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Subject: {ASSM} {REVIEW} The Annex Reviews, 8/2/02 - Whore to the Rings 1/2
Date: Sat,  3 Aug 2002 04:10:03 -0400
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The Annex Reviews, 8/2/02
by Lady Cyrrh (ladycyrrh@aol.com)
Website: http://members.aol.com/ladycyrrh 


Special Annex Review, Part 1 of 2

Whore to the Rings: Tolkien Fanfic on the Net


I'm devoting this posting of the Annex Reviews to Lord of the Rings 
slash. Why? While reviewing the Ansereg fanfic site (which I'll be 
posting later) I realized I needed a point of comparison, and since I've 
seen the movie, and loved the books, I figured why not. And since it's the 
only fandom I can relate to as both a critic and a true fan, I will 
bringing the perspectives of both to my critiques... unlike most fanfic, 
where, as a casual observer of the media in question, I act as critic only.

But first, a bit of history. Lord of the Rings slash is a young addition to 
the net, having existed for only two years. Least Expected 
(http://www.femgeeks.net/tolkien) was the first archive, appearing in 
the early part of the 2000 with a small selection of slash. I predicted that 
when the Peter Jackson movie was released, it would grow a lot larger. 
Well, that has happened, and then some. There are at east ten major 
archives of LotR fanfic now, dozens of mailing lists and egroups, and 
hundreds of writer's sites  -- and that's just counting the slashy stuff. All 
of it has been inspired in whole or in part by the movie, which has 
caused countless fans both old and new to dust off old copies of the books, 
reread them, and start reading between the lines. 

I don't have to tell you how excellent the movie was... you probably 
know, or have heard. But unlike, say, Harry Potter (another movie-based 
fandom based on a book series) LotR has a treasure trove of supporting 
material -- thirty years of continuing interest in Tolkien has resulted in 
dozens of books of Middle Earth history and notes as well as many non-
Tolkien reference works (such as Karen Wynn Fonstad's excellent The 
Atlas of Middle Earth). Let's not forget, too, the countless visual 
depictions from fantasy illustrators (Greg Hildebrandt springs 
immediately to mind) and, in the past few years, fan-created Tolkien 
websites dealing with esoteric subjects like Dwarvish runes and elven 
languages. Add to that Tolkien's constant *cultural presence* since the 
mid-sixties, and you can see how all of this has combined to give new 
inspiration for fan-penned works.

However, the chief attraction for most writers is the story itself, which 
fairly screams for slash. The main characters are male, sympathetic, and 
in the movie, good-looking. There are no interfering M/F relationships 
save for Aragorn's and Arwen's, which is not a driving plotline for 
either the movie or the book, and was portrayed comparatively chastely 
in both. There's also the classic hurt/comfort couple of Frodo are Sam, 
the nature of whose relationship was clear to me even at the tender age 
of fourteen. Add the action-packed storyline, full of noble emotion, 
sacrifice, and pathos, and you have tasty ingredients for a very rich, 
diverse, shared-universe stew, with all the rivalries, controversies, and 
factions fandoms develop. 

Or should be rich and diverse. One of the drawbacks with movie-based 
fandoms, as opposed to the TV-based ones which have dominated fanfic 
so far, is that they are static rather than dynamic. A TV series is episodic 
in nature, putting the characters into new situations every week... its 
the universe is larger and more diverse, if not so grand in scope, as a 
movie's. The Star Trek and Xena/Herc universes are prime examples, 
providing all sorts of story threads. A writer can easily put himself or 
herself into the position of screenwriter, dictating that week's "episode." 
A movie, however, is a static universe with a definite beginning and end; 
one may rewrite the ending, flesh in the beginning, or 'fill in the 
blanks' of unclear or undepicted scenes, but one can't really 
springboard off it in the same way. (Unless, of course, it's a movie series 
such as Star Wars that has accreted other media material, such as 
novelizations, over the years.)   

Thusly, I found LotR fanfic fell into a finite number of themes. Only a 
very few, such as "One Dark Night," and the "Bitter Chains" series had 
original plotlines. Most stories dealt with 'filling in the blanks' of the 
book or movie material, either as slight revisions of it or speculations on 
what's left unsaid. Whether this is true just of the NC-17 material, or is 
true of all Tolkien slash, I can't say. I have a feeling the less explicit 
material may have more original plotlines, but I haven't investigated 
enough to be sure.

