Flogging for fun

While doing research for today’s blog I came across a very interesting web site called Flogging for Fun. I thought I’d share some of the interesting info with you. Just in case. Ya know?

Flogging and being flogged can be intensely erotically stimulating. For the Top (Dominant partner), it can be about power, but it can also be about giving a sensually superior sensation to the bottom (submissive partner). For the bottom (submissive partner), flogging can be about the pain, but for many of 'us', it is about the enormous endorphin rush we get coupled with the concept of kink, or the erotic connection between partners, due to increased sensitivity and acceptance of erotic stimuli. The truth about flogging is that there are as many reasons for the joys as there are individuals practicing it!

Choosing Your Flogger (the implement)

Floggers should be carefully selected for the sensation or level of sensation it provides. If you are not into pain, select your flogger for the softness and pliability of the falls. Generally, the thicker the falls, the thuddier the flogger will be, and conversely, the thinner the falls, the stingier.

While for many people, their bottom is the absolute favorite area to receive the flogger's caress, many of us also enjoy breasts, thighs, upper (muscle padded) back, genitals, and the soles of our feet (called Bastinado, and ONLY done with extreme caution).

Choosing Your Flogger (the person doing the flogging)

Unless you know someone who is an experienced flogger, the best thing to do is attend a flogging workshop, instructed by reputable, experienced floggers, before even thinking about flogging a live human. These 'demos' are often held regularly at local dungeons or bdsm community gatherings. And you never know what interesting people you might meet!

You should practice on an inanimate object, such as a pillow or cushion bolster. Place the pillow on a chair or stool approximately the height of the 'submissive subject's' bottom, and for starters, concentrate ONLY on the buttocks while learning to 'throw' the flogger properly and safely. Another idea is to pin a pillow to a wire coat hanger and hang that from a doorknob, to practice stroking an upright human being with varying stroke intensities and rhythms. A damp paper towel or tissue can be a great gauge of your control after you have practiced some on strike zones and aim.

If you do it right, your submissive will be begging for more!

Hope this helps a little and…happy flogging!!!

Woefully Overdue Report on Romanticon and Ass-Smacking (UPDATED)

Yes, I know. The 1-800-DOM-help authors have been back from Romanticon for over a week now and we have yet to report back to our faithful readers on the success of our conference presentation, Del Dryden's ass-smacking experience, or any other kinky, naughty antics from the event. I will hang my head in shame for the collective group. In attendance at the event were: me (Michelle Polaris), Christine d'Abo, Delphine Dryden, Francesca Hawley, Desiree Holt, Kathy Kulig, Delilah Devlin, and Allie Standifer. Samantha Cayto was also at the conference, but arrived too late for the presentation.

And I might as well admit right now that I have no photos from our group presentation which we lovingly entitled BDSM from Top to Bottom. There are many amazing and tantalizing photos from Romanticon floating around the web so I'm sure you can find something to sate your appetite. If any other group members captured a photo during our seminar please feel free to chime in and post it.

ATTENTION: REVISION ALERT!!! I do indeed have a seminar picture thanks to the lovely Cris Anson (www.crisanson.com) who heard my plea and sent an image she captured at our event.

Here is the lovely Delphine Dryden bent over the chair allowing me (far left in the red shirt, skirt and boots) to smack her ass. The green and black stranded flogger (soft leather) is mid-swing if you can spot it. In the background to the left is Desiree Holt also snapping a picture so I know at least one other exists.

And here's the same unrelated random conference pic for good measure before moving on with things.

The photo is of a couple of the EC Cave Men having fun with the pole dancers who entertained at the Sexporium/Book Signing on the Sunday of the conference. The dancers were amazing sliding up and down that pole and the guys felt obligated to jump in afterward and try their manliness out on the metal rod. Turns out its harder than it looks. And if you'd kindly disregard those sexual puns I can move on with the subject matter.

The 1-800 seminar.

Short version. It went well.

Longer version. Del Dryden was a very good sport as I tried my hand in a flogging demo in front of the seminar crowd. Her ass and shoulders got a good dose of my leather flogger while both of us chatted with the crowd, answering questions about the experience and other BDSM lifestyle issues. Del did indeed report the experience left her feeling relaxed. The flogging was the grand finale after my earlier presentation on various roles in the lifestyle and how the BDSM portrayed in our fiction stacks up to real life. After that serious note, Allie Standifer gave a rather amusing and fascinating description of her trip to a BDSM club last spring during the RT convention in Los Angeles. You might have read about her trip on our blog a few months ago. Francesca Hawley passed out an awesome list of research resources for audience members who wanted to know more about BDSM for writing or personal interests. And finally, we finished with the flogging.

