The Floating World
August 30th, 2007Because I am a master procrastinator, I wrote this about Floating World before I attended, and never posted it.
Besides the sex, it seems a lot like other BDSM events I’ve attended. I had a rollicking good time at them all. The better the class list, the more conversation you can have while asking people about all the brilliant classes you missed while sleeping in. (Or is that just me?) Mostly I wander around with eyes like saucers, being introduced to people whose names I forget. Oh, and I play a lot in the dungeons. New York apartment walls are very thin, and screaming is nice.
(An aside: why do we always play in dungeons? I am into pain, not medieval re-enactments. On the flip side, they appear to be hosting a kinky Renfaire for the people who do want just that.)
But there’s never been sex. This disconnect is a pet topic of mine, so I think it’s well worth the (relatively low) fee just to see what happens. Will the dungeon be overrun by swingers? Will the sex room clear out when someone starts a particularly loud fisting scene? Will there be a sex room, or will they expect people to copulate standing up against the St. Andrews’ crosses? Will anyone touch the equipment after the Evil Penises have come out?
Snark aside, I’m really looking forward to it.
So, here’s my review.
Classes: Excellent. Although classroom space was prohibitively noisy.
Kinky Renfaire: Yeah, not so much.
Dungeons: Worked for me!
Sex: Less than I hoped for, about as much as I expected.
Besides one couple (my friends), I participated in all the sex that I saw. Good for me, I guess? There was actually a fisting scene, and far from scaring people off, we drew quite a crowd.
I helped out with four classes, which I have resolved never to do again, at least not out of the kindness of my heart. As much fun as I had, I missed other classes I wanted to go to.
I dressed up and dressed down, helped commit some bodily harm, and didn’t leave too marked up.
In short: can we do it again, please? I am looking at Black Rose right now.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Yea . . . had I been given a few weeks notice that you were going to be demoing for four classes, I would have tried to get you on the comp list. Keep that in mind for next year, ‘kay?
Black Rose looks tempting. May and I want to try and make it happen for us as well.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I suppose demo bottoms should get comped — maybe on the level of volunteer hours rather than presenters? I do it because it’s a free scene, end of discussion.
Doing four was just silly scheduling on my part.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Demo bottoms should get comped just like presenters, me thinks; we are, after all, also presenting.
And yes, Black Rose is something I want to make happen but it will be pricey and that will require more thought, which, itself, can only happen with more sleep.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
I’ve been to a number of events where demo bottoming was the only play I managed to make happen the entire weekend, so I’ve been grateful for those opportunities. FW was fun. It was nice to see you there… I’m contemplating BR also.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:43 am
I’m not really sure what a demo-bottom is, but I can guess. So does that mean classes are always taught by tops and the bottom is there as a kind of magician’s assistant?
To bottoms ever teach classes? Or, I guess, do people teach how to bottom or just how to top?
Are there demo-tops?
August 31st, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Pretty much, yeah… Most classes are taught by tops, but there are also people who teach on the hows and whys of submission, masochism, bottoming, service and such too.
I suspect tops teach more because bottoming often consists of “don’t die, have fun”. Thus my reasoning that I should get comped for volunteer time — I was not presenting anything besides a warm body. Bottoming takes many things for me but not talent.
August 31st, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Bitchy-
Pretty much as Calico said, most “how to” classes are taught by tops. But a lot of classes are often co-taught by couples, and bottoms definitely teach classes too. And as less “how-to” classes and more “why?” classes show up, I think the orientations of who’s teaching shift.
I did give a partial comp to one demo-top for the event. So they do exist, occasionally :). And I’ve also been a demo top (sort of) for bootblacking classes a few times.
S-m-r-t classes are taught by anyone who wants to make the effort. Heheh. May did a good class while we were there.
August 31st, 2007 at 2:18 pm
That’s interesting…
Submissive men taught me everything.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Hey thanks. For the record, I personally think I taught one very interesting class on my own and voiced s-m-r-t things in two other classes. Most of the really good classes I’ve ever been to have been taught by bottoms. Sue’s rope bottoming class was a great example.
Of course, I can’t objectively state if this is because I primarily bottom or because bottoms typically need to pass quite a different (and, IMHO, higher) set of standards in order to be considered by organizations to present on a topic.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:14 am
Hello my dear! I just wanted to drop you a line and say I had a ton of fun the the other night! Good drinks, good food, and good times always rock, and I *so* needed a night like that this week. We should totally get together again. And you know, I can try to lure you back to my edifice.
BTW, Franklin quite liked you. He told me that you litterally made him weak in the knees.
September 1st, 2007 at 3:04 am
Well, you know, I’m not really thinking about a ‘class’ type environment. I don’t like them. And I am going to have no tolerance for being ‘taught’ things by mandoms or prodoms or 99% of female doms - so that’s going to cut my options down.
*But* the times in my life when a male submissive has lain his body out in front of me and shown me how to hurt him in order to turn myself on - these have been special and amazing moments.
I’m just kind of wondering if that experience can be a class. Maybe not. A guy can’t just lie down and let a whole bunch of people hit him and say how it felt. Maybe it should just be me. And him.
God, I’m sorry… I can’t think straight anymore.
Sorry for OT/hijack/etc. Also, I have no idea what s-m-r-t is. Stop it with the jargon, kids.
September 1st, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Bitchy-
S-m-r-t is a Simpsons quote. (”I am so smart! S-M-R-T!”) Sorry, did we get a bit overly American for a second there?
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:40 am
This is what after-school tutoring schedules are for, Bitchy. Hint hint, nudge nudge.
September 8th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Glad you liked FW, though I must say after going I doubt I’d go again unless I was in a relationship. Like many events it was very light on the single Domme side and to be honest, that’s how I judge many events (possibility % of meeting a single Domme) probably the reason I stopped going to church.
The classes were great though and everyone I met was very very friendly. I did meet a number of people who said blackrose was the event to go to.
September 8th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
nycbadboy:
I don’t know how to judge any event by that standard, honestly. I thought there were many attractive women. And I’ve attended events single, with an eye to mates (or prey, heh) but I’ve never gone specifically to shop.
Something to consider is that if you treat events like meatmarkets, your prospects may reject you out-of-hand. At least that is how I treated people, regardless of gender or orientation, when they attempted to pick me up at events. Some of us are just not into pick-up play. Especially female tops who get bombarded by male attention. If someone’s entirely new to me, I’m going to require a social break-in period before running up to offer me a number and a coffee date — or a flogger — will work.
I attended TESfest last year as a single and ended up meeting several current playpartners (male, female, top and botom) and my current primary (switch). Seduction was pretty straightforward: I went to his classes, made intelligent conversation, and emailed him after the event. From what other people tell me, forming an acquaintance is the best way to court.
Best of luck, and feel free to totally ignore my unsolicited advice! I speak only for me — a sometime top who’s had wayyy too many pickup attempts gone wrong by submissive men at events. We like you, we really really like you. Just not before we know you.