The writing quality was on the whole very good, not surprising because 
of the use of beta readers these days. Most of the writers tried to imitate 
Tolkien's prose style, with mixed results. Usually the style is handled 
competently, if not completely faithfully, and added to the reader's 
enjoyment of the work. A few writers, such as Tyellas, impressed the hell 
out of me with how well they imitated the tone. Others, like Amy Fortuna 
and Sandcat, tried for a hybrid style combining vintage Tolkien with the 
modern second person detached POV most slash writers use, and this, 
combined with the dialogue style of the film, worked well -- it's at once 
archaic and immediate. Other writers seemed to cop their prose style 
from high fantasy books or Victorian fiction, with results that were 
unintendedly humorous. 

Some things about these stories surprised me. First was the amount of 
blood, rape, and gore they contained, which seems to be growing trend 
in the fanfic world. I was also surprised at how much of the blood and 
gore was sexually related, and how much of it revolved around Legolas. 
Of course, these observations may be due to the fact I only read slash 
about the human and elven characters... there may have been gentler 
themes in the hobbit slash, which I chose not to read. Not that I don't like 
hobbits, or think hobbits don't have a sex life. But my image of them 
from the movie and books is childlike and innocent, and I just couldn't 
go there. It cuts too close to kiddy porn for me. For the same reason you'll 
never see me reviewing Harry Potter slash. (Yes, I know I reviewed the 
"Harriet Hotter" series in the June reviews, but that was an obvious 
spoof, and the lead character was well past junior high.) I also don't have 
a high opinion of Rowling as a fantasy writer, but, I'll let that go for the 
time being.

But back to Legolas. OK, his character is fascinating for a certain female 
type (in which I count myself) -- mysterious, exotic, oh so pretty. But, as 
I remember from my first reading of the trilogy as a teen, not a lot was 
said about him, which was frustrating to me. In the movie, too, his 
character wasn't really delved into. I got a feel for Elrond and Galadriel 
as people, but not Legolas. So I can understand fanfic writers wanting to 
fill in the blanks, but as the most 'feminine' of the males, it also means 
it's become fanon (fan-created canon) for him to be continually 
captured, enslaved, raped, and assaulted, sometimes by the enemy, 
sometimes by friends, each step taking him further and further into 
wussification. Of all the writers, I thought only Tyellas' 'Ansereg' stories 
had a good grip on his character, taking it even beyond what's in the 
book... confidant, slightly feral, neither aggressive nor submissive. That 
Legolas wouldn't be whinging and crying into his sleeve, that's for sure. 
He'd be out kicking some major ass. But I digress.

So what makes a good LotR slashy fanfic? As a critic, my yardstick has 
always been that if the fanfic is interesting and readable to someone 
who is not a fan, or has only a passing knowledge of the fandom, it 
succeeds. For a long time I held to this definition. But then some fanfic 
writers explained to me that fanfic gains most of its power, in a literary 
sense, precisely *because* the reader and writer are so familiar with the 
material, allowing storytelling conventions unavailable in a 'cold' read 
where the reader doesn't know anything about the author's world before 
the first sentence is read, and I've come to agree with them. But then the 
yardstick becomes the reader's familiarity with the basic media material, 
and whether the reader's interpretation of it correlates with the 
writer's... that is, if you think one character in a pair is the obvious 
bottom and another the obvious top, or think male pregnancy stories are 
a valid artistic statement, or what your squick limits for BDSM and 
domestic discipline are... all sources of dissent in the largely female-
dominated fanfic world, which is what makes it so interesting to me.

So, speaking as an invested fan and not a casual one, my definition of a 
good Tolkien slash story thus becomes one of plausibility. Can the reader 
really see the LotR characters they know and love doing these naughty 
things? Has the writer gone to the pains of creating a logical setup and 
background for it -- complete with a Tolkienesque prose style -- or are 
they just indulging in the fanfic equivalent of mindless porn? Are the 
characters true to themselves, or are they puppets in a series of sick-
fucks? **Does the writer convince me that this could have happened in 
a lost scene from the movie or the books?**

On with the reviews.



