Slash poll

[mhalachai]

All right, kids: humour me. Another poll, this one thought up while reading another lj about slash. As before, please fill it out and pimp it in your own lj so I can get a good response. Also, please tell me about why you do/do not read/write slash in comments. Love to all.

[Poll #478509]

Comments

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

I don't tend to read slash involving men 'cause it just doesn't interest me. I've made exceptions to that rule for a very few, very well-written stories, but in general it's just not my thing. I wouldn't skip over a story that had a gay male couple as supporting characters, but if they're the protagonists and the story is a romance, I'm probably not interested. On the other hand, I'm fine with reading about lesbian relationships, including as the focus of a romance. It's just a personal preference thing.

Slashy things that bug me . . stories that turn the entire most-straight-in-canon cast all gay. Unless you're going to explain this as the fall-out of one of Willow's spells going wonky, or something similar, it's jarringly implausible. I also dislike stories that take canon straight characters and make them gay (or canon gay characters and make them straight, either way) without the slightest hint of angst or introspection or in general, issues. For most folks in real life, sexual orientation is a big deal. I can't see most folks - especially most men - just having random sex with a person who is not of the gender that usually attacts them, unless they happen to be a.) very intoxicated, or b.) already having a breakdown of personal identity because of something else.

Now, there were canon characters in Buffy, for example, who I think could have swung either way . . Faith, I think, could be plausibly bisexual. Angel as Angelus would have done anything, I think. There were definite hints about Dru and Darla. And I maintain that Willow was bisexual in canon, however much the writers wanted to scream "Willow is GAY!" for the last season . . she'd had a functional, reasonably happy sexual relationship with a man.

On the other hand .. Tara with a man is gonna take some real convincing (though I've read stories with Tara in a straight relationship that handled it well). Buffy with another woman, again, you're really gonna have to sell the concept.

And aside from the issue of orientation, the 'ship itself just has to be moderately plausible. "OMG SO HOT!!!" is not a reason to throw two characters together. Of course, go far enough AU and any 'ship is plausible, but IMO you need to do the work to get there - I want to know what huge and scary things happened in these people's lives that so changed them that they'd now be perfect for each other. When that's done right, it can make for some really engaging reading, because you're delving deeply into what makes the character tick. (And for the record, fanon is not canon and fanon backstory should NOT be assumed! No, your reader does not just know that Snape and Lucius had a fling during Snape's Death Eater days! Is it possible? Sure. Is it canon fact upon which you can build a story without establishing it within the story first? NO!)

And wow am I long-winded and opinionated. I think I'll go now. ;)

-Sonya

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

And you're totally right. I was thinking last night, about slashing the AB guys... I just cannot do it. Unless they've indicated they are into the man-sex, my brain does the rebely thing. No! it shouts. Same with Buffy. Yes, Willow is bi, but Xander is not... and when I see Xander and Spike, all I can ever think is, "but they hate each other". Le sigh.

fanon backstory should NOT be assumed!

Testify.

[dramaphile.livejournal.com]

I feel almost the opposite of you, but I think it could be a function of my fandom (Harry Potter).

Het relationships in fanfic really don't interest me, whether they're canon or not. I just don't get much out of reading a fanfic where Draco and Hermione (or whoever) save the world (or have a baby or play quidditch or do magic or whatever).

I think this could be coming from the simple fact that there are very few likeable female characters in HP, at least in my opinion. Ginny is annoying and seriously mary-sued in fanfic, Hermione is okay, but a bit flat as a character, Bellatrix leStrange is fabulous and evil (she's one of the few female characters I'm willing to read in fanfic). Whereas all my favorite characters in canon are all male. So, it seems only natural to want to put your favorite characters together, and exclude your least favorite characters, hence you end up with slash.

I think it's easier to slash in certain fandoms because you don't have an established sexuality for a character. Everything is implied, or not mentioned at all in Harry Potter. Sirius and Remus might be gay, or they might be straight because it's all subtext. Sure, Harry might have liked a girl, but that doesn't mean he couldn't end up liking boys later. Most of the married characters have very little backstory, so you can make it up (and add slash) if you wish.

