My Life

Happy Birthday!!

2008-04-25T14:01:14Z

Happy birthday, carodee!!!

I hope you have a fantastic fun day filled with joy and happiness (and cake). May it be just the beautiful beginning to an even more joyous year!

Spreading the word

2008-04-24T18:54:04Z

From vamysteryfan:

Bush's 2009 proposed Federal budget eliminates funding for Reading is Fundamental, a program that distributes 16 million books annually to the nation’s youngest and most at-risk children, at the relatively minimal cost of $26 million.

Visit the Reading is Fundamental website at http://www.rif.org. They have a form where you fill in your zipcode and they send a personalized message to your Congressional representatives.

That $26 million is basically a rounding error in the Department of Defense budget and it's ridiculous that Bush can't find the money somewhere in the vastness of the federal budget.

So seriously, to visit the RIF website and click on their Urgent Action Needed link.

http://www.rif.org

Feel free to repost this and get the word out.

LMFA 2008 Nominations Reminder

2008-04-08T12:07:34Z

---Please forward to all interested lists, blogs, LiveJournals, etc.---

Nominations for the 2008 Light My Fire Awards are now open.

It's easy to nominate a story and you can nominate as many as you want in each category, so if you've just read something you really loved, be sure and nominate it!

To do so, go here:

http://lmfa.diagonalfiction.com/2008Nom/index.php

Nominations run through July 15, 2008.

If you have any questions or comments for us you can contact us at LMFAwards@yahoogroups.com. We also have a LiveJournal community, lmfawards, for announcements and questions. Feel free to look for us there.

The Light My Fire Awards:
Honoring Excellence in Online Sentinel Fanfiction
~ Read ~ Enjoy ~ Vote ~
http://lmfa.diagonalfiction.com/index2.php

LMFA Committee

Happy Birthday!!

2008-04-08T12:02:18Z

Happy birthday, mab_browne!!

I hope you have a wonderful day filled with and abundance of love and family and all manner of joy!! Eat cake, laugh, hug your kids, and be happy!

LMFA 2008 Nominations Open

2008-03-21T01:27:13Z

---Please forward to all interested lists, blogs, LiveJournals, etc.---

Nominations for the 2008 Light My Fire Awards are now open.

It's easy to nominate a story and you can nominate as many as you want in each category, so if you've just read something you really loved, be sure and nominate it!

To do so, go here:

http://lmfa.diagonalfiction.com/2008Nom/index.php

Nominations run through July 15, 2008.

If you have any questions or comments for us you can contact us at LMFAwards@yahoogroups.com. We also have a LiveJournal community, lmfawards, for announcements and questions. Feel free to look for us there.

The Light My Fire Awards:
Honoring Excellence in Online Sentinel Fanfiction
~ Read ~ Enjoy ~ Vote ~
http://lmfa.diagonalfiction.com/index2.php

LMFA Committee

Oddball CSI-related Observation

2008-02-02T18:33:47Z

I was scrubbing my bathroom this morning, as it was one of my to do items, and part of the bathroom scrubbing procedure is to clear the tub drain of my hair.

Yuk.

Today's haul was a nasty, wet, matted glob that wound out about the size of a chipmunk.

Double yuk.

While I was clearing the drain, I was thinking about the episode of CSI:NY I watched last night where they observed that the vic had long, beautiful blonde hair and they could probably retrieve a hair from the drain in her bathroom (from which they could determine how long someone had been poisoning her).

So Danny (I believe) goes to her bathroom and pulls out one single long hair, clean, pristine and perfect. That's how it always goes in these CSI shows. One beautiful hair comes out of the drain.

No gunk. No mat. No chimpunk of foulness.

How is that possible? And why would they do that?

It's not like these shows are shy about showing gross stuff (hello, TMI-cam), so why do they gloss over the nasty reality of hair gunk in the drain?

Jurassic Park 3 Wallpaper

2008-01-28T15:57:15Z

I haven't made a big, wallpaper sized graphic in a long time and this was a fun one to work on. It was made for smallfandomfest, over at that other journal place, and the prompt I claimed was "digging".

It was made at 1024x769. I've got it up on my monitor at a larger size and it looks fine to me.

Feel free to take it and use it if you like. Hell, feel free to take it even if you don't, I'm easy. Please don't pass it off as your own though, that's not nice.

All screencaps are my own. Textures and brushes and such-like are credited in my Icon Resources.

Recommendation: U2 3D IMAX Movie

2008-01-27T20:58:19Z

Go here and watch this preview.

You've watched it?

Okay.

The movie itself, on the *huge* IMAX screen and in 3D that will blow your goddamned mind, makes that look like a trailer for an episode of the Teletubbies.

I am not, I admit freely, a U2 fan (I like songs not bands, in general). Or, at least, I wasn't until I saw this movie. But now, oh, yeah...

