension- also contains D/s, R, 1157 words)
I like this story more and more the farther I get away from it. John's silent freak-out is just too good.
A Botanist's Guide To Hazakura Temple (Phoenix Wright, Edgeworth/Phoenix, aphrodisiacs, NC-17, 1453 words)
Have you ever written something and thought it was just totally unremarkable? I mean, it's a solid story, and it's hot, but I just don't really have anything to say about it.
Corrected Grain (Stargate: Atlantis, John/Rodney/Ronon/Teyla, leather/latex/rubber, NC-17, 885 words)
I really like this John. I think John is a person who sees himself as nondescript, even despite all evidence to the contrary, which I think is why I identify with him so strongly.
Paraphiliac (Stargate: Atlantis, Rodney/John, painplay (other)- contains use of stinging nettles and heavy angst, R, 792 words)
What I really like about Kink Bingo is that it made me sit down and actually think about these kinks and how I could spin them; because in any other challenge, it would be enough of a hook just to write a story that had a kink in it, but for this one you've got to step it up a knotch. So, this story is kind of me taking a kink I really like (because- spoiler alert- I am a masochist) playing devil's advocate against it.
And Keys Cut While You Wait (Stargate: SG-1/Stargate: Atlantis, Daniel/John, roleplay/au (master/slave), NC-17, 1483 words)
What I find kind of fascinating and disturbing about slavefic is that it's always so divorced from the everyday. Yeah, yeah, it's really hot to find a slave boy all tied up to your bed and suitable for ravishing, whatever; but what's it like in a world like that on, like, a Tuesday? What ways do people find to fit this into their daily lives, and how do they sleep at night? Also, I wanted to see if I could wrte a slavefic that was unequivocally not dubcon or noncon, because I really didn't know if it could be done. I really need to come back to this verse, because there's this whole backstory that only exists in my brain, wherein Rodney is really, really, tremendously broken (as is the way of Rodney in all AUs) and Sam and Jack are star-crossed lovers.
Line Two (August 20-September 1)
Never Entirely Clear (Stargate: Atlantis, Ronon/Radek, brands/branding, PG-13, 515 words)
You know, I really hate the title of this story. Otherwise, I like it, especially because I managed to write it around a kink that squicks me, but the title sucks. It's just that I can't think of a better one.
Culture Thing (Stargate: Atlantis, John/Ronon, film/photography, NC-17, 763 words)
So, I started writing Gibbs/Abby for this prompt, because I had had it up to here ::indicates above head:: with angsty Gibbs/Abby D/s stories. And it was quite a cute, fun story, except that the photography part felt really pasted on and sort of out of place. So I set that aside and started writing Gibbs/Abby/McGee D/s, cause obvs the answer to the Gibbs/Abby vs. McGee/Abby debate is hot hot threesome action with switch!Abby goodness. Only it turned epic on me, and I couldn't get it done before the deadline; and again, the photography element was just a means to an end, not a focus of the story.
So, I got really frustrated with the whole thing, because I couldn't seem to articulate why taking naked pictures was hot, and that is fucking clown shoes. But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized I just couldn't, because so many things about it are so sensual and so dangerous and so specific.
So I just put my words in John's mouth and called it a story, which is why I really don't like it.
dye my eyes and call me pretty (NCIS, McGee/DiNozzo, crossdressing (outerwear), NC-17, 1228 words)
I'm unusually pleased with this story, considering it's my first NCIS one. Here's the thing about McGee- totally a bottom in terms of dominance, but totally a top in terms of the assfucking. I think that's why I like him. And, I mean, Tony in a dress riding somebody, how the fuck can you go wrong with that?
Break (Stargate: Atlantis, Ronon/Rodney/Teyla/John, breathplay- also contains rough sex and double penetration, NC-17, 587 words)
This is not the prompt I originally intended to write this fic for. I started writing a simultaneous double line across the bottom, and this was to be the breathplay + spanking/paddling story. But, I decided to write another vertical instead. It works just as well without the spanking. Also, I've just noticed that this line is unusually Ronon-focused for me; it's not that I don't like Ronon, or anything, but I still have the "looks like my brother DO NOT WANT" thing going on with him.
