I'm doing my best to keep the economic theory to a bearable amount but still include enough to reach an understanding of how it explains what actually happens in D/s courting. In this post I will likely candy coat the basic ideas of the theory since if I tried to go in depth it would likely bore the shit out of everyone.
At the end of my post on Perfect vs. Imperfect substitutes I touched on Dommes generally being more discerning than many subs.
Utility
Economic theory often deals with an idea known as "Utility." Basically, utility describes the amount of "goodness" someone receives from something. Perfect substitutes occur when choosing one item over another yields the same level of utility. Imperfect substitutes occur when choosing one substitute (lesser) item yields less utility than another (better) item.
Dommes are often faced with the challenge of considering or accepting subs that yield less utility than their ideal sub (read as: they aren't as happy with a good "fit" sub vs. a perfect fit sub). Their perfect sub probably doesn't exist, so substitution is a very common practice in D/s courting. The challenge then becomes finding a sub that is "good enough" and trying to shape him to something that is as close to perfect as possible.
Technically, the economic theories on utility generally work based upon a fixed income and/or describe what happens during changes in income. However, as I wrote about in my Barter System post, Femdom is a scarce and valuable resource.
Maximizing Utility through Poly-relationships
If a Domme realizes her services are an extremely valuable commodity, she can in turn increase her "buying power" tremendously. That is, rather than settle for one imperfect sub, she can take on multiple subs that together can meet every one of her desires and maximize her utility.
e.g. one sub is her emotional lover, one sub is her cleaning maid and money slave, one sub is her big cock for sex, one sub is her intense pain slut, etc.
This has its advantages as she never has to go without something she wants and there is less emotional attachment to individual subs if they ever decide/desire to leave. It also sends a strong message to subs that they are replaceable if they don't meet her performance expectations.
There is a Limit
While it might seem perfect on paper, the more subs that are present the less attention each sub will inevitably receive, reducing their utility. Also, the number of subs capable of functioning as part of a stable over the long-run (even if they say they can) is relatively small.
While this idea may have its flaws, I can see many cases where it would probably yield greater utility for a Domme than searching for one perfect sub.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Femdom as and Economic Theory - Perfect vs. Imperfect Substitues: Discerning Dommes and Idiot subs
This post somewhat builds off of the last scenario I wrote about in my Barter System post and is also rooted in the Theory of supply and demand..
Substitution as an economic term refers to people consuming/purchasing one good instead of another for various reasons.
A perfect substitute is an item that is consumed that yields the same amount of "goodness" (utility) as a different item. e.g. If Pepsi goes on sale, people will increase their consumption of Pepsi and decrease their consumption of Coke. Similarly, if the price of Pepsi goes up, people will increase their consumption of Coke and decrease their consumption of Pepsi. In either case, the total amount of cola consumed will remain pretty much the same. In this example, Coke and Pepsi act as perfect substitutes.
Why some lonely and single male subs can be super annoying
In many cases, Dommes in a particular area often know each other. They often see each other at munches/play parties/gatherings or at least correspond every so often on the internet. One of the biggest headaches for Dommes in a particular area is often a couple of subs that are so starved for dominance yet oblivious to manners and etiquette that they end up being a pain in the ass to every Domme in the area.
When 22 women in one city receive an email from one person saying "u should dominat me" and includes a picture of their dick, you can be fairly sure that this person will be shit-listed by all of them.
On occasion, you'll also find a few subs that aren't as stupid but still seem to make the same general mistake: contacting all of the Dommes within a relatively short period of time.
Desperation tends to breed this behavior and this behavior indicates that a sub in this state treats Dommes like perfect substitutes. No Coke? Pepsi. No Pepsi? R/c. No R/c? Shasta... and so on. They are so starved for domination that they will take it in any way, shape, or form. No matter how you look at it, it wreaks of being pathetic. Unfortunately, this is also a product of the drastic inequality of Femdoms to malesubs, so the tendency for this to happen remains consistent with the economic theory.
Discerning Dommes
Dommes tend to approach courting in a very different way. Dommes tend to treat subs like imperfect substitutes. That is, taking on a sub who is a poor fit (usually) yields less "goodness" than a sub who is a good fit. Rather than trying every available sub she will likely key in on ones who she feels can meet her needs or is of a frame of mind that could be easily molded to meet her needs.
Oddly enough, Dommes that are overtly cruel and prefer subs that hate what they do to them will almost always search with a similar, if not greater amount of discretion. This is an odd scenario where her good fit is a poor fit for him, so it requires a sub that has the capacity to endure both mentally and physically under those circumstances.
Substitution as an economic term refers to people consuming/purchasing one good instead of another for various reasons.
A perfect substitute is an item that is consumed that yields the same amount of "goodness" (utility) as a different item. e.g. If Pepsi goes on sale, people will increase their consumption of Pepsi and decrease their consumption of Coke. Similarly, if the price of Pepsi goes up, people will increase their consumption of Coke and decrease their consumption of Pepsi. In either case, the total amount of cola consumed will remain pretty much the same. In this example, Coke and Pepsi act as perfect substitutes.
