Lock up that cock

I'm at work on my 1-800-DOM-help novella which I call Leather Becomes Her. I hope to get it done in the next few weeks. It was a slow start but I have been writing up a storm for the past few days. I'm in a groove with it.

In the synopsis of the story there is a BDSM device used which is sort of pivotal to the story: a Gates of Hell. Actually it is much more specific, a locking Gates of Hell. I was told by a Domme friend there was no such thing. Oh I beg to differ. Below is a 5 Gates of Hell. Pretty basic in structure...not locking. Gates of hell can also have rubber rings or leather straps and can vary in the number of gates from 3 to 7. Personally I think the funniest part is the D ring for a leash attachment. Heh.

Now take a look at a locking Gates of Hell: 

Pretty intimidating isn't it? And you thought the regular one looked uncomfortable. This one can be worn for hours...days. This is the locking Gates of Hell...the kind I am using in my current 1-800-DOM-help novella. Intrigued? LOL

What is a Gates of Hell used for? Well obviously it is a chastity device. Use can range for a session to hours to days. Chastity is a powerful tool in controlling a submissive man. Tease him, he gets hard but can't obtain a full erection while wearing the device. Try torturing him for a while and see how submissive he can become. Some Dommes use chastity like this to make sure their subs don't do any self pleasuring without permission. (All about control!) Can you imagine a house slave boy naked except for this while cleaning your bathroom? (Damn, I wish!)

Do submissive men want this contraption on their cock? Yeah, a lot of them do. Believe it. They love the idea of their cock owned by a Mistress. Only she can release him. Only she holds the key. Very much a power play here. For a true submissive man the humiliation alone is a huge turn on. He's slapped into a Gates of Hell as soon as he walks into his Mistress's presence, wondering if he will be released once she is through using him as her toy. Wouldn't it be a pity if he was used, all excited and wanting to come and then denied release from the Gates? (hahahaha)

No, I do not own a locking Gates of Hell. It is for the book, people. It is a big reason why I am liking writing BDSM anymore, I can use a piece of equipment like this to enhance the story and intensity of emotions between the hero and heroine. Besides, it makes me laugh as I write. Yes, I do have a sadistic streak.


Marianne LaCroix
www.mariannelacroix.com
http://mariannelacroix.blogspot.com

*This post appeared originally on my blog.

How About A Little Hanky Panky?

Whoever would have thought that something as unassuming as a bandana could indicate sexual preference/practices? Certainly not me, but then I heard about something used by leather folk. It's called "the hanky code." The basic idea is that what you wear where indicates what you are up for. Now this takes the "what side are your keys on" question and brings a whole new depth. Still, it isn't something that just burst onto the scene in Castro. No, it's older than that.

Seems it started back when the west was wild, the men were plentiful and the women, not-so-much. Due to the lack of women in the wild west, some cowboys and miners resorted to dancing with one another at the square dances. A handkerchief worn on one side of the body indicated that person was dancing the woman's part while a handkerchief worn on the other side indicated that person was dancing the man's part. Obviously there would have been some cowboys way more interested in dancing the woman's part than others, but I digress. Even though cowboys are incredibly hot, right? Who doesn't like the iconic image of a quiet man who just gets the job done?

This eventually evolved into a code used by gay subculture groups to indicate various preferences for sexual acts. During the sexually free times that were the 1970's, you could have sex with someone without even speaking to them. Of course we can still do that, but our knowledge of AIDS has changed that. But back then, imagine how you got dressed for an evening out. You weren't just picking out the right pair of Wranglers. It was a bit more complicated than that.

First you had to decide if you were a Top or a bottom or a switch. No matter what your color hanky, it went on the right if you were into receiving. Givers flagged right. If you wore a black bandanna on the left side of your body (or knotted around your neck with the knot on the left side) you were telling those in the know that you were a top into SM without ever speaking a sentence – sort of like Tops wearing their keys on the left side of their bodies. This is not as prevalent today, but if you go to the right clubs, you will still see it in use.

Colors were used to indicate exactly what you would like from your partner. The color code itself varies widely and some fetish shops even sell bandanas with a listing of the meaning of each color. Because there are so many kinks, there are a lot of colors. There's even a doily one! Kid you not. Thanks to the advent of the Smartphone, you don't have to worry about not knowing. You can load up the Hanky Code app so you can discretely check what that silver lame` hanky on the right might mean.

