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

[clio44a <clio44a@yahoo.com>]

Simon wrote:
>In GoF (Yule Ball chapter) we see Sinistra and Vector dancing 
together. Quite a few people believe that this shows a happily 
attached lesbian couple dancing the night away with their students.<

Really? In my book it is Moody and Sinistra dancing.

"Mad-Eye Moody was doing an extremely ungainly two-step with 
Professor Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding his wooden leg."

GoF, Chapter 23-The Yule Ball

As far as I know, you could only argue that Sinistra's gender is 
never given and so she might be male, which I doubt on the base of 
the female ending of the name Sinistra. Anyway, this would not be a 
pointer to a lesbian couple. I would be happy if you could point out 
if I have overlooked something in the text.

But this lesbian cue brings me to my favorite rant topic. Why is 
lesbian slash fanfic so extremely rare?

The most female characters in the books are so heavily 
underdeveloped, that there would be plenty of room to write them as 
lesbian. I, for one, could imagine that a Hooch/Skeeter pairing would 
be interesting. 
I would gladly read such a story, although I try to avoid slash fic. 
I'm simply not interested, because the vast majority has couples that 
are cliche: Draco/Harry, Black/Lupin, Snape/Harry. It's boring to 
read the same thing over and over. (I know there are exceptionally 
good stories with these pairings, but it gets old)

Same is true for some heterosexual couples: Harry/Ginny, 
Hermine/Snape for example. It's ok for a subplot, but I don't read 
stories about the relationship alone.


Simon wrote:
> I get the impression, Haggridd, that you believe the original 
stories 
to contain nothing homosexual (whether same sex couples kissing, 
showing feelings towards each other or more). <

If you say there are pointers to homosexuality in the stories, why 
not use the staffroom scene in PS/SS where Filch tends to Snape's 
Fluffy induced wounds as an example (Chapter 11). Why have I never 
seen a Filch/Snape pairing? Maybe putting the shackles in Filch's 
office to good use?

Does no one ever wonder how such a level of trust between a Death 
Eater and a Squib comes into existence?  

I can just hearing people going Euuugh! at the thought of 
Snape/Filch. Why? Why is it more eugh to see Snape/ Filch than to see 
again and again Draco fucking Harry senseless ? Because the boys are 
cute?


Personally I have the feeling (and I know I will be flamed for it) 
that many slash writers are women, who see slash as a conveniant way 
to picture their to favorite male characters all tender and sweet 
without having a woman interfering. A woman would be seen as a rival 
by the author. Often times stories like this don't care to explain 
about the emotions or reaction of society, they go straight (no pun 
intended) to kissing and bed scenes, which sometimes equals heavy 
porn.

That phenomenon has IMHO nothing to do with gay rights or real life. 
I know there are some people out there who make a point of writing 
slowly developing slash romances with conflicts and all, but you know 
that I'm not talking about those stories.


Anyway, I think that readers have a right to be warned if Harry and 
Draco are all of a sudden have decided to be gay in a fic. Same as I 
would like to be warned if a story takes place in an alternative 
universe or if Dumbledore was married to Poppy out of the blue. It is 
like stating the premises that fic is working under. 


Clio