fawnheart

Haha but if you posted this a year ago without weaving your magic wand on it and turning it into the freakin masterpiece it is now, it'd be crap lol. I like it much better like this, and that's what I thought you wanted me to do anyway, yeah? Fill in the blanks so you could round it out (and really, I hardly recognise anything at all lol)...it's just too good. (I still have palpitations thinking about Varin's pink tongue...) And by the way...you know how I'm Alliance, are you calling me a molly coddled pansyass c-u-n-t? lol! well, ARE YOU PUNK? lol I happen to LOVE those griffins too, baha!

Oh gawd hahaha, *shoots another kangaroo from power line*. Ok, I have the guinea pigs running on their treadmills to power my pooter... so here is my response to the wonder boy’s (wandering_addict) tag! (I got around to filling this out way faster than either of us thought, yeah? ) 1. How about a brief introduction of yourself? Hmmm... am I the only one who finds these bio things hard to do? Ok...my name, fawnheart, is actually a name I made up for a tauren shaman in the first story I ever wrote. I liked the name and used it – even though I’ve never played a tauren or a shaman before so yeah, haha, I know that’s a little odd... o.0. I do people’s nails and wax their foofas, legs and eyebrows and wash their feet for a living (anyone who thinks that being a beautician is glamorous needs to think again hahaha) Sometimes I get to rip the hair off a body builder and that’s always a lot of fun because then I get to rub oil all over their tortured muscles *sigh*! I love my work though, no matter how glamorous it isn’t hahaha, I love making people feel good. It makes me feel good too. I’d much rather point out the good that I see than the bad...unless it’s about myself of course but isn’t everyone like that? Yeah? No? Oh...hmm...moving right along hehe. But you know, being positive is better for business, 2. Fabulous! And what got you into fanfiction to begin with? Well, my bigger more aggressive half was a sailor and I tended to get dragged around the country behind him everywhere he was sent. It always takes a little time to get established again in any new place so at first I played WoW to fill in time between appointments, then I got addicted and kept appointments to fill in time between raids hahaha No, well, yeah actually... but nah, so then a friend introduced me to AFF and I was like HOLY SNAPPING ARMPITS SOME OF THIS SHIT IS HOT!! I’d never seen anything like it in my sheltered little existence and just like that I was inspired to write nawty smut myself! I mean...I was inspired to write fanfiction....about WoW...you know? 3. I see, so what kind of fanfiction do you like to write? I’ve only ever written fanfiction about World of Warcraft...I tend to get obsessed with things and yeah, that was my obsession for ages. 4. Do you tend to write the same pairings/characters? Or are you a fandom whore? I’m just trying to figure out what ‘fandom whore’ means hahaha! Does that mean if Thassarian and Varian Wynne were real people, would I do them? Blood oath I would! No, seriously, I write my own OC’s into WoW settings because I’m too lazy to make up my own world lol. Does that make me a fandom whore? Or just a lazy one? 5. What is your more popular fanfic and why do you think people like it so? Ok...I think my most popular fanfic was An Idiot’s Tale. I think people liked the original version the best though, not so much the current re-write, and I think people liked it because it was really heart wrenching and just plain confronting in certain places. I used a lot of violence, torture and things like that in the first version because I didn’t know how to shock/create suspense or much of anything else when I first started writing (and still, I only know how to coin those phrases, not employ them lol). To be truthful, I think the original story was much rawer, and much more powerful because of it than it is now. Or maybe I'm just having a wank hehe. Truthfully though, I’d always thought the shock value thing wasn’t the best way to go about making a story but now I’m not so sure! 6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic you've written you're most proud of? Ah, my personal favorite is The Forsaken’s Tale. I definitely think that was my best, and the one I’m most proud of. The first few chapters of Exiled in Azeroth are my next favorite and the Adventures of Fynn is my third favorite. 7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What are the most difficult aspects of writing you struggle with?Writing used to flow for me really easily but not so much lately. I think the desert sucked the words out of me but I’m pretty confident that’s gonna change soon baby! I struggle with grammar, being sufficiently descriptive, thinking too much about what people will or won’t like haha. That kinda thing 8. Write a few sentences of so of your favorite pairing or character. "Yeah yeah I know. You doubt I'll survive long here." Aerandir gave Ba'ith a dry look. "We ready?" "You seem to be a fast learner from what I've seen." The assassin angled his face down a little closer to Aerandir's and his eyes blazed liquid silver. "Learn quickly, then, that I don't like being interrupted. I hold Erandil in my heart and I didn't like him much when I first met him, but know this, I like you even less. He's where he is now because you lacked the discipline to control your temper, the way you can't control your acidic tongue. This time though, instead of just hurting your mother, you've killed your brother." Aerandir's mouth gaped slightly, how did the assassin even know about his mother? Misinterpreting Aerandir's open-mouthed surprise as an attempt to interrupt again, Ba'ith raised a hand in warning. "I'm not interested in your excuses. While we're here, you will shut your mouth and do what I say, the instant I say it. Or you will die...and I won't shed even the slightest tear. Understand?" ...I kinda have a bit of a crush on Ba’ith... 9. Are there any fanfiction trends/clichés you can't stand or are just sick of? Nah not really...I’m always up for a good story, whether it’s cliché or trendy or otherwise. It’s only fanfic after all. I’m just here to learn, practice, pick up a few new ‘skills’ to surprise my husbear with (hehe) and generally enjoy the fruit of people’s efforts, which they so generously give for free for our entertainment. 