|
by Elessil * * * When last I fulfilled my craving for Sparrington porn, I wondered what it is that makes me think that Sparrington slash is particularly hot. A while ago, I had a discussion with a fellow slasher who basically said that once the two characters are in the sheets together, names are interchangable and you could basically let the same piece of smut work equally well for any given pairing. I disagree. There is scarcely a slash fic that does not describe both participants as excellent lovers, several orgasms shortly after another a common occurence. However, the act itself is written quite differently by different writers in different fandoms. Particularly in LOTR fandom, e.g. the pairing Aragorn/Legolas (which I know, there's probably more and better examples) is usually written with Aragorn as top and incredibly slow, tender, loving sex. Often this falls into a pattern, a "smut recipe" - the sex often ends up extremely romantically sweet, and, to be honest, often not very well written. I've heard this being blamed on 14-year olds writing about sex although they never had any. This might be part of the truth, but I do not think it is all. Most slash writers are female, ergo they have never experienced gay sex from a male's point of view. Much as I'd like to be, I'm not a Commodore sailing the Caribbean sea. Still, I write about it. For a great part, authours write about something they never experienced - that's the point of imagination. These types of sex scenes are truly interchangable, however, e.g. in the case of well-written Sparrington smut, I expect character specifics. According to my personal idea of the characters, Jack is an extremely skilled lover, by talent and above all, training. He knows all the smart little tricks that let your eyes go wide and make your thoughts go incoherent. Now, the man beneath this is rather used to taking control of things, although if in skilled hands, he is just as happy to lean back and enjoy the show. I think he is rather opportunistic when it comes to giving and receiving pleasure - he seeks to achieve his personal goal, whether this be his personal pleasure or a specific reaction from his partner. But as I mentioned - he's *good* at it. However, as much as it ails my inner fluff-bunny, I do not think Jack is much of a cuddler. I have yet to meet a person that does not to some extent like holding/being held close after sex, but in my imagination, Jack is not too fond of it. There's too much of "holding down" involved in it for him to truly enjoy it unless he completely trusts his partner, which, considering his past, is quite a feat to accomplish. James on the other hand has little experience in the matter of bodily love. However, I believe he makes up for it with sheer...I'll say devotion in lack of a better word. Nobody can make me believe that James jumps into bed with every willing attractive body. While I do think that the Virgin!Norrington fics are a little far fetched, I actually do not think they are as ridiculous as they are often received. Because, you know, at this time: sex before marriage=BAD thing. For men admittedly less so than for women, but still. James might just be idealistic and romantic enough to actually do it. Yet, "my" James has a certain amount of sexual experience, depending on the variation of character perhaps even with men. (Considering he started as Midshipman very early, meaning between 12 and 14,to achieve his rank, he probably almost grew up aboard a ship. A few boys aboard a ship, growing into men - it could happen. Mind, most likely no buggery, but some relief in the night. On the other hand, it's still James Norrington I'm talking of, so perhaps he was made of steel at that age, too) Be that as it may, to every of "my" slightly varying James versions, sex is not a trivial thing. If he enjoys someone's company in this way, it's always a bit wondrous and exalted to him. He wants it special, and therefore he does his best to make it thus. We all know James Norrington is bloody successful once he's set his mind on something. Also, I'd think he'd be a very considerate lover - bear in mind the statement "I serve others, not only myself." - the same is true in bed, and he would use his enormous self-control to keep his own desire in check so far as not to discomfit his partner. James, unlike Jack, is a cuddler incarnate. There's this "protecting others" air about him that implies he'd like holding his partner close after sex. Being protective and gentle and everything. This does not mean that they "have" slow and schmoopy sex. In fact, what Sparrington porn I read usually is a bit on the "rougher" side, influenced by just who both of them are. That is what I mean by character and character dynamic specific sex. They're both men; men of action, and both have an edge to them. Now, aside these general traits, intercourse between the two of them should be affected by their character dynamic. I expect their ever-present power-play also to have an effect on their behaviour in the sheets. In well-written smutfiction, it has. I have rarely ever read a pairing where the top/bottom relation between the characters were so equal. In any other pairing I read, there was a specified top and a bottom, and if they were interchanged, the story usually provided a specific explanation for it. Now James and Jack... either of them can be the dominant/top one without a specific explanation, because again, there's the equality which is an important element of their relationship as such. I would say that there is a slight tendency towards James as "top", because most writers imagine it as difficult for him to surrender himself to being buggered by another. This brings up another interesting aspect of their character dynamic. "My" Jack does not mind whether he is top or bottom, but because James does, so does he. I hope this makes even a mediocre amount of sense. Think about KJ's moonverse. In my imagination, getting to be on "top" would not be half as important to Jack if James wouldn't mind it as much. Again, it's about powerplay. And trust. These are all aspects that, to varying extents, I expect to be present in an "ideal" Sparrington smut scene. Originally this was supposed to be much more general, but I ended up talking almost solely Sparrington smut. Sorry :) |