Stumbling in the door from LJ...
I found my way here via a link in The Semen Tsunami. (I'm still laughing over that one.) I love this thread. I've read the whole thing! I even got a rec in this thread, so I'm especially jazzed. (That was like a little bonus for reading back over everything before responding.) I want to respond to some of the topics that have been brought up. I'll try to be brief. Also, it might be worth mentioning that I just started writing fanfic in March. I'm also a writer by trade as well as choice, in case that matters, and my degree is in English (with a minor in secondary education because at one point I wanted to teach). Regarding safe sex in fics, I have not written it. Why? I'm a responsible person. Why am I not writing that way? Well, because when I write smut, I'm writing based on a combination of fantasy and my own experience, and my own experience is with long-term partners who have stopped using condoms. I also don't think someone is going to be influenced by what I write so much that they would decide to have unprotected sex based on one of my fics. I respect the reader's right to decide not to read my smut for any reason; I hope the readers can respect my choice as well. As for comments, PLEASE people, do not feel intimidated. I think I speak for most writers when I say we don't look at the comments the way we look at our own work! Think of it this way: your best friend walks into the room wearing a sweater she knit herself. Are you not going to say anything because you think the compliment can't compare to the time and effort she put into it? No way. As for comments seeming repetitive, again, don't sweat it. Who gets tired of hearing things like "you look gorgeous" or "I love you" or any number of other positive things? Not me, I'll tell ya', and I'm not ashamed. If ten people posted the same "OMG THAT WAS SO HOT" my socks would still be rocked right off because TEN PEOPLE read my fic and liked it. I doubt I'm much different than most of the other people I've read on LJ. If you are still with me, thank you. LOL EDIT: deelaundry posted while I was writing, and evidently holds the same opinion I do about comments. Nice to see I'm in good company!

dee, care to share some of Hithah's vids with us on the Arthouse thread? Or those people who write slash, and yet on ff.net can't even use a slash. Now that's just plain silly :lol: Oh, except if you slam a fic anonymously. I understand the concern about this, but there is one issue which seldom gets raised in slash/BDSM communities - folks with particular knowledge of these subjects don't want to take any risk of inadvertently identifying who they are because of the danger of spillover into their everyday lives. My BFF is a bi-male investment banker - who is still closeted to almost everyone (even his parents) in his life with a few exceptions in part because of the potential risk to his career. Like it or not, there are folks who are very protective of their identities for a whole variety of reasons, but that shouldn't preclude them from the right to express their opinions, positive or negative.

I didn't find it when I Googled "Vicodin side effects" but when I tried "Vicodin side effects sex" some of the pages said it could cause decreased sex drive.

Well, probably, because Vicodin conks you out and probably wouldn't make you too excited about having sex, but I don't know if Vicodin directly causes lowered sex drive or impotence. Of course, House doesn't seem to have the same reaction to it that the rest of the world does, so...

IIRC it decreases libido & also causes ED.

I read somewhere that Vicodin can contribute heavily towards difficulty in getting and/or maintaining an erection. Here's a long list of the side effects of hydrocodone (the uncapitalized generic name for Vicodin ;) ). Decreased sex drive is one of them.

You are exactly right. Vicodin is capitalized because it's a brand name. I believe the generic name is hydrocodone. ETA: Whoops, replied before I'd read the whole thread. Anyway, as far as ED stuff goes, there've been fics dealing with it, like Side Effects, whose url I can't find right now. House can get an erection but can't reach orgasm in that one. ETA2: Which isn't to say that's realistic; and I'm sure there have been some fics that deal realistically with the actual side effects of Vicodin. Unfortunately, that really gets in the way of my porn. Boo, say I, to that. ETA3: Aaaand here's that link that I knew I had around somewhere: Side Effects by Isagel.

