5 Tropes I'm sick of & 1 pleasant surprise
So as mentioned, I've been reading far too much J2 fic over the past few months, largely because, well, there seems to be a never-ending supply of it. Having said that, I've moved beyond just skimming rec lists and have slowly been making my way back through various masterlists.
This has resulted in fics of... varying quality. After awhile, a lot of them start to blur together, and I'm left noticing the similarities between so many of them. Some of these are tropes I've seen for years, and others seem to be strangely unique to the J2 fandom (or maybe it's just a recent trend in general). Especially when it comes to, well, sex scenes.
Before I begin, let me just say that while I'm speaking in broad, sweeping generalizations here, I am not trying to lump everyone together. A good writer can make just about anything work, and sometimes there's a reason why cliches are a cliche. Also, I'm not nearly as prolific (or as talented) as some when it comes to writing sex, so this is meant to be the perspective of a reader more than anything else.
Fic Tropes about Fucking that I am so Fucking Sick of.
1. It's not sex if there's no penetration
Unless your character is a 15 year old virgin** who is really that sheltered (or that in denial), they need to acknowledge that when there are two people and orgasms - mutual or not - are involved, it's sex. Hook ups? Are sex. Oral sex? Is sex. Handjobs? Are sex. Frottage? Is sex.
**Exceptions are also allowed if your character is a repressed/in denial adult who is lying to themselves, but you as an author should make it clear that they are just lying to themselves.
2. First kisses that lead to orgasms
Full disclosure -- I've actually written this one. I really don't think, though, that this is actually as common a phenomenon as it seems to be in fic. Especially since it most often seems to be paired with Trope #1 and the character will somehow later deny that they've had sex. (I'm talking about scenarios where someone orgasms either from the kiss itself - yes, I've seen it - or from what is essentially fully-clothed frottage or a hand-job that happens during the first kiss itself. The very first kiss, not a make-out session that leads to frottage. The characters are usually surprised that this happened - they weren't expecting it, they just couldn't stop themselves!)
3. Hand jobs > Blow jobs > Anal sex does not count as building your characters' relationship.
What I've just described above is the plot to 95% of porn videos out there. If that's what you want to write - awesome. PWP can be great! If you're actually looking to tell a story, though...
I'm not arguing that a quick handjob in the bathroom at a bar isn't less intimate than a night of passionate love-making. And again, if your character(s) are teenage virgins (or non-teenage virgins) at the beginning of the fic, they may not want to jump in with both feet, so to speak, and the exploration of their sexuality together can be a very natural storyline. I guess I'm just tired of fics where the two characters are inserted into a random scenario and we see their relationship progress through these three stages of sexual intimacy, and it's implied that these stage are related to where they are at in their relationship.
It just starts to feel a bit like lazy story-telling after awhile.
(The reverse of this, of course, is the Pretty Woman Trope, where the two characters have all kinds of casual sex but of course don't really kiss until they realize they have real feelings for each other)
4. BDSM =/= rape, dub/non-con, torture, abuse, etc.
I sometimes often get a craving for some kink in my fic, and when I do I tend to tag surf at various archives & comms. What always distrubs me is when I accidentally click on a rape!fic which is not kinky at all and the only power play in questions is that one characters wants it and the other definitely does not. This is not meant as a judgement against the people who read or write fics with these elements, and for the most part, they is also a tag/warning explaining the consent (or lack there of) in the fic. But I have skimmed through enough of these to realize that some people really don't seem to realize that non-con is not simply another kink that they can give the broader BDSM tag to.
5. Knotting and/or Alpha/Beta/Omega Fics
I've read a number of these. Hell, because I have a pretty low squick factor, I've read some bestiality fics. Some of them I find hot. Most of them, though, I just sort of find myself asking "but WHY?" while reading. Have we really gotten so bored with "normal" porn that we need to add a knot to make the sex interesting? Is this the equivalent of a married couple renting out the theme room at the hotel for there 10th anniversary to spice up their sex life? Do we really have no other stories left to tell?
(Because I've got to tell you -- I think we've told just about every knotting or Alpha/Omega storyline possible at this point)
---
In general, I suppose, with the exception of #4 (which I just find to be disturbing), I think most of these tropes originate from a similar problem - when you have more than one sex scene in a single fic, how do you make them different from each other? Sex scenes can be used very well help tell the story of a relationship - if they're not doing that, I'd argue that they have no place in your fic (unless the point of your story is the porn).
