hmmm, Ch 12...

[derien]

I'm doing my own proof-read, since these three chapters have been sitting on the back burner since May. I want to blame that on my not having a beta-reader right now, though I realize that's a thin excuse. That's long enough so that I can now sit back and catch some of my own mistakes.

Now I realized upon rereading it that Chapter 12 ended kind of abruptly. And that this might be the place for some manly scrumpings. And I have to face, again, that I'm terrified of going there. Partly this is because I don't want people to take this as 'underage' - they're actually the same age, and in their culture (particularly in Tom's class) expected to be planning marriage and kids soon. Tom's mother is looking around for potential wives for him, at home, I tried to make that plain in a previous chapter. He's done with school and is out in the work force, and Ethan will be done with school in another year. Also, at some point I might have to deal with the fact that Ethan (in my head) has been the school bicycle, and is baffled and confused that Tom seems very kind and caring and completely innocent of that idea. Implications of underage is not actual underage, and even though that was actually a known and understood aspect of boys boarding schools at one time, in our society, now, it could be misconstrued. Another part is I'm afraid it might mess up the flow of the story if they do anything serious... like, ever.

But I'm sort of wondering if those are all excuses, and if this is all really about me being a complete wuss. And lazy. I'd better go do my grocery shopping.

Comments

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

If they're both 16, that's legal in the UK (even between boys now). In Victorian Britain, the age of consent would have been 16 or lower, and I imagine that would have been extended to whatever colonial offshoot of that this story takes place in.

Having said that, there are some countries where the age of consent is between 12 and 15, and I wouldn't read a sex scene between anyone of that age even if the author came from a country where that was accepted. I think it's just a question of what you're used to.

Maybe you could just imply it?

[derien.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling I'm mostly going to imply sex, not write it, even if I do end up feeling I can go there at all with these characters.