Why some lonely and single male subs can be super annoying
In many cases, Dommes in a particular area often know each other. They often see each other at munches/play parties/gatherings or at least correspond every so often on the internet. One of the biggest headaches for Dommes in a particular area is often a couple of subs that are so starved for dominance yet oblivious to manners and etiquette that they end up being a pain in the ass to every Domme in the area.
When 22 women in one city receive an email from one person saying "u should dominat me" and includes a picture of their dick, you can be fairly sure that this person will be shit-listed by all of them.
On occasion, you'll also find a few subs that aren't as stupid but still seem to make the same general mistake: contacting all of the Dommes within a relatively short period of time.
Desperation tends to breed this behavior and this behavior indicates that a sub in this state treats Dommes like perfect substitutes. No Coke? Pepsi. No Pepsi? R/c. No R/c? Shasta... and so on. They are so starved for domination that they will take it in any way, shape, or form. No matter how you look at it, it wreaks of being pathetic. Unfortunately, this is also a product of the drastic inequality of Femdoms to malesubs, so the tendency for this to happen remains consistent with the economic theory.
Discerning Dommes
Dommes tend to approach courting in a very different way. Dommes tend to treat subs like imperfect substitutes. That is, taking on a sub who is a poor fit (usually) yields less "goodness" than a sub who is a good fit. Rather than trying every available sub she will likely key in on ones who she feels can meet her needs or is of a frame of mind that could be easily molded to meet her needs.
Oddly enough, Dommes that are overtly cruel and prefer subs that hate what they do to them will almost always search with a similar, if not greater amount of discretion. This is an odd scenario where her good fit is a poor fit for him, so it requires a sub that has the capacity to endure both mentally and physically under those circumstances.
Femdom as an Economic Theory - Adverse Selection and the Lemon Problem
At the end of my Barter System post I briefly discussed some of the negative aspects of being one of a few Femdoms confronted with an over-whelming number of malesubs.
These problems are rooted in a couple of economic theories that were developed in order to describe certain types of market failures (market failures = when supply and demand fail to establish a perfect equilibrium).
Asymmetric Information, Adverse Selection and the Lemon Problem
Asymmetric information is a term that refers to a situation when one party has better or more complete information than the other. Adverse Selection is term referring to market failures due to "bad" outcomes occurring based upon asymmetric information.
The Lemon Problem describes the market for used cars and is the most common example used to describe this situation. A person selling a used car knows exactly how it has behaved over time and what problems it may have. A person buying a used car only knows what the seller tells them, which may or not be completely accurate/true.
Let's say:
1. A perfect, great running, used car should sell for $10,000.
2. An unreliable, problem prone, used car of the same year, model, and features should sell for $4,000.
The buyer doesn't know if the used car will be #1 or #2 (or somewhere in between). The actual selling price will likely be somewhere around $6,000-$7,000. This is considered a market failure since good cars sell below what they are worth and bad cars sell for more than they are worth.
The same used car may sell from a dealer for say, $9,000 since the dealer will likely have done a thorough inspection and offer some sort of warranty, but that is outside the scope of this post.
Why this makes it harder for subs
This same type of market failure happens frequently in D/s courting. The sub is like the used car and the Domme is the buyer. Good subs will sell themselves as good subs and bad subs will also sell themselves as good subs. It's (almost) impossible to tell good subs apart from bad subs without spending a significant amount of time with them.
This leads to several problems.
Many good subs will get passed over while being mistaken for bad subs in disguise.
Many bad subs posing as good subs will be chosen (and discarded), making Dommes even more skeptical towards subs in general.
It becomes next to impossible to truly sell yourself for who you are.
I know many Dommes that have developed intensive evaluation and testing periods in order to weed out the good from the bad. While I think that it is wise of them to do so, I think it's a bit of a shame that it has to be that way.
These problems are rooted in a couple of economic theories that were developed in order to describe certain types of market failures (market failures = when supply and demand fail to establish a perfect equilibrium).
Asymmetric Information, Adverse Selection and the Lemon Problem
Asymmetric information is a term that refers to a situation when one party has better or more complete information than the other. Adverse Selection is term referring to market failures due to "bad" outcomes occurring based upon asymmetric information.
The Lemon Problem describes the market for used cars and is the most common example used to describe this situation. A person selling a used car knows exactly how it has behaved over time and what problems it may have. A person buying a used car only knows what the seller tells them, which may or not be completely accurate/true.
Let's say:
1. A perfect, great running, used car should sell for $10,000.
2. An unreliable, problem prone, used car of the same year, model, and features should sell for $4,000.
The buyer doesn't know if the used car will be #1 or #2 (or somewhere in between). The actual selling price will likely be somewhere around $6,000-$7,000. This is considered a market failure since good cars sell below what they are worth and bad cars sell for more than they are worth.
