Message-ID: <2836eli$9708111752@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Archived-At: <URL:http://www.netusa.net/~eli/erotica/assm/Year97/2836.txt> From: LadyCyrrh@aol.com Subject: The Annex Reviews 8/10/97 Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.d,alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d Path: qz!not-for-mail Organization: The Committee To Thwart Spam Approved: <usenet-approval@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Moderator-Contact: Eli the Bearded <story-admin@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Story-Submission: <story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Original-Message-ID: <970810171518_1815219811@emout18.mail.aol.com> X-Is-Review: yes In the early 1970s a nifty movie called "Westworld" came out. It was about a Disneyland for grownups where consenting adults acted out their fantasies of sex and violence, with humanoid robots serving as the victims/fucktoys. The theme park was split into three different "worlds," each having a different sexual draw. In Westworld it was dance hall girls and cathouses; in Romanworld, orgies; in Medievalworld, nubile maidens, courtly love, magic, and dungeons. Today we are going to visit Medievalworld. Nottamun Town, Parts 1 and 2 [A+] When posted: 7/15/97 Where posted: ASS, ASSM Author: Mr.Spraycan Address: mrspraycan@mailanon.com Medievalworld, though a mythical place, has a strong affiliation with the late 1960s. Think about it. Rock stars dressed in silk and velvet, with long flowing capes. Acid. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." The electric folk music of Dylan, the Byrds, and Fairport Convention, which figures strongly in this story. The narrator of this story wakes up a nude, disoriented wreck in the middle of London (?) in 1966. He tells us his story. At a wild party, while the Conventions' "Nottamun Town" is playing, he falls into a drugged stupor and is transported to a fantastic land of picturesque hamlets, enchanted frogs, and evil wizards, with much of the fun coming from his culture shock. The common folk aren't permitted to wear clothes in this land, and the first person he meets--a nude wench--assumes he's a sorcerer because he's dressed. He goes back with her to her cottage where they have sex like crazy until the day he discovers she's really a sorceress...after which he sets out for the gates of mythical Nottamun Town. But the place is ruled by an evil wizard-tyrant who makes the bare-bummed (that is, naked) townsfolk work for their living by participating in various spankings and canings for their coin. (This would be a hot vacation spot if it really existed.) Anyway, the narrator confronts the evil king and his henchwoman, defeats them with the power of music, and is whisked back to his own world. Where he's left to wonder, Did it really happen? There was much more going on in the story than I can tell here--it was multilayered, with a multitude of different meanings--but the author did an excellent job of keeping everything tied together by using the framing device of the song. For those of you born after 1970, 60s music WAS a trip, a siren song to another time and place. I defy the Chemical Brothers to come up with anything as meaningful. The story also had lots of snappy, tart dialogue like an X-rated Piers Anthony, a talking cat as a traveling companion, and a vicious dominatrix. What more could you ask for from Medievalworld? Tour reservations are booking now! Prize Pig [A+] When posted: 8/7/97 Where posted: ASS, ASSM Author: Cobalt Jade Address: Cobaltjade@aol.com This story also touches on the 1960s, but this time the peace-love generation is represented by the attendees of a modern-day Medieval fair in the Pacific Northwest. As in the previous story, it acknowledges the power of music and the lure of a mythical bygone time. Two teenage boys go on vacation and have various sexual entanglements in this pseudo-Middle Ages setting, including a wench who flashes them, a tumble in the hay (literally), nude swimming in the bay, a gay fantasy, and a spanking in the woods followed by masturbation. The main plot concerns 16-year-old Brent, the younger of the two, as he steals a piglet destined to be the centerpiece for a Medieval feast. He surprises a group of girls who are conducting a pagan ritual in the woods. The pig gets free and all hell breaks loose; the ringleader of the girls, a nasty cheerleader, ties him to a tree and whips his butt for revenge. He's saved by a plainer, more sensible girl who kicks the cheerleader's ass with kung fu, and they run off together and eventually have sex. YAAAY! Meanwhile, older brother Reed pursues an affair with a girl in the fair's riding competition, and he discovers he might be gay. I found the story a fast-moving, entertaining read, even though I don't normally like stories about teenagers. The author had some barbed points to throw at aging hippy types, New Age pagans, AND animal rights activists. The writing had zing and snap. I particularly liked the three-way between boy, girl and cello during a concert of Medieval music and the fact the cockteasing, bitchy cheerleader eventually gets kicked in the crotch, though I don't quite believe a teenage girl would enact lesbian goddess-worshipping rituals in the woods. But on the whole the teenagers acted like teenagers, walking around with perpetual hard-ons from all the exposed bosoms. (They were better behaved than the kid in "Walls Have Ears" but then, they