Menage-for you or not?

[erastes]

A very lively (and by that, I don't mean vituperative) discussion on the excellent Jessewave's blog over here where the merits - or not - of menage fiction is being pondered.

http://reviewsbyjessewave.blogspot.com/2009/01/whats-deal-with-menages.html?ext-ref=comm-sub-email

Comments

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Considering that one of my most beloved stories centers around a trio with two guys and a girl, and the order of the pairings was "Boy 1 picked up Girl, who was having a vacation fling, together they picked up Boy 2, Girl went home, after some drama Boy 1 and Boy 2 became a couple, eventually they welcomed Girl back on a permanent basis,' I think I can say I like menage stories, but not if they imply that the M/M pairing is in any way less worthy.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I'm quite happy with m/f/m and (even m/m/f if everyone is convincingly bisexual) but so often I see an established gay couple who up till the entrance of the woman are quite happy and then suddenly they are converted. The whole "all a gay man needs is the right woman" is a disturbing outcome. I've had threesomes myself with VERY heterosexual men, so I know that it's possible, (strange how polite they become.../tmi) but the worrying part of it is when people seem to be writing it because they know that m/m is hot so they shove another bloke in, to sell more copies.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That's not so cool. In my lovely little happy-place story, Boy #2 is decidedly bisexual, Girl is bisexual but with a bias towards men, schoolgirl adventures notwithstanding, and Boy #1 is only slightly inclined towards women generally, but likes Girl for personal reasons. If Girl hadn't come back to their city, Boy #1 and Boy #2 would have made a contented exclusive couple, but they're all very much devoted to each other as a triad. The dynamics are pretty clear by the sleeping arrangements - Girl is the one with a separate bedroom, even if she only sleeps there some of the time.

Then again, this is an alternate-universe happy place, where the categories aren't quite as rigid as they are here and now, and the social stigmas are differently weighted.

I have far more experience with FMF threesomes /tmi, so I couldn't really speak to the dynamics of MFM as knowledgably, but I'm chuckling here at the image of them being terribly polite!

[elleparker.livejournal.com]

I adore your icon...

thank you!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I owe the idea of it to emmyjag who recently reviewed a story based in Oz and she didn't know what vegemite was and asked if catamite came in jars!

Re: thank you!

[vinnie-tesla.livejournal.com]

To which you replied "only when a tissue isn't handy," I presume?

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[vinnie-tesla.livejournal.com]

Alternate answer: No, silly! They come in buckets, according to the literature.

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[erastes.livejournal.com]

*LOL!!!*

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[erastes.livejournal.com]

There is always the problem of "spit or swallow" when it comes to vegemite, for me at least!

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[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

So long as it's not made with real cats.

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[vinnie-tesla.livejournal.com]

that would be a cataclysm indeed!

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[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

or a catastrophe!

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[kittymay.livejournal.com]

I won't be able to forget that in the supermarket next time! *chokes*

As to the question, the only story I have ever read involving a threesome (with men) was Chris Owen's 'An Agreement Among Gentlemen'. I didn't know it involved what seemed to end up as a polyamorous situation, but I did enjoy the story, mainly because it was extremely rude and I spent the night glued to it with my eyes out on stalks (It was one of my first m/m novels when I realised they existed - I was innocent then, ok!)
The whole threesome angle seems secondary to the main plot, which is pretty easy-going stuff, but I do admit I wouldn't have been so bothered to read it had it been obvious that it was a (to generalise) a 'threesome story'. That said, it just goes to show once more that you never really can tell a book by it's cover or even by it's synopsis, because I'd certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the genre.
Anyway, as subject matter in fiction (with women or not), to me, it's something to take or leave. To speak frankly, it wouldn't offend me if it was in there, but it might be a slight turn off merely because on a personal level I'm a hopeless romantic and just not wired that way. It's probably a bit like the romance readers that don't like 'cheating or non-virginity', isn't it? XD
Nevertheless, I should think there are plenty of people who do like it, though I have no idea at all of how the dynamics might work and thus could never write it.

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[chris-owen.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, thank you. You're very kind. :-)

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[kittymay.livejournal.com]

Ah. You have an LJ. I am now very embarrassed about the eyes on stalks comment. I might have to actually die now. *blushes furiously*

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[chris-owen.livejournal.com]

That was the best part. :D Don't be embarrassed!

Seriously, thank you. An Agreement Among Gentlemen is one of my favourite titles, and while I readily admit to its vast amount of flaws its the one I direct people to most often because it's gentle while still eyes on stalks inducing. *grin*

Re: thank you!

[kittymay.livejournal.com]

*coughs*

If there was a flaw or two in there, I was probably too distracted to pay attention to it. Can't imagine why...

Re: thank you!

[emmyjag.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

I wish I could read the post, but the site freezes Firefox on my Mac.