thoughts on slashfic.

[arethinn]

In a HP-filter post I remarked that I had some thoughts on why male/male fic is the most popular type (depending on your fandom, I suppose, but this seems to be the case in most I have glanced at), especially when it comes to smut.

So, given: That heterosexual females (like myself) are doing most of the writing and reading, then:

1. The same Oedipal reason hetero men often like lesbian porn: there is no participant of the same gender to be a threat.

2. Such females are generally familiar (or, I suppose, uncomfortable) with their vulvas and would rather hear about cocks plzkthxbai. (In a way I guess you could cast this as homophobia.)

3. (This one may just be me) In het fic there is an opportunity to plug oneself in which is not present when all there is is boys, and that's often a very uncomfortable idea. (Yes, in my case, even FC/Severus, which you would think I would have no trouble with, ha ha.) Male/male is more pure voyeurism -- safer, if you will, because it doesn't demand the same involvement.

Your thoughts?

Comments

[lunylucy.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure there are many discussions of this with various conclusions, but you bring up the main points. I feel like I can't contribute because I, while being a non-homophobic heterosexual female HP fan, actually don't like slash smut at all.

[fenm.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I agree with your first point entirely. For me it's not so much that a female character is a threat as... why do I wanna see or read about a naked woman?

There's another reason I prefer to read slashfic: Whenever I read het, I find myself, no matter how hard I try not to, making the thing political. "Why is she undressing first?" "Does the woman always have to be on the bottom?" stuff like that... d-:

There's one other reason women write slash: In some fandoms, the female chracters are just not that interesting.

[arethinn]

There's one other reason women write slash: In some fandoms, the female chracters are just not that interesting.

Definitely applies to Harry Potter, I would say. I am not thrilled with Hermione -- she's the female character with the most depth, and that's not saying a lot -- and I really, really don't get Snape/Hermione fic, as I think I've mentioned. (I suppose I am then hypocritical for liking Severus/Lily, heh. It's the only het pairing I do actively like, though.)

I find McGonagall interesting (thus, I tend to like her in genfic), but very hard to sexualize. I also sometimes find it interesting when people flesh out "name-dropped" characters, semiOFC style (such as Profs. Sinistra or Vector), but again, difficult to sexualize them, although I can handle light romance.

Um, that's about it. Yeah. Not a lot of good female characters to choose from.


I think about the only fandom I've dipped my toes into where slash isn't the order of the day is MST3K, and that's because "fanfic" basically amounts to "MiSTings" -- but still, light on the female characters, heh.

[fenm.livejournal.com]

There's one other reason women write slash: In some fandoms, the female chracters are just not that interesting.

Definitely applies to Harry Potter, I would say.

And how sad is that, given the author... d-:

I am not thrilled with Hermione -- she's the female character with the most depth, and that's not saying a lot

And her portrayal in the movies doesn't help... Emma needs to tone it down a notch. Or five.

-- and I really, really don't get Snape/Hermione fic, as I think I've mentioned.

The only reason I can think of for this (aside from, "I like these two characters so I'm sticking them together") is that they're both. Well.. kinda nerdy. ^_^
Great... now I have "White & Nerdy" running through my head. ^_^

(I suppose I am then hypocritical for liking Severus/Lily, heh.

Why? I can think of a lot of reasons to support the one but not the other...

It's the only het pairing I do actively like, though.)

I like Ron and Hermione ok.

I find McGonagall interesting (thus, I tend to like her in genfic), but very hard to sexualize.

"You just can't see me as a sexual being, Mike."
"You're not a sexual being!"

I also sometimes find it interesting when people flesh out "name-dropped" characters, semiOFC style (such as Profs. Sinistra or Vector), but again, difficult to sexualize them, although I can handle light romance.

Yeah.
Hey, how about Charity Burbage? Note that even after Snape killed Dumbledore, and ecen though he was literally Voldy's right hand man, when V had her captive, she pleased with Snape to help her. Why did she trust him...? Hmmm...

Um, that's about it. Yeah. Not a lot of good female characters to choose from.

Luna! I like her.

I think about the only fandom I've dipped my toes into where slash isn't the order of the day is MST3K, and that's because "fanfic" basically amounts to "MiSTings" -- but still, light on the female characters, heh.

Yeah... Ma Forrester, Gypsy, and Magic Voice are pretty much it, aside from the occasional drop in...

[arethinn]

(re: Snape/Hermione)

"Great... now I have "White & Nerdy" running through my head. ^_^

...I have no words but "roflcopter". Fanvid ahoy, except I have not the skillz.

"Why? I can think of a lot of reasons to support the one but not the other..."

"Luna! I like her."

I have such a huge blind spot for Luna, I dunno why. She honestly didn't even occur to me when I was writing that comment. Now that you say, it's like duh; she's about "depth of character" #2 or #3 (alongside either Molly or Ginny) IMO.

It's so nice we share more than one fandom and can talk about one in terms of the other. Saves words sometimes. ;)

I didn't mean vs. Snape/Lily, I meant for liking a het pairing when Lily is hardly not a shallow character (in canon).

[arethinn]

oops, formatting error there. the bit about snape/lily was supposed to go after the quote about "why? i can think of reasons..."

[shadowmorphic.livejournal.com]

"Male/male is more pure voyeurism -- safer, if you will, because it doesn't demand the same involvement."

Exactly, it is enjoyable without grating on all the sore spots when you m/f and f/f relationships are not exactly where you want them to be.

I also find slash writers to be romantic it the way that hurts my head less, since it is slightly less 'girly'.

[estaratshirai.livejournal.com]

The thing is...these are precisely the same reasons that I don't like slash, at least not if it's the only thing going. I want to be in the scene somewhere - that's where the fun is for me. And I do want to see girls too. (Maybe the bi thing has something to do with that, but still....)