10. Are you guilty of any of the fanfiction trends/clichés you now hate? Or any other ones? Hahaha yeah, sometimes I manage to spin a good tale lol...no, I know that’s not what this question means hahaha. Um... I’ve no doubt that I’m guilty of tones of literary sins but I’m not yet experienced enough to know what they are but I’m getting better. I usually rely on feedback to learn what I did wrong or right and if my writing has improved at all, I can credit that directly to wandering_addict’s help. He’s such a little bloody genius, I just wuv him! And he’s so generous with his time to give writers so much help for nothing other than that he feels like doing it. Yeah, best bloke on the net...even if he does tag me with things that disclose way more about me than I’d usually like anyone to know hahaha Meh, is all in good fun, yeah? 11. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Do you still like/participate in it? The first fandom I wrote for was WoW and I still like it but the drive is far less now that I don’t have heaps of pent up frustration from having 12 year olds playing blood elves kick my arse in pvp lol...the little shits... 12. Name your OTPs or most frequently written pairings/characters and explain what it is about them you love to write. My most frequently written pairings are Eraik/Aerandir. I don’t know why hahaha, it used to be Morag/Erandil but then I re-wrote things and now the poor buggers don’t get to rip their gear off for ages and even then only once or twice out of about 30 chapters! Oh I don’t wanna think about it too much or I’ll obsess about it and re-write the freakin’ story ... again... 13. What would you call your writing "style"? Um...fantasy adventure? Seat of my pants? I don’t really plan or plot much if that’s what this question is asking, I tend to just sit down and write...hence all the freakin’ re-writes! 14. Do you read other people's fanfic? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most? I used to read heaps but not lately. I plan to remedy that though. I used to read mostly about Wow...and...it almost feels blasphemous to say this...but I also used to read fanfics about Narnia! I know. Aslan would look at me with big, sad, disappointed lion eyes...other than that, I like reading any fanfic that has a really good, gritty, nasty villain in it. And other that, I love reading anything wandering_addict writes. Honestly, that boy could write about a squished worm and it would just be the most brilliant, intense, fantastic thing! 15. Name one thing you'd LOVE to write, but have been too afraid or shy to do. Okay I’ll be honest here. I want to write something really, really dark and brutal with lots of psychological angst and trauma in it, but I have such a bizarre sense of humour I’d probably stick something completely random in at some really inappropriate point to lighten the mood. I’m also a bit of a chicken too and if I doubt I’d have the courage to write something as dark as I want to. I kind of have a hard time writing that kind of thing, I don’t mind reading it, and love it if it leaves me traumatized (does that make me a masachist?) I sort of dabbled in some dark stuff in the original Idiot’s tale but I noticed that whenever I felt I’d written something too dark, I’d make the next chapter a bit silly and light hearted to make up for it... but then I dunno...I freaked a bit and took all those bits out lol. I’d like to have the nouse to unashamedly write something really, really dark at some point. 16. Do you have trouble taking criticism? Or worse yet, do you have the dreaded bloated ego? I learn best and fastest from criticism, but I also like to be told what I did that worked, otherwise I get all deflated and think my work is crap and am prone to give up hahaha. 17. When you write, is there anything that helps? Music? Quiet room? Repairing toaster ovens? I listen to music first and let movies run in my mind of what I want to write, and then I like a quiet room to write in. 18. What inspires you? Good movies with brilliant villains and lately, Brent Weeks. Oh my god, I freakin’ love that man’s books; he is an absolutely freakin’ amazing author. Other than that, pvp used to inspire me to write. I used to be a pvp junkie and spent most of my game time in the battle grounds. That’s where the idea of Erandil originally came from. There used to be this bloody blood elf rogue who used to wait for me and kick my arse all the time and he would LAUGH while he stabbed me and then blow me a kiss just before he landed the killing blow. Can you believe that? What an arse! Lol. 19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fanfiction experiences and yourself as a writer? Um... writing fanfiction has been all good. It’s a good, cheap hobby (if time consuming lol) and I’ve learned heaps about writing from it and have made some really good net friends from it as well. I don’t know how I’d summarize myself as writer though. I’ve never really given it much thought hahaha...um...I’m still a fledgling? 20. Tag some friends, because they'll have you for it. Haha ok ...