were more upscale.) All in all the story was a clever take on Medieval cliches that also managed to spoof present-day attitudes toward them. Also noteworthy was the responsible use of condoms, something all too rare in ASS fiction. I wish I'd known kids like this in high school. Field of Dreams [B+] When posted: 7/31/97 Where posted: ASS, ASSM Author: The Erotic Pen Address: sarlim@aol.com This story also concerns the adventures of a couple at a Medieval Fair, a Society of Creative Anachronism gathering in fact. The narrator gives some good reasons for all the hanky-panky going on at such events: homemade wine, sweaty well-muscled torsos swinging swords, and pretending to be someone else than what you are...plus being out in the wilderness around a burning fire watching shooting stars. All of this makes the wife in the piece horny, so she and her husband sneak off to be by themselves. Unfortunately, he falls asleep. But she awakens him with a blow job, then mounts him, noting with a thrill they're within sight of her friends by the fire but invisible because of the dark. Though this was more of a memoir than a story, I found it well-done for what it was, and romantic without being gushy. It makes a good case for SCA membership. Enlan Roz [B] When posted: 8/6/97 Where posted: ASSG Author: bj1054 Address: bj1054@aol.com This story was the beginning of a sword and sorcery epic in the tradition of Conan, Kull, and Thongor. A warrior comes upon the destruction of a village. On his way home he stops in a guardtower and has sex with a young guard. The writing and sex wasn't bad, but the background needs more work, and I'd say a whack at carving out a plot is in order. What is the hero searching for? Who are his enemies? What obstacles does he have to overcome? I realize that sex acts are the emphasis here and not your typical fantasy quest, but as this is a multi-part story, we need some continuation of action, and cliffhangers both sexual and action- oriented, to whet our appetites and carry us chapter to chapter. But I'll be looking for Part 2. Black Magic [B/A] When posted: 8/6/97 Where posted: ASS, ASSM Author: s.a.m Address: s.a.m@usa.net This story wasn't Medieval in setting, but it did feature magic. A teenage boy is heartsick because his girl has been flirting with a football hunk. On Halloween night, he performs some magic to try and get her back. It doesn't seem to work at first, but later on he is visited by a female spirit in a long white gown, who offers him sexual solace... The first half of this story was average, nothing special; I gave it a B. But I liked the second half, which concerns sex with the spirit, enough for an A, even though it came in one long single-sentence paragraph. It had a sad, erotic sweetness that made it unique. There was nothing perverse or obscene about the "black magic" of the title...the events were more wish fulfillment than the outcome of a dangerous rite. Though romance is not my favorite genre I liked this. It was heartfelt. Web Site Review Site Name: Satyricon au go-go Address: www.ar.com.au/~jriddler/slash.html Owner: JRiddler Note: A longer version of this review has been posted to my website. I've seen some requests lately for X-Files and Xena stories. If you're wondering where to find them, look no further. The website, maintained by JRiddler, is devoted to slash (/) fiction. In a nutshell, slash fiction is written by fans of certain TV shows and deals with fictionalized homoerotic relationships between the main male characters (there are a few m/f sex scenes, but they don't get the emphasis.) The name came from the 1970s Kirk/Spock stories, or K/S (which I touched on briefly in the 7/27/97 Reviews.) The stories on this site were very well written and highly literate, but speak mainly to fans of the TV show they're based on. One not having familiarity with the shows would be clueless as to what the relationships between the characters are and why they're behaving the way they do. Anyway, this sight was a treasure trove of such stories, most of them dealing with the shows X-Files, Highlander, Space: Above and Beyond, and Sentinel. I picked out four to give my evaluation. As I'm not regular watcher of these shows a coworker gave me some basic background on them. Keep in mind, however, I may be shortchanging them somewhat because I'm not their intended audience (that is, a fan.) All these stories had certain things in common. The stories consist of short scenes like those of a TV show; important information, like a crash-landing spaceship or capture by the enemy, is omitted in favor of quick jump-cuts to the next scene. There wasn't a lot of background; dialogue and action carried the story, with strong attention paid to the characters (as the TV camera pays attention in close-ups to the show's characters.) Most are written by straight woman. Well, I'll go into the reasons for that in my website review. The sex in these stories is sensual but coy--saying "what he found there" instead of cock or even penis, and "essence" for cum or semen. Though m/m, it reads more like romantic m/f. Compared to, say, "Warrior" (reviewed in the 6/16/97 Reviews) the feel was entirely different, so I think what we have here are basically genderless *relationship* sex stories rather than physical ones, and, being female, I like them. I can't help myself. I like them for their emotional thrills, but they're a different animal than sex stories. The emphasis is on tactile contact, tenderness, nurturing, growing