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

[calidragon.livejournal.com]

1. I always prefer slash. As others have said, there are a number of reasons that this is. I think a lot of it has something to do with the inherent angst that comes with slash that makes for good stories. I find there are just a lot of good writers when it comes to slash. Also theres that whole "two guys are better than one" and my general dislike for heavy description of any lady-parts.

2. Generally, yes. Even disregarding the slash element, there are a number of different ways different writers can perceive and portray the same characters. Plus, my preference for fics runs to first time fics, so I love reading different ways of establishing the relationship, which you can't have with canon.

3. M/M, which I sort of answered in #1. I have yet to read a F/F fic. Not saying I won't ever, just not what I think of first.

4. As a (mostly) straight female, I prefer men, so therefore prefer men in my fic. Nothing else I can think of.

5. I occasionally read gen, but no where near as often as other types. Usually I'll only read gen if it has an interesting hook, but otherwise my viewpoint is if I wanted to read gen I'd just watch the show/movie/read the book.

6. As often as possible. Explicit sex is a definite pro. I tend to scan through communities looking for the holy grail that is NC-17 and disregard everything else.

7. I think I was 19. I read the wonderful Snarry fic The Mirror of Maybe

8. I haven't had the courage to write any slash for any of my fandoms. It's hard to live up to the expectations of how other people see the characters. Lately, however, I've been running my own original slash pairing in a D&D based roleplay message board (Actually, they've just become a threesome in game. ;P Good times.) I look forward to posting some actual fic with them quite soon.

[rubberbutton.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of it has something to do with the inherent angst that comes with slash that makes for good stories.

Heh. Yeah, that never gets old, does it? *g*

my viewpoint is if I wanted to read gen I'd just watch the show/movie/read the book.

That's sort of how I look at it, too.

It's hard to live up to the expectations of how other people see the characters.

You should try anyway! Besides, the only way to get better is practice... :P And the world always needs more slash.