The same used car may sell from a dealer for say, $9,000 since the dealer will likely have done a thorough inspection and offer some sort of warranty, but that is outside the scope of this post.
Why this makes it harder for subs
This same type of market failure happens frequently in D/s courting. The sub is like the used car and the Domme is the buyer. Good subs will sell themselves as good subs and bad subs will also sell themselves as good subs. It's (almost) impossible to tell good subs apart from bad subs without spending a significant amount of time with them.
This leads to several problems.
Many good subs will get passed over while being mistaken for bad subs in disguise.
Many bad subs posing as good subs will be chosen (and discarded), making Dommes even more skeptical towards subs in general.
It becomes next to impossible to truly sell yourself for who you are.
I know many Dommes that have developed intensive evaluation and testing periods in order to weed out the good from the bad. While I think that it is wise of them to do so, I think it's a bit of a shame that it has to be that way.
Femdom as an Economic Theory - The Barter System and Double Coincidence of wants
The Barter System
The evolution of money came about as a solution to the inconvenient method of trading known as the barter system. The barter system is trading ones' own goods or services in exchange for goods or services the one is seeking. Instead of trying to trade a day's labor for a bag of salt or 20 rabbit pelts for a bushel of wheat, it was easier to work a day's labor and be paid in money to buy the salt directly or sell the rabbit pelts for money to buy the wheat.
The principle governing success of the barter system is known as double-coincidence of wants. This occurs when the trader and tradee each want what the other is offering. Unfortunately this can be a very difficult task depending upon what one is offering and what one wants.
How this applies to Femdom relationships
BDSM relationships are often described in terms of their "fit." Fit rarely describes personal compatibility but usually focuses upon commonalities in desired kink. I won't comment on whether I think this is a good priority to have, I will just accept this is how courting usually occurs (although I will note that successful relationships of any kind usually requires good personal compatibility).
Dommes and subs seeking a good "fit" closely resembles the double-coincidence of wants. In most cases, you can think of someone's kinky desires as both what they have to offer and what they desire in return.
Why Femdoms hold all the bartering power
As I wrote in my post on Supply and Demand, the numbers are stacked in favor of Femdoms. Basically, for every one woman offering wheat, there's 27 men wanting wheat who will have to meet her demands to get it.
An example
male submissive X wants:
-Domination.
-A fetish-model sexy Mistress.
-Frequent kinky sex play.
-Light bondage.
-Light physical punishment.
Femdom A wants:
-Complete devotion and submission.
-Gainful employment / financial manipulation.
-Well-educated conversation.
-Strict chastity and orgasm denial.
-Intense corporal punishment and torture.
-Cuckolding.
-Branding/tattoos/piercings.
-Full domestic service.
-Body worship.
-Frequent cunnilingus.
-Humiliation.
Is Femdom A a good 'fit' for malesub X? Hell no. Will malesub X fore go his own wants and be willing to bend to Femdom A's demands? Probably. Does that make malesub X a good fit for Femdom A? If he'll go along, why not?
This is also rather inconvenient for Femdom A. If her demands are that strict the number of malesubs truly offering it are probably scarce as well. However, since she holds the power any sub that meet her criteria and will bend to her desires pretty much works out. Her greatest inconvenience is weeding out the fakers to find those truly willing to sacrifice.
I will cover more on this in my next post.
The evolution of money came about as a solution to the inconvenient method of trading known as the barter system. The barter system is trading ones' own goods or services in exchange for goods or services the one is seeking. Instead of trying to trade a day's labor for a bag of salt or 20 rabbit pelts for a bushel of wheat, it was easier to work a day's labor and be paid in money to buy the salt directly or sell the rabbit pelts for money to buy the wheat.
The principle governing success of the barter system is known as double-coincidence of wants. This occurs when the trader and tradee each want what the other is offering. Unfortunately this can be a very difficult task depending upon what one is offering and what one wants.
How this applies to Femdom relationships
BDSM relationships are often described in terms of their "fit." Fit rarely describes personal compatibility but usually focuses upon commonalities in desired kink. I won't comment on whether I think this is a good priority to have, I will just accept this is how courting usually occurs (although I will note that successful relationships of any kind usually requires good personal compatibility).
Dommes and subs seeking a good "fit" closely resembles the double-coincidence of wants. In most cases, you can think of someone's kinky desires as both what they have to offer and what they desire in return.
Why Femdoms hold all the bartering power
As I wrote in my post on Supply and Demand, the numbers are stacked in favor of Femdoms. Basically, for every one woman offering wheat, there's 27 men wanting wheat who will have to meet her demands to get it.
An example
male submissive X wants:
-Domination.
-A fetish-model sexy Mistress.
-Frequent kinky sex play.
-Light bondage.
-Light physical punishment.
