putting the ick, in ficktion: why slashers hide

[krickets]

Snow day! I have been looking through del.icio.us for slash meta to help me brainstorm for ideas when we talk about why there is so little Battlestar slash in the fandom over at bsg_slashathon. I haven't found much that is particularly useful when it comes to that discussion, but I am finding plenty of other thought-provoking topics.

One is the following entry, The Slash Closet by fairestcat, written about a year and a half ago. While the entry is dated, I don't think the topic is.

In it, she talks about how slashers are a relatively closeted bunch, who tend to hide their fannish activities from the people in their lives. Not only that, but she talks about how it seems like the normal thing to do. The post opens up the floor for discussion as to why that is. Why the secrecy? Why is it seemingly the status quo?

My thoughts:
This may be redundant, but personally, I think it has more to do with fanfic in general than it has to do with the slash. I read and write both het and slash fic, and my family and those close to me don't really know much about either.

Why? Simply put; they just don't get it. I might as well wear dead birds in my hair or start eating live snakes for breakfast or something. I would just get strange looks and a dismissive, "Huh, well isn't that interesting."

-

I don't go to great pains to hide the fact that I participate in fandom. And while I'm not giving most close to me my livejournal address, I'm sure my mother knows I at least read and/or write fic, but beyond that, they don't know very much with some exceptions. While I do show my family and friends my vids on occasion, they just wouldn't understand fan fiction, what it is, that its purpose is, or why I participate in it.

In their eyes, most specifically, my parents, it would be putting my good talent to waste. It's not productive, it doesn't contribute to the household or to society, so it would be seen as pointless and looked down upon. I choose to keep it in the closet so-to-speak, because I don't feel like being belittled for something that is essentially a hobby.

A few of my friends get it, and I do share that part of myself with those select few. Others get the writing aspect and I have reluctantly shared some of my fic with them, but nothing sexually explicit that's over PG-13. Which is for the same reasons that I suspect a guy wouldn't show his mom, or his girlfriend (usually) or his colleagues his playboy collection for the sake of being "open and honest."

-

Now, I'm not equivocating either het fic or slash fic with that sort of pornography. I, personally, don't see it that way in most cases. (Though I can't exactly justify pure PWP in any other way - haha.) But it doesn't matter whether I see it that way or not, because people outside of fandom would see it that way.

(Note: I have to say that if I did have a SO, my fic wouldn't be something I'd want to hide from him at all.)

-

I do feel that it was a bit disheartening to see fannish habits put into the same category as sexuality. As though to say that by hiding the fact that you're a slasher is like hiding who you truly are. Let's say I really really like cooking shows, but since I'm a horrible cook, I don't tell anyone about it, and I only watch them when I'm alone. Would that be put into the same "self-denying/hiding" category?

-

I think worth noting here is Wincest and other incestuous pairings. I have shown my mother my Jawyer vid. (Her response: "I'm sure they would appreciate you making it look like they're gay, KC!") But I don't think I'd ever show her a Wincest vid or a Jawyercita (or Jack/Claire) vid. I feel pretty confident in saying that incest is an entirely different animal, whether the pairing is same-sex or opposite-sex.

-

Another thing I wonder about is perspective. There are people who only slash. There are people who only het. (And probably gen as well, but let's leave them out of it.) And there are people who do both het and slash. I fall into that latter category, so I can comparatively say, that what I share with friends and family isn't effected by whether it's slash or het, it's equal all-around.

So what do you guys think? Do you hide/separate your slash habits from your real life? What do you think that means or doesn't mean? Why? Why not? Etc. etc. blah blah blah, GO!

Poorly constructed indeed! Forget about the poll. I had to do it multiple times and the last time I forgot to include options for people who don't share at all. (The first two times I made it I did though. Rats!)

Comments

[meresy.livejournal.com]

(For the sake of argument, I'm calling myself as reader only. In the Day, I wrote some gen and het(ish) fic. Pray you never see it.)

Anyhow: I read primarily slash. That's my primary interest and that is the majority of what is produced by my fandom.

I think you're right when you say that for some people it may be more about the fanfiction than the slash part. I'm privileged to live in a very tolerant family and peer group, so the slash angle might get me eyebrows, but nothing serious. Explaining WTF fanfiction is about would take longer. ;)

I had to check all "other" because I share my fic habit offline not at all, not even with my closest friends (I don't have an SO, but I'd probably share after a while in that case). It's a difficult topic to broach: my favourite homoerotic stories based on Canadian media, let me show you them. Errk?

Let's not even start about RPS . . .

[crickets.livejournal.com]

WTF is fanfiction, indeed. I can't say that if the fanfic itself wasn't an issue that I would share or talk about anything above PG13, slash or not. That's my cut-off haha.

Sorry about the poll. I had to do it three times and the first two I included the "never" option but forgot the third time. Perfect! I've taken it out.

[meresy.livejournal.com]

Aw, poor poll. No love.

Yeah, I get the rating cut off, too. Not that my friends or even my mom would have a particular problem with the "porn", but you know, there's sharing and then there's sharing.

Not to mention my mom is a nosy mcnoserson. Well-meaning! But she doesn't seem to get that I don't particularly want to share the specifics my online habits with her. Sigh. I'm not pointing her to LJ or Skiffy, nope.

[crickets.livejournal.com]

Hehehe. Sharing and sharing. I am quite familiar with this distinction and I'm 100 percent behind it.

Stupid poll! *kicks it*

[meresy.livejournal.com]

There are things parents should never know about their children. Gay pr0n habit is one of them. ;)

Reading down the threads, I see that you and a few people have friends or acquaintance who are into fic. I think, for, me it seems artificially rare. I know of two people who for sure know about the existence of fic, and I'm not sure their opinion is high. Then again, they might be skirting the issue like I do. I confess that the one time I saw a girl in the computer lab browsing an SGA fic comm, my mind was a little blown. Heh.

I have disclosure issues at the best of times, so short of someone bringing it up to me, I doubt I'd ever find someone with similar interests.

Not to mention that my fandom is a tiny bit obscure, for all it's sometimes included as one of those Establishing Shows when you talk about slash history.

Some day I might broach it with my BFF. She's a good candidate for fangirling, really, just not enough of an internet addict to stumble upon this stuff the way most of us do. ;)

[crickets.livejournal.com]

I was talking with Dayln about how it's kind of nice that I have a few people IRL that I can talk about this stuff with. She doesn't. Which... sucks. And I'm sure a lot of you guys are in the same boat. There should be like... what are those things called? Meet ups? Or something. Hahaha. Anyway. *hug* Good luck with the BFF.

[barefoot-chick.livejournal.com]

I confess that the one time I saw a girl in the computer lab browsing an SGA fic comm, my mind was a little blown. Heh.

Dude...I saw someone in the library browsing on www.buffygiles.com. Yes! I'm not the only B/G advocate in the world.

[meresy.livejournal.com]

Sad enough I get boggled to see fic even outside of my fandom.

I think if I saw somebody browsing, like, groupsession or something I'd actually get over my introversion and . . . glomp them or something. There could be squeeing.

Thank god I've got one C6D fangirl within an hour of me, but having one right here would be win. :D