The language of explicit fiction, preposition edition

[firecat]

Part of what I enjoy about reading smutty fanfic is noticing the language people use. So I am amused to notice that there are multiple prepositions used when describing someone having an orgasm while being penetrated.

You can come "on" the penetrating object, or "around" it. Not too surprising. But then I encountered coming "for" it. (Mostly in D/s stuff.)

So far I've not seen any of the other prepositions used to describe that particular act, although they get to have their fun describing other acts.

I think "aboard" would work. And it adds interesting possibilities to the phrase "Permission to come aboard, sir?"

"against" would also work.

Some of the rest conjure up really absurd images. I'm tempted to try to write scenes that use them.

List of prepositions I used to write this post (from
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/List-of-prepositions.htm):
• aboard
• about
• above
• across
• after
• against
• along
• amid
• among
• around
• as
• at
• before
• behind
• below
• beneath
• beside
• between
• beyond
• but
• by
• concerning
• considering
• despite
• down
• during
• except
• following
• for
• from
• in
• inside
• into
• like
• minus
• near
• next
• of
• off
• on
• onto
• opposite
• out
• outside
• over
• past
• per
• plus
• regarding
• round
• save
• since
• than
• through
• till
• to
• toward
• under
• underneath
• unlike
• until
• up
• upon
• versus
• via
• with
• within
• without

Comments

[adrian_turtle]

"Via" implies a very different kind of scene than "despite."

"Within" and "inside" seem like jokes, when you're talking about penetration...but Hild describes orgasm as feeling "like a sleeve turned inside out," and rang perfectly accurate to me.

[firecat]

Those are very different scenes yes!

"Sleeve turned inside out"—yes indeed it does.

[stultiloquentia]

I love this post. What a delightfully specific thing to contemplate. I came per the penetrating object.

[firecat]

My brain is full of very specific contemplations, so warms my heart that this one delights you.

Per is an excellent one!

[mrissa]

When I was in 7th grade, one of our English teachers had us memorize a preposition list like this so I can rattle off "before behind below beneath beside between BEYONNNNNND" in the way that she did an interpretive dance for them at the front of the class.

This association with them is a little startling, then, in context.

[firecat]

Eep! I hope it didn't bruise your brain too much.

[mrissa]

No, I am mostly amused.

[bibliofile]

We had a song that used the melody from "Yankee Doodle Dandy".

[firecat]

I need to find this...

[bibliofile]

I can remember the first half (up to "by"), but I bet the whole thing's online somewhere.

[cjsmith]

I’ve seen “all over” used in this context as well, just by one author, and it was a little surprising but a little delightful.

[firecat]

Oh, of course! That works perfectly!

[bitterlawngnome]

"By" is pretty popular too neh?

The one that always puzzles me is "He was wanking _____ porn." Wanking to? with? on, sometimes, yes. Without, despite, along with?

[firecat]

I actually haven't seen "by" that I recall.

As for "wanking"—"to" conjures up something different from "for," and "regarding" would be a delightfully fusty combination with "wanking".

[silveradept]

The prepositions of orgasm seems like one of those subjects that is a thing that isn't thought of until it becomes necessary, because some prepositions just don't work.

[firecat]

It's kind of delightful to me, from several directions, that it's thought of at all. Humans and our languages and what we use them for are just so interesting.