Poll: What Makes For "Good" Smut?

[snogged]

I'm quite certain this is an question that's been asked in various forms from various people, but I figure it can't hurt to take a stab at it within my own corner of the Livejournal universe.

Please keep in mind that my goal is not to limit this question to a certain fandom. All fandoms are welcome. This includes those folks who just love a good old-fashioned work of fiction or non-fiction that has nothing to do with a television show, a movie, a role-playing game book, etc.

Also, please feel free to be as objective or as subjective as you desire and most importantly, have fun with it.

[Poll #1572864]

Comments

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

I need to care about the characters being there. It can't just be "tab A and slot B", you know?


Gabrielle

[snogged.livejournal.com]

That makes perfect sense. :)

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

What she said.

[witchway.livejournal.com]

THUS FAN FICTION -- as long as the fanfic still sounds like the characters we care about from the show, it's awesome!

Uh....Velvetwhip, i'm having touble typing because yor icon is driving me to distraction -- WHO are those people and what are they doing???

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

My icon is from an amazing animated manip made by angelstoy. It's Willow and Angel!


Gabrielle

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I've read some great AU fic, but the moral of the story is that it still feels like they are the same characters we love from the show.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Ditto. I also need to know there's some sort of emotional connection either now, or lurking in the background. Some of the best (most erotic and/or arousing) fic I've read has been surprisingly non-graphic. Those authors are able to provide the experience without using tabs and slots. *bows to such writers*

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Emotional connection is huge. Especially if the fic falls outside the category of pure, unadulterated PWP.

[idioticonion.livejournal.com]

If it's fanfiction - I think it's absolutely got to be in-character. You shouldn't be able to substitute any character from any show and still have the fic work, no matter how well it's written.

So that means - emotioinal truth, references to canon/character, and the dialogue should sound in character.

Once you've done that, then so long as it's well written (and I think the sensory stuff like smell, touch, taste helps a lot there) I'll read anything. Don't care about the author so much. I've read first-time authors in a fandom that have done amazingly awesome smut.

But that's just me. :-)

[witchway.livejournal.com]

YES -- if i'm trying to reconcile YOUR CHARACTER with the actual character, well, that's just distracting.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I've read some great first-time author smut too. :)

[witchway.livejournal.com]

FIRST: This is the first time I've been to your journal -- that art at the top is AMAZING!!!!! I'm not sure I've ever seen such a belivable manip -- well, except for one with Spike and Angel in the shower.....


SECOND: I put het and slash both because I don't care, as long as I can believe it.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Thank you! angelstoy made it for me in honor of my Willow/Spike fic "Change the Addiction" (the '09 rewrite).

And that makes total sense. :)

[deedee7daydiary.livejournal.com]

As long as the pairing is with Spike ;-)

[snogged.livejournal.com]

LOL.

Spike can make anything smutty. :)

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Here via sueworld and findig it very cosy, do you mind new friends?

I think hat really makes for good smut to me, is that there is something expressed with the sex. Not just a physical meeting, but also a lot of psychological interaction.

But essentially I'm easily pleased with smut as long as nothing kicks me out of the story (OOCness, bad writing...)

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I don't mind new friends at all. I'm glad you find it cozy. Hope you enjoy what you find.

And yay for being easily pleased. :)

[angelus2hot]

For me it's not so much who the author is but a combination of what the fic brings, ie the way it's written, believable characters, etc.

Most of the time a good angsty or romantic smut fic is good but sometimes you just want the down and dirty, good old fashioned, let's get it on, PWP smut.

In fanfic I look for the same thing I look for when I'm reading a fiction book. I want a story that will reach out and grab my attention, not let it go until I've completely devoured the story. Unless it's a PWP the smut has to fit into the storyline and not just be added for the heck of it.


I could care less about what ship is in the fic or whether it's het or slash just as long as the characters are believable. Although character bashing of other characters or ships within the fic are guaranteed to make me not want to read the story even if it had my favorite kink in it I wouldn't read it. I'd be very, very sad but I still wouldn't read it.

Oh and I also love new pairings smut. You know the pairing that you never would've thought of(not in a million years) until you read it in a fanfic. Gosh, I love those!

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Very well said!

Thanks for sharing.

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

I feel like the smut is good if the characters are believable and the action is well described. Not overly technical or overly flowery, though. And also believable for those characters - especially if it's fan fiction.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

And also believable for those characters - especially if it's fan fiction.
Absolutely!

Sex between Willow and Spike is way different than sex between Willow and Riley. Believe me...I know.

[angelskuuipo.livejournal.com]

I like smut that isn't overly graphic or vulgar in its description. There are certain words that can ruin the moment for me and turn what was an otherwise good scene into something that makes me cringe.

I also have to feel something for the characters. There has to be a reason these two or more people are being intimate. Pr0n for Pr0n's sake is wonderful, but I have to believe the pairing.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

*nods*

I don't always mind the graphic stuff. It depends on how its written and who's involved.

[snowpuppies]

Sounds. And Dialogue. Lots of dialogue.
Most of the time when I read a smut scene, I practically skip the descriptions and catch up on the action by reading the dialogue. Of course, it takes a talented author to make it sound deliciously dirty and not head-bangingly corny.

Also, as I'm a woman, I want emotions. And not necessarily romance. I'm talking fear, humiliation, shame, desperation (OMG, desperation is so hot), conflicted desires, feeling manipulated...

Okay, so I'm a kinky bitch as per the above, but really, sounds/dialogue and emotions get me into it. I mostly don't care where someone's arm is or whathaveyou.

Also, regarding pairing - if it's something that canonically can be feasible, then I'm cool. If you're gonna throw out a completely AU scenario with wacky characters, I'm gonna need some explanation about why they're together and how the relationship works, otherwise I'm gonna be thrown COMPLETELY out of the story, regardless of how good the actual smut is.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on the emotions and you've got a delicious list of them. :)

The only trouble with sound is if someone is writing is to mimic a porn movie (ex. "uh-uh-UHHHHH" as opposed to the more desirable: "She moaned softly, rocking her hips to meet his gentle thrusts.")

[snowpuppies]

Ah. True!

[jewelledfairy.livejournal.com]

I think that descriptions are the most important thing. It makes it go from just sex to smut, which has more of a primal, dirty feel (or at least to me, it does). A lot of the other things in the list can add to a good story, but isn't a necessary ingredient for good smut.