Fanfics with slash & sex...I don't get it

Sun Jan 5 19:20:36 UTC 2003

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Kathryn Cawte" <kcawte at b...>
wrote:
> 
> -------Original Message-------
> 
> From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com
> Date: 05 January 2003 11:43:15

> To: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Fanfics with slash & sex...I don't get it
> 
> I honestly don't understand the appeal of all these 
> slash pairings. I suppose people will write what they 
> like, but I won't be reading any of it. 
> 
> 
> Firstly - while I've read a lot of fanfic with the younger
> characters having sex I've seen very few that aren't set far 
> enough in the future that the kids are all over 16. Just because 
> a fic is harry/Ron or Ron/Hermione or whatever doesn't mean it's 
> about 12 year olds having sex. ...edited...
> 
> Secondly - what makes you think we (us authors) are changing their
> sexual preferences, with the exception of people like Percy (who we 
> know is dating Penelope) and a few other characters we don't know 
> definitively what their sexual preferences are. ...edited...
> 
> Now I'm not trying to force you to read anything you don't want to,
> I have several online friends who refuse to read slash (and a couple
> who won't read het unless they're beaten over the head with it), you
> can read what you want ...edited...

> - like you say it's a free country. But there is some very good 
> plot-driven slash out there that stays true to JKR's characters.
> ...edited...
> 
> Besides there are so few strong female characters in the books,
> compared to the guys, that we poor authors either have to write 
> slash, introduce original characters, or stick to a very limited 
> number of pairings.   ....edited... I'm not claiming that's an 
> exhaustive list but still *that's* why I write slash.
> 
> ...edited... Off to go and write some female-centered potterfic to
> slay this particulat hobby horse so I can go back to my regularly
> scheduled slash.
> 
> K

bboy_mn comments:

Well, if we have ever been dangerously 'off topic', I would say we
certainly are now.

Younger Characters -
Anytime you start writing about pre-pubecent kids, you are in
dangerous territory, both legally and morally. On the other hand,
having been a little boy and having associated with a lot of little
boys (when I was also little), I can tell you that they are sexual
beings. They know and do a lot more than you think they do. NO...
certainly nothing on the level that is seen in some slash fiction. But
boys discover this fun little spot on their bodies very young, and
frequently share that knowledge and experience with trusted friends
(other boys mostly because that's who they trust. Trust being a very
big part of it). And as the reach the border of and just cross the
border into puberty, the 'fun' sensations intensify, as do the fun
activities. Usually, when the get well into puberty and they start
focusing more on relationships than enjoying this new found 'fun' part
of their body, and the desire and interest in having 'fun' with their
friends fades away.

Most fan fiction author try to draw the lines at 13 and 16. No sex
under 13, as are the rules of most slash sites, and no sex with an
older person (+18) unless the characters are at least 16. I know to
someone outside the slash community, that doesn't sound like much of a
concession, but it does draw lines that are somewhat consistent with
reality. 

Many slash sites have more strict rules where no one under 16 (16
being the age of consent in a majority of the world) can be portrayed
in sexual activity, with others the line is 18. So the while the slash
community may seem like an absolute free for all, it does have some
standards. Most open slash archives will not allow pre-pubescent
sexual activity. Websites belonging to individuals are another matter.

Sexual Preference-
British boys boarding school are notorious for... how should I say
this... boys turning to each other for comfort and more importantly
refief; if you know what I mean. But as indicated in the paragraph
above, this is usually about sharing a new found experience and
pleasure with someone you trust. In a sense, it is about discover and
self-discovery with the help of trusted friends. Again, when they get
deep into puberty, the focus changes to relationships rather than
discovering and enjoying this pleasurable part of your body. Although,
 it's away nice to have a trusted friend willing to lend a helping
hand (sorry about the pun).

So, even though this activity is very common (although not a
majority), it is not about sexual preference. In this time of
discovery, it is about trust... and... well... it does feel good.

Who reads this 'trash'-
As hard as it is to believe, a majority of the readers and many many
of the writers are girls in their teens and twenties. My two biggest
fans are housewives in their middle to late 20's with sons (and
daughters) of their own (whom they love and protect dearly). There is
just something sexy they find in the idea of two guys getting
together. Just like straight guys have an obcession with two women
getting together.

Sex, sex, and more sex-
Not really. I know that's hard to believe when these stories are full
of sex, but life itself is full of sex, and like real life, slash
stories are about love and relationships. OK, some of them are sex,
sex, and more sex, but you are more likely to find these in an erotic
story archive rather than in a slash or fan fiction archive. The sex,
sex, sex stories are also, usually, not very good stories; no plot,
not character developement, etc.... 

I track the lives of my characters from self-discovery at age 13 to
the fulfillment of a long loving relationship at age 38. Hearts ache
and break, love conquers all, they struggle through the hardest, near
fatal of times, and they enjoy the best of love and life. Currently, I
have plans for stories that go to age 38 for the characters. I have
written over 500,000 words this year with many stories still unwritten
or unfinished, and the foundation of my stories from begining to end
is Love, Trust, and Affection. These are the important things in life,
the things that carry you through the hard times, and make the good
times, truly good times. If you have a relationship built around
genuine love, trust, and affection, then you probably have a pretty
solid relationship.

The doctor said, 'don't do that'.-
Man walks into a doctors office and said to the doc, "Doc, everytime I
lift my arm like this, it hurts." The doctor relied, "Then, don't do
that."

Slash is fantasy, pure deep and extreme fantasy. The stories reflect
the author fantasies; fantasies that are never played out in reality.
Slash Fan fiction is fantasy fiction of fantasy fiction, it is about
as ficticious and as fantasy-ed as it can possibley be. In case you
are worried about those poor 'kids' having sex, remember it's not
real. It's all fake. Pure fantasy. There are no kids because it's all
FAKE.

Certainly, if it doesn't appeal to you, you shouldn't read it. But for
those it does appeal to, it is usually contained in newsgroups and
archives of like minded people. Very hard for someone to randomly
stumble across it and not understand what it is before they start
reading. 

It is standard practice to rate all stories at the top in the header
area, and give a brief explaination as to why it is rated that way. To
warn that it is slash, to give the pairings, and to give a brief story
summary. Many contain a descriptive paragraph with a detailed
slash/same-sex warning. Seek and you will find, don't seek and you
probably won't find. It's called free choice.

Just a few (hopefully, non-inflamatory) thoughts on the subject.

bboy_mn 