Kink and Fiction

[ysabetwordsmith]

A while back, a discussion with a friend led me to raise this question:

Does your kink polarity (Dom or sub, top or bottom, sadist or masochist, etc. if you have one) influence your taste in reading material?

Frex, a Dom might seek out character weaknesses while a sub might look for what strengthens them.  They might favor different points in the hurt/comfort plot cycle. Of course it also depends on which character people identify with and how.  

Thoughts?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I definitely like dominant-type characters, especially when they're shown as good as well as strong. Not sure if that's true of all kinky folks or just me.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Well, I definitely like dominant-type characters, especially when they're shown as good as well as strong. <<

Agreed. I'm particularly impressed by the motif of "gentleness is controlled strength." But I like submissive characters too, in the right context -- ones who know how to capitalize on their very different strengths (or are learning to) and who are comfortable with their own nature. I just relate to those character types in different ways.

>> Not sure if that's true of all kinky folks or just me. <<

I doubt that anything applies to everyone. I do suspect some trends.

[dreamwriteremmy]

variable. Mostly, I look for quality UNLESS I'm reading something for research purposes.

I'm a sub/pet on kink polarity, but if I look at my list of kinky fics i've read I honestly seem to prefer: (a) characters who are switches and (b) authors who write stuff within proper D/s frameworks and involve some form of after care.

I'm also an adult baby, but tend to be drawn more toward the nonsexual ageplay than sexual ageplay (there are occasional exceptions, but not too many of them).

- Emmy

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> variable. Mostly, I look for quality UNLESS I'm reading something for research purposes. <<

Okay.

>> I'm a sub/pet on kink polarity, but if I look at my list of kinky fics i've read I honestly seem to prefer: (a) characters who are switches and (b) authors who write stuff within proper D/s frameworks and involve some form of after care. <<

I can see how the aftercare would appeal.

>> I'm also an adult baby, but tend to be drawn more toward the nonsexual ageplay than sexual ageplay (there are occasional exceptions, but not too many of them). <<

That makes sense. Ageplay is hard to write well.

[meirya]

Hmm. I'm a switch and favor all the pieces of the hurt/comfort cycle. I thrill to emotional pain in characters, it's a visceral thing that's part catharsis, part sadism. And then I feel a ton of things in the comfort part. And I don't like stories that are just the hurt portion; there has to be the comfort or healing or being-okay-at-least-sort-of afterwards.

(I actively avoid stories with bleak endings. I need at least a ray of hope. Dystopian fiction is always a dicey thing for me as it often ends with "everything sucks forever and there's no hope".)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Hmm. I'm a switch and favor all the pieces of the hurt/comfort cycle. <<

That makes sense.

>> I thrill to emotional pain in characters, it's a visceral thing that's part catharsis, part sadism. And then I feel a ton of things in the comfort part. And I don't like stories that are just the hurt portion; there has to be the comfort or healing or being-okay-at-least-sort-of afterwards. <<

Aftercare is important.

>> (I actively avoid stories with bleak endings. I need at least a ray of hope. Dystopian fiction is always a dicey thing for me as it often ends with "everything sucks forever and there's no hope".) <<

I share that stance most of the time. It's very rare for me to be in a mood for really bleak material. Usually I like things that push the edge, but don't go over.

[moonvoice]

Hmm... for me it really depends on why I'm reading. Like, is it for catharsis. Is it because the writing is good. Is it because I'm in the mood for an epic adventure with a lot of character development or I just want oneshot sexual gratification porn.

I identify as a sub, but I read all over the place - with narratives that expect you to identify with the top, the bottom, the masochist, the sadist. And as a writer - I tend to write switches and happily identify all over the place in the narrative. Though it does take me a little longer to get in the headspace of one of my sadistic doms - because it's not my organic/natural headspace. But then I'm writing fae, none of their headspaces are necessarily natural to me, even with those who lean towards being submissive, heh. I am generally drawn to moments of subs breaking, and subsequent aftercare in the hurt/comfort genre, but I also enjoy identifying with attentive doms who enjoy tormenting their subs, so...