The one disappointment is that we ran out of time to play the amazing BDSM Jeopardy game that Kathy Kulig created for the occasion. Despite no winning contestant we did pick a random name from seminar attendees to win the kinky gift basket we had prepared.
We are holding the game in reserve for next year's Romanticon, so register and show up to  compete using all of your BDSM expertise.

People attended our presentation for a variety of reasons. Some came because they want to write BDSM romance fiction. Some were simply curious to learn more about the lifestyle, and enjoy reading kinky erotic romance although it is not their personal thing. And others because they had genuine questions about the experience from their own interest in exploring this alternative lifestyle choice. I love that about Romanticon. It's a place where it's fine to discuss all sorts of sexuality, to be interested in reading about it, writing it, and to acknowledge, if one is comfortable, ones own personal sexual leanings. Or not. It's all good.

On a positive note, the new 1-800-DOM-help anthology, Dial B for Bondage, including stories from Kathy Kulig, Delilah Devlin, Francesca Hawley and Samantha Cayto, sold remarkably well at the Book Signing. Look for more anthologies from our series in the future.

In short, Romanticon was a blast. Join us next year.

Safe, sane and consensual,
Michelle

Well, Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally

Okay, don't call me Sally. That's a hard limit. But there will be a certain amount of ass-smacking going on at RomantiCon 2011, and I for one can't wait (Perverse, I know...and hey, perverted! The two don't always overlap like that, so I call that a win). The occasion? The 1-800-DOM-help authors will be giving a presentation at the 'Con on "BDSM from Top to Bottom"...with demonstrations! And I volunteered to be the whipping girl, since that's the kind of girl I am. I volunteered pretty quickly and shamelessly, in fact. Rumors that I pushed other volunteers out of the way in my enthusiasm are entirely unsubstantiated, however. Nobody can prove a thing.

Thinking about this whole shindig recently prompted me to add "glutton for punishment" to my Twitter profile (I was totally talking about homeschooling my pre-teen but we'll just pretend it's about the whole smacking deal). Because I really am looking forward to it, particularly to finding out how a flogging feels when it's delivered by somebody OTHER than the person who's been delivering them for lo these many years. And it's also a very relaxing activity for me (no, seriously) although I don't know how relaxing I'll find it in front of a room full of people. I have no problem with public speaking, or with acting on a stage, but the only time I've ever done anything BDSM-related in public was in a stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (and I was portraying a naughty-schoolteacher dominatrix. Seriously).

My main concern in all this? Well, as I'm going to have the aforementioned roomful of people looking in the vicinity of my tush, my big worry is finding/borrowing a pair of pants that don't make my ass look weird and/or lumpy. Other than that I'm pretty cool with it.

As long as nobody actually calls me Sally.

Top, Bottom or Switch?

I found a very brief quiz which I thought was fun.

The BDSM Selector will tell you if you're vanilla, a top, bottom, sub, Dom(me) or whatever. I rated as bottom, followed by slave/sub/switch. There was such a large gap between responses, however, that I must research the difference.

I would love to hear your results if you take the test, and whether or not you feel they're true. Come on, 'fess up!

ROMANTICON Here I Come!

I posted on my Naughty Author Chicks blog last week about my impending trip to Romanticon, the Ellora's Cave readers and authors convention happening September 29th through October 2nd in Akron, Ohio. I blathered on about my promotional items, my costumes for the several kick-ass parties with the EC Cavemen, and my participation in the 1-800-DOM-help author-hosted seminar there entitled BDSM from Top to Bottom.

And that's what I wanted to mention today. The lovely authors in our group are gathering together to have fun with conference attendees, playing BDSM jeopardy, talking about some nuts and bolts of BDSM, and providing a naughty demo from the lifestyle. And of course we will give away a gift basket of prizes to one lucky seminar participant. I'm going to talk for about five minutes on the concept of power exchange in BDSM during the group presentation. My participation is all an excuse for wearing my black boots, but I'm hoping to be somewhat articulate as well.

The seminar is perfect for those who want to have fun and learn more about the alternative sexuality they read about in our 1-800 stories. What I love about Romanticon is that the participants are open-minded folks from all walks of life who want to let down their hair, and celebrate their common love of erotic romance in all its forms. I've met everyone there from those who might be kinky in their own lives, to others who are squarely vanilla but appreciate wonderful stories full of all different types of love and sex. Romanticon is one kickin' grand time. Plus, there is dancing. I love dancing. Did I mention the dancing?

For those of you planning to attend, stop by our seminar on Friday the 30th and share some kinky laughs. For everyone else, keep an eye out for news of next year's Romanticon event and sign your asses up right away when the dates and location are announced. You won't regret it.

I'm sure a number of the 1-800 authors will report back about the success of the conference on this blog. And about the dancing. There may even be compromising photos. We can only hope. Stay tuned.

Safe, sane and consensual,

Michelle