Xanthe.org
| Personal Fanfiction Website | |
|---|---|
| Website: | Xanthe.org |
| Author: | Xanthe |
| Dates: | 1998 - present |
| Fandom: | Stargate: Atlantis, Suits, The X-Files, NCIS, The West Wing, Sherlock Holmes/Sherlock, Dr Who |
| URL: | http://www.xanthe.org/ |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Xanthe.org is Xanthe's slash fanfiction site. Fandoms include Stargate: Atlantis, Suits, The X-Files, NCIS, The West Wing, Sherlock Holmes/Sherlock, Dr Who and Original Slash.
Stories are sorted by title, fandom, series, and tag. The site was a member of the Discipline Fiction Webring.[1]
In April 2004, the site reached 500,000 hits.
Site History
The History of Xanthe.orgI first created Xanthe.org in 1998. I wanted my own archive of fanfiction, and my own domain name, which I wanted to be as simple as possible for people to access. Back then, there wasn’t much of a choice of domain name extensions, but Xanthe.org was still available, so I opted for that. It turned out to be an excellent decision! I’d never designed a web page before – as it was 1998, not many people had! But I was willing to learn, and I purchased Front Page to make it easy. I used that for a number of years – it wasn’t the best programme around, but I could understand it, and it always worked for me. I’m not very ‘tecchie’ but somehow I’ve learned how to muddle through over the years.
In 2009, I became aware that my site was starting to look old-fashioned. However, I was doing so much writing that I didn’t have time to work on a revamp, and I wasn’t sure where to start. In 2011, when I was laid up with a broken ankle, I left a message asking for help on an E-fiction forum, and Jacci contacted me almost instantly. It turned out that she’d been a big fan of my stories for years, and couldn’t wait to get stuck in to redesigning Xanthe.org. I still can’t believe my luck in finding that forum at that time and that she saw my message! We became good friends as a result of working on the site together, and make a great team.
We opened Xanthe.org as an E-Fiction site in October 2011, with a lovely new look designed by Bluespirit, and some great new features including a forum where people could chat. Jacci then went on to create the Xanthe Walter website for my original fiction, and as a result we both realised we wanted to move Xanthe.org from being an E-fiction site over to WordPress. This was a massive job! But Jacci did it fantastically, as always, putting in a massive amount of hard work, and now we are all set for the future. Hopefully any new changes will be cosmetic! Those of you who have visited my site for many years might enjoy a trip down memory lane to browse through some of the site’s old looks, featured below.[2]
Gallery
Site Graphic (1990s). "The early look was basically a white page with red and blue links, and some graphics made for me by talented people like Sean Spencer and Sergeeva"[2]
Main page after a revamp in 2000, changing from the garish red and blue look into something a bit more cohesive.[2]
In November 2002, Xanthe did a complete redesign and moved onto a cream and purple theme designed for her by Sergeeva that she kept for nearly ten years, until moving to the E-fic site in 2011.[2]
In September 2011, a rework of Xanthe.org commenced moving from html coded pages to the efiction script that would allow reviews, better navigation etc. etc. on the site. The rotating headers showing various different slash pairings were designed by Bluespirit. The new look was launched on the 3rd October, 2011.[2]
BDSM Universe
The site has a page explaining Xanthe's BDSM Universe.
History of the BDSM UniverseI first created this universe in my 2006 fanfic story General and Doctor Sheppard. In that story, a couple from the BDSM AU arrive in our own universe and a considerable culture clash ensues. I then went on to write several novels set in the BDSM universe. They are, in chronological order of writing: Coming Home, Hiding in Plain Sight, The First Collar, and my original fiction work, Ricochet. [...]
My creation of a universe very like our own but where BDSM relationships are the norm has spawned a genre all of its own. Lots of people have since chosen to play in this universe, making it a well known and widespread concept. It’s easy to forget that the popularity of it as a concept didn’t exist prior to me posting General & Doctor Sheppard in 2006, and following that up later that same year with Coming Home. Both stories caused considerable controversy in the SGA fandom at that time, but the success of the universe since speaks for itself.
I am often asked by fanfic authors for permission to write in the universe. I am happy to give this on the condition that the author links back to me in the headers as the original inspiration, so if you see a story out there that doesn’t link back then please give them a polite nudge. I would like to be clear that while I don’t mind people writing fanfic in this universe, I do claim copyright, and I will take action if the universe is used for commercial fiction. For more information, please visit my Permissions page.
About the BDSM Universe
In the BDSM universe, everyone is bisexual, and most people identify as either dominant or submissive. This is their choice and theirs alone. They usually discover their orientation at puberty and might experiment to be sure. There is no value judgement in sexual orientation, and dominants aren’t superior to submissives. Switches also exist but are much rarer.
When couples get serious the dominant might ask if they can collar the submissive, and the couple might start eating from the same plate – a significant ritual in this universe called “sharing a plate”.
Some people don’t identify as dominant or submissive at all, and some people are only interested in sleeping with those of one gender – they’re called ‘monosexuals’.
People talk about sex much more easily in this universe than in our own, and have a different set of sexual standards. It’s not unusual for a dom to spank their sub in public or display them naked.
There is also a mystical element to this universe – couples have the possibilty of life-bonding if they are compatible enough. This requires them to undergo a significant ritual during which they ‘join’ together to become aware of each other’s physical sensations and emotional wellbeing. Their sexual sensation and receptiveness to each other is also heightened. If one of them is ill, the other can share the illness, thereby halving it’s effect. However, if one of them dies, the other one will die too.
This universe is a fantasy. I’m not making a case for such a universe being better than our own. I’m not even saying this is what a BDSM/bisexual universe would be like if such a thing existed. This is just the way I wanted to write this universe.
The universe and the stories set in it are primarily intended to be romantic and escapist. It’s a fantasy requiring a certain willing suspension of disbelief, and I know it’s a bit bonkers! That’s part of its charm.
These stories aren’t a how-to guide. If you want to understand more about lifestyle BDSM, please research the many great non-fiction books on the subject. [...]
References
- ^ Discipline Fiction Webring. (Accessed 13 May 2021)
- ^ a b c d e f Xanthe. Site History. (Accessed 08 March 2015)