Femdom A wants:
-Complete devotion and submission.
-Gainful employment / financial manipulation.
-Well-educated conversation.
-Strict chastity and orgasm denial.
-Intense corporal punishment and torture.
-Cuckolding.
-Branding/tattoos/piercings.
-Full domestic service.
-Body worship.
-Frequent cunnilingus.
-Humiliation.
Is Femdom A a good 'fit' for malesub X? Hell no. Will malesub X fore go his own wants and be willing to bend to Femdom A's demands? Probably. Does that make malesub X a good fit for Femdom A? If he'll go along, why not?
This is also rather inconvenient for Femdom A. If her demands are that strict the number of malesubs truly offering it are probably scarce as well. However, since she holds the power any sub that meet her criteria and will bend to her desires pretty much works out. Her greatest inconvenience is weeding out the fakers to find those truly willing to sacrifice.
I will cover more on this in my next post.
Femdom as an Economic Theory - Supply and Demand
The Basic Theory of Supply and Demand
Economic Theory is pretty much all based upon the theory of supply and demand.
The premise:
At a given price, consumers will demand X amount of a product.
To increase demand, lower the price.
To increase the price, lower the amount supplied (below what is demanded at its current price).
Scarce Resources and the BDSM Pyramid
It is generally accepted in the BDSM community that there is a pyramid-like hierarchy of orientation representations when it comes to BDSM preference. The actual numbers are sometimes debatable because it's common belief that male subs are over-represented on the internet but I also believe they are under-represented at BDSM functions. However, the order of the levels in the pyramid are never really questioned.
In my estimation (taken from both the internet and BDSM functions), the percentages are probably something like:
Female Dominant: ~2%
Male Dominant: ~13%
female submissive: ~32%
male submissive: ~53%
This means there is an approximately 2.5:1 femsub to Maledom ratio, but more than a 26:1 malesub to Femdom ratio.
The inequality leads to a special type of supply and demand interaction known as scarce resources. No matter how limited the supply, demand tends to remain the same. The end result is inflated prices and excess demand.
Basically, Femdom Nation is OPEC and male subs are the automobile driving public. No matter how "expensive" domination is, male subs will pay it, and regardless of the price, most male subs will be left out in the cold without it. Unless there's a drastic societal change, this situation won't change any time soon as there's no electric car equivalent to femdom.
Conclusion
Since the number of male subs so drastically out populate the number of Femdoms, Female Dominants have every advantage in both courting situations and D/s relationships.
Economic Theory is pretty much all based upon the theory of supply and demand.
The premise:
At a given price, consumers will demand X amount of a product.
To increase demand, lower the price.
To increase the price, lower the amount supplied (below what is demanded at its current price).
Scarce Resources and the BDSM Pyramid
It is generally accepted in the BDSM community that there is a pyramid-like hierarchy of orientation representations when it comes to BDSM preference. The actual numbers are sometimes debatable because it's common belief that male subs are over-represented on the internet but I also believe they are under-represented at BDSM functions. However, the order of the levels in the pyramid are never really questioned.
In my estimation (taken from both the internet and BDSM functions), the percentages are probably something like:
Female Dominant: ~2%
Male Dominant: ~13%
female submissive: ~32%
male submissive: ~53%
This means there is an approximately 2.5:1 femsub to Maledom ratio, but more than a 26:1 malesub to Femdom ratio.
The inequality leads to a special type of supply and demand interaction known as scarce resources. No matter how limited the supply, demand tends to remain the same. The end result is inflated prices and excess demand.
Basically, Femdom Nation is OPEC and male subs are the automobile driving public. No matter how "expensive" domination is, male subs will pay it, and regardless of the price, most male subs will be left out in the cold without it. Unless there's a drastic societal change, this situation won't change any time soon as there's no electric car equivalent to femdom.
Conclusion
Since the number of male subs so drastically out populate the number of Femdoms, Female Dominants have every advantage in both courting situations and D/s relationships.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Femdom as an Economic Theory - Introduction
So... I was surprisingly motivated to write tonight (mostly stemming from my first stint of real commenting earlier this week on Lady Grey's blog) and I decided to theorize about a few things that really explain a lot of the inequities of the D/s lifestyle (beyond the lifestyle itself).
Femdom relationships, most noticeably the courting process and raw numbers can almost all be explained through economic theory. I'm not sure if this is really useful to anyone, but it should hopefully shed some light on things especially for subs seeking Dommes and for Dommes seeking subs and weeding through the applicants.
My apologies in advance if these posts get a bit garbled and they may require previous writings to adequately describe the situation. I will try to provide back links in those cases.
Feedback is always welcomed.
Femdom relationships, most noticeably the courting process and raw numbers can almost all be explained through economic theory. I'm not sure if this is really useful to anyone, but it should hopefully shed some light on things especially for subs seeking Dommes and for Dommes seeking subs and weeding through the applicants.
