A Kept Boy
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| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | A Kept Boy |
| Author(s): | poisontaster |
| Date(s): | 2008-2010 |
| Length: | 200,365 words - ca. 26 hrs (podfic) |
| Genre(s): | slash, slavery |
| Fandom(s): | CWRPS/J2 |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | A Kept Boy (AO3) podfic (Audiofic Archive) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
A Kept Boy is a CWRPS AU series that posits a modern-day America in which slavery is legal. The series was written by poisontaster over a 2-year period. The story focuses on Jensen Ackles, an emotionally deeply damaged "body-slave," who is sold to a new master, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It is often cited as one of the most recommended examples of slavefic.
- Author's summary: At heart, it's a love story, but it goes through some bad, dark places to get there."
The story was posted in installments, with the first post on July 10, 2008 and the final chapter written October 6, 2010. It is often referred to in its abbreviated form as "AKB."
A PDF of poisontaster's story was created by lapillus. A podfic version of AKB, read by superstitiousme, is hosted at the Audiofic Archive. The story has also been translated into Russian.[1]
Bloodquartz created a lovely banner for the fic, which was also used on the cover of the audiobook. The story also won the March 2009 Sinchester Award for Best Slash- Long Story.
Poisontaster has opened the universe to other writers. Other stories in this universe can be found at the LJ community What We Keep.
Why Slavery?
Poisontaster explains:
"Again, a lot of the fine details [as to why slavery exists in the modern world] have not been explained or worked out to give greater flexibility to the universe. However, roughly four generations before the current "now", the countries that compose the Empire were on the verge of financial collapse and the political climate had changed to a degree that the divide between haves and have-nots had deepened to a chasm, with the Haves very much in control. The New Articles of Slavery were instituted to put some kind of control on the rampant debt and out of control spending that was bringing the country to its knees. The premise was that it would promote better, more judicious spending on the part of the population and that the only people who would be 'punished' were people who were already a burden on the system. For the system to work, the slaves had to be employed and the money to house and keep the slaves needed to come from a non-governmental source. Thus, the Commerce Department 'contracts' the services of the slaves to corporations and the wealthy and in return, the corporation or individual owner gets labor at a far cheaper rate than they would by hiring a free person. However, this 'social responsibility' to own slaves is backed by legal articles designating the number of slaves a corporation or owner must contract from Commerce on a scale similar to that of income tax. Failure to comply with these laws can result in legal censure up to and including imprisonment and/or placement in the slave labor pool."[2]
Outtakes Written by Poisontaster
The AKB Outtakes are vignettes about different characters from the main AKB storyline, either from mention (as in the case of Jensen's former masters) or appearance (various members of Jeff's household). They generally should be read with some familiarity of the AKB universe.
- Cruise
- Kilmer
- Kane
- Jared
- Samantha
- Hutton
- Jeremy
- Jeremy II
- Dorm Life
- Jeremy III (Brothers)
- A Star in Somebody Else's Sky - Immediately post "A Kept Boy".
- Welcome to the Party, Pal - Immediately after "A Star In Somebody Else's Sky.
- A Musical Interlude - Indeterminate timeline; just a piece of schmoop foolery. Set to music.
- Star of Wonder - Jensen's first Christmas with Jeff (and everyone else).
- Never Quite To Return - Set six years in the future of AKB.
Meta Commentary/Author's Notes
Links to each individual commentary can be found at the A Kept Boy Master Post on LJ.
- On AKB: Why RPS. Talking about why AKB is an RPS universe.
- On Hutton. Self-explanatory; talking about Jensen's relationship with Hutton and the role Hutton played in his development.
- The Boy in A Kept Boy. Talking about Jensen's (lack of) emotional and mental development and how Jeff has altered it.
- Master. A short look into what role and meaning that word (and the person in it) has in Jensen's life.
- AKB Jeff: Screwed Up & Screwed. An examination of Jeff as a flawed hero.
- On Jeff and Kink. Looking at Jeff's difficulty accepting his own sexuality and kink as a whole.
- On Robin: Unreality & Prickly Females. An examination of the character of Robin; her genesis, traits and reception.
- Therapy & Connectivity. The mechanics of writing Cate and Cate's scenes; Jensen's difficulty with connection.
- Yeah. So That Happened. Self-indulgent musings on the end of A Kept Boy, as a story.
- Consent And the Uncommon Slave. An explanation and examination of how I took on the issue of consent in the AKB universe.