"Freedom of expression"... does that only apply to those who follow what's currently fashionable? Because for the rest of us who express concerns, as i have done in this thread, it seems that basic right isn't extended to us and we get labelled as having sticks up our arses and accused of trying to force our morals onto everyone. Thankfully the majority of the civilised world extend freedom of expression to everyone, not just to those who follow what is fashionable at the time. The hypocracy cracks me up, seriously, thankyou. I got a good laugh out of that. On one hand you complain that all this time could be spent being concerned about girls in real life... yeah the whole 5 mins each post takes for me to write a reply... I don't think that is going to help much - and then the next line you go off on a diatribe about the positions of sticks and bums of those who express their concerns. Well, i personally think that prevention in the case of a childs welfare, if at all possible, is better than the cure. I'm satisfied. The people in Ottawa have a huge pat on the back from me. I'm also satisfied from the reasonable people who have thoughtfully considered the concerns posted in this thread, who suggest that writing that kind of material is therapeutic. I'm all for people doing whatever they have to, to have happy, fulfilling lives. I myself would prefer they wrote what they had to and burned it, apparently that works well to release inner demons. LIke when someone annoys you and you write them an abusive letter letting it all hang out and then burn it and let it go. It doesn't make sense to me to write that material on the basis of coming to terms with abuse, and risk getting potential or existing abusers off. But that's just my opinion, I'm hardly shoving it down anyone's throat. But then, because I am not going along with what is the fashionable way of thinking, I get accused of trying to force my morals on everyone else but it seems like you are trying to force yours, on me. Anyway, I'm done with this thread, I've gotten the answers I was looking for from people who were capable of thoughtful discussion and kindly took the time to express their views. Thanks to those, and peace to everyone else.

Crash... hahahahaha! I knew I loved Canadians for a good reason. It's blatant common sense to me, but as an Australian, we have heaps in common with the way Canadians think anyway. I love it lol, thankyou for posting that!