My apologies in advance if these posts get a bit garbled and they may require previous writings to adequately describe the situation. I will try to provide back links in those cases.
Feedback is always welcomed.
Halloween
So... Halloween is coming up again. This time is always strange to me when it comes to forced feminization because it's a time when things open up a bit.
Sissies have the freedom to shop for pretty much anything and simply cite that it's for a Halloween costume. Similarly they can dress how they want without having severe social repercussions if they are "going to a Halloween party."
Due to this, I've often seen many sissy assignments be ordered to perform "at a time other than around Halloween."
I guess I'm curious if those who still struggle being outed would feel more comfortable being on display around this time of year than any other.
Sissies have the freedom to shop for pretty much anything and simply cite that it's for a Halloween costume. Similarly they can dress how they want without having severe social repercussions if they are "going to a Halloween party."
Due to this, I've often seen many sissy assignments be ordered to perform "at a time other than around Halloween."
I guess I'm curious if those who still struggle being outed would feel more comfortable being on display around this time of year than any other.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Sissy chic
Chic (as well as the often-misused couture) is a common buzz word every few years to describe a new fashion trend or fad that by the time it receives it's label, is probably over-used and reaches a point of poor taste.
Whether it's hippie chic, sassy chic, shabby chic, etc. or whatever, what about sissy chic or sissy couture?
While there's many different flavors of sissies: TG, TV, CD, submissive, fetishist, etc. it seems the trends in sissy fetish clothing tends to remain pretty much the same year after year (with the exception of transgenders that have truly become passable as women).
Silk or satin panties tend to be the norm, but which style is the most "in style" for sissies? Thongs? Bikinis? Briefs? Is there any consensus? Is there indifference as long as they're panties? Panties don't really do it for me but if I had to go with humiliation factor as a deciding mechanism I'd have to vote for ruffle-butt. I could just be biased that this was the first style that my first Mistress ever used upon me.
With socks there's often a general consensus for lacy ankle socks if it's not stockings or leggings.
Skirts and dresses are generally favored over pants. If they have legs at all it's usually something like hot pants.
I guess I'm curious if others have any thoughts on this.
Whether it's hippie chic, sassy chic, shabby chic, etc. or whatever, what about sissy chic or sissy couture?
While there's many different flavors of sissies: TG, TV, CD, submissive, fetishist, etc. it seems the trends in sissy fetish clothing tends to remain pretty much the same year after year (with the exception of transgenders that have truly become passable as women).
Silk or satin panties tend to be the norm, but which style is the most "in style" for sissies? Thongs? Bikinis? Briefs? Is there any consensus? Is there indifference as long as they're panties? Panties don't really do it for me but if I had to go with humiliation factor as a deciding mechanism I'd have to vote for ruffle-butt. I could just be biased that this was the first style that my first Mistress ever used upon me.
With socks there's often a general consensus for lacy ankle socks if it's not stockings or leggings.
Skirts and dresses are generally favored over pants. If they have legs at all it's usually something like hot pants.
I guess I'm curious if others have any thoughts on this.
Things I just don't understand by being male
Last year I made a post about not quite understanding what defines "cute."
This post is of a similar nature.
While doing a few recent drawings it has become abundantly clear to me a few things I just don't understand very well about women's fashion. I'm very observant when it comes to fit, cut, and lines as well as color contrasting. My talents (at least that's what I've been told by several women) include matching styles to moods and impressions you want to give, how to accent curves, etc.
There are three things that really come to mind that I definitely don't understand.
Make-up. Accessorizing with jewelry/bling. Judging prints and patterns on fabric.
Make-up is an odd one. I know why women use make-up and I can tell when it is done well and when it's done poorly. I can understand what is too much, and when certain types of "too much" can be very style-defining. What I don't understand is the theory behind make-up (aside from eye-liner). I don't know what shade of lipstick is "supposed" to be used with a given ensemble or look. I don't understand the appropriate ways of using blush and eye shadow. I'm sure there's writings about them somewhere, I just haven't taken the time to read them.
Accessorizing is a different story. When I was in college or high school and sat in one place for a long period of time I could always notice certain types of bracelets, rings, earrings, belts, etc. that were particularly flattering, style-defining, or just plain cool. In terms of first glances, most accessories don't strike me unless they're done in very poor taste. This makes me wonder why women emphasize jewelry and accessories so much. I know that other women tend to notice these almost immediately, but most men do not. I have even been given credit for noticing them after 30 minutes of boredom and wandering eyes. So are accessories mainly for women to impress other women (or to show off money)? Is that all?
My lack of understanding on the subject and the disproportionate amount of time it takes to draw an intricate ring, necklace, or belt buckle probably explain why they are usually absent from my drawings.