Trust (Sandcat): M/M slash, LotR semicons

Reforging Ties (Brenda Antrim): M/M, slash, LotR, rape, abuse, h/c

The Test (Alys): M/F, M/M slash, LotR, threeway

Through Bitter Chains, Chapters 1 - 5 (Rhysenn): M/M slash, LotR, slave, 
        semicons

One Dark Night (Enros): M/M, slash, LotR, interspecial, cons

In the Shadow of Tol Brandir (Sparky): M/M slash, LotR cons

Untitled (Abbi): M/M slash, LotR, rape, viol, bloodplay

Not Tonight (Janet Elizabeth): M/M slash, LotR cons

Bondage and Discipline (Janet Elizabeth): M/M slash, LotR, spank, 
        semicons

More Than a Broken End (Amy Fortuna): M/M slash, LotR, cons, 
        bloodplay




Trust  [A+]
Author: Sandcat
Author address: sandcat12@aol.com
Where found: The Library of Moria
URL: http://libraryofmoria.com/aragornboromir/trust.txt
Type: M/M slash, LotR semicons

The uneasy relationship between Boromir and Aragorn receives a 
workout in this story, which 'fills in the blanks' of what happened 
between them at Rivendell, before the Fellowship set forth. Aragorn 
wants Boromir's trust and support on the quest, and Boromir will not 
give it, so Aragorn makes himself vulnerable to the steward of Gondor... 
in effect, seducing him after a couple of drinks. The secret they share 
now ensures they must trust. 

This was an excellent story, keeping in character with both stubborn 
Boromir and self-sacrificing but calculating Aragorn, who is after 
higher ends. The sex wasn't quite seduction, or a display of vulnerability, 
or a semiconsensual drunken rape, but a masterfully handled 
combination of all three, and sufficiently complex and muddled to seem 
real. The prose had Tolkien's gravity but was not as distant, there was an 
immediacy and tension to it well suited for a bedroom scene. It *could* 
have happened  this way, so it gets my high marks. And things are not 
resolved happily either, as Boromir chafes:

__________________________________________________________________

They had a long and difficult journey ahead of them. [Boromir] was a 
warrior, and he knew how to fight an enemy he hated. But how to fight 
an enemy he loved? How to deal with a man he wanted to both caress and 
wound in the same moment?

He sat wakeful until nearly dawn, pondering what to do. In the end he 
decided that he would keep his sentiments buried deep in his heart, 
alongside the pain and bitterness that dwelt there. He would only 
secretly acknowledge Aragorn as his brother, his lover, and his king. To 
speak of this was unthinkable, and he vowed he would never say the 
words Aragorn wanted to hear. 

__________________________________________________________________

A bit mooshy at the end, but I'll forgive that, as the preceding was so 
good.





Reforging Ties [B+/B]
Author: Brenda Antrim
Where found: Brend Antrim's Fanfic Archive
URL: http://www.bantrim.net/Reforging_Ties.htm
Type: M/M slash, LotR, rape, abuse, h/c

This story asks the same question several other fics I perused did: What if 
Legolas had been captured by the orcs at Parth Galen in addition to, or 
instead of, Merry and Pippin? Gripping stuff, especially in slashy hands, 
where rape and assault are sure to follow.

Indeed it did. Lots of it... lots, described in various loving ways the 
Tolkienesque prose was ill-equipped to handle. The poor wood elf is tied 
up on the ground, beaten, whipped, and starved. He is also pissed upon by 
the boss orc, apparent to mark 'his' territory, an original if nauseating 
touch (orc piss is like acid in open wounds.) After being raped by the 
head orc, and having his ankles rubbed raw to the bone by ill-fitting 
chains, he's somehow able to rouse himself when rescue comes, fight 
back, and flee on those bloody exposed anklebones, to recover, dripping 
blood and orcish fluids from every orifice, in the arms of by Aragorn, 
his lover in the story. Hurt/comfort follows. 