I also admit freely that I've really never gotten the whole sex appeal of the Rock Gods thing. I can't imagine throwing my shirt at Mick Jagger no matter how much of a contact high I'd picked up.

That said, I was ready to absolutely lay down at Bono's feet while I was watching this. Lick the sweat off his neck, hold his hand while he was singing, and let him lead me into the Promised Land. Damn!! The Edge was hot; the bass player (whose name I don't know, as I said I'm not a fan) was gorgeous; the drummer isn't *hot* exactly but I'll cop to whimpering when he'd gotten warmed up and unzipped his shirt just a hair (nothing flashy or deliberately sexy) and showed just a sliver of toned chest. But Bono, woof!! There's no individual part of him (except his ass) that's all that pretty, but the total effect had me weak at the knees.

And the movie itself...seriously *woah*!! The 3D was just amazing--Bono looked like he was close enough to touch. Close enough to lick that sweat off his neck. The visuals blew me away--I kept getting distracted by just how fantastic it *looked*, the way they layered the images over each other, the transitions from one shot to the next, the use of color and texture. Not just the 3D, though it contributed, but the way they'd use larger images screened over smaller ones was just gorgeous. So I'd watch that for a while and make mental notes ("I could get that effect, who knew it would be so freaking amazing?"). And then I'd get sucked back into the music, and the band, and the whole experience.

And the message of the band's music is definitely something I can sing to. After the show, EE and her hubby and I were talking about how Bono has the charisma to take over the world, or make a fair stab at it. And I realized that the world would quite likely be a better place if he did.

I definitely need to get more of their music.

It was like going to a concert, only in some ways *better*. Because there's no way you could get this kind of view of the performers, of the crowd, of the whole *experience*, even if you paid through the nose for floor tickets. No way to feel that *close* to the band. Sometimes I worry that movies are similar to real life, but better--so that reality looks like a rather shabby imitation of itself (a subject for another post someday). But in this case, I revel in it. There's not enough money in the world to get me into a soccer stadium filled with approximately half the population of the universe throwing drinks and sweating and taking their shirts off, pressed in shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. But I could get a very good facsimile of that experience, without the soda in my hair, at this movie.

As far as I can tell tickets to the show cost whatever normal tickets at the IMAX theater of your choice cost. In our case, it was $13 and I would have felt like I got a bargain at twice that. I will be going back, alone or in company, when it starts at the IMAX theater near here (in mid February). (For more information about the movie and show times, go to the official U2 3D site).

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-01-25T14:14:58Z

Happy birthday, elmyraemilie!!!

I hope you have a *fantastic* day, darling, filled with love and joy and everything that makes you happiest. And I hope that this day is just day one of an even more fantastic year!!

I'd sing you happy birthday, but you'd have to ice-pick your own ears, so I'll be nice. :D Just know that I'll be thinking of you all day. And OMG looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, in what must be the most incredibly well-timed impromptu visit ever.

NCIS Fic Rec

2008-01-24T16:40:28Z

OMG janedavitt just posted this fic and it's hot hot hot!! Gibbs/DiNozzo, because I can't really imagine reading anything else (well, okay, maybe Abby/McGee).

It's called Kill Me With Kindness.

It's utterly NC-17, in a totally delicious way. Gibbs is just so wonderfully *Gibbs* in it, and Tony...ah, I love Tony. I can *relate* to Tony in this story.

It's even got my kind of kink (with the right Dom, D/s doesn't require *props*) and is ever so yummy. (Which isn't to say that the props are a *bad* thing. But for Gibbs...I think they'd distract rather than adding.)

Seriously, if you have even an inkling of an interest in NCIS fic go read it. Once again that's Kill Me With Kindness, by janedavitt.

Meme Time--TV Meme

2008-01-19T07:08:38Z

TV Five Things Meme (scoobered from angelskuuipo)

Back in the Day: 5 TV Shows You Loved As A Kid

1. Magnum P.I.
2. Scooby Doo, Where Are You?
3. Star Trek: TOS (it premiered exactly one year (to the day) before I was born--which makes me feel as though I've been a Star Trek fan from the *egg*)
4. Simon & Simon
5. M*A*S*H

Who Would You Do?: 5 TV Characters You Would...Well, It's Self-Explanatory (in no particular order, honest)

1. Blair Sandburg (Sentinel)(I think he'd just be a *blast*)
2. Vin Tanner (Mag7)(*So* gorgeous, but somehow not intimidating)
3. Leroy Jethro Gibbs (NCIS)(OMG just the *thought*!)
4. Buck Wilmington (Mag7)(If there was ever a man who knows how to show a lady a good time and treat her like a queen it would be Buck.)
5. Ray Kowalski (due South)

(Okay, I'm just getting *started* here, so I'm going to keep going for a while.)