Prints and patterns are a nightmare to draw in my drawing program. When shopping with women I rarely am drawn to items with fancy prints and patterns and I'm usually taken by surprise when someone picks out some print and goes "I just LOVE this!" I'm usually a bit puzzled and thinking, "why?" I guess I tend to stay away from things that appear "noisy" or "distracting" from the female form, but most women I know are often drawn to particular styles of prints.
I know I'm probably not the only male that doesn't understand these things, but it seems almost second nature when women do understand these things.
This post is of a similar nature.
While doing a few recent drawings it has become abundantly clear to me a few things I just don't understand very well about women's fashion. I'm very observant when it comes to fit, cut, and lines as well as color contrasting. My talents (at least that's what I've been told by several women) include matching styles to moods and impressions you want to give, how to accent curves, etc.
There are three things that really come to mind that I definitely don't understand.
Make-up. Accessorizing with jewelry/bling. Judging prints and patterns on fabric.
Make-up is an odd one. I know why women use make-up and I can tell when it is done well and when it's done poorly. I can understand what is too much, and when certain types of "too much" can be very style-defining. What I don't understand is the theory behind make-up (aside from eye-liner). I don't know what shade of lipstick is "supposed" to be used with a given ensemble or look. I don't understand the appropriate ways of using blush and eye shadow. I'm sure there's writings about them somewhere, I just haven't taken the time to read them.
Accessorizing is a different story. When I was in college or high school and sat in one place for a long period of time I could always notice certain types of bracelets, rings, earrings, belts, etc. that were particularly flattering, style-defining, or just plain cool. In terms of first glances, most accessories don't strike me unless they're done in very poor taste. This makes me wonder why women emphasize jewelry and accessories so much. I know that other women tend to notice these almost immediately, but most men do not. I have even been given credit for noticing them after 30 minutes of boredom and wandering eyes. So are accessories mainly for women to impress other women (or to show off money)? Is that all?
My lack of understanding on the subject and the disproportionate amount of time it takes to draw an intricate ring, necklace, or belt buckle probably explain why they are usually absent from my drawings.
Prints and patterns are a nightmare to draw in my drawing program. When shopping with women I rarely am drawn to items with fancy prints and patterns and I'm usually taken by surprise when someone picks out some print and goes "I just LOVE this!" I'm usually a bit puzzled and thinking, "why?" I guess I tend to stay away from things that appear "noisy" or "distracting" from the female form, but most women I know are often drawn to particular styles of prints.
I know I'm probably not the only male that doesn't understand these things, but it seems almost second nature when women do understand these things.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
What to do next?
I'm kind of surprised at some of the votes in my good/bad/weird options considering I don't receive a lot of comments to feed off of. It's not so much surprise, I'm just having trouble getting a firm grasp on what people like (or don't like) seeing.
What I have been able to put together:
-People have little interest in my "portrait" style drawings, where it's just a woman unless it's on the risque side of things and/or keys into a specific fetish (e.g. really big fur).
-BDSM/Ds scenes must involve an active interplay between the Domme and sub, with the exception of lesbian scenes where the sub is in the background.
-Humiliation and degradation are most popular.
-(Almost) no one really cares about any of my fashion-oriented postings.
-There isn't a lot of interest in my more cerebral postings.
I'm not really the type to cater completely towards people want (unless it's in common with what I also like/want), but I guess I just haven't figured out how to draw readers and spur a lot of conversation on what I do write and draw. I'm open to suggestions.
What I have been able to put together:
-People have little interest in my "portrait" style drawings, where it's just a woman unless it's on the risque side of things and/or keys into a specific fetish (e.g. really big fur).
-BDSM/Ds scenes must involve an active interplay between the Domme and sub, with the exception of lesbian scenes where the sub is in the background.
-Humiliation and degradation are most popular.
-(Almost) no one really cares about any of my fashion-oriented postings.
-There isn't a lot of interest in my more cerebral postings.
I'm not really the type to cater completely towards people want (unless it's in common with what I also like/want), but I guess I just haven't figured out how to draw readers and spur a lot of conversation on what I do write and draw. I'm open to suggestions.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
A request from mittens
Mittens from the blog Wrapped up sent me a request.
Doing this drawing made me realize just how far I have to go, especially when it comes to drawing objects when I don't have a good model to work from. I tried to crop this one fairly small in order to hide my embarrassingly bad semi-attempt at 3-point perspective.
I have included both the color scheme he requested as well as one that's a bit more sissy.
Doing this drawing made me realize just how far I have to go, especially when it comes to drawing objects when I don't have a good model to work from. I tried to crop this one fairly small in order to hide my embarrassingly bad semi-attempt at 3-point perspective.
I have included both the color scheme he requested as well as one that's a bit more sissy.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Sissy for sale
So... I thought this one would have been finished and posted a few days ago but I just wasn't content with how it turned out. After several iterations (including alternate characters) I'm still not really content with how it turned out but here goes.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
"Virtual Mistresses," Fetish Fiction, and the need for outcomes beyond our control
The waters have been rough in my relationship lately and I've been feeling single even though I'm not. In doing some reflection it reminded me to points in my life where I was single and between D/s relationships.