Well, the intensity of this was a... wild ride, let's say, but ultimately 
worked against the story, as the squick factor was high even for me. Not 
to mention a lack of realism. Legolas should be recovering for at least a 
month in intensive care after all that, while in the story he's up and 
running after a day or two. This is put down to the extraordinary healing 
powers of the elves, but I don't buy it. And I don't buy it either than he'd 
want anal sex so soon after being torn up the rectum, or that he'd be 
such a passive captive of the orcs in the first place. Remember Tolkien 
liked resourceful characters, the best example being Bilbo Baggins' 
taunt of "Attercop! Attercop!" to the spiders of Mirkwood. 

To be fair, the story did get a lot of angsty mileage from Aragorn's 
reactions to Legola's capture (though he abandons the pursuit of Merry 
and Pippin too easily) as well as his and Gimli's witnessing of the rape 
they are powerless to prevent, where the voyeur/kink factor is very 
high. And the story did have one pearl of wisdom. When Aragorn is 
hesitant about having sex with Legolas so soon after he's been defiled, 
Legolas says, "You will only hurt me if you refuse to touch me. For then I 
will know I am truly despoiled." 





The Test [B+]
Author: Alys
Where found: Least Expected
URL: http://www.femgeeks.net/tolkien/archive/2/thetest.html
Type: M/M slash, LotR, threeway

While reading these fanfics I came across several stories where some or 
all of the Fellowship members must undergo various trials at Rivendell to 
judge their suitability for the Quest. Naturally, the trials involve sex. In 
this case the testers are Arwen and Boromir, and the testee, Legolas. 
Arwen says, 

__________________________________________________________________

"You are proud, Prince. Ours has ever been a proud race, yet I sense 
pride runs deeper than usual in you. As my father has chosen you to be 
one of the Fellowship, I need to be sure that you will not let your pride 
rule your heart.... I require your complete submission to me, and your 
obedience to my command. This is a test, Legolas, and it will not be easy." 
He stared down at her, still not fully understanding. 

"But what would you have me do, lady?" 

She met his gaze. "You will see. There may be humiliation, and even a 
little pain. But there will also be pleasure the like of which you cannot 
imagine". She saw his dark eyes widen as he began to comprehend her 
meaning, and his fair skin flushed. Smiling slightly, Arwen took a step 
back. "Boromir, there is wine. Will you pour?" she asked sweetly. 

__________________________________________________________________

The explicit sex thus receives a  plausible explanation, and I'll admit it's 
an original way to work D/s shenanigans into the asexual book and 
movie canon. The story did not have as refined a tone as the others I've 
read -- the prose was a sort of pseudo-Tolkien more Arthurian than 
Middle Earth --  but Legolas was not excessively wussified (he was self-
possessed and charmingly shy) and the story was one of the rare ones in 
which Arwen was a major player, plus points in my book.




Through Bitter Chains, Chapters 1 - 5  [A/A-]
Author: Rhysenn
Author address: rhysenn@singnet.com.sg
Where found: Library of Moria
URL: 
http://www.libraryofmoria.com/legolasaragorn/throughbitterchainspt
1.txt
Type: M/M slash, LotR, slave, semicons

This was one of the rare A/U (alternate universe) LotR fanfics I found. It 
takes place in a much-altered Middle Earth where the one ring remains 
lost and Gondor is the equivalent of the Roman Empire... decadent and 
declining. Boromir rules in Minas Tirith while Aragorn is but a steward 
keeping his true background hidden. Gandalf is around, but only as an 
advisor. And oh yeah, Boromir has a thing for pretty boy-elves:

__________________________________________________________________

One of the hunters started to shove the elf forward, impatiently; but the 
other quickly hissed at him, and they both made a concerted effort to 
treat their prisoner less roughly. The elf's ankles were shackled with 
chains that chafed his smooth skin raw. He wore a tunic of dark green, 
the raiment of folk who dwell in forests; it hid but flattered the slim body 
that lay beneath, and was torn in places to reveal pale bare skin. The elf 
wrenched violently away from the touch of the hunters each time they 
tried to urge him along; he rebuked them in his own tongue, which 
sounded melancholic and melodious like a lament of nature.

Boromir could not take his eyes away from the elf; he was entranced by 
his beauty, simple yet divine. He was suddenly overcome with the 
intense desire to have this prize for his own, whatever the cost. The 
sheer untamed appeal of the elf excited him, much like the thrill of 
embarking on war: a conquest that lay before him, which he had bent 
all his thought towards conquering and possessing. It was an instinctive 
emotion that arose within him: primal yet truthful, and singularly 
focused.