Bitter Smitten.... Wow, thankyou for taking the time to write that. It makes perfect sense to me finally, I seem to remember that some one wrote something that hinted at your explanation, but it didn't make as much sense as what your post did. And yes, teenagers are hormonal, crazy animals and that is what I try to explain to my neices, that when you actually engage in sex before you are ready, it just complicates things and messes thing up beyond all recognition until you are mature enough to deal with it. I'm going to save your post and keep it handy next time the issue comes up because it explains things better than my 3 hour lectures to them ever could lol. But anyway, on to what this thread was really about... ....I think that I'm finally beginning to understand how people can write that stuff too, from your post, and I do realise it's not illegal now, the first poster explained that to me. Not sure if I'm right but from what I can gather, writing that crap is actually therapeutic? If so, more power to the people who feel the need to do so, but still, I do worry that pedos could read it and act on it, but it seems that I am the only one who is sus about that. I don't think I can change my mind on that. I would prefer it if people needed to write that stuff to get their demons out or whatever, that they write it and burn it...sort of like when someone has really pissed you off and you write them a letter flipping out at them to get it all out of your system and then burn it and let it go....works for me but different things for different people. Some people seem to think it's better for a pedo to wank on their screen or whatever, but that doesn't seem reasonable to me, since in the next sentence those people said that pedo's who are that way inclined will go out and perpetrate the crime anyway, regardless of what they read. So that reasoning never cut it for me since it seemed that by posting those stories, people weren't inspiring crimes, they were just providing the sickos with a free wank. Your post has finally made sense of it all for me though, thanks for that. I don't read things labelled minor, although when I first joined this site I did, simply because I didn't know what the ratings meant and didn't really pay too much attention to them. I soon learned though...the hard way, but that was my fault. There is only one story I read that is labelled 'minor', and that is vivid_white's "Someday never comes", because it is never revoltingly graphic, is necessary to the story and not gratuitous, and is more about their character's ...well, how he is growing as a person. Basically, it's tasteful and not sick in the slightest...and it's a good story. Recently what has really pissed me off though, is when people don't label their work, draw you in with a good story and then it deteriorates into gratuitous, graphic pedo crap that isn't even necessary to the plot...and that is the authors fault. So to Hanabi, had you read the previous posts, you would have seen that that is what I said. I don't like the stuff, I don't read it. Some authors don't label their work correctly and on 3 occassions recently, I have read stories because they WEREN'T labelled minor, and they ended up being pedo crap. So telling me not to read it if I don't like it was just a waste of both our bandwidth. And Zyx, yes, I do detest every pedophile, random, deliberate or otherwise. They prey on the vulnerable (children) for their own sexual gratification with no thought to the damage they cause to their victim or their families. I don't refer to the writers on here, I DO refer to pedo's. That crap that they are child 'lovers' is just that...crap. There is nothing loving about destroying lives. And as far as a pedo destroying a child and their family and every one who knows them, not being anyone's business, well I will say here... yes, it is my business. Not only that, it is EVERYONE'S business and responsibility to protect the vulnerable members of their community, children especially. Do you suggest that if I saw a child being hurt that wasn't mine, that I should just walk past? Cos I tell you, if it was my child getting hurt and I found out that someone walked past and didn't help them because they didn't feel it was their business, I'd spew. I'd hold them as responsible as the pedo. What's more, nothing gladdens my heart and the hearts of everyone I know more than hearing that a pedo got what was coming to him in jail But then again...pedophiles and how much I and most of the civilised world hates them wasn't what this thread was about, it was about whether or not writing about minors was illegal. It isn't. Bitter smitten, thanks again for your post, it really has helped me get my head around it.

Hey, just because I think people should label their work as pedophilia when it involves pedophilia, doesn't mean that I have PMS, or else you would have to say that the rest of the majority of the civilised world or any country where the laws prohibit pedophilia, sufferes from PMS... which is clearly not reasonable, is it? Read what I said. There are authors who go into graphic detail of adults raping children. I don't see how that could be 'emotionally bonding' for any child. With regards to other immoral stories, I titled this debate as 'writing about minors' not 'writing about immoral stories'. As I said, to my mind there has to be a line drawn. People who write about rape, TAG their work N/C or RAPE. There is a difference in writing about minors and pedophilia. If an author wants to write about an adult raping a child or sexually abusing them, they should label it PEDOPHILIA because that's what it is. If a pedo tried to call his crime 'Shota' or 'minor' in a court of law, I don't think it would hold, therefore the legal definition is PEDOPHILIA. If you want to read and write that crap, there is nothing anyone can do about it, obviously...as this discussion has revealed. But at least have some consideration and tag your work correctly. The majority of people don't get off on it, ok? Don't label it 'slash' when it's pedophilia. Don't label it 'minor' when it's pedophilia. That way we won't get tricked into reading the crap. It's as simple as that.

