fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #5586 ]

[ SECRET POST #5586 ]

⌈ Secret Post #5586 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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02.

[Mother Macabre]

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03.

(British comedian Rosie Jones)

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04. https://i.imgur.com/i7RTmYV.png
[OP warned for NSFW (art; painting by Gustave Courbet called L'Origine du monde)]

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05.

[Monk]

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06. [SPOILERS for Novoland: Pearl Eclipse]
[WARNING for discussion of domestic violence, physical/emotional/sexual abuse:]

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07. [WARNING for discussion of rape]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #799.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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04. https://i.imgur.com/i7RTmYV.png
[OP warned for NSFW (art; painting by Gustave Courbet called L'Origine du monde)]

Maybe you could just pick a word and write your fic, and then find a word you like later. Or maybe by the time you've finished writing it, you won't mind it so much.

I feel ya, though: I'm stuck on something right now because I can't come up with a name, and it's driving me nuts, but...I can't move forward without the name, and that's pretty much that.

Well, you are not alone, this seems to be a frequent topic of discussion over on r/Fanfiction.

Edited 2022-04-22 23:00 (UTC)

I love when people write clitoris, minora/majora or inner/outer labia and vulva. I like knowing where the hand/month is going. I don't really like when people use vagina because I associate it with people saying/writing vagina while they mean vulva and that's a major pet peeve of mine. I prefer if they use euphemism for the vaginal orifice. Just make it a wet and I'm on board!
I also really enjoy when people describe pubic hair, but eh. I like it hairy lol

Try reading some published WLW novels and see if they use some words that you like. :)

+1 about the descriptions about where we are! If it wasn't for that, I'm gonna need a map! Where are we going? Where are the hands? Where are the fingers? Where is the mouth?!

I also get frustrated when I've run into (what I'm guessing is) misunderstanding as to where the wetness comes from? It's not coming from the clit...please rectify that. It always takes me out of the scene smh

AYRT
OH YEAH there is a lot of confusion on how the female genitalia works. I don't even know why, since the majority of people writing vaginal sex in fics are people with vulvas and they "should" know of their body works.
I've quit a lot of fics with horrible sex in it. I now usually read WLW sex scene only in published novels. It's still not guarantee it's going to be writted better, but usually the standards are highen than the average fics.
It's been a while since I've been into a WLW ship, though.

I'm also of the idea that if people are unconfortable writing sex scenes they should just put a fade to black scene. Just stop before it becoming heavy petting and cut the scene!
If the sexual tension and emotional connection is strong enough I'm not going to care if the sex is not explicit.

I have the same problem. Things either just sound too clinical, too silly, too porny, or just flat out gross.

I tend to just keep it vague. Like, I'll just say something like "herself" or "Womanhood" or if I'm feeling fancy, something like "wetness" or "warmth."

Edited 2022-04-22 23:38 (UTC)

Yeah, 'vagina' and 'vulva' seem too clinical and I'm not wild about the terms 'pussy' and 'cunt' either. I tend to use 'slit' and 'cleft' and I kind of like 'nether lips' in reference to labia. I'm not sure I've ever used 'her sex' in my writing, but I don't mind it when I'm reading.

I can't read any NSFW fic with female genitalia, all words are just not good. Slit is awful, cunt give me the major creeps, pussy? Nope, just nope. Vulva? No, we are not at the doctor's office.
I have my problems with female genitalia to start with though, so I don't know if it's problem with words exactly

This really does sound like it's not just about the words.

Yeah, well :'D

Still, I do like f/f but have to filter out heavy sex scenes and to settle on more vague

Also, I mean, cunt can sound good, but only if it' s some more rough stuff, it takes out of fluff

I got away with “antipodes” once.

There’s also a scene in a fic I like where the characters discuss this. They end up with “orchid”: http://anime.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600052101&chapter=4

You are in very good company. A lot of people struggle with this. I tend to favor the strategy a couple of other people have already mentioned where you kind of imply it with stuff like, "her," "herself," "between her legs," "her opening," "wetness," etc. Or even stuff like "tight passage" (or slick passage, or wet, hot, aching, empty, greedy, or whathaveyou--all the usual suspects when it comes to porny descriptors).

There's also stuff like "core," and "center," and "sex." Some people like these and others don't, but I feel like they are, at worst, fairly unobjectionable, so long as the writing is otherwise decent.

I mean, all of this stuff seems awkward and cringe when it's out of context, but I feel like it usually works pretty well in context.

These are all so vague, though. When I'm reading smut with a character who has a vulva, most of it is f/f, and I want to know exactly what's being done. "He enters her" doesn't cut it when there's no PIV.

