Weekend Random Links

Writer's Journal: Still hacking the sex scene in The Adjusters #27. Serena's being Serena, and will keep me busy until the end of the week at least.

---

Kayden Kross has some interesting things to say about degradation.

Somewhat related, but from the other end of the scale, here's an oldish post asking some relevant questions about extreme porn. Honestly, I do not quite know how to feel about this topic. On the one hand, I am the first one to recognize the make-believe aspect of porn, and that it is fantasy and not real. On the other hand, it is rather silly to deny the cultural and sociological impact of more and more extreme forms of pornography. The discussion becomes even more interesting once we turn to written smut.

It's been a while I haven't talked about Spider-Man. And then there's a page like this one that reminds me why MJ is one of my favorite comics book characters, despite the weathervane characterizations (and the 80s hairdo).

I found this dating advice for men funny with its (I sincerely hope) tongue-in-cheek bipolar classification of dating material: Good Girls versus Bad Girls. If every woman fit nicely into one of these categories, life would be so much simpler! I think the motto is: boys, don't turn to men mags for dating advice. Mutadis mutandis for girls, of course. The question of where to go for actually useful advice shall be left for the reader to answer.

Alan Moore is of course right about sex scenes (I have to say that, the man is frightening, as well as an incredible writer), but I fear that sometimes titillation gets a rather short shrift.

Speaking of writing, this exhaustive compendium of common errors in English is exceedingly useful. Have a look if you write at all.

I came across the following picture on a Tumblr site a couple of months ago, and thought it was fascinating. Turns out it's A Roman Slave Market by Jean-Léon Gérôme, a 19th-century French painter, allegedly held at the Baltimore Walters Art Museum. The man has done some nice work. And some of the themes seem recurring, if the following painting is any indication. I love talented painters with a naughty streak.

I'll leave you with a new ongoing blackmail story on Storiesonline, by Engineer5, called Nicole: “Nicole is young, beautiful, intelligent and confident. She has a scholarship and a bright future. When her sister gets sick and she needs money to pay for her bills, Nicole gets help from a rich geek kid. But soon she is at his mercy and she has to do things she hates...” Both quick and slow moving (you'll see what I mean when you read it), but a promising premise, and some nice scenes to wet our collective appetite.