Smut That Isn't Just Sex (Torchwood Style)
So, both thaddeusfavour and spiderine have got me thinking about smut, recently. As in, what makes good smut. Because lets face it, most of the sex scenes in fic out there - and in an "adult" fandom like Torchwood, that's a lot of sex scenes - are mediocre at best, and boring at the worst.
What makes good smut? I don't have a particular taste, for me, it all comes down to good writing in general. So what makes good writing, with regards to sex? I think spiderine has a point when she says that if your sex scene is boring, "this is because you're ignoring character and plot." I (so far) have never written anything really x-rated, and all my sex scenes in AMoT have come directly from the plot and the characters, but what about when you're writing a one-off, or a chaptered fic that's more romance than action/adventure? I'm not sure I could articulate it better than spiderine did, but I wanted to look at a few fics I think are "more than sex", and are a compelling story - even if that story is primarily about sex.
Interested in some x-rated recs? Here are my favourites, and why I think they succeed at being more than just sex.
~
Getting to Yes by smokeringhalos
This tops my list of pure hotness. It's also completely full of a plot, but guess what? The plot is about sex. This is possible, people! The sex doesn't have to be the "climax" (all puns intended) of your fic: it can be the beginning, middle, and the end.
How to Be Oblivious by etharei
Etharei's smut is completely engaging and real in a way most smut isn't. Less emotional than Getting to Yes, How to Be Oblivious is a wonderful example of how to describe sex in detail without making it gross. The sex makes up the middle of this story and is bracketed by the set-up, which gives a reason for the sex scene in the first place - and makes you laugh at Owen.
A Close and Holy Darkness by spiderine
CHD is not for the faint of heart. It's serious D/S, edging into BDSM by the fifth chapter. In fact, the first time I went to read it, I quit before the end of the second chapter, since it was beyond my comfort level. Consider yourself warned, but also, give it a chance. CHD chronicles Ianto entering into a submissive relationship with Jack, and spiderine takes us along for the ride: though the reader, like Ianto, may not understand exactly what everyone is getting out of the sitation at first, by the fourth chapter the emotional complexity of the situation starts coming through, and somehow, what seemed abusive suddenly seems remarkably passionate and romantic.
Conceived before Cyberwoman and back when Ianto's character was far more ambiguous, some people say CHD is completely out of character, but I prefer to think of it as an AU, at this point. Whatever you say of Ianto's characterization, the fact remains that this story needs to be read in full to appreciate the relationship spiderine is describing.
Oh, and it's breathtakingly hot, though sometimes painfully so.
Negotiations and Moving In by ukcalico
Pay close attention in Negotiations - ukcalico tells an emotional story here, but it's done so well and subtly you can get caught up in the - really wonderfully done - sex and not notice. Though the physical interactions are all Ianto/Hart, the emotional ones are all Jack/Ianto, and how she manages this is a testament to her writing skill.
And she does it again in Moving In - tells an emotional story entirely through sex. This is a "first time" between Jack and Ianto, set after Ianto's first day at Torchwood. What's fabulous about this one is how well she portrays two things: one, Jack's thoughts on sex and Ianto. They're perfectly in character. Two: Ianto's reactions to Jack's come-ons. The reader knows what's going through his mind, but Jack either interprets his slightly strange reactions differently or is just bemused. It's absolutely marvelous, and the smut is fabulous.
In Good Conscience by seize
If you haven't read seize's series - currently at chapter 17 - that chronicles the development of Jack and Ianto's relationship over the course of the first season you've been missing out. Heartfelt, painful, emotional, and utterly sexy are a few words I associate with this story, as well as incredibly rich in detail, both in and out of bed (or, over a desk). It takes twelve chapters to get to the smut, and the UST she develops means the payoff is rich indeed. This story is way more than just smut, but I had to include it because the scenes in it that are aren't gratuitous, but rather are purposeful and an integral part of the narrative.
Take Me There by coffeejunkii
Like Getting To Yes, this has a plot that it all about sex - one particular kink that I won't reveal, since how she introduces it is part of the story. The sex is described very minimally, and it fits the story beautifully. As she says, it's "a story about sex without (much) sex in it", and Jack and Ianto, the former very physical and the latter very minimal in his actions, come together emotionally over a very physically charged act, and it's quite beautiful.