6. Danny Messer (CSI:NY)
7. Ray Vecchio (due South)
8. Stella Bonasera (CSI:NY)
9. Gil Grissom (CSI)
10. Nick Stokes (CSI)

11. Jim Ellison (Sentinel)
12. Martin Fitzgerald (Without a Trace)
13. Josiah Sanchez (Mag7)(he's older, but I think he'd be *awesome*)
14. Sheldon Hawks (CSI:NY)
15. Greg Sanders (CSI)

16. Megan Reeves (Numb3rs)(In a heartbeat. :D)
17. Elena Delgado (Without a Trace)(Okay, I know *nothing* about her character, and gather that she's more than a little annoying to many fen, but the Hot Hispanic Chick was partly responsible for me figuring out that I'm bisexual. And I'd do her in a second. :D)
18. Don Eppes (Numb3rs)
19. Benton Fraser (due South)(He'd be *such* a gentleman.)
20. Spock (ST:TOS)

21. Nyota Uhura (ST:TOS)
22. Laura Holt (Remington Steele)(OMG yes, please!! Now?)
23. Remington Steele (Duh)
24. Calleigh Duquesne (CSI:Miami) (The only worthwhile character on the show)
25. Mary Travis (Mag7)(I'd squeeze her and pet her golden hair and kiss her gorgeous lips and listen to her whisper sweet nothings to me in that sexy voice)

(Okay, that's five groups of five characters I'd do...I'll stop there.)

Hot, but No: 5 Characters People Might Be Surprised You Wouldn't Do, And Why (This category is my own addition)

1. Chris Larabee (Mag7)(He's kind of *intense* you know. And a little broody. More handsome than ten normal men, but I think he'd trigger off a bunch of my neuroses.)
2. Ezra Standish (Mag7)(I couldn't trust him enough to relax and enjoy myself)
3. Catherine Willows (CSI)(she's gorgeous and hot and fabulous and every second we were together I'd be wondering why she was there with me and feeling totally fat and toad-like)
4. Judge Orrin Travis (Mag7)(he's so sexy, but married, and I wouldn't want him if he'd damage his integrity by cheating on his wife)
5. Tony DiNozzo (NCIS)(not that I don't want to and he *is* gorgeous as hell, but I don't think I'm hot enough for him and he's just juvenile enough that I don't trust him not to make me feel that)

What? No, No, I Don't Watch That...: 5 Guilty Pleasure TV Shows

This is more going to be an "embarrassing admissions" list, as they're not *still* pleasures, and I didn't feel guilty about them at the time

1. The Love Boat - I admit that I've always been a sweet fluffy romance ho.
2. Fantasy Island - Those two were my Saturday night lineup for a few years--I'd sit in the more or less private sitting room off my parent's bedroom and watch The Love Boat and Fantasy Island every week)
3. Hunter - Terrible show, really. I mean I enjoyed the hell out of it and DeeDee McCall pretty much rocked my socks, but they solved crimes by gut instinct and killing the main suspect (so the fact that they had no admissible evidence wouldn't be a long term problem). But it got me through a long, dull summer in Grad School and I'll be forever grateful.
4. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - only one season, the first season it showed in the US. It was when I was in Grad School and I'd get home from class in the afternoon and crash out with a glass of pink wine and watch cartoons. And Power Rangers. I didn't like it as much as Tale Spin or Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers, but I liked it more than Duck Tales.
5. The Brady Bunch - I loved this show when I was a little kid. Afternoon reruns were the best.

Wow: 5 TV Moments You Still Remember (And Probably Won't Forget)

1. M*A*S*H - Radar walking into the OR and telling everyone that Henry Blake was dead
2. Carol Burnett Show - "Just something I saw in a window" (the Gone With The Wind pastiche)
3. The 1982 Fall lineup (all networks) because that was the year I discovered that there were gorgeous people on TV and I could be, erm, interested in them. There were some great shows with some gorgeous men and women on that year: Simon & Simon, Magnum, PI, Remington Steele, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Voyagers!, Knight Rider. I had a schedule carefully worked out to maximize my exposure to the pretty.
4. M*A*S*H - The series finale, with Hawkeye in the mental hospital, and the horror of realizing with him that the woman on the bus had smothered her baby.
5. Mary Tyler Moore Show -- Series finale, the group hug walking around the room to find a kleenex.

"Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs": 5 TV Theme Songs You Know (and Love) By Heart

1. M*A*S*H
2. Star Trek (it's woven in the very fabric of my being)
3. Laverne & Shirley
4. Gilligan's Island (I even do a hell of a good version of it to the tune of Amazing Grace)
5. Scooby Doo, Where Are You?
(I know some of the above are tunes rather than songs. I don’t care)

Eh: 5 Shows You Just Can't Get Into

1. Supernatural
2. Smallville (I don't care how queer it is, those *aren't* high school students)
3. Survivor or American Idol or pretty much any other pseudo-reality competition type show
4. I haven't liked a sitcom since Family Ties (at least not one that stayed on the air for more than a few episodes)
5. Stargate Atlantis (not SG1 either, though there are a couple of episodes I like)

The Starting Line-Up: 5 Channels You Go To First When You Sit Down to Watch TV

1. CBS
2. Spike
3. Discover
4. Comcast On Demand. :D (Not really a network, but that's most of what I watch)
5. DVDs (so I can watch what I choose)

This Is An Environment of Welcoming, and You Should Just Get the Hell Out Of Here: 5 TV Characters You Could Do Without

1. Sara Sidle (CSI) - Can I just say how terribly happy I am that she's now gone. She was a neurotic mess who couldn't keep her emotional issues out of her cases.
2. Amita Ramanujan (Numb3rs)- I just don’t particularly care for her. She’s passive-aggressive and plays mind games with Charlie. The writers can’t figure out what to do with her and she just needs to go away. (I just left what angelskuuipo wrote about Amita, because, umm, yeah! What she said.)
3. Horatio Caine (CSI: Miami) - He's just so arrogant and obnoxious and basically ruins the show for me.
4. Samantha Spade (Without a Trace) - Poppy Montgomery is really very beautiful, but Sam's a mess emotionally. And not a very good agent.
5. Jack Malone (Without a Trace) - Between Jack and Samantha (and Viv, but I'm out of space here) there are too many annoying characters to make it worth being fannish about Without A Trace, despite the fact that Eric Close is in it.

That's What She Said: 5 Quotes That Still Resonate

(I'm going to pass on this one because it's 2 am, I'm tired, and I'm better with movie quotes. And I added in the five characters I wouldn't do despite the fact that they're sexy as hell and I love them.)

Gimme More: 5 Shows You Can Never Get Enough Of

(This one is a really strange category for me, because the more invested I am in a snow, the more nervous I get about watching new (to me) episodes. I'm scared to death of the last few episodes of Magnificent Seven, because I'm afraid they'll do something that I won't like, especially to Chris and Vin. Shows that I'm less invested in I can eat up like popcorn. So this *isn't* a list of the shows I'm most fannish about, oddly.)

1. CSI: NY (I don't slash it, and I don't read fanfic, but I really love the show)
2. Mythbusters (they blow things up, for *science*!! It's like a big happy geek fest, with big booms!)
3. Columbo (they were TV movies, not really a series, but I'd watch Peter Falk play Columbo forever)
4. NCIS (I can watch DVD after DVD, but I don't watch the new episodes when they come out)
5. Numb3rs (Though they could ruin it completely by messing up Megan and Larry's relationship)

NCIS!!

2007-10-26T12:38:58Z

I'm trying to figure out if I can blame spikedluv for getting me into another fandom. :D

I mean, okay, it was elmyraemilie who showed me my first episodes of NCIS (Thank you!!), but Spikedluv told me that I really needed to pay more attention to Tony DiNozzo and not get put off by his juvenile antics (thank you, too!!)

Because yeah, having watched the first couple of episodes, I can see what you mean about him, hon. Seeing the beginning of Tony's interactions with Kate makes a big difference. And he really does want Gibbs...to respect him. And he's got a lot of insecurity going (which always endears people to me for some reason). So I'm falling in love with him, for his personality not just his gorgeous mouth (which OMG I want to kiss until I can't breathe). And I'm deeply in lust with Gibbs. And I want to have Abby's children and let Ducky bounce them on his knee.

It's not bad having a new fandom, right?

I started reading fic. And I need more recs, yes, please?? Lots and lots of recs.

I have one to share, though probably everyone's seen this story because it's not new.

Words, by Nix. Gibbs/DiNozzo (I suspect everything I read in this fandom will be, I am *so* OTPish), kinky but not particularly so. I mean, okay, there's a kink there but it's not a kinky kink so to speak. I mean, look, I have a kissing kink and a good kiss story can really get me going, but that's not going to get to someone who likes "kink". This is like that. Sort of. Anyway, DiNozzo in this story is so...Jesus, so much like me. Except I never had anyone who ..., erm, never mind. Just read it, it's good.

Spread the meme!!

2007-10-18T01:34:24Z

From elmyraemilie:

A friend from fandom has recently been diagnosed with aplastic anemia. This is a vicious constellation of syndromes and disease that causes the bone marrow to stop producing all types of blood cells: no red cells, no platelets, no white cells--nothing. It's a frightening diagnosis, even now, when modern medicine is conquering so many fatal conditions. There was a time when aplastic anemia was invariably fatal, but that's not the case any more. Anti-immunosuppresive drugs and selective transfusions can stretch time for those diagnosed, hopefully until a match for a bone marrow transplant can be found.

That's the hitch, of course. The person I'm talking about has a rare blood type, so finding a match will be an arduous process.