Vicodin should definitely be capitalized for the reason you mention: it's a name brand. Of course, writers won't need to capitalize it if they call it hydrocodone instead. 8) ETA: It's pathetic how I tend to respond to a question asked two pages ago. Sorry for the slow typing, folks. Son of ETA: Okay, I'm getting way too embarrassed being latest post with my above mindless drivel, so I'll try to start another topic. Who in your life knows that you write fanfiction? Why did you choose to "come out" to that person/people? And finally, is there anyone who "found you out" as a fanfiction writer that you wish hadn't--and how did they find out?

Even if Vicodin doesn't contribute to getting or maintaining and erection (as per lovelythings), pain does. Wouldn't surprise me if House has trouble with sustaining them.

I keep the fanfic under wraps at work, mainly because "working to shape the disturbed youth of today into tomorrow's productive citizens" and "boyporn" just don't go together in ordinary conversation. My whole family and all my friends know, of course. Most of my best friends are slashers, or at least wear slash-friendly goggles for better television viewing experiences.

My closest friends know I write fanfic. My SO does not; I just haven't brought it up. I'm not sure what he'd think of it. (I just started writing fanfic five months ago.) Several of my RL friends (and several online friends) read my fics regularly. I "came out" just a couple of weeks ago to one of my friends and she was like, "OMG do you have more of this?!?" She had never heard of fanfic. She devoured it. (That was flattering.) I don't talk about it at work at all.

Meanwhile, I have several of Elicia's House/Wilson pictures pinned up in my office at work. When people ask, they get a 1-hour lecture about House fandom and fanfic! Yes, I out myself as a slasher to total strangers AND work colleagues.

Who in your life knows that you write fanfiction? Why did you choose to "come out" to that person/people? And finally, is there anyone who "found you out" as a fanfiction writer that you wish hadn't--and how did they find out? One person, who dragged me to TWoP originally & pushed me to post. No one else and they never will. There is no way this is leaking into where I work & only a couple of my closest RL friends even know I'm active in stuff like this - my RL friends think my (mild - that's all I let them see) obsessing about this stuff (started with Blake's Seven) is completely nuts. I've one other cousin, a doc, who watches House religiously for the medicine & he knows I'm a fan but that's it. dee, I assume you like most people do 90% of their posting from home or the office? Then the only thing needed to trace you is that IP address, what is or isn't in your online moniker & how it relates to your RL identity is irrelevant. And that's why the most sensitive posters make sure they post from public places that won't identify their personal location or through systems they know don't log IP addresses - IP addresses are trivial to log and trace. Can I track back to some comments about what authors want in feedback - > I know this isn't the intention, but these kinds of discussion risk straying in a direction to make readers feel guilty about not posting feedback. But the fact is the default for readers is NOT to provide feedback, that's what happens when we read a magazine or buy a book. But you can't count internet reads like book sales (unless the system allows it like ff) - and that drives some authors nuts - "I know you're reading, admit it" - because of the uncertainty of what is happening when they post. Thing is, there's no obligation to comment, there's no obligation to engage in dialog, there's no obligation to even read and authors sometimes forget that. Maybe if you're lucky sometimes a reader feels such a sense of emotional reaction they want to comment - and if its okay to leave a positive anonymous comment, its got to be okay to also leave a negative anonymous comment without further obligation. You, the author, may wish to engage in dialog, but there may be no such wish on the other party's side, beyond having an outlet to express their reaction. Even that is typically outside of the norm of what most readers express. Do authors understand that when some one reacts negatively anonymously its often because of a sense of disgust and/or anger? What they say may/may not be completely rational, but that's not the point - how they react in the comment is about what your fic has provoked emotionally in them. My experience is that most authors don't consciously understand that, maybe they do subconsciously & that's why they get upset (because, after all, its their work that's provoked this reaction) & they generally don't go the route of a rational response - they get defensive & angry in turn, and that's what causes the impasse on the dialog, The commentator's reaction is "yes, see I knew they didn't know what they were talking about/would react badly/wouldn't listen to what I had to say etc" and they walk away & won't come back. Anonymous posters do actually frequently look & see how you respond - what they do ensure is that you can't force yourself on them if they don't want you, particularly if they get appear to give confirmation of what they believe about you based on your fic. (sorry about the soapbox, I needed to say that).