It's a lot more difficult in fandoms like Buffy because characters have a lot of established relationships and their sexuality is much more clear in canon. Maybe if I was a Buffy fan, I might be less of a slasher. hard to say, really.

There was actually a point when all I read was het, while I was in the X Files fandom, because Scully appealed to me as a female character and canon was too specific to point relationships any other way.

[closet-bound.livejournal.com]

*points at previous comment*
what she said.

i can't think of anything that hasn't already been covered by sonya, so i suppose i will leave this here.

*goes to refill coffee*

[closet-bound.livejournal.com]

shoot. that was supposed to be cissasghost. sorry:)

[ms-mindfunk.livejournal.com]

I answered the first question without really thinking about it, and now I think I've changed my mind. The only fandom I'm in is HP where technically no one is homosexual canonically (Remus and Sirius aside!) So, off the top of my head, slash to me is any homosexual relationship. However, if I were into the Queer as Folk fandom, where practically everybody is gay, then it wouldn't really be slash fic, would it? It would be canon. If I were writing Six Feet Under fic, and it featured David and Keith, that would be canon rather than slash. If I were writing Star Trek with Kirk and Spock as lovers, that would be slash.

So, I guess slash is used as shorthand for any fic with homosexual relationships, especially by those of us in fandoms with no canonically gay characters but it technically only applies as a label for homosexuality that isn't part of canon.

Why are you making me think this morning, dammit? ;)

Here via beren_writes, btw.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, and I think my getting involved in QaF had a lot to do with it. What do you do when everyone's gay? It can't all be slash, can it?

And I'm making you think so I don't have to :P

[emeraldswan.livejournal.com]

For me, it's always been about plot. I will read just about any pairing, so long as it is not incest, and enjoy it as long as it is well written. Exposition, however is key: if the author pairs Charles Gunn with Jean Claude, I want to know exactly how the two characters got to the "relationship" point.

But, that's just my two knuts. :)

Found your journal by way of houses7177, btw. *waves* Hi. I'm Emmy.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Gunn and JC. There's a thought. *kidding... sort of*

I want to know exactly how the two characters got to the "relationship" point.

Word.

Thanks for getting polled :P

[swtjemz.livejournal.com]

*points up the comment list*

i totally agree with dramaphile.

so many possibilities in HP...but i believe the labels are applied in the same to many anime fandoms. many of them would never occur to me until i read a few stories containing the pairing and convincing me that this pairing is workable. I've always had a thing for the rivals overcoming their that obstacle to become lovers but never for the ones that had mortal enemies falling in love.

and then again, you like what you like. whether there's a rhyme or reason to the method of madness. ^_^

ps. here courtesy of beren_writes

[anariel-di-gaia.livejournal.com]

hi, came here cuz of beren_writes.

actually, what my definition of slash (which is admittedly wrong, but still) just means coupling people, not necessarily gay. this is because when i was first introduced to slash by a friend and asked why it was called slash she told me because you add the / sign between the names of anyone involved. this didn't immediately scream 'gay!' in my mind, so a just associated slash with any releationship which is not typically canon.

i'm into hp fanfic mainly, though i'll read some others, i don't tend to like crossovers, unless they're very well written, i won't read fic where the author makes it blatantly clear that the people involved are children (eg in hp fic if they don't make it obvious i just assume that the people involved are over 16, even if it says it takes place in second year, if it isn't clear in their behaviour i just think of the characters as older).

as for writing i usually write boy/boy as the main relationship, and i typically don't write nc-17, just because i can't, i read it back and think it sounds terrible and it all gets deleted. anyway, ramble, ramble, ramble, sorry!

[http://users.livejournal.com/inwonderland_/]

Just thought I'd tell you I was here courtsey of beren_writes. Great poll!