Please go to the National Marrow Donor Program website and find out how simple it is to register as a marrow donor. The process of donating is not nearly as difficult and complicated as it was even 10 years ago. You--you, yourself, sitting there reading this--could actually save another person's life.

Maybe even my friend's life, this vivid member of our community, this mother, wife, writer, and friend. Please go get the information and sign up to be a marrow donor. Thousands of people with aplastic anemia seek a marrow donor every day; unless their match has taken the time to register, their lifesaving search will be in vain. What a tragic loss.

Spread the word. Copy and paste this like the best meme in the world into every journal and blog you run. Get the word out. Ask people to register as bone marrow donors. Please register yourself--it could be the best thing you've ever done.

Two Ficlet Recs

2007-10-05T01:57:35Z

arouette has written "213 Things Murray Bozinsky Is No Longer Allowed To Do On The Riptide" which will amuse the heck out of even the most casual Riptide fan. Seriously. Go read it here. Even if you're not a Riptide fan you'll probably be amused.

sassyinkpen has written Barkeep, a wonderful little day in the life Mag7 ficlet set in the Yellowstone AU (and how squeeful am I to see other people writing in that AU?? Veryveryvery!!). Her Ezra is just fantastically spot on and I adore Chris and Vin. And I may have to go get pineapple juice and limes so I can make a Singapore Sling. Go read this one here. Now.

Both links go to LiveJournal entries!

Fic: Gunsmoke (Mag7, Old West, Chris/Vin, NC-17)

2007-09-19T14:55:25Z

Title: Gunsmoke
Author: Sara
Email: sara_merry99 at yahoo dot com
Fandom: Magnificent Seven (Old West)
Pairing: Chris/Vin
Rating: NC-17, FRAO
Word Count: about 3,000
Author's Note: Betaed by farad and sassyinkpen, dear friends and excellent betas. Encouraged by Arouette and Catyah, without whom I would delete about half the stories I write. Maybe more.
Summary: Shooting lessons. And more.

"I don't need no lessons, Larabee," Vin said, irritably, "I been shooting since I was big enough to pick up a gun." He leaned away from the pistol Chris was offering him, hand dropping to the mare's leg on his thigh. The pistol'd been taken from the dead body of a stage robber they'd stopped the day before, along with a nice tooled leather gunbelt and a bunch of bullets.

"Humor me," Chris said. "Shooting a pistol ain't like shooting a rifle." He offered the gun again and Vin took it, reluctantly.

"I know that. Ain't like you haven't seen me..." Vin stopped suddenly, realizing his mistake when Chris grinned at him, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Yeah, I've seen you with a pistol, Vin. 'S how I know you could use some practice with it," Chris said with that confidence of his that was as exciting as hell one minute, infuriating as hell the next.

Vin tried to hold onto being infuriated, but Chris walked across the yard to line up a row of empty cans on the top of the fence railing, his perfect ass shaped by pants so tight Vin thought they ought to be illegal. Vin swallowed hard, eyes glued to the fine sight. He resisted the urge to follow, pull Chris back close to him, but his eyes never left those tight black pants.

When Chris turned around and started walking back, the sway of his hips exaggerated by the flashing silver at his gunbelt, Vin caught his eye then licked his lower lip, slowly, just the way Chris liked. Vin smiled as he watched the arrogant swagger falter for a step. He let his eyes travel over the lean man walking toward him, saw the shadowed bulge at his groin and smiled again.

When Chris got in range, Vin stepped toward him, tucking the pistol into the back waistband of his pants. He darted in and stole a kiss, quick and hot, before Larabee knew what to expect. When there was no objection to that, he put his hands on Chris's narrow waist and pulled him forward, sliding them around to hook his thumbs in the back of Chris's gunbelt. His dick rose as he felt Chris's cock, half-hard, pressing into him. He leaned in for another kiss, licking his way into Chris's mouth. "Could just do this instead," he said, pulling away and smiling at the glazed look in Chris's eyes.

Chris groaned and pushed him back, not gently, but not unkindly either. "Stop that, Tanner. You can't shoot a pistol worth a damn and you know it."

Vin bristled at that and stepped back, releasing Chris and dropping his hands to his sides. "You find someone who's a better shot than me and we'll talk again."

Chris stepped forward and put his hand on Vin's shoulder. "Ain't no one I'd trust more with a rifle or a shotgun. No one at all I'd trust with that crazy sawed-off of yours, other than you. You've got the best eyes of anyone I've ever known." He kissed Vin quickly, then took the pistol out of his waistband and checked the cylinder. "But with a pistol you can barely hit a bull at ten paces, particularly with your second shot."

Vin scratched his eyebrow, thinking about Chris's words, then nodded. "Ain't never used one much, 's true. Don't see why I need to though. Got my rifle and my mare's leg." Even as he said it though he knew he was being mulish and stupid.