One Out of Every Twenty (Stargate: Atlantis, Rodney/John, Caldwell/Weir, spanking/paddling- also contains public play, R, 987 words)
Again, not the story I set out to write. The story I had for this square was a Gibbs/Abby/Tony story which was secretly about Tony's ridiculously circuitous plan to get McGee into bed; trust me, it's less complicated than it sounds, and it had some great Tony monologue. But, I couldn't finish it in time and do it any justice. So this story is something that's been this sort of abandoned floating idea I've had in my head, wherein John and Caldwell meet in a BDSM club and John tries to pretend to be a top, for whatever reason, and Caldwell's all "LOL pull the other one". I'm glad to have finally found it a home.
Statistics: 10 stories, 9850 words (damn!)
Final thoughts: Great challenge! I have to say, I almost regret having done the second line; I'm far more pleased with the results of the first. The second five were me trying to push through a writer's block; for some reason, writing for mcshep_match really took it out of me, and I've been trying unsuccessfully to get back on the horse since then. But, I think it's, for the most part, good stuff.
And here is some stuff what other people wrote:
Forty Days by thingswithwings (SGA, Ronon/Rodney/Teyla/John, explicit, virginity/celibacy)
I'm in love with this freaking story. Team Shep is my favorite OT4 in the history of OT4, and this story captures them perfectly. It's really hot and hilarious and just a really good time (and the twist at the end makes it totally epic).
Peace of Body by farasha (NCIS, McGee/Abby, NC-17, chastity devices)
There are a lot of things to recommend this fic. I usually see McGee as more of a passive type, but he's quite dominant in this story, in a very believable way. Abby and McGee's interactions are very in-character, and the porn is, like, smoking hot.
A Week in the life by bironic (SGA, Rodney/Katie, NC-17, consent play- also contains bondage)
I beta-ed this story, because I have been waiting to read it since bironic first mentioned she was thinking about writing it. The pairing is a favorite, and one that never, ever gets written enough; and I love how quotidian the story is- it's really refreshing to read a consent play story with zero angst in it.
I'll Catch You If You Fall by seleneheart (NCIS, McGee/DiNozzo, NC-17, consent play- also contains weapon play)
And on the other side of the consent play coin, there's this. I almost didn't rec this story, because I found it really uncomfortable to read, but that was because it was so well-executed. My heart breaks for poor Tony.
Washington Two-Step by ellia (NCIS, Tony/OMC, FRAO, anonymous sex)
Speaking of my heart breaking for Tony. This is really hot and perfectly believable and so Tony.
Homosexual Freak Out, or Lack Thereof by angstschrei (NCIS, DiNozzo/McGee, NC-17, rimming)
And hey, look! A story that makes me happy for Tony! This story does exactly what it says on the tin, and I love it for that.
Ingrained by neevebrody (SGA, Rodney/John, NC-17, writing on the body)
And here is a story that has nothing to do with Tony at all. It's a unique take on the kink, and it's so dreamy and sensual; Rodney is moving really fast and John is moving really slow, and they sort of blur into each other.
The Alchemy of Sin by telesilla (SGA, Rodney/John, NC-17, caning)
Unrepentantly dominant Rodney is my favorite of all Rodneys. This presses all my buttons and is just smoking hot.
Tied Up by chkc (SGA art, tentacles/John, Todd/John, NSFW, tentacles)
There is no reason not to love this picture. Tentacles! On John! With Todd! I had a hard time picking between chkc's entries, but conveniently enough they are all in the same post!
Obedience by mashimero (SGA art, Rodney/John, R, obedience)
Here's something shocking- this picture has John Sheppard naked in it, but it's totally not what draws my eye. How impressive is that? I just can't stop looking at the "I've got this handled, what the hell are you looking at?" expression on Rodney's face. Guh.
2a. And while we're on the subject of recommendations, Hang On Tight is a heartbreaking and lovely story that just really hasn't gotten the attention it deserves.
I swear one of these days I'm going to make a rec list of nothing but stories that made me weep openly. And speaking of which, if you haven't read Interstitial yet, hie ye to it, and bring tissues.
3. You know what I always thought would be insanely fun? A challenge where you had to write as if you were someone else from fandom (who had also signed up for the challenge, obvs).
Of course, the problem would be that if you didn't have a group of people who liked to laugh at themselves, it would be a non-stop drama fest.
4. I must, must break 30000 words on Big Bang before Dragon*Con. I've been slightly discouraged by the fact that I can't find a word count utility that's not fantastically unreliable. OpenOffice's built in one just sucks, frankly; there is absolutely no reason that my story should be 26800 words on one computer and 27300 on another. Even if it counted markup, which it doesn't, there is absolutely no way there are 500 words of markup in this story. And the most common Java applet leaves out numerals, and ARGH. You would think that 500 missing words in a ~27000 word story would not be a big deal, but when it's the difference between being in the middle third and being out of it, it's really incredibly discouraging.
Also discouraging is that I really still don't know what the story will look like when it's done. The back half is maybe 5000 words from done, and most of that is porn and John angsting, honestly, so it's pretty much fine; but the front half is still a shambles. I know pretty much all the stuff that happens; unfortunately, all the stuff I've left is political intrigue and Rodney freaking out, and it needs to hang together right or the story won't work. Maybe I'll try ploting it on notecards, once I get another five or six thousand words down.
4a. OMG DRAGON*CON. I HAVE NOT STARTED PACKING. MY ATLANTIS COSTUME IS STILL IN BITS. I NEED TO WASH EVERYTHING I OWN. But I have tomorrow off! So maybe it will get done.
5. ...I never did eat dinner, did I? I should get on that.
6. Is Semagic acting broken for anybody else?
ETA: Aaand deleted again.
2. OMG, Kink Bingo is over!
So here is what I wrote:
Line one (June 7-27):
The Hanging Gardens (Stargate: Atlantis, Woolsey/John, suspension- also contains D/s, R, 1157 words)
I like this story more and more the farther I get away from it. John's silent freak-out is just too good.
A Botanist's Guide To Hazakura Temple (Phoenix Wright, Edgeworth/Phoenix, aphrodisiacs, NC-17, 1453 words)
Have you ever written something and thought it was just totally unremarkable? I mean, it's a solid story, and it's hot, but I just don't really have anything to say about it.
Corrected Grain (Stargate: Atlantis, John/Rodney/Ronon/Teyla, leather/latex/rubber, NC-17, 885 words)
I really like this John. I think John is a person who sees himself as nondescript, even despite all evidence to the contrary, which I think is why I identify with him so strongly.
Paraphiliac (Stargate: Atlantis, Rodney/John, painplay (other)- contains use of stinging nettles and heavy angst, R, 792 words)
What I really like about Kink Bingo is that it made me sit down and actually think about these kinks and how I could spin them; because in any other challenge, it would be enough of a hook just to write a story that had a kink in it, but for this one you've got to step it up a knotch. So, this story is kind of me taking a kink I really like (because- spoiler alert- I am a masochist) playing devil's advocate against it.
And Keys Cut While You Wait (Stargate: SG-1/Stargate: Atlantis, Daniel/John, roleplay/au (master/slave), NC-17, 1483 words)
What I find kind of fascinating and disturbing about slavefic is that it's always so divorced from the everyday. Yeah, yeah, it's really hot to find a slave boy all tied up to your bed and suitable for ravishing, whatever; but what's it like in a world like that on, like, a Tuesday? What ways do people find to fit this into their daily lives, and how do they sleep at night? Also, I wanted to see if I could wrte a slavefic that was unequivocally not dubcon or noncon, because I really didn't know if it could be done. I really need to come back to this verse, because there's this whole backstory that only exists in my brain, wherein Rodney is really, really, tremendously broken (as is the way of Rodney in all AUs) and Sam and Jack are star-crossed lovers.