[hardlyfatal.livejournal.com]

I'm v. interested to read the other comments to this post, as slash is probably the #1 thing that makes me gnash my teeth and rend my garments (as it were) in fanfic.

But since I ended up writing a 2-page essage in response, here's a link to it... I just posted it on my own LJ so you didn't have this lengthy manifesto squatting on your thread :)

Why I Hate Slash (http://www.livejournal.com/users/cgwriting/174311.html)

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it's a beautiful essay. One that all fanfic writers should read, not just slash or het ones. It speaks to the problems and truths of writing consitent fanfic.

[mefeather.livejournal.com]

About your second question. I do read mostly male slash but sometimes het or femmeslash or rare pairings like ../Giant Squid :D

About your third question. I do think grammar and spelling is important but not as important as the plot, characterization and humour. Action and pr0n are just like birthday presents.
Crossovers are just a necessary distraction from my main fandoms. I read those when I find not much new in the fandoms I can't do without. With something new I don't mean new fics. But sometimes people in fandoms are suddenly into vampire, extra magical or something like that. And I sometimes want to read something different than that.
It's nice to know that you're not the only one reading or writing fanfiction. So, I ticked the last box. *smirks*
I didn't tick the box of grammar and spelling. I can sometimes even read a fic with horrible spelling and grammar mistakes. If the plot catches my attention. I will not be delighted with it. But it wouldn't totally squick me either.

Hugs are a necessity :D

And I got pointed to this poll by beren_writes.

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

I'll read anything if it's well written enough. I appreciate good art, and if that art comes with two penises, great. If it comes with two penises and no justification, not so great.

I want motivation, not just porn. I don't write PWP, I don't read it, and I certainly don't want to have two characters previously het bouncing on down the slash road with cocks in hand and no reasonable explanation in sight.

I once tried to help a fellow ficwriter friend out by reccing a story to her. Encore Une Fois, if you remember it, was the story in question- but said author refused to read it because it wasn't slash.

*blink*

Now, I know this person has in the past liked things I've written het or gen or otherwise, and to be told that the person no longer reads any fic that doesn't have hot man on man aciton was a bit startling.

To me, that says there are many ficcers out there who aren't into good writing, they're into gratification. This is fine, but it's not what I read or write fic for.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'll respond more to this comment (and others later), but I did want to say that your two characters previously het bouncing on down the slash road with cocks in hand and no reasonable explanation in sight. comment had me half a second from doing a true spit-take all over my keyboard. You're great :P

[lisaroquin.livejournal.com]

was pointed here by houses but have read some of your stuff over at TtH :)

Now this is kinda tough for me, cause heck I've written a Weasley Twincest fic, mostly just to see if I could.

Some of the more popular pairings--Harry/Ginny Draco/Ginny Harry/Draco--it's got to be an author I adore or someone who really knows my taste praising it for me to touch those. Harry/Hermione is a pairing that doesn't *quite* work for me. Harry/Ron, oh yeah. Trio, most definitely. Ron/Hermione yep. Harry/Hermione *should* work but most fic I've read falls flat. Usually bitter, jealous Ron lurking in the shadows ruins those.

Some fandoms I like mostly gen leaning stuff. LotR for one. Though I do like Legolas/Gimli as long as Legolas isn't sobbing like a 12 yr old girl every five seconds. And bittersweet Sam/Frodo is always nice. Though Perverted Sex-Feind Hobbits is a definite pass.

I like Xanderslash. Though X/S or X/A it has to be really good PWP or something with some real in depth thinking explaining, careful twisting of canon to make it work, or just FUN--drunk, wonky spell, whatever. I like Crossover het and canon X/C or X/Anya. Xander/Buffy-no, just no. Have yet to read that pairing where I didn't want to scratch my eyes out, Xander/Willow-*maybe* if it's done right. Willow/Faith, Willow/Tara, Willow/Crossover female no problem. I like Willow slash and Faith slash. Buffyslash no. Actually the vast majority of Buffy-centric fic with exceptions of a few authors no. *shudder* I started reading slash whilst fleeing from B/A B/S badfic and shipperwars. I was thoroughly traumatized *grin*. Twisted love/hate sire/childe need a few centuries of therapy Angel/Spike, Angel/Dru, Spike/Dru, Angel/Spike/Dru...oh yes. Love that.