feelings of love and companionship, the disparity of age, experience, and race between partners, and the tragic romanticism of lovers who would die for each other even under torture. "Vat69" is a story set in the "Space: Above and Beyond" universe. SAaB was a well done series loosely based on Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" that ran for two seasons before being canceled. It was about a group of space marines who fought to protect earth from a hostile alien race, which we ever see because they're always encased in spacesuits. Some of the marines are human, some "tanks"--genetically engineered humans grown in vitro to be perfect soldiers. This story was about the love affair between Hawkes, a young tank, and his older commanding officer as they're in the midst of combat duty...and the many trials and tribulations they undergo, from initial attraction, to growing feelings of love, to conflict within the ranks about it. I felt the story was very personal. Sections begin with lyrics from popular songs of the 80s and 90s and there's also long sections quoted from the Aeniad, I think (I'm not a classical lit scholar.) This story was the most slash. Despite the title, no one 69'ed in a vat (I wonder if the author knew what the term meant.) "Lovers Keep Secrets" is about the love triangle between 3 male immortals in the "Highlander" TV show. The show concerns the adventures of immortal men and women who roam the world with very long, sharp swords, and for some reason they've sworn to kill off each other, lopping their rivals' heads off in the process. But friendships exist among them too, and romantic entanglements, and the tension in the show (and this story) comes from how their drive to kill their kindred fights with their need for love and companionship from their own kind. Immortals Richard Sharpe and Methos are having an affair, which MacLeod, dropping in uninvited, senses and isn't happy about because he's also been fucking Methos. There were a lot of references in this story I just didn't get, not being familiar with the show, but the feeling of loneliness mixed with lust came across very well. It's pretty clear this was written by a woman as the two men are fucking face-to- face, a rather awkward position for anal penetration unless one's body is canted up 10 degrees. "006" is a story based in the James Bond movie world. Agent 006 is Alec Trevelyan, the sometime-lover of, you guessed it, "Shaken not stirred" Mr. James Bond himself. Anyway, 006 has been captured by an evil Russian general and is being tortured for information. The story of the affair of 006 and 007 is portrayed in short segments, like quick-cut editing, between the torture (which isn't described.) 007 eventually rescues 006, and the hideout goes up in flames. The sex between the males was restricted to kissing and other saucy teasing; no butt-fucks, no blowjobs, no jerkoffs. Of all the stories I reviewed, I could relate to this one the most because of all the Bond movies I've seen. "Surgeon General's Warning" is based on the X-Files. Skinner, the boss of agents Mulder and Scully, has been having an affair with the cigarette-smoking Cancer Man, who ties him to the bed and licks him up and down, then makes him come by burning him with his cigarette. The story was more of a cute BDSM joke for those who follow the show rather than slash fiction. If you don't watch the show, though, you're not likely to get it. I'd rate these stories as "A" because of the quality of writing invested in them. Interface-wise, this site needs improvement. Each story popped up in a different format. Some were black text on a gray background, some black on white. "Vat 69" was in black text on a dark blue background, making it VERY hard to read online, and the line spacing was severely messed up besides. Overall the interface wasn't too user-friendly. Type face and font size selections were poorly chosen. The background had a design of question marks, which, while appropriate for someone whose moniker is Riddler, seemed irrelevant to a site dealing with TV shows, and categories of information were separated by a strand of cheesy Christmas Tree lights that, again, had no relevance to the subject. And there was a pull-down menu window that didn't do anything (though that may have been the fault of the AOL browser.) On the other hand the links were very good. There were about 50 of them, all leading to other slash writers' websites or archives. Slash fiction is a BIG phenomena, folks...much larger than you'd think. In sum, I'd say this site appeals more to fans of these shows than the average reader in search of sex stories. Not that there weren't well done sex scenes in here, but they were incorporated into the story rather than acting as a premise for it. Which I prefer, frankly, though I like the porny kind too. If you're a fan of the shows, or are interested in fantasy versions of gay sex written by straight women, give this site a browse. Interface: B-/C+ Content: A (if you like these shows, others might be perplexed) Will I visit again: Maybe. Comments to: Lady Cyrrh@aol.com Web site: --> http://users.aol.com/ladycyrrh -- +--------------' Story submission `-+-' Moderator contact `------------+ | story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us | story-admin@qz.little-neck.ny.us | | Archive site +--------------------+------------------+ Newsgroup FAQ | \ <URL:http://www.netusa.net/~eli/erotica/assm/> .../assm/faq.html> /