~
What about you? What Torchwood fics are decidedly smutty but at the same, so much more? Link me and I will read it (though I probably already have). I'm sure I've forgotten some of my favourites, so I'll probably add to this list as I find them.
What makes good smut? I don't have a particular taste, for me, it all comes down to good writing in general. So what makes good writing, with regards to sex? I think spiderine has a point when she says that if your sex scene is boring, "this is because you're ignoring character and plot." I (so far) have never written anything really x-rated, and all my sex scenes in AMoT have come directly from the plot and the characters, but what about when you're writing a one-off, or a chaptered fic that's more romance than action/adventure? I'm not sure I could articulate it better than spiderine did, but I wanted to look at a few fics I think are "more than sex", and are a compelling story - even if that story is primarily about sex.
Interested in some x-rated recs? Here are my favourites, and why I think they succeed at being more than just sex.
~
Getting to Yes by smokeringhalos
This tops my list of pure hotness. It's also completely full of a plot, but guess what? The plot is about sex. This is possible, people! The sex doesn't have to be the "climax" (all puns intended) of your fic: it can be the beginning, middle, and the end.
How to Be Oblivious by etharei
Etharei's smut is completely engaging and real in a way most smut isn't. Less emotional than Getting to Yes, How to Be Oblivious is a wonderful example of how to describe sex in detail without making it gross. The sex makes up the middle of this story and is bracketed by the set-up, which gives a reason for the sex scene in the first place - and makes you laugh at Owen.
A Close and Holy Darkness by spiderine
CHD is not for the faint of heart. It's serious D/S, edging into BDSM by the fifth chapter. In fact, the first time I went to read it, I quit before the end of the second chapter, since it was beyond my comfort level. Consider yourself warned, but also, give it a chance. CHD chronicles Ianto entering into a submissive relationship with Jack, and spiderine takes us along for the ride: though the reader, like Ianto, may not understand exactly what everyone is getting out of the sitation at first, by the fourth chapter the emotional complexity of the situation starts coming through, and somehow, what seemed abusive suddenly seems remarkably passionate and romantic.
Conceived before Cyberwoman and back when Ianto's character was far more ambiguous, some people say CHD is completely out of character, but I prefer to think of it as an AU, at this point. Whatever you say of Ianto's characterization, the fact remains that this story needs to be read in full to appreciate the relationship spiderine is describing.
Oh, and it's breathtakingly hot, though sometimes painfully so.
Negotiations and Moving In by ukcalico
Pay close attention in Negotiations - ukcalico tells an emotional story here, but it's done so well and subtly you can get caught up in the - really wonderfully done - sex and not notice. Though the physical interactions are all Ianto/Hart, the emotional ones are all Jack/Ianto, and how she manages this is a testament to her writing skill.
And she does it again in Moving In - tells an emotional story entirely through sex. This is a "first time" between Jack and Ianto, set after Ianto's first day at Torchwood. What's fabulous about this one is how well she portrays two things: one, Jack's thoughts on sex and Ianto. They're perfectly in character. Two: Ianto's reactions to Jack's come-ons. The reader knows what's going through his mind, but Jack either interprets his slightly strange reactions differently or is just bemused. It's absolutely marvelous, and the smut is fabulous.
In Good Conscience by seize
If you haven't read seize's series - currently at chapter 17 - that chronicles the development of Jack and Ianto's relationship over the course of the first season you've been missing out. Heartfelt, painful, emotional, and utterly sexy are a few words I associate with this story, as well as incredibly rich in detail, both in and out of bed (or, over a desk). It takes twelve chapters to get to the smut, and the UST she develops means the payoff is rich indeed. This story is way more than just smut, but I had to include it because the scenes in it that are aren't gratuitous, but rather are purposeful and an integral part of the narrative.
Take Me There by coffeejunkii
Like Getting To Yes, this has a plot that it all about sex - one particular kink that I won't reveal, since how she introduces it is part of the story. The sex is described very minimally, and it fits the story beautifully. As she says, it's "a story about sex without (much) sex in it", and Jack and Ianto, the former very physical and the latter very minimal in his actions, come together emotionally over a very physically charged act, and it's quite beautiful.
~
What about you? What Torchwood fics are decidedly smutty but at the same, so much more? Link me and I will read it (though I probably already have). I'm sure I've forgotten some of my favourites, so I'll probably add to this list as I find them.