the neighbors complain about the noises above

[lunabee34]

Last week, I posted a poll about sex in fanfic.

Here are the tentative results:

Admittedly, the sample size is pretty small (37 participants), but apparently many of those who answered my poll routinely skip over sex scenes in fic. We seem to be pretty evenly split on whether the presence of sex scenes are important to our enjoyment of fic and on whether we think our readers expect us to include sex scenes in our fic. Most participants say they have not included a sex scene in their fic because they feel it is expected. 84% think stories with sex scenes get more attention than those without them and most participants indicate that the way they feel about sex scenes (either as a reader or writer of fanfic) has changed over the course of their fannish involvement.

And some followup questions (which some of you answered in your comments to the post):

If you skip over sex scenes, why? What compels you to do so? If you're one of those who always reads them, why? Those of you who feel like your readers expect you to include sex scenes in your stories, where does that pressure come from? What's given you that idea? Any evidence (anecdotal or otherwise) for stories with sex scenes getting more attention? Anyone else want to share how your thoughts on sex scenes have changed over the years?

I'm still interested in the questions that didn't get answered in the comments to the post poll:

What should a good sex scene do? What should the purpose of sex in fanfic be? What do you do to keep sex scenes fresh and original as a writer? What would you like to see more of in sex scenes? What works best for you as a reader and/or writer of sex scenes? Got any links to sex scenes that you think work really well?

Comments

[ariadne83]

I have watched Supernatural! *flail*

So, the Cain and Abel metaphor - the angels keep using it but I do not think it means what they think it means. On the surface, yes, it's brother killing brother, but what about the whole "cursed for eternity" thing?

Do they realize that the whole point of that story is that killing your brother is WRONG and it will fuck you up FOREVER? Which means, Michael is wrong. All the other angels are WRONG. No matter what, killing Lucifer would be wrong. And are they saying that they're jealous of Lucifer because he's free to do what he wants?

Prodigal son, FFS!!!!

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if it ended with a literal deus ex machina, and God laying the smackdown on all the angels (barring maybe Castiel, but I wouldn't be surprised if he sacrificed himself for the cause sometime soon) - especially Michael and Lucifer.

ETA: also, I kinda want fix-it fic, where Anna leaves the host she created (in order to get out of jail), and she offers to save Ellen if Jo will be her new host. And together they kick ass on the righteous side of the apocalypse.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I have a theory we won't actually see god but that we'll be in the final battle and Sam and Dean will be fighting, no way they can end, 2 seconds from death and the whole world being gone, and then bright flash of light and bam. All the bad guys are dead. (I'd like that ending a hell of a lot better than God actually appearing in the flesh or Sam and Dean saying yes to Michael and Satan. I do *not* want to see them duke it out in their bodies.)

I think what else they're missing is that if it's all just the same old song and dance, Cain and Abel recreated throughout the ages, then God is one sadistic motherfucker. They're just reading the lines he wrote for them and wow. What a dick. I'm waiting for the Trickster to show back up and play some major role in whatever is happening.

OMG, I love your idea for Jo and Anna. Like a lot. I hate to see her character go. Anna will be missed.

[ariadne83]

Ooh I can't remember who came up with it, but someone on my flist got me thinking - what if the angels are lying? What if there is no "destiny" and they're just manipulating things to suit themselves? Trying to trick humans into giving up their most precious gift, the thing the angels are jealous of - free will - by convincing them it never existed in the first place?

Also, OMG how hilariously blasphemous are the angels? They think believing in God is a joke. They think free will doesn't exist. They believe the world belongs to them, and that they can do what they want simply because they have the power.

It's something I think about all the time - how, if there is no free will then faith is meaningless. God gave humans free will because then *choosing* to turn to him means something. The struggle is the whole point, because if you can get through that and still have faith then nothing can match that. Whereas angels don't have that choice, so their love is supposed to be pure but conversely it's not as deep - it's not *earned* it just *is*.

ETA: I really like your idea about the flash of light. Because, again, you'd just have to take it on *faith* that it was God, without ever knowing for sure.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I love all the "Team Free Will" icons that are cropping up. Way to love on the Buffyverse, SPN fandom. (When they're at the gas station after everybody's been made wise to Jasmine, Gunn hollers to all the Jasmine!zombies that he's on Team Free Will *loves*)

The angels clearly have free will even if they choose not to exercise it. What I (and Dean) find so disturbing is that even love is something tainted by the angels. Do we have no choice even there? *shivers*