Line Two (August 20-September 1)
Never Entirely Clear (Stargate: Atlantis, Ronon/Radek, brands/branding, PG-13, 515 words)
You know, I really hate the title of this story. Otherwise, I like it, especially because I managed to write it around a kink that squicks me, but the title sucks. It's just that I can't think of a better one.
Culture Thing (Stargate: Atlantis, John/Ronon, film/photography, NC-17, 763 words)
So, I started writing Gibbs/Abby for this prompt, because I had had it up to here ::indicates above head:: with angsty Gibbs/Abby D/s stories. And it was quite a cute, fun story, except that the photography part felt really pasted on and sort of out of place. So I set that aside and started writing Gibbs/Abby/McGee D/s, cause obvs the answer to the Gibbs/Abby vs. McGee/Abby debate is hot hot threesome action with switch!Abby goodness. Only it turned epic on me, and I couldn't get it done before the deadline; and again, the photography element was just a means to an end, not a focus of the story.
So, I got really frustrated with the whole thing, because I couldn't seem to articulate why taking naked pictures was hot, and that is fucking clown shoes. But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized I just couldn't, because so many things about it are so sensual and so dangerous and so specific.
So I just put my words in John's mouth and called it a story, which is why I really don't like it.
dye my eyes and call me pretty (NCIS, McGee/DiNozzo, crossdressing (outerwear), NC-17, 1228 words)
I'm unusually pleased with this story, considering it's my first NCIS one. Here's the thing about McGee- totally a bottom in terms of dominance, but totally a top in terms of the assfucking. I think that's why I like him. And, I mean, Tony in a dress riding somebody, how the fuck can you go wrong with that?
Break (Stargate: Atlantis, Ronon/Rodney/Teyla/John, breathplay- also contains rough sex and double penetration, NC-17, 587 words)
This is not the prompt I originally intended to write this fic for. I started writing a simultaneous double line across the bottom, and this was to be the breathplay + spanking/paddling story. But, I decided to write another vertical instead. It works just as well without the spanking. Also, I've just noticed that this line is unusually Ronon-focused for me; it's not that I don't like Ronon, or anything, but I still have the "looks like my brother DO NOT WANT" thing going on with him.
One Out of Every Twenty (Stargate: Atlantis, Rodney/John, Caldwell/Weir, spanking/paddling- also contains public play, R, 987 words)
Again, not the story I set out to write. The story I had for this square was a Gibbs/Abby/Tony story which was secretly about Tony's ridiculously circuitous plan to get McGee into bed; trust me, it's less complicated than it sounds, and it had some great Tony monologue. But, I couldn't finish it in time and do it any justice. So this story is something that's been this sort of abandoned floating idea I've had in my head, wherein John and Caldwell meet in a BDSM club and John tries to pretend to be a top, for whatever reason, and Caldwell's all "LOL pull the other one". I'm glad to have finally found it a home.
Statistics: 10 stories, 9850 words (damn!)
Final thoughts: Great challenge! I have to say, I almost regret having done the second line; I'm far more pleased with the results of the first. The second five were me trying to push through a writer's block; for some reason, writing for mcshep_match really took it out of me, and I've been trying unsuccessfully to get back on the horse since then. But, I think it's, for the most part, good stuff.
And here is some stuff what other people wrote:
Forty Days by thingswithwings (SGA, Ronon/Rodney/Teyla/John, explicit, virginity/celibacy)
I'm in love with this freaking story. Team Shep is my favorite OT4 in the history of OT4, and this story captures them perfectly. It's really hot and hilarious and just a really good time (and the twist at the end makes it totally epic).
Peace of Body by farasha (NCIS, McGee/Abby, NC-17, chastity devices)
There are a lot of things to recommend this fic. I usually see McGee as more of a passive type, but he's quite dominant in this story, in a very believable way. Abby and McGee's interactions are very in-character, and the porn is, like, smoking hot.