So, in Needing Harte Ramey Nichols could wear any of the following colors: black (SM), dark blue (anal sex), light blue (oral sex), medium blue (into uniforms – either wearing them or having sex with someone else wearing one), light pink (dildos), robin's egg blue (69), deep aqua (sex in the water/shower) or fuchsia (spanking). Any or all of these colors worn on the right side of his body would indicate Ramey was open for any of the above as a receiver or bottom.

Harte, on the other hand, could have worn black, fuchsia, grey, dark blue, light blue, robin's egg blue and possibly medium blue on the left side, indicating he was open to topping in any of those combinations. Neither one of them would have flagged with a ziploc baggie though.

In All Tied Up, our Merry Kinkmas story, our Master Darling would definitely wear gray on the left at a minimum while Wendy could have gone left or right on several colors. You can learn more about the hanky code here. Have some fun with this. Pick up any of the hot 1-800-DOM-help books today. As you read it, keep that hanky code handy. What would you wear if you were going out tonight?

Fetish Friday: Puppy Play Gone Wrong?!

(The Puppy Play pride symbol)

No, not THAT kind of puppy play. Although perhaps another Friday.

No, I'm talking about an actual puppy, and not bestiality, either (because folks, that's just wrong, and I will judge you for that). See, in October my family acquired a lovely brindle Boxer/lab mix we call Boomer, and this puppy has required me to step up my toy security game in a big, big way.

Boomer dominating some rope.
He clearly has a thing for bondage equipment.

Not that my children are incurious--Lord knows they are into anything and everything--but they've grown up with pretty limited access to my bedroom. They know they really aren't supposed to be in there without a grownup, and so forth. I was lucky enough to think to establish that very early on, so it isn't even so much a rule as just a given.

Unfortunately, puppies don't understand those givens. And Boomer is pretty much in the process of eating...EVERYTHING. Seriously. Puppy world domination through ingestion is his very clear ultimate goal. And I, for one, welcome our new canine Overlord because he's cute, fuzzy and quickly learning how to behave more like a canine minion.

That strap USED to be padded...

However, I did not welcome the realization that he'd been sneaking under my bed and gnawing on things he found there. Things that are attached to the legs of the bed and usually cleverly hidden under the bedskirt when not in use. Things that have velcro and buckles and D-rings. Things that weren't exactly cheap. And I'm quite fond of those things.  Sadly I have two fewer of them now (well, one's probably still useable, but raggedy and thoroughly infused w/ puppy spit, so I'm not sure how sexy it'd feel to have it wrapped around my wrist or ankle).

This one only got chewed a little bit.
But it's still not too sexy :-(

Even better, my first discovery of this new habit of his came on Christmas Eve. When I had a house full of family. And he'd pulled the item in question all the way to the end of its tether--well out from under the bed--so he could chew it up out in the open. No, nobody happened to see it, I got to it first. But they could have.

My puppy almost outed me.

This has prompted me to be more careful to close that door, obviously. But it also made me think about how often my private bedroom practices are influenced by chaotic variables in the environment. Often these are restrictions (having young kids = no Liberator shapes; living in the suburbs = gotta keep the loud stuff to a minimum or the neighbors will look at us funny) but sometimes I think it's a spur to creativity, which is always a welcome thing in the budoir. It makes us work those problem-solving muscles, and helps move us in new directions.

How to keep the tethers and cuffs safe from Boomer's blandishments, but still have them readily accessible? It may mean we finally have to break down and get a proper bed (I want a chunky, modern platform bed with hidden eyehooks installed between the frame and the mattress). Money's tight, and we're handy and crafty folk, so there's the possibility we'll actually build something instead (once I get done with my fabulous steampunk ray gun gauntlet project!). This means we can customize it to meet our particular needs, to a greater extent than would likely be possible with a purchased and modified bed. And that whole building process could even inspire us to think up new...stuff to do.

So ultimately, the fact that the puppy chomped up my cuff could turn out to be a good thing. Unlike the issue of sex toy storage/hiding, which I could basically resolve on my own, this will require my husband and I to work together in finding a solution that could end up affecting our sexytimes in as-yet-unforeseen and potentially delightful ways! Time will tell.

Um...in the meantime, does anybody know where I can buy some  cuffs that come pre-infused with Bitter Apple taste?