seperis | in which i randomly attack a well-loved trope

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well. *thinks*

Okay, how many people turn their favorite pet character into a prostitute? There's no way to get a good sampling on this one, but from reading it, it tends to be the love interest of the favorite character. It acts then in a lot of ways as a way to also show the Awesome of the Character Who Redeems The Rentboy From His Life of Darkness and Despair.

Again, exceptions of course. But I do think that's another facet of it.

Interesting! To me, in my experience, it's usually the Beloved Slash Object that's the prostitute/powerless one, which is also the POV we get, so we can revel in the helplessness of their situation and then the astonishment at being picked out as this incredibly special indiviual. I'm not sure that it would work the other way, to have the non-BSO as the powerless character, as too many people write from the 'I don't know what makes him tick, but my guy likes him, so I guess he's okay' position. And to me, that leads to some really uncomfortable writing, as the author doesn't try to understand the character and wear their skin, but takes an external position on the whole thing--and that's never good for me as that brief emotional distance lets me read too many uncomfortable things into a story.

I've written John Crichton in a position where all he has to offer is his body, a sign of co-operation in a very precarious and dangerous situation. It's a horrible choice, but it's a price he's willing to pay to get what he needs.

*grins* This isn't a blanket indictment of the genre.

And I've written rentboy, and it hits every one of my own squicks.

Mmm, I was more answering your rhetorical question with the closest I've come to the topic rather than offering up any substantive contribution to your post. 'Cause I'm tangential that way.

;D

ooo... where can I find it? It sounds interesting. I don't read nearly enough Farscape fic.

It's the third (very long) story in a series, an A/U branching off during the third season and in place of the fourth season.
Very. Very. Dark.

Stepford Life
http://www.shriftweb.org/leviathan/archive/7/stepfordlife.html
An unconventional couple challenge, meant to be a one-off (4 KB)

Stepford Lies
http://www.shriftweb.org/leviathan/archive/7/stepford.html
A semi-sequel expansion, meant to be standalone (36 KB)

Stepford Leman
http://www.shriftweb.org/leviathan/archive/7/stepford2.html
Sequel to Stepford Lies (260 KB)

in which i randomly attack a well-loved trope

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject