Slash and fanfiction

[toasterovnofdoom]

I'm writing a final paper for a media and society class on homosexuality and fanfiction, specifically femslash. I was hoping to get some comments so i have evidence from the horses, or in this case, from the kittens mouth. my thesis deals with how femslash is created by fans as a means to compensate for the lack of lesbian representation in the media. i was hoping to get your opinions and thoughts on this; ie. why do you as a fan write/read fanfiction, perticularly men and straight women?, what is the appeal or it? how do you think the public percieves slash fics and those who write/read them? what do you feel about the sense of community that is built around fanfiction? what is your opinion on my thesis, anything you feel might make it stronger/more accurate.

my paper is due this thursday (may 4th), so responces before then would be nice. anything i use in my paper from these comments will be anonomous and simply used as evidence.

[Saena]

Oh, slash. How much of my time is spent reading it. I don't know how much my thoughts are going to help you. I don't read a lot of femslash, although I recently dipped into it by starting small, with fluffy little W/T fics! I do seem to be constantly attracted to all kinds of male pairings, though, which culminates in me reading a fairly large amount of m/m fanfic.

I think your theory that GLBT women read femslash because there is so little representation of it has validity. I think that, more than that, it is also a prime reason why people write it. I don't know that people who don't read slash know too much about it. Because when I talk to someone who writes slash, we can go on for ages. But I think the conversation would end pretty quick if it were with someone who wasn't a totally addicted reader like myself and most of my writer friends.

I once said the following about slash in a review I wrote: "As a longtime, devoted slash reader, I know that slash is another form of fantasy. Very little of it is true. In fanfiction, the majority of slash is focused on two characters who are not together (and usually aren't even gay) in the book, movie, or TV show. It's a fantasy, the seizure of a single moment of provocative tension which is developed into an alternate experience." Technically, that last sentence can be interpreted to describe all types of fanfiction, but I see it as being particularly relevant to slash.

I don't know if any of this helps your thesis at all. I just saw an opportunity to talk about slash and jumped on it. Hope you get more responses, and good luck with your paper!

Saena

[toasterovnofdoom]

thanks for the response. is it alright is i quote your quote? i really liked it.
hopefully i'll get some more comments.

[dorksrcool]

I don't know if W/T count as "slash" since they were really a couple on the show. But as you know, we really didn't get to see a lot of their intimacy portrayed on screen. That's why I like to read smutty fan fic about them. After having read SO much of it, when I watch BTVS now I have a whole new perception of them as characters. It makes it more fun to watch the actual show now that I've permeated my brain with so much smutty goodness about them. So in a nutshell, reading fan fic enhances my experience of watching the actual television show and it's freakin' hot! I don't watch porn, I read it.

Hope that's somewhat helpful. I've never read any other femslash stuff.

Good luck! This is such an interesting topic. I'd love to hear responses from straight women and men as to why they love this stuff too.

[Saena]

thanks for the response. is it alright is i quote your quote? i really liked it.
hopefully i'll get some more comments.

Of course you can!

Saena

[Giftofamber]

In my personal opinion, femslash is to compensate for the sheer lack of *quality* lesbian relationships on tv or in movies or in books. Even in anime, a lot of times I have to go to yuri that is aimed at men to find something resembling a quality relationship. I read femslash (not just W/T) to find lesbians who can have a happy relationship and still be interesting. I *cough* write for the same reason.