__________________________________________________________________

What follows is a depiction of Legola's life as a slave to a rather despotic 
king and his growing friendship... well more than a friendship...with an 
equally exiled and out of place Aragorn. This was good, slashy stuff, by 
which I mean lots of angst, sexual tension, semi-consensual sex, and 
hierarchical relationships milked for all they're worth. The story was 
written well, the tone similar to, but not exactly, a copy of Tolkien's (one 
of the beta readers was Tyellas, creator of the Ansereg site I'll review 
later.)

The story was a very good, but not outstanding, read. I enjoyed it, but, 
when I thought about it later, I realized it wasn't very consistent with 
Tolkien's characters. True, it is an A/U, but as one lively debate on a 
fanfic site asked, why bother writing an A/U when you could plug in 
your own original setting and rename the characters? Since the plot and 
setting of the story have changed so much (Minas Tirith's concentric 
defenses, such a strong point with Tolkien, aren't even mentioned) the 
only thing retained by the characters are their names and basic 
personalities, which are more than a little one-note: Boromir is a me-
gimmee-mine baddy, Aragorn frets over duty and honor, Faramir is 
just... there, and Legolas plays the violated victim. Not that his plight 
wasn't well written or believable, but he wasn't Legolas. (I admit my 
problems with Legolas here may stem from Orlando Bloom's performance 
in the movie. I never took a shine to his inexpressive face, bug eyes and 
lantern jaw, and he was suspiciously well-fed for a willowy elf. Granted, 
so was Liv Tyler, but the oddness of her jaw structure made her alien 
nature more convincing to me.) It seemed to me the only reason for 
using these characters in such an altered plotline is for the reader to 
visualize them, a technique similar to some ASS writers suggesting 
certain actors for their story's characters.

There's also a problem of transgression. In slash, there's a basic, 
unspoken transgression on the part of the reader (that he or she is 
reading gay fiction about well-loved media characters) and the writer 
(that he or she is writing it) that they are both fantasizing about subject 
matter this society regards as taboo. The hottest slash stories have 
transgression built into the plot as well... forbidden interspecial 
(human/elf), hierarchical (master/slave, commander/subordinate) or 
incestual (brother/brother) relationships that are intended to titillate as 
well as entertain. The same holds true for LotR slash. But none of these 
stories expressed the most obvious transgression of all... that of the 
homosexual relationship itself, odd considering that Middle Earth is 
pseudo-Medieval society written by a Catholic professor, with all the 
conservative attitudes that implies. So in the story the king's obsession 
with the elven slave is commented on disapprovingly, but not seen as the 
truly scandalous thing it could be... the king desires a *male* elf! Major 
scandal! 

I have no idea why this is so, except that, perhaps, putting real-life 
homosexual taboos into the plot may cut too close to the real world. In 
contrast, it's a  major theme in much of the boy band fiction I've read, 
where 'coming out' or hiding one's gay affair with one's bandmate are 
major story conflicts. I have the feeling that LotR slash writers don't 
want to bother, or are buying into the liberal ideal so beloved by fantasy 
writers these days  -- everyone fucks everyone else and no blinks an eye 
about it unless, again, hierarchical, incestual, or interspecial 
transgressions occur. Anyway, the writer wasted a rich opportunity for 
story development. 

In sum, I enjoyed reading this, but think the author should have 
developed it into an original story. But as some fanfic writers have said, 
even the most extreme A/U fanfic will always attract readers on the basis 
of its fandom, whereas  original creations do not.




One Dark Night [A/C]
Author: Enros
Author address: enros@magic-tortoise.co.uk
Where found: Library of Moria
URL: http://libraryofmoria.com/elrondugluk/onedarknight.txt
Type: M/M slash, LotR, cons

This was one of the few stories that had a completely original plot. Some 
time after the War of the Rings has been won Elrond, the Master of 
Rivendell, is caught out in a storm in the mountains. He takes shelter in 
a cave only to find it is already occupied... by an Uruk-hai of the losing 
side.

This story had an excellent start. The prose was Tolkienesque without 
being as windy as the good professor could be, and the rather hokey 
setup was well handled. The dialogue and growing trust between the elf 
and the orc was believable and sensitive. Then, the two have sex.

