velvetblood_fic

I've finally finished something! It isn't "Sex Magic". Sorry, I tried, but I'm just not residing in flufftown anymore. This is where I am right now, and I like it for the moment.

Title: Itch
Author: VelvetBlood
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, Hogwarts, or anything resembling JKR's work.
Summary: Draco is getting married. But before he does that, he has this annoying little itch he simply must scratch.
Warnings: This hasn't been beta'd, so bear with me.

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Okay, so the question I keep getting is: "Have you given up on Sex Magic?" The answer is both yes and no. No, I don't plan on abandoning it entirely. Yes, I'm frustrated with it/tired of it/don't want to deal with it.

The problem is, I started it over three years ago. I was a different person then, the boys were different characters then, and overall everyone has matured since 2005. Going back to a story that I no longer identify with, or enjoy, and whose characters are grossly out of proportion to how I view them now, is really difficult.

So, these past few months I've been slowly but surely touching up the story. I've reread the first six chapters or so and made a few small changes. Grammatical things, mostly. Sentences that didn't flow as smoothly as I'd like, weird imagery, and some fairly awful purple prose. I plan on doing the same for the rest of the chapters, and then going back and rereading everything again and making some rather larger changes. Those would be changes to the actual plot, things I now find silly or unnecessary, or that I think I handled poorly the first time around.

Now, you're probably thinking I'll make the story unrecognizable. That's not the case, though. It'll still be "Sex Magic", only I think a more mature and realistic version of it.

So, that's where I'm at with things at the moment. I forced myself not to take any classes for the summer semester, so for the first time in three years I've got a summer off. That means I'll have plenty of time to make the changes I think are necessary, and then hopefully begin adding to "Sex Magic".

So, there's an update on the Gracie situation, if anyone is interested. It's good news. :)

http://yaoiandpocky.livejournal.com/319899.html

Okay, so I suppose after... *checks* six months, I should probably say something. The truth is, I can't explain the first three months without an update. Call it writer's block, call it laziness, but I just couldn't bring myself to bust out another chapter of Sex Magic. Nothing felt right when I tried to sit down and force myself to write something, anything. So, there you go.

The last three months, however, I haven't even tried to write anything. And there's a reason why. One of my rats and I went through a horribly traumatic event together. I sat on her. I had the rats out for their usual daily play time, and I am always SO VERY careful about where I put my feet, where I sit, but this one time I looked over and saw the girls on the other end of the room and figured I was safe. In the two seconds it took for my butt to hit the floor, Gracie had gotten right under me.

Long story short, it didn't kill her, but she had a massive hernia that has required two repairs and caused all sorts of complications over the last three months. From busted stitches, to areas that have re-defected, to abcesses and now a tumor that needs to be removed. Next week will be her third surgery.

Basically, this has required a lot of my time, energy and finances. Not to mention the emotional roller coaster I've been on since July dealing with my guilt over hurting my poor, sweet baby girl. I apologize for the extreme delay in updates, but honestly some days it has been difficult just to drag myself to work and classes. I know that may sound extreme to some of you, but I'm sure the pet owners will understand the kind of psychological trauma that near-killing your own pet can cause.

So, cross your fingers for Gracie to pull through this third and hopefully last surgery with as much strength and patience as she has the previous two.

At long, long, long last. Also, this chapter hasn't been betaed. It seems my beta is either on vacation, dead, or has given up on me. In which case, I might be in the market for a new beta. Email me if you're interested.

Also, quite a few of the emails on the mailing list failed delivery when I sent out the update this time. If you are on the mailing list and didn't receive an update, please let me know.

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I sowwy. I know that I promised this update weeks ago. But look! It's chapter seventeen, at long last!

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Next chapter.

Thank you, as ever, to my betas indigorhapsody and moonanddogstar.

Mm kay, I've got a drink in my hand, a rat in my lap (Emma says: "Hi."), and I'm ready to start my rant. This is the one that I've had saved up for awhile now, and let out in small increments at various forums every now and then, but never have put the full-blown, spittle-flying rage that this topic sends me into in a whole, concise format before.

