in which i randomly attack a well-loved trope

[seperis]

This is, surprisingly, non-HP related. No, *really*. This is A Moment of Random Fanfic Bitching.



Okay.

I totally am behind the rentboy-kink thing. I do. Seriously. I'm not a huge fan of it (my only attempt at it went to the most depressing places *ever*) but I do get it. It's kink. It's hot (so I've heard. Not my thing, but I've read some I enjoyed that didn't verge on character assassination).

But God.

This is just--kind of a rule I wish I could set up. For fic that is not supposed to be kink. Because kink-fic is a different animal.

Unless your character canonically has no other possible skills up to and including the ability to use a spatula at McDonalds, maybe most of them *might* choose to not sell their asses (or other sexually-charged body parts) for money. I know, crazy thoughts.

But really--suddenly Random Character X is fired/wife dies/sister dies/mother dies/Dark Lord dies/Lionel dies/world ends/au-where-everyone-is-a-prostitute*/head-injury-so-terrible-they-lose-their-minds and boom, they are offering up asses like it's Christmas and someone gave them a hit of ecstacy to surpass all hits of ecstacy. It's *bizarre*.

*shusu has permanent exception to this rule because she's doing things with her rentboy au that I've never seen done before and also because, to me, she set up a universe where I could see John Sheppard doing this and still be John Sheppard. Also, no humiliation moments that seem so rife in other fic. Also, Jesus, hot.

But other than that--okay, admittedly, I don't get the attraction. Since it's not my kink, I can't go to that mental place very well or easily--frankly, shusu tricked me. I'm fairly certain this is one of the things I Just Don't Get because to me, I cannot imagine anyone taking it up willingly. Totally a me-thing. And it's a me-thing that is totally scraping my nerves raw when I see it, because it always seems to be paired with a fairly high level of humiliation like this is some sort of punishment for the character in question for whatever the author doesn't like about them in canon. Not always, and probably not even most of the time, but it does feel like it sometimes.

Right. Done here.



This has been A Moment of Random Fanfic Bitchery. Please return to your porn writing, plz.

Comments

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

I agree with you in general, especially about shushu's rentboy universe which is a great exploration of a man who becomes a sex worker because he is driven by his own demons. There is, however one universe where I also buy a main character becoming a sex worker. That is the Supernatural universe. There is enough canon evidence of John leaving two young children alone to fend for themselves that I do buy the idea that Dean could easily have turned to prostitution to take of himself and Sam during one of John's extended hunts. But again here we are talking about a pre-series time when Dean would not have had the ability to legally flip hamburgers at McDonald's and would have been under the strict family stricture that you never tell the outside world how you are living. I can actually read these stories as in character and horrifically sad, as well as portraying a life that other children chose for similar desperate reasons, but I do not find these stories hot, more of a character study that explains Dean more fully.

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

ITA about Dean, which brings up a point:

Prostitution is quite believable if the character is under 18 and/or living illegally. Getting any kind of "real" job requires papers, and you don't get paid immediately and in cash. (though when Dean gets old enough I agree with the fanon that he works construction when he can.)

The other character I can easily see turning to prostitution is a teenager Lex Luthor, who would do it just because nothing would make Lionel madder. Again, as with shusu's Rentboy 'verse, the believability comes from the character's demons.

[kitsune13.livejournal.com]

Took the words right out of my mouth; the Winchesters are petty criminals making a living by any means they can, legal or illegal, that won't tie them down to anyplace too long. I totally, totally buy Dean turning a few tricks in desperate times; he'd realize early on that people would pay to sleep with him, he has no problems breaking the law or putting himself at risk, and he'll do anything to take care of Sam.

I'd also, incidentally, buy rentboys in the Newsies universe -- they're street kids scraping by doing whatevr they can.
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