I mean I'm aware it does influence me. I will read good puppyplay fics over and over and over again because they're so damned *rare.*

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Hmm... for me it really depends on why I'm reading. Like, is it for catharsis. Is it because the writing is good. Is it because I'm in the mood for an epic adventure with a lot of character development or I just want oneshot sexual gratification porn. <<

That makes sense. There are lots of different things someone might want from a story.

>> I identify as a sub, but I read all over the place - with narratives that expect you to identify with the top, the bottom, the masochist, the sadist. <<

It's cool that you're flexible.

>> And as a writer - I tend to write switches and happily identify all over the place in the narrative. Though it does take me a little longer to get in the headspace of one of my sadistic doms - because it's not my organic/natural headspace. <<

Come to think of it, that's true for me too; I can write or read a range of things, but it takes more time and energy to shift away from my assorted natural leanings. And there are some places I just don't want to go.

>> But then I'm writing fae, none of their headspaces are necessarily natural to me, even with those who lean towards being submissive, heh. <<

That's interesting too. I've got some cultures and races where the divisions are just so different.

>> I am generally drawn to moments of subs breaking, and subsequent aftercare in the hurt/comfort genre, but I also enjoy identifying with attentive doms who enjoy tormenting their subs, so... <<

I like breaking and rebuilding, or hmm ... not the kind of breaking that someone can't come back from, where the worst possible thing happens, but where it pushes the edge of the envelope. Things that make strong characters realize they're not invulnerable. Things that make wounded characters realize they're not unsalvageable. That fine line between yellow and red.

>> I mean I'm aware it does influence me. I will read good puppyplay fics over and over and over again because they're so damned *rare.* <<

Hmmm ... don't think I've tried my hand at writing that before. I could probably do it; I've read some good examples and have no trouble understanding the appeal of pet play. Feel free to ask for it sometime if you wish. Next couple of fishbowl themes aren't a close match, don't know about the Creative Jams, but the December theme will be "games & fun."

Re: Thoughts

[moonvoice]

It's cool that you're flexible.

I'd never thought of it as any kind of flexibility. I mean I also read characters who are black or brown, straight, cis, abled (mentally and physically), different religions to me, or different species, and so on - and I identify with those characters to. Like, my identifier as sub isn't *more* important to me than being a spiritual animist, or identifying as someone with a disability etc. and yet mainstream media expects me to identify with people I'm not all the time. So...really, as a puppy and a sub, it wasn't so much a stretch to identify outside of that when reading. It was already something I'd been doing all my life as an avid reader.

That being said, when I find something that speaks to me *personally*, it does tend to be because of an affiliative identifier. Like, a story about a genderqueer character. Or someone with PTSD. Or a puppy with PTSD, and so on.

I like breaking and rebuilding, or hmm ... not the kind of breaking that someone can't come back from, where the worst possible thing happens, but where it pushes the edge of the envelope. Things that make strong characters realize they're not invulnerable. Things that make wounded characters realize they're not unsalvageable. That fine line between yellow and red.


Yes, omg very much yes, I completely agree with this. Breaking to the point of 'not coming back from it' I hate - though I do like ahh...people with very likely permanent psychological effects post-trauma in relationships that challenge some of those fears and limits (gently and with respect) so that healing is more likely. A sort of 'permanent breaking' by something in one's history, followed by a more deliberate, consensual remoulding.

I'll consider it with the puppyplay. It's not something I talk about much, though I'm a lot less repressed / frightened of that side of myself now than I used to be. Fetlife helped me realise that it's more common than I thought it was. Though like with so many things - sexual puppyplay is more common as a kink than nonsexual puppyplay, which once more puts me as an outlier in a community I'm technically a part of, lol.

[(Anonymous)]

I think that it's more that you tend to see your brand of kink in what you read rather than you read to suit your fic, unless you're just looking for some self-gratification. I'm a switch but on the subby end of switch. I read and write a wide range of genres and styles, but I do tend to put characters in Dom/sub relationships in my head.

For example, and I don't want to wreck your childhood here, I just watched the original muppet movie for the first time in a while and by the end I'd decided that Janice and Floyd were in a poly relationship with Animal as their sub and that Fozzie was an Ace sub who looked to Kermit for direction.