Basically I'll read any genre, it's more the characters and storyline for me. Doesn't matter who's doing who, I just like a good story.

confused

[(Anonymous)]

Can I participate in the poll if I'm not an LJ user? I don't have an account because I'm mostly a lurker and don't have too much time anyway, but I would like to participate in the poll. However, I can't figure out how, since everything I click on just displays the poll results.

Re: confused

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hrm. Try now? I just unscreened the comments.

Actually, try going here:
http://www.livejournal.com/poll/?id=478509&mode=enter

[lisamarie0921.livejournal.com]

Also, please tell me about why you do/do not read/write slash in comments.
HP is my only fandom, and I read all sorts of pairing in fanfic. Het or slash, it doesn't matter to me... unless it's a pairing of two particular people I don't want to see together (ie Harry/Luna; it's a fine ship, just not what I want to read; likewise, I wouldn't read Sirius/James, because I don't want to see them together. The slash factor has nothing much to do with it.

Most of the HP slash is m/m, which is good, because I am a straight woman, so reading about 2 boys is, well, hot. I don't read smut/porn, though, but I do read m/m romances, or fics that feature a m/m couple.

And this in no way matches with my views on homosexuality in real life. Unpopular as my views may be, fiction is different than RL.

So, yeah. I read slash because it's hot, and some of it is really well-written and emotionally intelligent. And I like that.

[lisamarie0921.livejournal.com]

And I forgot to add my one slash pet-peeve: fics that turn EVERYBODY gay. I mean, not ALL the wizards in the WW can be gay, or they couldn't reproduce. Just isn't believable, IMO. *shrugs*

[blackletter]

*Wandered in off the streets daily_snitch*

I read slash because my brain is wired in such a way that I have a great deal of trouble relating to female characters. So in a het story, I'm always left with one major character I can't relate to. Whereas is slash, I'm more likely to relate to both characters.

That said, I will read het as well, but I tend to hold it to a higher standard. The writing, the plot and the characterization have to be superb to make up for my typical disinterest in female characters due to the fact that I can't relate to them mentally or emotionally.

But I think my reason is atypical and my brain is a very strange place.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I have a great deal of trouble relating to female characters

Is this in the HP fandom? Do you have other fandoms?

And I guess the next question is, r u m or f? :P

[xochiquetzl]

I have zero problem with people making a character "a different sexuality than canon." First of all, because I think sexuality is more fluid than that, and secondly because all fanfic is AU anyway.

What a writer has to do is convince me that this is still the character from the source material, and make the sexuality grow out of that. If you can't convince me on the characterization, I won't even buy the canon pairings in your story.

(Here from daily_snitch, BTW.)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

If you can't convince me on the characterization, I won't even buy the canon pairings in your story.


Which is what I think most (all?) of us like in fic. Thanks for the answer :)

[wolfseer.livejournal.com]

I meant to comment earlier when I voted, but my computer at work decided not to cooperate. :P

Anyway, I mostly prefer the canon pairings. I'll make some exceptions, like Harry/Ginny in HP. I like them both as characters, but loathe them as a couple - I can't really say why, I just do. Since slash isn't technically canon in HP, I don't usually read it. Occasionally, I'll find a well-written Harry/Severus or Harry/Draco that I simply love, but unfortunately most of them are "Boy likes boy. Boy shags boy. Boy is boy's forever darling. The end!" or something along those lines. What draws me into a fic is mainly the characterisation, the plot and the plausibility. I don't care how brilliantly scripted a fic is, if it has something/someone happening that's phenomenally outrageous (ie Dawn/Dumbledore, and yes I've actually seen that) then I'm dashing for the hills.