There are ways to tell the reader than your characters are growing closer without making it feel like you're taking them through the Gay Sex Manual with quizzes on Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced sex along the way. There are ways to describe a REALLY hot kiss without having it end in an orgasm as well (am I the only person who LOVES UST?) And suddenly giving your character a knot on his cock or a self-lubricating asshole is only as hot as your writing makes it (and stopped being new and interesting at least a couple years ago).
---
Now that I'm done ranting, I've got to tell you, there is one thing that has really pleasantly surprised me about the J2 fandom. Maybe it's something that I'm just more aware of since I'm a 28-year-old bisexual who only realized I'm attracted to men AND women a couple years ago, but I love the amount of fic where Jared or Jensen (although it does seem to be Jared more often - I honestly don't know enough about the guys to know why this is the case) is bisexual and no one acts like this makes him a Very Special Unicorn.
This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
I'm not going to say I haven't read ANY "I don't like men I just like YOU" fic (because I have), but it does feel like that is becoming an outdated trope, and for the most part authors seem very comfortable using the "bisexual" label to describe someone who is attracted to both sexes. I really don't remember seeing as much of this in other fandoms (including other fandoms where one member of the pairing has/had a girlfriend/wife).
Also, it's always felt as though the (previous) relationship with the woman has to be discredited in some way so that the man is free to move on with his true feelings for another man. While it's definitely the case that some men are in relationships with women because they're repressed/in denial/scared to come out, that's not ALWAYS the case, and I'm glad to see that acknowledged.
One thing about slash fics that's always made me feel a bit uncomfortable over the years is the fact that they're predominantly written by women, but women are so often marginalized or villainized in them. This isn't to say that I've never been annoyed by the canon girlfriend/wives of a character I ship with another man (Because trust me... I have...) but so often ALL women are pushed aside to the point that it almost feels like a segregated society (with all the sub-pairings also being slash pairings, and all the women just disappearing).
Now if only I could find a fandom with some really good femmeslash!
(I'd love some comments on this, even though I realize I'm hardly the first person to bring up this topic.)
This has resulted in fics of... varying quality. After awhile, a lot of them start to blur together, and I'm left noticing the similarities between so many of them. Some of these are tropes I've seen for years, and others seem to be strangely unique to the J2 fandom (or maybe it's just a recent trend in general). Especially when it comes to, well, sex scenes.
Before I begin, let me just say that while I'm speaking in broad, sweeping generalizations here, I am not trying to lump everyone together. A good writer can make just about anything work, and sometimes there's a reason why cliches are a cliche. Also, I'm not nearly as prolific (or as talented) as some when it comes to writing sex, so this is meant to be the perspective of a reader more than anything else.
Fic Tropes about Fucking that I am so Fucking Sick of.
1. It's not sex if there's no penetration
Unless your character is a 15 year old virgin** who is really that sheltered (or that in denial), they need to acknowledge that when there are two people and orgasms - mutual or not - are involved, it's sex. Hook ups? Are sex. Oral sex? Is sex. Handjobs? Are sex. Frottage? Is sex.
**Exceptions are also allowed if your character is a repressed/in denial adult who is lying to themselves, but you as an author should make it clear that they are just lying to themselves.
2. First kisses that lead to orgasms
Full disclosure -- I've actually written this one. I really don't think, though, that this is actually as common a phenomenon as it seems to be in fic. Especially since it most often seems to be paired with Trope #1 and the character will somehow later deny that they've had sex. (I'm talking about scenarios where someone orgasms either from the kiss itself - yes, I've seen it - or from what is essentially fully-clothed frottage or a hand-job that happens during the first kiss itself. The very first kiss, not a make-out session that leads to frottage. The characters are usually surprised that this happened - they weren't expecting it, they just couldn't stop themselves!)
3. Hand jobs > Blow jobs > Anal sex does not count as building your characters' relationship.
What I've just described above is the plot to 95% of porn videos out there. If that's what you want to write - awesome. PWP can be great! If you're actually looking to tell a story, though...