__________________________________________________________________

The Uruk lifted his great head towards the roof of the cave, snarling, "I 
should never have lived so long. I see the world, I look inside myself, and 
I am in despair. I am an unnatural creature, made only for war and 
destruction, and in all the lands under the sun there is no place for me." 

Unable to help himself Elrond leaned over to touch the Uruk's thick 
forearm. His fine fingers stood pale against the dark skin....it seemed to 
him that from the depths of those embittered eyes, amid the awful 
fatalism, there shone an unexpected nobility.

Fixated, he felt himself powerless as never before. Slowly, almost without 
realizing, he lifted a hand and traced his fingers over the dreadful 
features. The broad, high forehead, the heavy brow, the hewn 
cheekbones, and the baleful mouth. Ugluk growled low in his throat, but 
the sound was one of pleasure.

__________________________________________________________________

Sorry, you lost me.

As a fan, I couldn't see Elrond extending an arm (well, a fuck) out of 
sympathy to anyone, let alone an orc; he's just not that kind of guy. The 
emotional resonance was easier to swallow, but, again, the author was 
straining mightily to make it all seem credible. Ultimately, a better plot 
device was needed here than an author's contrivance. So, first half, very 
good, second half, silly. 




In the Shadow of Tol Brandir [A+]
Author: Sparky
Where found: Fellowship
URL: 
http://www.squidge.org/fellowship/fic/sparky_shadowoftolbrandir.htm
Type: M/M slash, LotR

This was one of the heavier fanfics I read, done by an author who, by the 
quality of his or her work, has surprisingly little output. It focuses on 
Boromir and was of the 'fill in the blanks' genre, in this case Boromir's 
dying thoughts after realizing he's let the orcs carry off Merry and 
Pippin by giving into the temptation of the ring. There's more than a 
little flavor of "An Occurrence on Owl Creek Bridge" here, as Boromir 
*thinks* he's been rescued by Aragorn:

__________________________________________________________________

When next Boromir awoke the sky was dark. He was half wrapped in his 
cloak and another lay spread on the ground beside him. His outer clothes 
were gone. Faint firelight revealed the form of Aragorn at his side and 
made pale glimmers shine from the ranger's watching eyes. "Welcome 
back," he said. "I am glad you will live to fight again at my side," and he 
bent and kissed him gently on the cheek. 

Boromir smiled. He wrapped his arms around the other man and drew 
him down for a kiss that was less than gentle. Aragorn did not resist, but 
in a moment he pulled away, saying, "You are not well enough. You must 
rest." 

"I am already much recovered. Our lives are too uncertain to wait." He 
reached out again, feeling his strength return. Aragorn's lips met his, 
and this kiss was all hunger and heat. 

__________________________________________________________________

But the ending to the story is the same.

A brief but powerfully written vignette, saying more than most 
vignettes do.





Untitled  [B]
Author: Abbi
Author address: abbichicken@tinyworld.co.uk
Where found: ?
URL: http://libraryofmoria.com/aragornboromir/trust.txt
Type: M/M slash, LotR, rape, viol, bloodplay

Legolas is feeling lonely one night, so he pulls a knife on a sleeping 
Boromir, kisses him passionately, and forces the steward of Gondor to 
follow him to a secluded place, saying, "You know what I brought you 
here for. And you wouldn't've come if you didn't think the same." 
Boromir responds to the invitation by chowing down on the elf's pretty 
lip. Legolas

__________________________________________________________________

... scowled at him, and sucking in a little of his own spilt blood, he 
waited until Boromir, who was standing close to him, running his finger 
along the blade of his knife, looked up at him, then spat the blood full in 
Boromir's face. Boromir, surprised at the elf's audacity, managed to keep 
his eye contact steady as, with the hand that did not carry the knife, he 
grabbed a length of the elf's hair, and used it to crack Legolas' head into 
the tree trunk, until his eyes rolled and blood streamed from his nose.

__________________________________________________________________

That pretty much sets the tone for what follows. which involves 
beatings, belt-whippings, blood games, and bondage, as Legolas is tied to 
a tree and raped by Boromir, who flees in embarrassment when Aragorn 
comes to the elf's 'rescue' (it's subtly implied Legolas is enjoying all 
this) 
and is raped in return by the sex-mad elf. Embarrassment follows when 
they all have to face each other the next day, but that doesn't stop them 
from repeating the acts the following night.