For non-canon, same standards apply. In a normal situation, or even an abnormal one, would Ron Weasley leap into bed with Draco Malfoy? Not bloody likely. If that is the pairing, there has to be a believable raison d'être for it. Ditto for Harry/Severus. Hasn't our scathingly sexy Potions Master hated Mr Potter with every fibre of his being for years? D'oh. So why would they even entertain the notion of a relationship? That goes for any other non-canonical pairing. Lori Summers' The Paradigm of Uncertainty sports a Harry/Hermione pairing. I was a tad sceptical at first, but it was so well-written, that I actually forgot I don't like that couple! Ron wasn't being a jealous git either, which I believe has been done to death.

In Anita Blake fics, since they're written from Anita's POV, sometimes it's difficult or nigh impossible to tell who likes whom (or what), so I have plenty of leeway with which to read. I usually only read Asher/Anita, JC/Anita, JC/Anita/Asher and, if it's a crossover, Asher/f, JC/f, Rafael/f, wereleopard/f and werewolf/f. Usually no slash, which is odd considering what AB's all about. *shrugs* Who can fathom my mind? Regardless of pairing, it's got to be plausible.

houses7177 and cissasghost said it quite well. :)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

"Boy likes boy. Boy shags boy. Boy is boy's forever darling. The end!"

Girl meets boy. Girl gets boy into pickle. Boy gets pickle into girl. The end. Yes, I've read that one.

Usually no slash, which is odd considering what AB's all about

Well, if you look at life realistically, the percentage of homosexuality in the general population is about 10 per cent. That's sort of reflected in the AB population. But those HP fics where everyone's shagging in the dorms...

Regardless of pairing, it's got to be plausible.

Yes. *pause* so you won't be reading my Richard/Narcisus fic?

*ducks*

Interesting poll & results

[vigdis-vale.livejournal.com]

I was pointed to you by Beren, and I'm glad I dropped in. I hope you don't mind me adding you to my friends list...

I am looking forward to reading your work.

Re: Interesting poll & results

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Not at all. Welcome to the flist :)

[slythhearted.livejournal.com]

After years of reading fanfic I've only recently started reading slash and even then it is restricted to largely one fandom. I have read slash in other fandoms if it is well written but I don't go seeking out Spander yahoo groups. As a general rule my reading preferences go something like this:

Het - HP, WW, AB, BtVS non canon relationships

Slash - Due South (100% due to msgordo) When I started reading in the fandom the slash stories were better written than the het.

Gen - SG-1 'cause I can't get past the whole military frat rules when it comes to het fic

Saying that, I am happy to read minor characters in a slash relationship with the understanding that if the author is deviating from canon sexuality there is a damn good explanation why. My het preferences are based either in canon (JC/Anita, Viktor/Hermione etc) or 2 characters having some serious subtext in the shows (eg Josh and Donna in West Wing)

Oh and the fact that I agree with cissasghost goes without saying : )

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I too prefer gen fics with SG1... at least in the core group. I wrote some Sam/Martouf stuff too many years ago to count, but not the main four. Cuz, no.

if the author is deviating from canon sexuality there is a damn good explanation why.

A common theme.

(and we all agree with cissasghost)

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

Here via the Daily Snitch...

I couldn't answer your second question, because there was no option for predominantly f/f, which is my main focus. I read very little m/m at all (limited pairings, limited authors), and het only rarely.

Also, from starting off as a het writer, many years ago, I've become a predominantly f/f writer, with the occassional gen story thrown in. I should add that I don't actually write in HP fandom at all, I merely lurk on the edges of the fandom.

I will "slash" m/m pairings while watching a show (ie, "oh, they would make a great couple"), but I won't search out fic about those pairings. Also, I have no problem with non-canonical pairings - being an f/f person, and there being very little of that on TV, if I did have a problem with it, I wouldn't be able to write and/or read all that much fic!