When single, lonely, horny, and needing a more interactive fantasy I dig up a few sites dealing with the idea of a "virtual" Mistress. These and the ideas of them always seemed to do more for my submissive side than porn and most stories, etc.
An example would be something like My Key Safe , which is a programmable chastity key safe that can be linked up to the internet and controlled by a virtual Domme, called "Strict Mistress." You choose your experience level and are supposed to lock on a chastity device and lock the key in the safe. The terms of the chastity period are determined by the experience level you selected. During the period you can ask for permission to be unlocked with one of three desperation levels (I'm not sure how these affect the likeliness of it actually being unlocked). The frequency with which you ask also affects the likeliness of being unlocked (asking too often makes an unlock more difficult to obtain, asking very infrequently makes it easier to unlock).
The system uses a random number generator and stores the "odds" of succeeding based upon what you have done over the desired period.
If you selected "experienced" in your experience level (level 3 out of 5 levels), your maximum lock up duration is 30 days. You can ask for permission for release once a day without being automatically penalized (although it might have been once every 3 days). Waiting more than 7 days between asking permission improves your odds. Depending upon her "mood," you will get one of the following outcomes:
A) Unlocking the safe.
B) Unwilling to unlock but your odds will be better the next time you ask.
C) Unwilling to unlock but your odds will be worse the next time you ask.
D) Unwilling to unlock but your odds will be much worse the next time you ask.
Asking too frequently ensures the outcome will be either C or D. To build the fantasy aspect of it there's a picture of a Domme dressed in leather giving a facial expression symbolic of her mood and response.
You are guaranteed release after 30 days have passed no matter what. Upon release you are supposed to jerk off once, lock yourself back up, and restart the period (although you are allowed to change durations at this time).
This is by far the most elaborate virtual Mistress I've come across. There is a now defunct Forced Feminization site on geocities that used to have a "what to wear" program where the user would run a program and randomly generate a list of items that would include both male and female items (you could alter the probability to skew towards one side or the other). I've come across other sites that have had "pick a card" type of options that would "randomly" give you a humiliation assignment (random as long as you didn't pick the same card twice).
One other site (that I can't seem to find) that comes to mind was a virtual discipline site that had a couple of fictitious Dommes named Mistress Pinar and Mistress Auria (one was nicer than the other). You would select your infraction from a list as well as how frequently this infraction had occurred and it would generate a punishment (also mood based) for said infraction. e.g. for repeated masturbation you might "receive" 50 swats with a paddle on the bare ass and have to sleep with your hands tied behind your back for 30 days. It would also add a nice little kicker of "maybe rubbing a sore buttocks will keep the sub's hands out of trouble." If anyone could find this site and provide a link it would be much appreciated.
Another past time of the lonely fantasizer is reading fetish fiction. I'm sure almost everyone is familiar with this so I don't really have much to say on this topic except its weaknesses are that you are at the mercy of someone else's personal fetishes and they rarely have re-read value (once you've shot your load it's done and gone) and these can often open doors to new arousing experiences you had never imagined. e.g. Reading Giles English's novel, The Chastity Belt was able to deliver this fantasy to me in such a manner that I became interested in chastity.
What fetish fiction and virtual domination have in common is what interests me. They remove control of the fantasy and the outcome is uncertain. This is a very strong draw to some and I think it explains a lot of why men (at least fantasize about) crave a cruel woman: the fear of something very unpleasant is equally, if not more arousing than something you really enjoy.
The more unfair it is, the more real the fear of a bad outcome, the more arousing it seems to be.
I think I spent more time masturbating to virtual domination and interesting fetish fiction than I ever did to visual images/videos. When I could modify the odds in the random games, I found it far more arousing to fantasize when stacking the odds against me. Fantasizing about a perfect and ideal situation where everything happens exactly as you want it to gets boring rather quickly. Not knowing what will happen and expecting the worst never really loses its excitement.
I'm not sure if it's only males that feel this way (or if I'm a total odd ball), but I find the fact that I feel this way to be rather fascinating.
I think that's also how some of my other fetishes became so ingrained. At first I just wanted to be with a fur-clad Goddess who would tie me up and rub fur on my nipples and cock. That did happen, but once she ordered me to wear fur (when I refused I got my ass beaten and still ended up wearing it) and it was something I didn't want to do it seemed to open up a whole new level of subspace.
When single, lonely, horny, and needing a more interactive fantasy I dig up a few sites dealing with the idea of a "virtual" Mistress. These and the ideas of them always seemed to do more for my submissive side than porn and most stories, etc.