Or when I read your stories I often wonder if when the kids have been behaving badly, Phil goes out to a club and takes his frustrations out on someone who'd enjoy it. I don't think it's something that would actually happen within your verse, but it's the kind of place my mind goes. It also means I very much identify/empathise with Clint and Tony and most especially Bruce in the way you write them.

Relationships tend to be important to me and realistic emotion. If there's no element of connection, then I often lose interest or put it in myself. I'm not sure how much of this is related to my orientation, but it seems plausible.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I think that it's more that you tend to see your brand of kink in what you read rather than you read to suit your fic, unless you're just looking for some self-gratification. <<

That may be true, although I know some folks with narrower reading tastes. And there are some things I dislike reading precisely because they clash with certain personal tastes.

>> I'm a switch but on the subby end of switch. I read and write a wide range of genres and styles, but I do tend to put characters in Dom/sub relationships in my head. <<

Interesting.

>> For example, and I don't want to wreck your childhood here, I just watched the original muppet movie for the first time in a while and by the end I'd decided that Janice and Floyd were in a poly relationship with Animal as their sub and that Fozzie was an Ace sub who looked to Kermit for direction. <<

Fascinating. I always read Bert and Ernie as gay. But thinking about it, I could totally see Bert as a fussy top and Ernie as a smart-assed masochist.

>> Or when I read your stories I often wonder if when the kids have been behaving badly, Phil goes out to a club and takes his frustrations out on someone who'd enjoy it. I don't think it's something that would actually happen within your verse, but it's the kind of place my mind goes. <<

Not in Love Is For Children, but that's actually a popular motif and I've seen it done well, Phil being a top and sometimes even taking out his frustrations that way.

>> It also means I very much identify/empathise with Clint and Tony and most especially Bruce in the way you write them. <<

That makese sense.

>> Relationships tend to be important to me and realistic emotion. If there's no element of connection, then I often lose interest or put it in myself. I'm not sure how much of this is related to my orientation, but it seems plausible. <<

Agreed.

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

I tend to look for both weaknesses and strengths, as I like rounded characters.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. A desire for good communication? I hate plots, even kink related plots, that revolve around one or another of the parties involved deliberately withholding information for no good reason. And given healthy kink relationships depend on this, it's lack tends to annoy me.

Other than that I tend to be subby, so I tend to favor stories with femdom plots, though not with outright cruelty.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>> Hmmm. A desire for good communication? I hate plots, even kink related plots, that revolve around one or another of the parties involved deliberately withholding information for no good reason. And given healthy kink relationships depend on this, it's lack tends to annoy me. <<

I agree. Even when there's a reason, I'm just losing my tolerance for it. If you can't make major decisions together, you probably shouldn't be in a relationship, and it definitely should not be presented as an okay thing the way it almost always is. It's bad enough to withhold information about yourself, but there's privacy to consider -- some things people just don't feel able to share. But when it's information about your partner, or about an outside issue, there's a violation of trust. I find that disturbing, and not entertaining.

>> Other than that I tend to be subby, so I tend to favor stories with femdom plots, though not with outright cruelty. <<

That makes sense. Over on Dreamwidth, Ladiesbingo has some good stuff.

[lb-lee.livejournal.com]

Enh, I enjoy reading books where characters being weak or frightened isn't a moral failing, but I think I would feel that way regardless of my sexual preferences.

That said, I find most stereotypical doms in books to be absolutely obnoxious, and want to just drop-kick them out a window. I specifically wrote Reverend Alpert to be a deconstruction of those fictional doms who are always right, always in charge, and abrasive assholes.

--Rogan

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>> Enh, I enjoy reading books where characters being weak or frightened isn't a moral failing, but I think I would feel that way regardless of my sexual preferences. <<

That makes sense.

>> That said, I find most stereotypical doms in books to be absolutely obnoxious, and want to just drop-kick them out a window. I specifically wrote Reverend Alpert to be a deconstruction of those fictional doms who are always right, always in charge, and abrasive assholes. <<

Yeah, it's hard to find well-written doms. I prefer the principle that gentleness is controlled strength. If you can't control yourself, you certainly can't control anyone else.

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Maybe. But I'd think of it as more my personality bleeding through in what I'm most able to do energetically kinkwise.

For example, I do like rescues, and the right person being right where they need to be at the right time - and that does kind of flow into some aspects of kink for me.