I'm not arguing that a quick handjob in the bathroom at a bar isn't less intimate than a night of passionate love-making. And again, if your character(s) are teenage virgins (or non-teenage virgins) at the beginning of the fic, they may not want to jump in with both feet, so to speak, and the exploration of their sexuality together can be a very natural storyline. I guess I'm just tired of fics where the two characters are inserted into a random scenario and we see their relationship progress through these three stages of sexual intimacy, and it's implied that these stage are related to where they are at in their relationship.
It just starts to feel a bit like lazy story-telling after awhile.
(The reverse of this, of course, is the Pretty Woman Trope, where the two characters have all kinds of casual sex but of course don't really kiss until they realize they have real feelings for each other)
4. BDSM =/= rape, dub/non-con, torture, abuse, etc.
I sometimes often get a craving for some kink in my fic, and when I do I tend to tag surf at various archives & comms. What always distrubs me is when I accidentally click on a rape!fic which is not kinky at all and the only power play in questions is that one characters wants it and the other definitely does not. This is not meant as a judgement against the people who read or write fics with these elements, and for the most part, they is also a tag/warning explaining the consent (or lack there of) in the fic. But I have skimmed through enough of these to realize that some people really don't seem to realize that non-con is not simply another kink that they can give the broader BDSM tag to.
5. Knotting and/or Alpha/Beta/Omega Fics
I've read a number of these. Hell, because I have a pretty low squick factor, I've read some bestiality fics. Some of them I find hot. Most of them, though, I just sort of find myself asking "but WHY?" while reading. Have we really gotten so bored with "normal" porn that we need to add a knot to make the sex interesting? Is this the equivalent of a married couple renting out the theme room at the hotel for there 10th anniversary to spice up their sex life? Do we really have no other stories left to tell?
(Because I've got to tell you -- I think we've told just about every knotting or Alpha/Omega storyline possible at this point)
---
In general, I suppose, with the exception of #4 (which I just find to be disturbing), I think most of these tropes originate from a similar problem - when you have more than one sex scene in a single fic, how do you make them different from each other? Sex scenes can be used very well help tell the story of a relationship - if they're not doing that, I'd argue that they have no place in your fic (unless the point of your story is the porn).
There are ways to tell the reader than your characters are growing closer without making it feel like you're taking them through the Gay Sex Manual with quizzes on Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced sex along the way. There are ways to describe a REALLY hot kiss without having it end in an orgasm as well (am I the only person who LOVES UST?) And suddenly giving your character a knot on his cock or a self-lubricating asshole is only as hot as your writing makes it (and stopped being new and interesting at least a couple years ago).
---
Now that I'm done ranting, I've got to tell you, there is one thing that has really pleasantly surprised me about the J2 fandom. Maybe it's something that I'm just more aware of since I'm a 28-year-old bisexual who only realized I'm attracted to men AND women a couple years ago, but I love the amount of fic where Jared or Jensen (although it does seem to be Jared more often - I honestly don't know enough about the guys to know why this is the case) is bisexual and no one acts like this makes him a Very Special Unicorn.
This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
I'm not going to say I haven't read ANY "I don't like men I just like YOU" fic (because I have), but it does feel like that is becoming an outdated trope, and for the most part authors seem very comfortable using the "bisexual" label to describe someone who is attracted to both sexes. I really don't remember seeing as much of this in other fandoms (including other fandoms where one member of the pairing has/had a girlfriend/wife).
Also, it's always felt as though the (previous) relationship with the woman has to be discredited in some way so that the man is free to move on with his true feelings for another man. While it's definitely the case that some men are in relationships with women because they're repressed/in denial/scared to come out, that's not ALWAYS the case, and I'm glad to see that acknowledged.
One thing about slash fics that's always made me feel a bit uncomfortable over the years is the fact that they're predominantly written by women, but women are so often marginalized or villainized in them. This isn't to say that I've never been annoyed by the canon girlfriend/wives of a character I ship with another man (Because trust me... I have...) but so often ALL women are pushed aside to the point that it almost feels like a segregated society (with all the sub-pairings also being slash pairings, and all the women just disappearing).
Now if only I could find a fandom with some really good femmeslash!
(I'd love some comments on this, even though I realize I'm hardly the first person to bring up this topic.)