10-Second Review: HaikuJaguar’s From Spark to Finish: Running Your Kickstarter Campaign

Jan29

For Christmas, Best Friend Ever gave me (Among other awesome gifts to be discussed elsewhere), From Spark to Finish: Running Your Kickstarter Campaign, by [personal profile] haikujaguar.

I have read this book from cover to cover in the last two days, and I am newly enthused about running a Kickstarter campaign! It’s, as expected from The Three Jaguars, no-nonsense, friendly, straightforward, and useful.

How useful, of course, we’ll have to see when I try my own Kickstarter campaign. But I’m getting very excited.

Thanks, again, Micah, for sharing your spark with the rest of us.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/464204.html. You can comment here or there.

A musing about terminology: SuperFans

Jan29

So, when I was started Alder by Post, just about a year ago, I was playing around with the idea of some sort of term for donors who gave me more money/time/etc. than the average, and kept coming back to SuperUser… which I don’t really like, because “user” suggests a different relationship than I really have with my readers.

(SuperReader?)

In looking at my 2012 finances, I think I need another term. Über-user, maybe?

That being said… Thank you. Thank all of you, who read, donated, boosted signals, prompted, commented, and generally helped me do this.

You’re awesome people… and you’re all super fans. <3

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/464046.html. You can comment here or there.

December: OricFic Bingo/Prompt Call

Jan29

So, I have this:

B I N G O
taking a chance storm tower Freedom magic
anniversary bribery [sports & games] Lost in Translation Home
evening the odds [Forgiving] PICK ANYTHING
Older Witches		 Grace Promises broken
[the next best thing] Disability (chronic) [disparate] Now & Then
Then & Now		 Under Pressure
lost and found [wishing] [parent(s)] change of pace Knowledge
Knowledge

from [community profile] origfic_bingo

And this is what I’m going to do:

Pick a square, and give me a prompt with that as a theme. I.e., Promises Broken, Junie and her teacher.

First prompt will get written; after that I’m going to go for a Bingo, so prompts that are within a line of the first prompt are more likely to get written.

Squares that have been prompted to will be [bolded and bracketed]; squares that have been written will have a link. Please feel free to prompt any square, even those filled.

First Bingo will be posted free.

Go!

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/617647.html. You can comment here or there.

Bananas

Jan28

Ce’rilla and Viddie, approx. 105 words

“You know the neatest thing about magic?”

Ce’Rilla was laying on her back in the grotto, peering at Viddie through her hair. She liked the grotto best of anywhere in the school, for Reasons. Reasons, in this case, involving the generally predatory nature of the rest of the school, and the way Viddie lit up when he was here with all the plants. Among others.

“Mmm?” He was lost in thought. She wondered about what and decided to show off anyway. “Meentik huamu banana delta.” She passed him one of the two ripe bananas that appeared in her hands. “Remember these?”

It had been a while. Since before the Collapse. But bananas had always been her favorite.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/463829.html. You can comment here or there.

The ClockWork Collar, or The Princess of Al-ben, a kink-bingo mini-story in 25 parts. Poll 10

Jan28

Previous: Pinned (LJ)

And Now
“I like you like this,” she admitted. “Shall I start at the ends-” she tickled his foot – “or with the core?” She circled his throat with her hands.

His response was incoherent.

“What was that? Well, I suppose we’ll start at the ends.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/463443.html. You can comment here or there.

The ClockWork Collar, or The Princess of Al-ben, a kink-bingo mini-story in 25 parts. Part 14

Jan28

First: The Collar (LJ)

Previous:Freedom (LJ)

Warning: non-consensual penetration

“Now.”

“Now?” There was little play in the ropes and no way at all for him to get away.

“In this bag…” She’d found his toys. The one looked mechanical, but it would serve its purpose as a gag. Long, slender… “There’s a certain symmetry in doing this to you. Open up.”

“Princess…” That was all it took. She slid the long gag into his mouth and down his throat, watching. There. He could still breathe, barely. “And you have two of these, don’t you?”

His muffled protests were musical as she headed to his other end with the second.

Next: And Now

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The ClockWork Collar, or The Princess of Al-ben, a kink-bingo mini-story in 25 parts. Part 13

Jan28

First: The Collar (LJ)

Previous:A Couple? (LJ)

“Wonderful.” Perfect. She went for the packs in the corner of the room. “There was… yes.” She pulled out length after length of rope.

“What are you planning, Princess?” He was already taking his clothes off. He had his moments, didn’t he?

“Lay down on the bed.” The four-poster would be perfect for this. She began tying knots before he could change his mind.

His packs had even provided pulleys. A good thing; he was heavier than her. She rigged the bed up quickly, while he tugged against her ropes. And then she lifted him up.

“What…oh.” He swung peacefully.

next: Pinned (LJ)

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/462990.html. You can comment here or there.

Sweet as Sugar, Black as Sin

Jan27

To @realbrigang’s second prompt of the same name.

Warning: Implied/discussed abuse.

“He seemed like such a nice guy.”

The seven women around the table all nodded. They all had similar stories

“He seemed so sweet.”

“He was so considerate.”

“He held the doors for me. He paid for the whole date.”

“He was sweet as sugar. A real nice guy.”

“He was such a gentleman. I didn’t know they made guys like that anymore.”

“They don’t.” The seventh woman had hair as black as night and lips as red as blood. “The haven’t made men like him in a very long time, and we are all the better for it.”

The first looked at her. She had hair like spun gold and wore no make-up at all. “Are you saying…”

“She can’t be.” The third leaned forward. “My grandmother told me those stories. They’re impossible. He’s impossible.“

“Of course he is.” The seventh smiled unkindly. “You’ve all told me that already. ‘He seemed so sweet. He seemed so nice.’ That’s how he was made. And what happens next, ladies? Tell me the end of the fairy tale.”

It was a command as iron and implacable as if she’d been holding a gun to their heads. The first licked her pink lips. “It was the seventh date. I’d… We’d…” She gestured, her cheeks as pink as her lips. “A couple times before. But this time, he was different. He said things.”

The second held her hands in front of her, her nails digging into her palms. “It was as if all the sugar was gone, and all that was left was the leaves at the bottom of the teapot. Bitter and dark.”

“He broke my hand.” The third laid the improperly-healed hand on the table.

“He broke my heart.”

“He stole everything I had.”

“He told me I should thank him. He told me that he was doing me a favor.”

“What about you.” The first spoke again. “What about you? You don’t have your own story. You don’t sound surprised.”

“I stopped being surprised by him forty-nine sad stories ago.” She shook her head. “And that one was mine. I made him. I made him to be my groom.”

As the women stared at her, fists clenched, remembering stories their grandmothers had whispered of, the seventh continued.

“And then I lost him. But with your help, ladies, I will stop him.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/462304.html. You can comment here or there.