With a sigh, Chris said, "If you can't think of half a dozen situations where it might be important, then you ain't as smart as I know you are, Vin. But just for one, what happens if we're pinned down somewhere and your gun jams and you have to use a pistol." He pulled Vin close with his free hand, rubbing the backs of his fingers down Vin's stubbled cheek. "I ain't losing you because you were too damned stubborn to learn something that could save your life."

For the span of a couple of heartbeats, Vin rested his cheek against Chris's fingers, never able to resist the call of that touch, then he said, "I can see a bunch of times it could save your life too, cowboy." He looked into Chris's eyes and nodded. "Okay. Let's do it."

He took the gun from Chris's hand and looked down at it. It felt small in his hand, insubstantial despite the weight of it. "Feel like I'm holding a goddamned toy," he said.

"That's probably what messes your aim up," Chris said, moving around behind him and standing so close that Vin could feel Chris's breath on his ear, feel the buckle of Chris's belt in the small of his back, the firm rise of his cock against his ass. Vin's breath hitched, but Chris didn't seem to notice as he wrapped his hand around Vin's and the pistol. "Gonna get your best shot if you hold your arm up," he raised Vin's arm. "You know how to read the sight, right?"

Vin blew out a hard breath, any annoyance he might have felt at the words destroyed by the pleasure of having Chris so near. He aimed on one of the cans. As he started to squeeze the trigger, he reached up with his free hand to steady the pistol as he did his mare's leg.

As soon as his hand started to move, Chris grabbed his left wrist and pulled his arm close to his chest, holding it there. Vin struggled against the hold, his body reacting automatically, until Chris whispered into his ear, "It's me, Vin. Just me." Vin relaxed into the safety of Chris's voice and Chris went on, "If you're holding the barrel when the gun goes off, you might get burned." He released his hold, not letting Vin go entirely, but releasing enough that Vin wouldn't need to struggle to break free.

Vin nodded. While his heart settled, he grumbled, "Could've just said so, didn't have to grab me." There was no heat behind his words and he knew Chris knew that. He just needed to buy himself a minute to calm down.

"You were moving pretty fast there, pard. Didn't want you to get hurt," Chris said. "The pistol's light enough that you don't need both hands to steady it. Just aim and fire."

Vin raised the gun again and took aim. Chris held Vin's left hand loosely, keeping it at his side. His right hand was lightly touching Vin's. When Vin squeezed the trigger, knocking the can off the fence in a spiraling arc, the kick of the gun forced his hand up, forced his shoulder back into Chris's chest, strong and solid. There was a puff of dirt halfway up the hill behind the corral marking where his wild second shot hit.

Chris leaned into him, finding some way to be closer even though it'd seemed that they were hardly far enough apart for air to get through, and said, "Now you know what to expect. So be prepared for it. You want your second shot to be as true as the first." His voice was rough and tender, his breath hot on Vin's ear.

Vin swallowed hard and fired again, two shots in rapid sequence. His first shot hit the mark square but the second went high by a few inches. Closer but still off. The wind blew the smell of gunsmoke in their direction, acrid and dark.

Chris released his gun hand and ran his hand up Vin's arm, resting on the muscle of his upper arm, then his shoulder. "Hold here against the kick. Don't lock up," he said, when Vin tried to tense up, "just be ready. Like when you're riding and know Peso's going to buck." He released Vin's left wrist, apparently trusting now that Vin wouldn't reach to hold the barrel of the pistol, and wrapped his arm around Vin's waist, molding his chest to Vin's back, his chin over Vin's left shoulder. "Again."

Vin leaned back into Chris's hold for just a second, just long enough to smell whiskey and cigar and the deep smell that meant Chris to him, all mixed in with the smell of the gunsmoke. Then he nodded and aimed again, squeezing off two more shots, giving himself a beat between them to adjust his aim. The first hit the next can in the line square on, knocking it into the air, and the second plugged it as it dropped.

Through it all, Vin was acutely aware of Chris behind him, hard and getting harder as the shots echoed off the hills. As soon as the last shot was fired, as soon as the pistol was empty, Chris dropped his hand to Vin's cock, which was half-hard itself, and rubbed it through the soft buckskin of his pants. Vin groaned and dropped his head back onto Chris's shoulder. He hand with the gun fell to his side, the gun hanging loosely down by the trigger guard. Vin reached around behind himself with his free hand to pull Chris close, spreading his legs so he could feel the hard ridge of Chris's cock pressing into the valley of his ass.

Vin moaned as Chris pressed into him, then moaned again when Chris unbuttoned his trousers and slid his hand into his drawers, taking Vin in hand and rubbing strong, calloused fingers over the head of his cock with just the right pressure, just the right touch. Vin shuddered and rocked his hips forward, driving his cock into that hand. He firmed his grip on Chris's ass-cheek, pulling him forward, keeping the contact. "Jesus, Chris," he whispered, his voice broken. The pistol fell from his boneless fingers as he shuddered at the contact.