No, actually, I have one more thing to say about this... Three times I have been caught out, reading a story that is tagged (or not even tagged but flagged as slash) with 'minor', and have had it turn into a pedo's wet dream. Just gratuitous, child sex for no reason at all. It wasn't essential to the plot or anything and in one instance, it actually ruined what was up until then a totally engrossing story. It's getting that way now that I hesitate to click on slash stories incase they start out good, and then end up deteriorating. There is only ONE slash author that I trust implicitely now, and that is Lime Green and Tangerine. I read their story called "perserverance" in one night, from start to finish. It was totally engrossing and angsty to the max, and I seriously loved it. The main characters were 19 and 17, and in my country the age of consent is 16 for males so I didn't have a problem with it at all, especially since the romance between the two was based on love and not abuse. But what really, REALLY impressed me about this story, is that when the 17 year old got hot and heavy with a 30 year old, the 30 year old immediately stopped and took him home when he found out that he was under 18, simply because he (the character) felt it was wrong...even though in my country that wouldn't even be illegal. I felt like cheering when I read that, deadset, especially after the other three stories I read had turned into gratuitous pedo parties. Now I know that without a doubt I can trust these two to write brilliant, emotional, angsty slash that won't haul me in and then end up offending me at the most fundamental level. That's a big thing to my mind too, to be able to click on a story and enjoy it, without having to fear it will turn into some ghastly, sick junk that I would not have read had I known what it contained (and had been labelled accurately). So if people who insist that it's 'freedom of speech' to justify writing such dangerous crap, continue to write it, at least have some consideration for the rest of the AFF community if you have none for anything else, and label your work as PEDOPHILIA, so that those of us who find it abhorrent and who think it shouldn't be allowed, don't get rigged into reading it by accident, since it seems that it's perfectly acceptable to write it on the basis that it's 'freedom of expression' and that the kids who are involved aren't real...which I might add, I think is a major cop out. There. I'm done.

Ok, I have a problem with stories that depict graphic sex with children, simply because it's dangerous. Pedophiles ruin childrens lives, and then they sometimes grow up to ruin other childrens lives. I cannot think of anything more disgusting, destructive and despicable than a pedophile. So when I see stories written that depict graphic child sex, I have no doubt that there would be pedophiles who get off on it, and that sickens me. What really gets on my nerves is when these stories say the kids get off. I think it's dangerous to say crap like that, because what if a pedo reads it and gets it into the sick head that the child they abuse enjoys it? I agree that women getting gang raped etc don't enjoy it either, but as horrible as that situation is, its about an adult and I have this thing that adults are in a better position to defend themselves and help themselves. I just choose not to read stuff like that if it upsets me or isn't handled delicately and isn't essential to the plot. Kids aren't able to defend themselves. They are vulnerable and I cannot hack reading about them or hearing about any vulnerable person being abused, whether they are elderly people, disabled people or whatever. Kids especially, should be protected and it's every parents worst nightmare that there are sick people who prey on them simply because they are weak, and justify their actiions by trying to convince themselves that they are child 'lovers'. They aren't. they are child abusers. To read stories that not only describe it in minute detail, but actually say the kids get off on it is just freaking dangerous and intrinsically wrong on so many levels it's not funny. Pedophilia undermines the foundation of the future, if you want to get clinical about it. It creates a cycle of more people who chances are, will be so destroyed by the abuse that they will grow up to do the same things themselves. It's different when it's a romance between two teens, because one isn't taking advantage of the others vulnerability and well, teenagedom is the time for rampant hormones and experimentationg that is not the result of being abused. I cannot see the sence in a romance for small children, since in real life, if they can contemplate that, it's because they have been abused. As for animal sex etc etc, whatever. Of course it's immoral, but so is slutting around. This isn't so much about morality, for me, different strokes for different folks etc. It is more the fact that I cannot help think that writing such stuff is ultimately dangerous. Regardless of the previous arguement I had about this where I agreed to disagree, I ask again, who is it written for? I read about men, they turn me on. I read smutty stories about them and I hang for my other half to come home so I can try out any new ideas such stories have inspired. Even though I'm hetero female, I love reading slash because it's about men. I don't like to read about women, because they aren't my thing. So who reads stories about kids? Logically, it has to turn the people who read it and write it, on. To my mind, writing stuff like that actively encourages pedophilia. I even read in one of those stories that wasn't marked with 'minor', where the Author wrote "yay for pedo's" ...what the hell? Seriously...what the freakin hell?! Now tell me that writing stuff like that doesn't turn pedos on, and try to do it without a smile on your face. Some fantasies are dangerous, obviously. Writing about a woman who has been raped (which is actually a prominent fantasy for women), enjoying it could have the same effect on a potential rapist, or could endanger dogs or horses or whatever it is...but they are acts of such violence (in the case of rape especially) that it has to be pretty extreme for someone to do it. Pedo's do not abuse kids so much out of a desire for violence or power and especially they do not abuse them out of LOVE as I have read that a lot of them claim. They do it out of SICKNESS. And to write that a kid enjoys it is blatantly dangerous, to my mind. They need to know that they are not loving children, they are damaging them, destroying them. I know I've said it before, but I will say it again... DANGEROUS. what's more, if child abuse is pivotal to a plot, I don't see that it's necessary to describe it in graphic detail. Usually just saying it has happened is enough to cause people angst...even people who rape women and do animals. I mean, when pedos get caught and sent to jail, it's rapists and murderers who beat the crap out of them in prison. Even THEY have more "morals", if we want to speak about that, than some authors on here. Especially the one who wrote "yay for pedos"...deadset. Now I'm done with this conversation. There has to be a line that doesn't get crossed, to my mind. And for me, it's children.