So, I bring you: ( Why I absolutely, positively LOATHE Sirius Black. )

Tonight, after my third exam in three days, I will be coming home, ordering some take-out, consuming half a bottle of vodka and finishing the next chapter of Sex Magic. It's already halfway done, but still needs a smut injection. ;)

I also have a couple of good rants in store for you. One I've had brewing for awhile now, but had it saved for a rainy day.

indigorhapsody and moonanddogster, this means you will have a chapter to (most likely, heavily) edit sometime soon. It also means I have to sit down and go through dozens of webpages worth of mailing list requests. Holy crap, a lot of you signed up! It amazes me that people are still just discovering this fic after so long.

In other news, I didn't win the Sorting Hat award for Best Bonding fic. I didn't mention it here because I didn't want to be one of those shady fic authors who rally up their f-list in order to steamroll a vote. "OMG if u luv me u'll vote 4 me~1!1!!" Or threatening to withold chapters unless you go vote. Nuh uh. But still, I can't help feeling that if more people had known I was nominated I might've won. Too late now, I guess.

And now for more studying while my brain screams for mercy. Does that make me the bottom? Damn it. I'm pre-vet's bitch.

Okay, so right now I'm working on completing my pre-vet. Pre-vet blows. Organic chemistry, calculus, physics, genetics... I'm painting a very ugly picture here, I know, but welcome to my reality for the next year. The semester only just begun, and already I want to fall to the floor, kicking and wailing and pulling my hair out.

So, basically, I don't know when I'll get around to updating Sex Magic. I really don't. All I can do is promise that I'll try. Please be patient with me, and thanks for sticking with me thus far.

Sorry for the delay. Hopefully chapters will start coming faster, but no promises.

Also, a note about mailing list requests. Please do not refer me to another place where your email is listed, like a livejournal userinfo page. If you want to be added, put your email address in the comment itself. When I'm adding 60+ people to the mailing list, it gets frustrating to have to go hunt down addresses.

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Thanks to indigorhapsody for betaing this chapter. moonanddogstar, if you notice anything amiss, be sure to tell me.

*cracks knuckles*

Let's get down to business. It's time for a rant.

( Gay men =/= Shakespeare. )

Title: And One To Grow On
Author: VelvetBlood
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Draco's turning twenty-four, and Harry's dying to give him a taste of Muggle tradition. Submission for the Happy Kinky Birthday, Draco! Fest over at serpentinelion.
Disclaimer: All rights deserved to J.K. Rowling.
Warnings: Spanking, sex toys.

( Something kinky this way comes )

Less than two months! I'm getting better, honest. Once again, if you want to be added to the mailing list, leave a comment with your email address and you'll be notified of updates to this fic. If you're on the mailing list and would like to be removed, do the same and you'll be taken off.

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Thank you to my wonderful betas, indigorhapsody and moonanddogstar.

Title: Culinary Delight
Author: VelvetBlood
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Fancy parties bore Harry, but hiding in the kitchen just got a lot more interesting.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. The sex, however, is all my doing.

This fic is dedicated to my wonderful beta indigorhapsody, for the lovely icon she made me.

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Coffee + chocolate ice cream = plot bunny. Drabbley bits behind the cut.

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Thanks to moonanddogstar. indigorhapsody, if you wanna take a look, be my guest. It was just a silly, late night drabble, and she was on AIM.

Only two months this time! Aren't you proud of me?

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Thank you to the lovely moonanddogstar and indigorhapsody for their contributions.

Stolen from anise_anise

Fic meme:

Favourite of the batch: This'll surprise most people, but that'd be my as of yet untitled Illyria-centric ficlet. I love Illyria. I love getting inside her head, speaking with her voice... That fic just feels like her to me, and I'm extremely proud of it.

Best of the batch: If we're speaking in terms of quality; grammar, flow and such... Probably "Sex Magic." It's my latest, I'm at the top of my game, etc. But as far as imagery, and the overall feel that I got while writing it? "Amoare ab Hostis." I really need to go back and retouch it, work out the kinks to bring it up to standard.