Without stopping the slide of his fingers over Vin's cock, now slicked at the head with precome, Chris moved a bit away from Vin's back, just a bit. Vin reached up with his free hand and wrapped it around Chris's shoulder and neck, holding him close.

Chris buried his nose in Vin's hair for a second, nuzzling, then whispered, "I love the way you smell. Love the way you feel." He firmed his grip on Vin's cock and stroked again, harder, passing his thumb over the head. Vin would have been more embarrassed about the moan he made if he hadn't heard Chris's own groan so clearly.

Vin pulled him forward again, wanting to feel the pressure of Chris's hardness at his ass, wanting to feel everything. He twisted slightly in Chris's arms, not enough to dislodge the hand on his cock but enough that he could kiss Chris's cheek and lick the corner of his mouth.

Chris nipped his ear and sped up his hand on Vin's cock, pulling it out of his pants into the relative coolness of the evening air. Chris's breath came faster and Vin took a glance down to see the head of his dick, slick and red-brown, appearing and disappearing from the circle of Chris's hand. With a strangled moan, Vin closed his eyes, suddenly on the edge of coming. He breathed for a second, trying to pull away from the edge, but the image was burned into his eyes and Chris was panting in his ear, and his grip was perfect and tight and slick.

As if aware how fragile Vin's control was, Chris groaned again and pulled him closer, his free arm wrapping around Vin's chest, his fingers tracing along his lips for a second before he thrust his two fingers into Vin's mouth, possessive and claiming. Vin licked the taste of gunpowder and metal off of Chris's fingers, sucked on them. The feel of them thrusting into his mouth with the same rhythm as Chris's hand on his cock, the same mastery, drove him over the edge. He shot over Chris's hand, driving his cock into that hard, rough grip, and would have shouted if not for the fingers in his mouth.

He was still pulsing in Chris's hand, still sucking on those fingers, when he leaned forward, just enough to loosen Chris's hold on him. Chris slipped his fingers out of Vin's mouth, and the slickness of them trailing down his neck and into the collar of his shirt made Vin shiver. "Want you inside me, Chris. Fucking now," Vin said, unbuckling his gunbelt at hip and thigh and dropping it to the ground.

Chris grunted and released Vin, who stripped off his pants and drawers, leaving them in a heap on the ground. He turned to find Chris watching him, eyes hot and dark, fingers fumbling with his gunbelt. Vin went straight for his trouser buttons, strained tight over the hardness there. He was about ready to draw his knife and cut the damned buttons off when they finally gave, one right after the other. Chris's gunbelt hung from his hand, forgotten, as Vin drew his cock out with a long, slow caress. Chris's groan sounded like it came from the center of the earth.

Vin was still staring at Chris's cock, stark red and beautifully obscene against the black pants, when he felt a shove on his shoulder. "Get inside," Chris said, voice gravelly. "Ain't gonna take you in the dirt like an animal. Move."

Vin was too touched to argue, though the house was about twenty feet away and, God, even that seemed like too long to wait. But it was faster to move than to argue. He bent to pick up his pants, but Chris moaned and cupped his ass for a second before smacking it lightly, and said, "Leave 'em." Vin nodded sharply and just grabbed his gunbelt before heading in.

Getting inside was a blur of movement and touch, hard kisses and moans. Chris took every opportunity to touch, to rub his cock on Vin's ass, hips, back. Keeping Vin wanting, so that when they were inside Vin was on his hands and knees on the bed, ass in the air, before Chris had even kicked the door shut. There was noise, thunk and rustle, and Vin was on the verge of reaching back to start stretching himself, his own fingers better than the emptiness and ache he felt.

Then Chris was there with a quick slide of oiled fingers over his hole, then the smooth head of his cock pressing in. There was a bite of pain, an uncomfortable stretch of fullness, and Vin gasped with the surprise of it. Chris started to pull out, but Vin reached around and held him inside, pulled him deeper.

Chris resisted, his hands on Vin’s hips, saying, “I don’t want to hurt you.” But even as he said that, Vin pulled him forward and he slid in deeper, groaning as the thick head of his cock passed through the tight ring of muscle.

“Don’t care,” Vin said, panting through the flare of burning pain. He held still for a moment, giving his body barely enough time to adjust, before he started pulling Chris forward, ignoring the throb of the overstretched muscle. “Want to feel you. Hard.”

Chris took him at his word, thank God, working his cock in as quickly as Vin’s body allowed, then driving hard and fast, grunting with each thrust. Vin dropped his head and rocked back, impaling himself deeper and deeper, until it seemed like he could feel Chris clear up to his chest. His own cock was high and hard against his belly.