Cunnilingus and fingering are important, and I want to know exactly when and where the tongue and fingers are, and what the point of view character feels about that, and how they observe their partner's responses and all that. There's no reason to be coy and evasive about clits and labia when they're actually the focus.

SA

wanted to add that this applies to m/f too: obviously m/f should also have vividly-described cunnilingus and fingering. This is also important to cishet women. Treating AFAB genitals as just a vague "entrance" or "her sex" that shouldn't ever be described in any detail just feeds right into ignorance about sexual pleasure for people with vulvas. there is an expectation that penetration should cause orgasm. For many people it doesn't; clitoral stimulation is far more effective.

The type of smut I enjoy reading and writing is not social activism and I am wildly uninterested in treating it like it is.

Well then this is obviously not the advice for you. It works for me, and when done correctly can be plenty specific enough to be dirty and hot. But if you want specific words, then good for you. Just, this thread started with someone saying they didnt like any of the specific words. So if you were in that boat--which you're obviously not--then this comment would be rtyi.

I think if you're writing in third-person limited you should go with whatever words your POV character is most likely to be thinking. Some people love the blunt slang words, some are more clinical, some more poetic. It's the same way with penis terminology: it shouldn't always be the same for every character.

I was curious what word I use and it's all over the place, haha. I think it might help to think about what makes sense for the narrator/voice of the fic.

Vagina/labia/clitoris - is clinical but it can certainly work if someone is merely describing the part. Probably good for narrator characters who are the type to use the proper name for things.

Sex - a pretty neutral word that doesn't stick out too much. It's a bit euphemistic, but not overly so, not to the point of being coy. This one is pretty general-purpose because it doesn't add odd connotations IMO. Mostly descriptive, similar to "vagina." But also: vague/non-specific enough to work for most of the reproductive parts, not just the vagina.

Pussy - to me, has the connotation of describing the general sex organ area (including labia) that is puffy/soft/swollen/engorged. When the narrator uses it, it conveys a sense of arousal/sexualization IMO. For example "rub someone's pussy" is good at conveying someone is working the labia and also that the person being rubbed is already aroused. Like with "sex" this word can refer to multiple sexual parts.

Cunt - to me, has the connotation of describing the vaginal passage in particular, especially one that is currently tight/filled. Like the word "fuck" it can be blunt/rude, even dehumanizing, but can also convey an urgent/needy/animalistic desire.

Passage - similar to cunt in terms of what body part is being described; much more euphemistic. Has the connotation of polite detachment, IMO. Coldly descriptive like "vagina" but less medical in tone and also less weird-sounding IMO.

Slit - this one I mainly have trouble with because "slit" implies a long, thin kind of opening and I think of vaginal openings as more round/thicker (but I don't know anatomy). It sounds similar to "slid," though, which I think can help when implying wetness and also describing actions involving pushing something gently into the vagina.

Hole - a bit dehumanizing, but can certainly work if that's how the narrator feels about it. Can especially work if multiple holes are involved/being referred to. It's very difficult to use this as your main sex part word, though!

Opening - less dehumanizing than "hole" and less... sharp-sounding than "slit" but with the downside of sounding euphemistic/vague. Probably works well from the POV of the other person in the sex scene, who is able to see the hole and is inserting something into it.

Like people mentioned, you can often use things like "into/inside [her]", "wetness", "heat", etc. if that's sufficiently clear to convey what's going on. In addition, if the woman is the POV character, you can get away with describing physical configurations/actions with sensations rather than having to physically describe tab A going into slot B, etc.

Also, I think it's always going to sound a bit weird when you start. Sometimes you have no idea what kinds of words a character would use to describe what's going on because they've never done anything remotely like that before and so you just have to come up with a brand new headcanon.

This is a good comment and you should feel good.

Different words carry different tones and are used for different vibes and feels, and for different characters of course. Some characters love the word "cunt" and some would never use it in a million years. You have to stay true to that voice.

It's possible to desensitize yourself to words that make you uncomfortable at first, and this might be unpopular, but I actually recommend doing that sometimes. Not actual triggers of course, but words that feel a little gross or squicky at first. We're socialized to find vulvas more taboo and awkward to talk about, and the better you get at undoing your conditioning around these words, the bigger a toolbox you'll have as a writer, and that's never a bad thing. (For that matter if you have a character who loves PIV and wants to call their vag a "toolbox," let them!)

Play with silly words and archaic words. What character do you know who might actually use "quim?" (In historical fiction it would be pretty common) WhoresofYore on Twitter is a great account to follow for historical sex slang, and some of it's just delightful. Who would make up their own weird slang? Who would be clinical and precise (and get off on that)?

Seconded, I love this comment a lot!

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[ SECRET POST #5586 ]

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