Well if it isn't illegal, then that's that! Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'll agree to disagree on the rest

So, do we agree that graphic descriptions of child sex and sexual abuse are child pornography? And if so, isn't that illegal? I agree that authors aren't responsible for their readers behaviour but by the same token, I do think that aurthors have a responsibility to consider the affects of their works especially in regards to illegal content regarding children. Authors make a point of writing to inspire emotion, they aspire to make people laugh, cry, get angry, get horny...etc. The written word has inspired revolutions, has controlled people through propaganda, has saved the whales and inspired such developments as the submarine and helicopter ( which were specifically inspired by the fantasy of Jules Verne in the 1800s). It's easy to say, oh this is fiction and that the making of it didn't hurt anyone. But the making of propaganda that vilifies certain races, examples of which abound throughout history, (Jews and Irish catholics are the first to spring to mind) and resulting in genocide would prompt me to beg to differ in regards to the power of the written word. But that isn't really what I wanted to address in my initial post. I'm all for freedom of expression and all that, but it seems that we have come full circle on this, in that there are stories on this site that contain child pornography and I am concerned about it. Which is why I made this post, trying to establish what is and isn't child pornography and if it is, isn't it illegal? And if it is, how is it that it's allowed on this site?

What you say makes perfect sense, especially in regard to seers catalogues etc, but still, as I said, I get ideas to try on my husband from some of the stories I read on here and I've no doubt that others do too. People write smut to turn people on. I prefer to read about men because that turns me on, I find men extremely attractive. So who, would writing about children appeal to? It could be naive to think that graphic descriptions of child sex don't do the same for a pedo. So yeah, I suppose I am suggesting that it is a possibility that one story, (but there is more than one story on here that goes into it) could become so fascinating to someone who not only has those urges, but also that they might become obsessed with a desire to enact them, if, as you said, they have the motivation and the opportunity arises. What I am not suggesting, is that child porn will just make anyone turn pedo, most of us won't read or look at that content anyway because unlike reading about mature, women and men, reading about children getting abused doesn't turn people on unless it's their thing. I suppose that some angst writers use situations of abuse to create 'angst', but then readers are reading for the angst, not details of child sex. For most, just knowing a child has been abused is enough to cause angst. I realise that in some stories, a character's past plays a huge part in how their character is shaped and that that past may include abuse, but it could and can be, and I have seen it handled delicately. In fact, I've read an ansty story that I bought from a bookshop (so it obviously wasn't illegal) in which the pivotal event was a 12 year old girl getting raped, but it wasn't described in minute detail and the author made it clear what had happened without the graphic descriptions. What I'm talking about, are stories that have graphic descriptions of child sex/abuse, which yes, I think provide an almost blueprint on how to go about it that could stick in a pedo's mind so that if the opportunity to enact it does arise, he already has a plan to follow. I don't think it's unreasonable to go further, and say that if it turns him on immensely, it could even prompt him to actively look for an opportunity. And despite your logical and informative reasoning, the question still remains, don't authors have a responsibility to consider the possibility that their stories concerning "graphic descriptions" (note the emphasis on graphic descriptions) of child sex could add fuel to some pedo's fire? And also, when is the line drawn between what could be classed as adult fiction and child pornography? And if the answer to that is that writing sexually explicit material about children isn't pornography, does that mean that there is nothing on this site that can be classified as such? Or is it that there is one rule for everyone else, that is, stories going into graphic detail about adult sex is porn, but it doesn't apply to graphic descriptions about children being raped? It makes perfect sense to me where you said that the big distinction is that for most Child Porn, you have to abuse a child to get it, and that fiction doesn't harm any child (sheep, wait staff etc), but still, don't authors have a responsibility to consider the affect that graphic descriptions of children will have?