Chris groaned and wrapped around him, one hand tangling up in his hair and lifting it off his neck. That was all the warning Vin got before Chris bit down on the junction of neck and shoulder, holding the muscle there in his teeth. The change in position changed the angle of his thrusts so he hit that special place in Vin. Each thrust, deep and hard, struck like lightning on that magic spot that Chris alone, of all the men Vin had been with, had found, the place in his ass that made him feel like he was at the heart of a storm of pleasure.

He threw his head back and groaned loud, almost sobbing with the pleasure. Releasing his hair, Chris wrapped his hand around Vin’s cheek, sliding two fingers into Vin’s mouth again. The taste of gunsmoke and salt overloaded Vin’s senses and he came again, the pleasure rolling from mouth to ass to cock like a summer storm.

With his release, Chris was able to drive in deeper, harder, and his final strokes, sliding against that spot inside, now sensitized, made Vin whimper with pleasure. When Chris came it was with a loud moan and a final stuttered thrust of his hips that seemed as though intended to meld them together permanently.

Vin recovered first, and managed to wriggle them around so that they were lying on their sides facing each other, despite Chris, half collapsed on his back. He took advantage of Chris's relaxed state to trace over the fine, proud features he knew so well and loved so much. At the first fluttering of Chris's eyelids he ducked in for a kiss, soft but intense, then backed away. Chris blinked and smiled at him, lazy and satisfied and smug looking as a happy cat.

Feeling satisfied and more than a little smug himself, Vin said, "Any time you want to give me another shooting lesson like that, cowboy, you just say the word."

Magnificent Seven Fic Rec

2007-08-29T19:14:52Z

I haven't had much time for reading fic lately, what with Real Life Running Rampant around here, but I did sneak a chance yesterday to read a new story that just posted at Blackraptor Adult.

It's called "Not the First Time" by ELG. It's Chris/Vin, Old West. No Vin-speak, spikedluv--well, maybe just a tiny bit, but not much and there's not a lot of dialogue. Hot as blazes, but with some absolutely gorgeous and wonderful angst as well. All Vin POV. This is the kind of story that really gives meaning to the phrase "erotic character study"--it all takes place during a sex scene, but it's *not* a PWP, in my opinion.

I'm not giving a link because I don't want to alienate Nancy at BR. It just posted yesterday so it's at the top of the New Stories list on the front page. If you don't have the URL to Blackraptor Adult, you can get it by following the instructions here.

September Smut Meme!

2007-08-18T01:40:38Z

Got this from wonderful elmyraemilie. And since I'm deeply in favor of increasing the store of smut in the world, I'm passing it along.

So witchdragon was commenting on a nice bit of slashy smut over at the_minx_17's IJ, and then made the suggestion that, since many people seem to be having some writing blocks recently, we should all post a bit of smut, kink, porn or other dirty story here at IJ on September 1. I'm all for that. There do not seem to be any rules, and I think that's the point--just post something. Write a little bit and put it up where people can pet you for writing it, and let's get those Muses to work again. Nothing like praise to feed the muse.

So write, post on September 1, and then comment on everyone else's. Let's get writing again!

(Cross-posted to comms and my IJ.)

Magnificent Seven Community

2007-08-12T04:03:31Z

Well, I'm going to try to establish a bit of a fannish presence here on IJ, so I've created a Magnificent Seven community.

Please join and contribute!

Welcome

2007-08-03T14:39:00Z

Hey and welcome!

My live journal is used for both fannish and personal posts. The personal posts are, invariably, f-locked. Fannish posts that are a) purely fannish and b) potentially of general interest are public. My completed stories, icons and episode notes, as well as any meta-fannish observations and discussions, are *always* posted publicly. (I sometimes post story drafts in f-locked posts, but those are just roughs anyway.) Just in case you wandered in here completely by accident all of my stories deal with gay sex, gay romance or both and most of them are sexually explicit. So I'd have to say this journal is adults only.

Anyone is welcome to friend my journal to get the fannish posts, but I do not automatically friend back. It's not that I don't love you. Really. It's not even because I don't want to. But I don't like to assume that someone who wants to read my stories or my episode notes also wants to know about my acid reflux, my neuroses, and my new car.

If you'd like me to friend you back, please respond to this post and let me know. All comments will be screened, but I'll definitely see it. If I know you, please remind me where I know you from in your request--I have an embarrassingly bad memory for names most of the time. If I don't know you and you'd like me to add you, respond to this post and tell me a little about yourself. Let's get to know each other.

Hey-o!!

2007-07-20T22:43:16Z

Well, it's always good to have a back up if LJ goes flooey and so here I am. :D

Maybe I'll use this for posting fic and stuff.

Dunno yet. :D

Anyway, I'm here so if I know you please feel free to friend me! Heck, if I *don't* know you, feel free to friend me.

Let's see if we can have a new community here. :D