I've got a few more comments I want to make on internal and external believeability of pairings, but I need to go to work. Therefore, I will try to come back to this post tonight or tomorrow morning.

[snackbreak.livejournal.com]

For that last question, I was pointed here via dailysnitch, so I figured that was the closest answer to pick, hope that works.

[kc-anathema.livejournal.com]

Was pointed here by a friend. Will pimp.

I write slash because I don't usually like any female characters in a fandom, I always love at least two of the male characters, and being about 85% straight, I don't particularly wanna write anything with female icky parts. Boy icky parts are much more fun. Plus, boys are more likely to engage in violence, which is another favorite plot device of mine.

[lanjelin.livejournal.com]

Here via the Daily Snitch!

I almost only read slash, but sometimes I also read gen or het. It depends on the characters. But I often read for the pairing, so mostly slash.

I'm not that interested in het, because I've read so much of it already. It's prevalent everywhere in society, in nearly every movie, tv-series, book and even commercial.

Also, in most of my fandoms, the men are more interesting. And there are more of them too. The exceptions would be Utena, Buffy and possibly Bleach, (but I haven't seen much of that yet).

I like to read about the characters I like and find compatible to fall in love. Usually there isn't that much of a canon sexuality; the creators often don't say. And even if the main character is interested in someone of the opposite sex, it doesn't mean he or she can't fall in love with someone of the same sex later. (Just look at Willow!)

But something I simply cannot stand is OOC. That makes me hit the back button fast as lightning! (Of course, I have to accept some slight deviance from my own vision, since no one is going to see the characters exactly like I do.)

[eiranea.livejournal.com]

I got pointed here via Beren.

Um, yea. I guess I'll just throw my two cents in here, if you don't mind XD

It's weird, actually, my reading slash fics. I got into fanfiction via The Mummy Returns, Oded Fehr and Buffy which would have been 3 or 4 years ago, and everything I read was het. Loads of RPF around Oded and a ton of Buffy/Spike *looks ashamed* but no slash, not one little bit.

And then The Lord of the Rings came out, I surfed around the net a bit, and found a load of communities and Yahoo!groups for LOTR fiction and got involved. Only it turned out that they were all slash fiction communities. I'm not sure why I actually read the stuff rather than running away screaming, but I kinda found that I liked it, and I suppose there was in me, even then, some kinda of latent bisexuality that I hadn't yet come to terms with. I guess as well, the idea of Celeborn/Halidir appealed to me far more than Celeborn/Galadriel since I liked both Celeborn and Haldir in the film, and wasn't so keen on Galadriel. At the time it must have been on of those why have one hot guy in a pairing when you can have two kind of things. *blushes* It must have made sense at the time.

I've kinda worked my way through a few different fandoms, but since then I have targeted the slash (and, more recently, femmeslash) in every fandom that I have been a part of. Furthermore all the original fiction that I have written in the last 3/4 years has all been slash. In the end I suppose it just became a part of what I looked for in fics that I was reading. In some ways relationships between two guys or two girls can just be far more beautiful. That seems weird now I actually put it into words, but I guess it has something to with the if they can it, then so can I.

All that said, I do still read het fanfic, and original fiction, but I have never shyed away from the more homosexual elements to stories, I just find it more interesting, especially if the author can make it believeable.

*grins* That was far longer than I intended it to be, but your poll got me thinking as to why I actually read/write slash.

~Kiri

P.s. Was it your genius that came up with the idea of doing Anita/HP crossovers that has inspired Beren? It's a bloody amazing idea.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

That was far longer than I intended it to be, but your poll got me thinking as to why I actually read/write slash.
Cool, thanks!

Was it your genius that came up with the idea of doing Anita/HP crossovers that has inspired Beren? It's a bloody amazing idea.
*blushes* thanks! Actually, I started writing Inevitable last September, and began posting it in February, prompted by someone else posting their HP/AB crossover(!) on TTH. It sort of motivated me to get off my ass.

But yes, we loves the AB/HP crossovers.