Books and a Slash Survey (you know you want to take it...)

[rubberbutton]

Went shopping today; I wanted to pick up some philosophy books for my dad. I abhor shopping. I’d rather have my kneecaps broken. At what point does anxiety edge out of uncomfortable-with-crowds and into actual agoraphobia? It was packed and I was on edge the entire time, like you might be if they were playing music you loathed really, really loud. I’m tempted to accept the inevitable and embrace my inner hermit, working out a system in which I never have to leave my house à la Twitch City.

On the bright side, books! I got Socrates Against Athens: Philosophy on Trial, which was kind of an impulse and I’m not sure will actually get gifted. *g* Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies & the Truth About Reality is a book I’m not sure my dad will really appreciate, but seems pretty cool to me—which is one of my greatest flaws as a gift-giver. I tend to give things I want and then borrow them. Oops. I also picked up Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar...Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes, which purridot recommended.

On the fandom side of things, I’m kinda, sorta working on meta about Victorian romantic friendships and the appeal of slash—something I was jokingly discussing with Purridot (who is catalyst in all things) but then I got carried away, as per usual.

To aid my super-serious scholarship/to satisfy my curiosity, please take a few minutes to fill out this questionnaire:

Assuming you read slash (non-canon, same-sex pairings) at least occasionally...

1. Do you prefer slash to heterosexual (both canon and non-canon) pairings? Why or why not?
2. Do you prefer slash to canon homosexual pairings? Why or why not?
3. Do you have a preference between m/m pairings and f/f pairings?
4. How much do you think your own orientation, gender and sexual experience affect your fanfic-reading preferences? Explain.
5. Do you read gen fic of characters you slash? Do you read it more, less or about the same as fic with overt romance/sex? Why?
6. How do you like sex in slash fic? Is explicit sex a pro or con?
7. How did you get into slash and how old were you?
8. Anything you’d like to share?

Comments

[rubberbutton.livejournal.com]

Basically, every explanation for Why We Slash is something to which I subscribe, at least to an extent, including the one that says "why do we have to justify this stuff?"

Heh. No, I'm totally with you there. I'm not really trying to justify per se, I'm just curious. I have zero interest in het pairings (with the exception of Spike/Buffy, for some reason...), but I'm also not interested in canon gay pairings. It's actually a pretty narrow window of pairings that do interest me: close, intimate friendships and partnerships that aren't actually romantic. Go fig. So when I ask my flist probing questions, I'm actually trying to figure out more about me. Self-centered, much?

2. I don't know if I'm 100% clear on the distinction -- I don't think I could choose!

Here I'm using "slash" to mean the pairing of two characters who don't have any sexual attraction (outside of subtext), like House/Wilson. Sure, we think they've got the hots for each other, but I don't think that's the actual conclusion we were supposed to come to. By "canon" pairings I mean ones where a romantic relationship exists within the source material itself, like Jack/Ennis.

For the fandoms where there IS gen, it mostly bores me.

I'm glad you said it first. Yeah, gen is a lot like watching paint dry--does that make me shallow?

8. I'm procrastinating writing my DSSS pinch hit! /sharing

I'm so glad I could help with your procrastinatory endeavors. :)

[ignazwisdom.livejournal.com]

I have zero interest in het pairings (with the exception of Spike/Buffy, for some reason...), but I'm also not interested in canon gay pairings.

I actually got into fandom by way of a het pairing; I was a shipper back in the early days of the X-Files (back when "shipper" just meant you liked Mulder/Scully). Of course, that wasn't a canon pairing at the time.

It's actually a pretty narrow window of pairings that do interest me: close, intimate friendships and partnerships that aren't actually romantic.

That makes sense. It sounds like you're more attracted to subtext than to overt text, to having to "do the work" rather than just take in the eye and brain candy. I think a lot of people are like that. When Queer As Folk came out (both the UK and US versions) there were a lot of veteran slashers who just weren't interested, probably far more than the number who were all, "woohoo! boys makin' out on screen!" Me, I'm lazy, and I like my eye and brain candy, and I also have a huge thing for established relationship stories, so there are a lot of canonically queer relationships that really appeal to me. I suppose -- and I might actually be answering one of your questions, wow! -- that as a queer-identified person, I might also just enjoy seeing people like me on my TV screen, navigating some of the same situations I've been in (and might find myself in, someday), being out and visible.

I'm glad you said it first. Yeah, gen is a lot like watching paint dry--does that make me shallow?

If it does, then we're in good company.

[rubberbutton.livejournal.com]

I actually got into fandom by way of a het pairing

Well, now that I think about it, I guess I did, too. The first fanfiction I can remember reading was Sarah/Jareth from Labyrinth. Dude, I still think it's hot. *g*

When Queer As Folk came out (both the UK and US versions) there were a lot of veteran slashers who just weren't interested

Yeah, that's why I was wondering about whether people prefer non-canon to canon. My current theory (regarding my own preferences, if no one else's) is that relationships (both gay and het) that are romantic from the outset (on the show) are less interesting because they tend follow pretty narrow templates that I've seen a bajillion times before.

[ignazwisdom.livejournal.com]

See, I didn't even know Labyrinth fanfiction existed until I think it became a monthly featured fandom on crack_van sometime last year. It's SO RIGHT, though. And yeah, I totally still love Mulder and Scully as a couple (in fic, NOT in canon). But then I also think Cameron/Chase is fifteen different shades of adorable, so you probably shouldn't trust my judgment.