There's mindless porn, which concentrates on unfettered sex, and 
there's mindless slash, which concentrates on unfettered assault. This 
was not a subtle story. It was more literate than porn, but still porn, 
because it goes after visceral thrills with such gusto. The characters 
weren't true to themselves at all, but I don't the writer was concerned 
about that. He or she actually thought they writing a humor piece not 
intended to be taken seriously. Well, that's as may be, but the author was 
enjoying the action a bit too much for it to be parody, which requires 
love of the material, but not necessarily personal involvement. It was 
actually more of a pastiche using the formula of that little known gay 
subgenre, the sexfight. Though I don't think the author knew it.

I really wonder about the fascination with gore in these mostly female-
written stories. If I was a man I'd make some snide joke about menstrual 
blood, but since I'm female, I won't.




Not Tonight [B-]
Bondage and Discipline [B-]
Author: Janet Elizabeth
Where found: Least Expected
URL: http://www.femgeeks.net/tolkien/archive/8/nottonight.html
URL: 
http://www.femgeeks.net/tolkien/archive/8/bondagediscipline.html
Type: M/M slash, LotR

This story was as mindless as the preceding one, and it's also something 
of an extended soap opera. Noble but oversexed Aragorn is having 
simultaneous affairs with both Legolas and Boromir. Things come to a 
head the final night in Rivendell when Legolas spies on Aragorn and 
Boromir having sex. Tears and heartbreak follow. The next day, Boromir 
spies on Aragorn and Legolas having sex... more tears, and Boromir plots 
revenge. He sends a message to Legolas summoning him to a secluded 
part of the garden, signing it with Aragorn's name. Legolas falls for this 
oldest of tricks and Boromir has his revenge:

__________________________________________________________________

He stroked his hand down over Legolas' ripe, round rump and wondered 
at the softness of the skin beneath his fingers. His cock twitched again 
inside his leathers and he felt it begin to grow. His hand ran lower over 
the mounds of the Prince's buttocks and caressed between the thighs to 
stroke the balls and shaft below. He tickled softly to make his victim 
squirm slightly and then he raised his hand high. He brought it down 
with a resounding smack on the firm, smooth flesh, enjoying the twitch 
it brought from the Princeling. 

__________________________________________________________________

Plausible? Nope. Aragorn is depicted as daydreaming of sexual conquests 
during Very Important Tactical discussions at Elrond's table, Legolas 
whinges yaoi-style and cries buckets, and Boromir acts like a hellion 
scorned. Add to this a neo-Victorian prose style, and you have what could 
be an amusing parody, but I don't think the author intended it that way. 




More Than a Broken End [A+]
Author: Amy Fortuna
Where found: Least Expected
URL: http://www.starbrow.net/archive/lotr/brokenend.html
Type: M/M slash, LotR, D/s, bloodplay

I thought this vignette was going to be about spanking. Instead, it 
concerns the scorn Boromir has for Aragorn's sword, Narsil, spinning 
off the memorable scene in the movie where Boromir fumbles the 
precious blade, causing it to fall and ring loudly on the floor. Aragorn, 
offended, asks that he have words with him in private. He orders 
Boromir to strip and lay on the bed, saying,

__________________________________________________________________

 "This shard still cuts, and cuts deep. Would you wish it to dance along 
your skin, and prove to you what, even broken, it may do?" 

Boromir paled. "I do not need that test!" he cried. 

Aragorn smiled grimly. "I think you do." 

__________________________________________________________________

Delicate cutting follows, and the lapping of blood. But you knew that 
already, didn't you?

This was a more successful handling of a bloodfic, the tone more weighty 
and historical, yet pithy and to the point. There's also a good rationale 
for the bloodletting... Boromir must be taught a lesson by his superior, 
which, in a quasifeudal society like Middle Earth, must not be argued. A 
short vignette, but better done than the more overwrought gorefics, and 
both Aragorn and Boromir were true to character. Recommended.

_____________________________________________________________
Comments to: ladycyrrh@aol.com
Website--->  http://members.aol.com/ladycyrrh

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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