I'm just a little curious here... Quite a few stories seem to have some fairly graphic descriptions of boys, some even go as far as to say they are 11 years old etc, being abused sexually. I am just wondering where the line is between child pornography and acceptible fiction. Some authors say they don't condone what they are writing about but to me that's like saying, yeah in xyz country, they post pornographic pictures of children and I'm just bring back a collection and posting it on the net to show you what is wrong...here have a look. Somehow, I don't think that excuse would hold in a court of law if the police turned up and found the 'warning collection'. What's more, as an adult, I have read things on here that have given me an idea about something to try out on my husband (poor guinea pig that he is!) and knowing that, I wonder if, as authors, don't they have a responsibility to ensure that the material they write about doesn't a) get some pedo off or b ) give a potential pedo some pretty graphic ideas and almost written instructions on how to abuse a child? I dunno, I'm a little confused about this...no actually, I'm not confused, I'm concerned.

I like reviews, my favourite reviews are the one liners that say "i love this pls update" etc. They NEVER fail to make a massive smile cross my face. I love the in depth ones too, they make me think. I get frustrated when no one reviews or rates my stories too, simply because like it's been said before, you think that people are reading like one page, thinking it's crap and then moving on. I'm lucky that I have a couple of people who are dedicated in their encouragement, but I actually pulled my stories and re-wrote them because I thought they were crap since no one left any indication otherwise. When I pulled them people were like...noooo! But I was positive they must have been boring as hell and I wanted to fix it rather than leave them there. I personally thought they wre worth the time to fix, but apart from the few who geneously encourage me (and I love them for it! They have saved my sanity on more than one occassion!) I don't think anyone else does and I kinda feel embarrassed to post more. Especially when you are just starting, it's really easy to doubt what you do...I always try to encourage people when I read their stories, even if they aren't that spot on, they will only get better but they won't get better if they get so disheartened that they think their work is crap and pull it. And then what will we read?

I had an in depth discussion about this with a male friend who is straight. I kind of think that gay men wouldn't be attracted to a straight man 'as a rule'. I suspect there would be instances where that would happen though. My friend seems to think that if a gay man walks near him he will naturally have the hots for him and I kinda thought that...well...alot of gay men seem to actually give a shit about grooming...unlike my friend...so unless they like the sweaty hairy type I think he is pretty safe. So, is it a case of women who like women, like women because they are women, and men who like men like them because they are men, and is it open season on everyone or is attraction usually restricted to people of the same persuasion. I keep thinking of the notion that some people maintain, i.e. love is really a chemical reaction, caused by certain circumstances creating endorphins or the like in the brain, triggering notions or feelings that become associated with 'love'. But if that's true, then wouldn't straight people be attracted to gay people, if the circumstances were right and the personality was attractive? I hope this makes sense, I'd love to see what other people think.

um...listen to music while yousleep?