Reviews/Reactions
"This is a beautiful story filled with complex and compelling relationships.The characters are well drawn and involving,and the world they inhabit scarily plausible. I do not have the world to express how much I love this verse, it's exquisite in every way."[3]
"Jensen doesn’t understand why Master Morgan doesn’t make use of him. After all, Jensen is his body slave, to use as he wills. And Master Morgan is obviously interested. But, if Master Morgan does not wish to make use of him it is his right. This is one of the truly great slavery AUs. I was so pleased that despite the author’s fairly direct warnings, this story was mostly about love and joy. The choice of using so many characters, in this case, makes the story a bit convoluted. Possibly it’s just because several of the characters aren’t brought into the story until it’s half over. And possibly it’s just because, as long as this story is, it could have been a hundred thousand words longer without becoming overlong. The writing is just that good. And there are so many characters that are as yet unexplored. Jensen in this is truly beautiful, a product of the system since the age of seven. The way Jeff interacts with him is a mix of comedy and mistakes, both sweet and tragic."[4]
"This thing is freaking magnificent. Epic 90-chapter AU in which slavery has been reinstated in the USA. Jeff buys a new body slave, who complicates his life beyond all expectation, and causes him to re-evaluate his own needs and how they relate to the society in which he lives."[5]
"So here's the thing about A Kept Boy -- I'd been avoiding it for months. I'd had it recommended to me a couple of times and was pretty much like "yeah, whatever..." ...I guess I was expecting a sort of cliched BDSM slave!boy fic, which isn't something I go in for generally. This? Is SO VERY NOT that. First, it really isn't a BDSM story. While it has elements of that, it's not trying to be Anne Roqulere or The Story of O. One of the things that I really love about this story is how so many of the characters resist both sexualized slavery and slavery in general. Secondly, the psychological depth of her characterization is just really heartbreaking and amazing and note-perfect....Also, the world-building is absolutely Epic. In a lot of ways, it's harder to build a convincing alternate history world than it is to start from scratch; you've got to balance the sameness and the difference so very carefully. This world is perfect, and absolutely poignant. Best yet, it's open... there are other stories by other authors posted at whatwekeep that weave in and out of the main plot and are also fascinating in their own right. This story has haunted me pretty much from the first few chapters."[6]
"Эта история очень популярна в Supernatural RPS фандоме, поэтому я решила ее начитать, уверена, что аудио версия тоже не оставит равнодушных (ну, я сделала все, что могла :walkman: ). Здесь есть где разгуляться фантазии любых масштабов, к тому же автор пишет профессионально и умеет удержать читателя, интригуя недосказанностью и заставляя включать собственное воображение, за этот стиль я просто обожаю Poisontaster. Здесь и слэйв-тема, и романтика, и рассуждения о политике, устройстве общества и социальных проблемах, плюс вполне профессиональные разборы ситуаций от психолога. А еще красной нитью тема BDSM, семейные интриги и козни, и даже тайная организация :elf: И, само собой, любовь, любовь и еще раз любовь. В принципе, это абсолютный оридж, на пикспам действующих лиц можно опираться, чтобы лучше представить себе, как выглядят персонажи по версии автора." [7]
References
- ^ "Russian translation announcement post". Archived from the original on 2018-05-10. Retrieved 3 Feb 2012.
- ^ poisontaster. "What We Keep FAQ". Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 3 Feb 2012.
- ^ "comment left in spn themes rec post for slavefics". Retrieved June 20, 2011.
- ^ cheetahanabel. "A Kept Boy by poisontaster (NC-17)". Retrieved 3 Feb 2012.
- ^ "RPF Fic Recs". Archived from the original on 2022-02-19. Retrieved 3 Feb 2012.
- ^ "One more RPF rec". Retrieved 3 Feb 2012.
- ^ Source: Russian review of Слуга dated Feb 27, 2013. Translation using Google Translate: "This story is very popular in Supernatural RPS fandom, so I decided it has read a lot, I'm sure that the audio version also will not leave indifferent (well, I did everything I could: walkman:). Here is where carousing fantasy of all sizes, by the same author writes professionally and knows how to keep a reader, and an intriguing understatement include making your own imagination for this style I adore Poisontaster. Here and slave theme, romance, arguments about politics, structure of society and social issues, plus a fully professional analysis of the situation from a psychologist. And a red thread topic BDSM, family intrigues and machinations, and even a secret organization: elf: And, of course, love, love and love again."