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This posting is in response to the discussion (both in this forum and elsewhere) that has been generated by Tim's hosting on his IOMfAtS website of a story called "The Story of Tim" (quite a different Tim!) by Jack Rowan. For the most part, it seems, this discussion has centered around the appropriateness of posting a such a story (which tells of the S/M relationship between a man and a most precocious 14 year old boy) on a site which is basically aimed at teenage boys who are struggling to come to terms with their sexuality; and further, whether or not forums such as this very messageboard are appropriate venues for this discussion.
Ironically, answers to these questions can be found in the most obvious place: the disclaimers (one written by Tim which heads the page containing the link to the story itself, and the other written by Jack Rowan which heads Chapter 1 of the story). As any of us who has spent any time at the Nifty Archive knows all to well, disclaimers oftentimes state the obvious "same old same old", and are therefore quite easily overlooked and ignored (my favorite disclaimers are those attached to stories whose authors are under the age of 18, who say they had to employ the proofreading services of an older person since they themselves are too young to read their own story!). Even if you weren't planning on reading "The Story of Tim" for one reason or another, perhaps reading these disclaimers detached from the story itself will provide at least some insight into what motivated Jack Rowan to write the story and Tim to post it, and hopefully bring some resolution to the controversy (both disclaimers have been copied and pasted from IOMfAtS to here with no editing by me).
First, Tim's disclaimer:
This story is very special. Many people will say to me, "This has no place on this site." To those of you who say that, I ask you to read it carefully, from start to finish. I have no way of changing any dogmatic opinions you have, I simply ask you to read properly.
To me, to those with whom I talked before hosting this story, which I have wanted to host for some long time, the tale is not as it seems. It looks very much like a tale of a man seducing a boy. Read literally it could be seen to be that. And yet, beneath the surface, it shows the very great love and trust that a boy has for a man who has very clear morals. It is not a "boylove" story. Rather it is the way a boy allows himself to cleanse his soul of things past and to forge a great future.
There are disturbing elements in the story. Deeply disturbing elements. It is a story about power, used and abused. But in the end, whose is the power?
Hosting this story is not the start of a trend. It is "against my rules", this story. And I have considered long and hard before hosting it here. It is most unlikely that any other stories on this theme will live on this site.
Jack Rowan has very kindly given me permission to host it here. The copyright is Jack's. His also are the warnings above the first section. Please read them and take note of them.
Now, Jack Rowan's disclaimer:
This story includes descriptions of sexual relations between an adult man and a teenage boy, including bondage and SM. If the law in your jurisdiction says that you're too young to be reading this, then I suggest very strongly that you should obey the law. People who are likely to be offended by the subject matter are respectfully advised not to read it.
Please note: This is fiction. In real life, sexual relationships between adults and teenagers almost always lead to exploitation and physical or emotional damage, and cannot be condoned. In addition, I should point out that none of this happened, and none of the people in the story exist. At least, not unchanged.
There's no sex - well, not much - in the first two parts. Later, it gets quite heavy, although always consensual. If you dislike the idea of SM involving teenagers, then this is not the story for you.
The story is divided into lots of numbered sections, which have been gathered together in twelve parts. That's why part 2 starts with a section numbered 8, and so on.
If you're interested, there are more notes about the story at the end of part 12.
The Story of Tim is copyright. Copy it for your own use if you wish, archive it if you wish, make it available through the web if you wish, but please credit it to Jack Rowan, and don't change it. And don't publish it for profit, or charge for accessing it.
Comments will be very gratefully received by Jack_Rowan@hotmail.com
Now I must say that "The Story of Tim" was quite a tough read for me (unlike Cossie, I only read it once!), and I can definitely imagine Tim thinking it over a good 10,000 times before finally coming to the decision to host it. That decision, it seems to me, was not meant to satisfy anybody's prurient interests, but rather to provide awareness that such things do exist and to provoke debate about it (both here and elsewhere).
If I may add my own "tuppence" worth:
I disagree with the assertion that real love can result from intentionally induced physical pain; and while trust is certainly part-and-parcel of any relationship, it in and of itself is not enough, since love in equal measure must also exist in order for that relationship to thrive (just as the two participants in that relationship should consider each other to be co-equals in that relationship, not "master" and "slave"). In the story, it is most obvious that a profound and unquestioning trust develops between the two protagonists; but as Hanson sang in one of their earlier songs, "Where's the Love"? Even a trust as deep as theirs doesn't necessarily mean that real love will come of it; further, I don't believe there can ever truthfully be real trust without real love. Perhaps, then, this story should be taken as a "cautionary tale" for all of us; but especially for youngsters as a means of warning them how dangerous and damaging such relationships ultimately are.
So, was I shocked to see such a story hosted on IOMfAtS? At first yes; but then after re-reading the disclaimers (especially Tim's), I came to a better understanding (especially as to why Tim, after much soul-searching, decided to host it). Was I shocked by the story itself? Again, at first yes; but then when I started to think of it in terms of a "cautionary tale", I became less so. Do I think this messageboard is an appropriate place to discuss such things? Yes I do, so long as the atmosphere is positive and the discourse (especially any disagreement) is civil and free of all vitriol (Cossie's posting is, I think, an excellent example of that). This is still "a place of safety"; and it's up to us to keep it that way, especially for any youngster whose search to learn more about himself has led him here.
While I'm on my soap-box, it seems that some somewhat related issues have caused a rift among at least three long-time friends, which seems to have come about due to some actions that were perhaps ill-advised on their parts. I will, of course, not mention any names; but if any of them read this, they may see themselves. To them, all I can say is, isn't there enough animosity in the world? Is what happened really worth risking friendships over? In these troubled times, we all need all the love we can get (and give). I know for a fact that at least one of you is definitely NOT a Beatles fan; yet, I refer all of you to the Beatles song, "We Can Work It Out". I hope that you can do just that.
Take care, all!
Ron
We do not remember days...we remember moments.
Cesare Pavese
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