Rude positive reviews, I ignore the bad stuff and encourage the good. No matter what you do people are either gonna love you or hate you and if you let yourself get dragged into the middle of it, you are just gonna end up upset over something that really has nothing to do with you and is just someone's personal opinion that you have no control over. I have to say, from reading this, deathbyhedonism has handled himself brilliantly throughout the entire thing, I am eager to read anything he writes now because of his level of empathy and understanding...what a nice guy. Not only that, but he said he has actively strived to improve his work which means that it will just get better and better and what a cool name even! Deathbyhedonism, which I could think of something as creative as that! But I would have been ready to scratch eyes out if it were me! (heh, not really but I would definitely have cried I think) I hope he keeps going, I really don't see how writing about mist could be plaguerism, since it's a natural occurance. Does this mean no one is allowed to write about rain because there was a lot of it in the Matrix? Or night or the moon or love or sex or anything because someone else mentioned it? Its a bit silly.

Hmmm I've got a few things to say here. First, I don't get into yaoi, I read a fair bit of it when I was trying to figure out what it was, and I liked it but it isn't something I would seek out again and again. What I did gather from research and reading though, is that unlike slash, Yaoi seems to follow a formula, there are certain requirements for Yaoi to actually be classed as Yaoi, i.e. a long haired man who beats the crap out of a smaller short haired male because that will make him fall in love with him Like most people I know that in real life that isnt necessarily the case, but still, writing Yaoi seems to be an artform that can be learned and developed by following a process or formula much like you would have to to learn how to grow bonsai trees or write an academic essay and etc. So having come to realised that, I can appreciate Yaoi as an expression of art, it's just not the kind of art that I seek out personally. Also, I've noticed that alot of people have been saying that there is no top or bottom in a relationship. I haven't actually researched this but I do have a friend who is a sexual psychologist and according to him, every relationship - hetro, gay or otherwise- has a top and a bottom, rather, there is always one partner who is more dominant than the other. It's not to say that the less dominant partner is weak or that the dominant one is strong, they can still be equals but they do have very different roles in the dynamics of their relationship and for the most part, there is definitely a top and a bottom and what's more, it's reversable and interchangable, so for eg, one might have the say on the couple's finances, the other might have the say on where they live, or whose job will benefit them as a couple the most etc etc etc. In regards to gay men, it might even extend to that one parner might want to take it when he usually gives it, and visa versa. But in all relationships...unless one partner has two penises, there will always be a top and a bottom and for a relationship to be successful, there has to be one who will give in more often and take it...or may actually prefer to take it, or give it...now this is getting confusing ... but anyway, it's like day and night, I think it's inescapable that there has to be a top and a bottom, at least, in a relationship that is built to last.

Second attempt at posting here...clicked the wrong button the first time around as I sometimes do... 3 fav stories: Someday never comes by vivid_white in the originals>angst section (hope she updates soon im hanging!) Ceald Amothien by wanderingaddict in the games>never winters nights section...but all of his stuff is just magic, you don't even need to know about the game, his writing is so perfect that anything he does just stands alone. ...well...that's only twobut I have been busy ...doh.

I'm lazy, I write fanfic so that I can slot the smut around a world that's already created. I use my own original characters and I if I have to use a character that isn't mine, I "fawnheart" it, apparently, but even then it's only to support what my guys are doing. But, the lore, the world, the races, the abilities and everything are already there, and you just wowwiki things if you don't know. I find my stories find their way out of my head alot easier when all the background is already done but like I have already admitted, I'm lazy as! If there is an easy way to do something, believe me, I'll find it

Hmmm, I had a massive spit at a GM when I first started playing WOW for the downtime of maintenance, apparently it's all covered in the terms and conditions and etc etc etc. Basically they have covered their arses, you accept the maintenance etc when it happens when you click the little "I accept" button when you first install the game... ....typically of me, I didn't read the fine print...but, what it boils down to, is that every Tuesday there is maintenance and there is nothing anyone can do about it...worse luck. P.s. embrace your nerdism, it beats kicking small cute furry animals!