Most under-appreciated by the universe: "A Thousand Yesterdays." I know that non-con is not everyone's cuppa. I know that the story isn't sappy or fluffy, and that it ends on a painful note. But damn it, I loved that story. I took me years to finally grasp what I wanted that fic to convey; the raw emotion and desperation I wanted the characters to exude without stating it outright. I loved the themes I got to play around with in that fic. I truly let myself go. It was fantastic, and I wish it got more love from the fandom.

Most fun to write: My drabbles. "Dinner With The Potters" and the work I did over at newts_exam. It's fun to just get little ideas out, with no real plot or direction in mind.

Sexiest fic: I've gotta say "A Taste of Darkness" and "Eternally This." Alucard and Alexander are hot together. Throw in some vampire kink, and violent, barely consensual sex? Instant pulse-raiser.

"Holy crap, that's wrong even for you": I don't think I've written it yet. In fact, I know I haven't. I've started to a number of times, but like with "A Thousand Yesterdays," I'm struggling to get the mood right. I know what I want to do, where I want to take it. It will be rape; outright and unembellished. Maybe some day I'll finally complete it.

Fic that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: "Great Shagging." I was a diehard Snape/Hermione, Draco/Hermione shipper before I wrote that. It was my first H/D fic, and after that trying to write any other pairing just paled in comparison. Harry and Draco have an intensity together that they just don't have with any other character, in my opinion.

Hardest fic to do: My original, definitely. I've been working on my own original story for a little over three years now. It's a long and difficult process, and one I've nearly given up on a million times. I hope to one day finally get it right.

Biggest disappointment: "These Thorns That Bind Us." I thought it was a masterpiece when I wrote it. It had all of the badfic cliches; abused!Draco, weepy!uke, purple prose... It was horrible. I wish now that I'd never had my name connected to it.

Biggest surprise: "Sex Magic." It was supposed to be a silly, smutty PWP, damn it! How it got away from me and came back with a plot, I'll never know.

Most telling fic: Anything in the Hellsing fandom. I'm a twisted, fucked up little puppy. Those fics say it to the world with big, neon lettering.

So, I routinely search for my penname for a few reasons. One is to flush out any instances like the plagiarism of a few months back, and the other is to find any recs that I may have missed.

I was doing so tonight when I stumbled across something rather... odd. Apparently an entire LJ community is using my idea of Sex Magic being taught at Hogwarts, complete with the use of the Goblet of Fire to choose partners. They sort of give me credit for the idea here, but in a rather smallish way, that only the members participating will be likely to see.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. While I certainly don't have the copyright on the idea of Sex Magic, I think the fact that they borrowed so heavily from my ideas and also felt the need to link back to me indicates that they're well aware that they're just skirting the edge of plagiarism without going over.

I think I should have been contacted by the members of the community, even if I don't feel that they necessarily should have asked my permission, and that I should be credited in their user info. I don't know, for some reason I feel that I've been cheated, in some way, by people taking my ideas and using them without my knowledge. What do you think?

(ETA: The matter has been sorted out. Thanks to the people over at wtf_drarry for being such good sports.)

Fic rec!

Amidst the slew of mediocre, sappy Veela!Draco fics, it's always nice to find a well written creature feature, especially one starring Harry. I have a huge weakness for two things:

aggressive, dominant Harry

submissive, powerless Draco

This fic satisfies all of the above criteria, especially the well written bit.

"You might as well," Snape told him curtly. "Don't bite anyone. Especially not Draco. If you kill him you'll have his mother to deal with, and don't think for a minute that having cut your teeth on Voldemort has prepared you for the unleashing of Narcissa Malfoy's maternal wrath."

Eeee! I *hearts* it muchly.

Current Mood: satisfied

Just in case any of you ever doubt my devotion to you, I'd just like to say that last night I added 145 new email addresses to the SM_update mailing list. Individually. My eyes crossed, my fingers cramped, and my soul wept.

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