A Week in the life by bironic (SGA, Rodney/Katie, NC-17, consent play- also contains bondage)
I beta-ed this story, because I have been waiting to read it since bironic first mentioned she was thinking about writing it. The pairing is a favorite, and one that never, ever gets written enough; and I love how quotidian the story is- it's really refreshing to read a consent play story with zero angst in it.
I'll Catch You If You Fall by seleneheart (NCIS, McGee/DiNozzo, NC-17, consent play- also contains weapon play)
And on the other side of the consent play coin, there's this. I almost didn't rec this story, because I found it really uncomfortable to read, but that was because it was so well-executed. My heart breaks for poor Tony.
Washington Two-Step by ellia (NCIS, Tony/OMC, FRAO, anonymous sex)
Speaking of my heart breaking for Tony. This is really hot and perfectly believable and so Tony.
Homosexual Freak Out, or Lack Thereof by angstschrei (NCIS, DiNozzo/McGee, NC-17, rimming)
And hey, look! A story that makes me happy for Tony! This story does exactly what it says on the tin, and I love it for that.
Ingrained by neevebrody (SGA, Rodney/John, NC-17, writing on the body)
And here is a story that has nothing to do with Tony at all. It's a unique take on the kink, and it's so dreamy and sensual; Rodney is moving really fast and John is moving really slow, and they sort of blur into each other.
The Alchemy of Sin by telesilla (SGA, Rodney/John, NC-17, caning)
Unrepentantly dominant Rodney is my favorite of all Rodneys. This presses all my buttons and is just smoking hot.
Tied Up by chkc (SGA art, tentacles/John, Todd/John, NSFW, tentacles)
There is no reason not to love this picture. Tentacles! On John! With Todd! I had a hard time picking between chkc's entries, but conveniently enough they are all in the same post!
Obedience by mashimero (SGA art, Rodney/John, R, obedience)
Here's something shocking- this picture has John Sheppard naked in it, but it's totally not what draws my eye. How impressive is that? I just can't stop looking at the "I've got this handled, what the hell are you looking at?" expression on Rodney's face. Guh.
2a. And while we're on the subject of recommendations, Hang On Tight is a heartbreaking and lovely story that just really hasn't gotten the attention it deserves.
I swear one of these days I'm going to make a rec list of nothing but stories that made me weep openly. And speaking of which, if you haven't read Interstitial yet, hie ye to it, and bring tissues.
3. You know what I always thought would be insanely fun? A challenge where you had to write as if you were someone else from fandom (who had also signed up for the challenge, obvs).
Of course, the problem would be that if you didn't have a group of people who liked to laugh at themselves, it would be a non-stop drama fest.
4. I must, must break 30000 words on Big Bang before Dragon*Con. I've been slightly discouraged by the fact that I can't find a word count utility that's not fantastically unreliable. OpenOffice's built in one just sucks, frankly; there is absolutely no reason that my story should be 26800 words on one computer and 27300 on another. Even if it counted markup, which it doesn't, there is absolutely no way there are 500 words of markup in this story. And the most common Java applet leaves out numerals, and ARGH. You would think that 500 missing words in a ~27000 word story would not be a big deal, but when it's the difference between being in the middle third and being out of it, it's really incredibly discouraging.
Also discouraging is that I really still don't know what the story will look like when it's done. The back half is maybe 5000 words from done, and most of that is porn and John angsting, honestly, so it's pretty much fine; but the front half is still a shambles. I know pretty much all the stuff that happens; unfortunately, all the stuff I've left is political intrigue and Rodney freaking out, and it needs to hang together right or the story won't work. Maybe I'll try ploting it on notecards, once I get another five or six thousand words down.
4a. OMG DRAGON*CON. I HAVE NOT STARTED PACKING. MY ATLANTIS COSTUME IS STILL IN BITS. I NEED TO WASH EVERYTHING I OWN. But I have tomorrow off! So maybe it will get done.
5. ...I never did eat dinner, did I? I should get on that.
6. Is Semagic acting broken for anybody else?