An example would be something like My Key Safe , which is a programmable chastity key safe that can be linked up to the internet and controlled by a virtual Domme, called "Strict Mistress." You choose your experience level and are supposed to lock on a chastity device and lock the key in the safe. The terms of the chastity period are determined by the experience level you selected. During the period you can ask for permission to be unlocked with one of three desperation levels (I'm not sure how these affect the likeliness of it actually being unlocked). The frequency with which you ask also affects the likeliness of being unlocked (asking too often makes an unlock more difficult to obtain, asking very infrequently makes it easier to unlock).
The system uses a random number generator and stores the "odds" of succeeding based upon what you have done over the desired period.
If you selected "experienced" in your experience level (level 3 out of 5 levels), your maximum lock up duration is 30 days. You can ask for permission for release once a day without being automatically penalized (although it might have been once every 3 days). Waiting more than 7 days between asking permission improves your odds. Depending upon her "mood," you will get one of the following outcomes:
A) Unlocking the safe.
B) Unwilling to unlock but your odds will be better the next time you ask.
C) Unwilling to unlock but your odds will be worse the next time you ask.
D) Unwilling to unlock but your odds will be much worse the next time you ask.
Asking too frequently ensures the outcome will be either C or D. To build the fantasy aspect of it there's a picture of a Domme dressed in leather giving a facial expression symbolic of her mood and response.
You are guaranteed release after 30 days have passed no matter what. Upon release you are supposed to jerk off once, lock yourself back up, and restart the period (although you are allowed to change durations at this time).
This is by far the most elaborate virtual Mistress I've come across. There is a now defunct Forced Feminization site on geocities that used to have a "what to wear" program where the user would run a program and randomly generate a list of items that would include both male and female items (you could alter the probability to skew towards one side or the other). I've come across other sites that have had "pick a card" type of options that would "randomly" give you a humiliation assignment (random as long as you didn't pick the same card twice).
One other site (that I can't seem to find) that comes to mind was a virtual discipline site that had a couple of fictitious Dommes named Mistress Pinar and Mistress Auria (one was nicer than the other). You would select your infraction from a list as well as how frequently this infraction had occurred and it would generate a punishment (also mood based) for said infraction. e.g. for repeated masturbation you might "receive" 50 swats with a paddle on the bare ass and have to sleep with your hands tied behind your back for 30 days. It would also add a nice little kicker of "maybe rubbing a sore buttocks will keep the sub's hands out of trouble." If anyone could find this site and provide a link it would be much appreciated.
Another past time of the lonely fantasizer is reading fetish fiction. I'm sure almost everyone is familiar with this so I don't really have much to say on this topic except its weaknesses are that you are at the mercy of someone else's personal fetishes and they rarely have re-read value (once you've shot your load it's done and gone) and these can often open doors to new arousing experiences you had never imagined. e.g. Reading Giles English's novel, The Chastity Belt was able to deliver this fantasy to me in such a manner that I became interested in chastity.
What fetish fiction and virtual domination have in common is what interests me. They remove control of the fantasy and the outcome is uncertain. This is a very strong draw to some and I think it explains a lot of why men (at least fantasize about) crave a cruel woman: the fear of something very unpleasant is equally, if not more arousing than something you really enjoy.
The more unfair it is, the more real the fear of a bad outcome, the more arousing it seems to be.
I think I spent more time masturbating to virtual domination and interesting fetish fiction than I ever did to visual images/videos. When I could modify the odds in the random games, I found it far more arousing to fantasize when stacking the odds against me. Fantasizing about a perfect and ideal situation where everything happens exactly as you want it to gets boring rather quickly. Not knowing what will happen and expecting the worst never really loses its excitement.
I'm not sure if it's only males that feel this way (or if I'm a total odd ball), but I find the fact that I feel this way to be rather fascinating.
I think that's also how some of my other fetishes became so ingrained. At first I just wanted to be with a fur-clad Goddess who would tie me up and rub fur on my nipples and cock. That did happen, but once she ordered me to wear fur (when I refused I got my ass beaten and still ended up wearing it) and it was something I didn't want to do it seemed to open up a whole new level of subspace.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Another unfinished...
This woman was supposed to be part of a scene where she was sitting on a sub's back with him on all fours. Unfortunately I just couldn't get it to look right so I scrapped it. This one was from ~8 months ago and I can see areas where I have changed my approach to drawing.
The dancer that missed the cut...
I almost drew another 3-4 characters to put in the dance club drawing. I only finished one other but decided she didn't really fit well.
Here she is though.
Here she is though.
Another one completed that I had started months ago
I had tried to do this one months ago... but I couldn't get it to turn out right. Luckily I've improved since then and this time it was rather effortless to finish it up and I'm fairly happy with how it turned out.
Sissy from the dance club drawing
I still get relatively little feedback overall so I'm not quite sure what things float people's boat more than others aside from the good/bad/weird votes that drawings get.
On the Cheerleader and Dance Club drawings I can post single pictures of any of the characters if people are interested in having those individually.
On the Cheerleader and Dance Club drawings I can post single pictures of any of the characters if people are interested in having those individually.
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