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."

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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."

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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.)

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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?

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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.

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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

[hollywoodgrrl.livejournal.com]

This was a very interesting read!

But merr...the thing with me and slash, and I think it's just a fundamental thing that I'm not getting, is that unless it's in the canon it's just not my thing. The fic I prefer is definitely het, and preferably the het that I don't really get enough of in the show. It's very interesting, but in a way, I think BSG has a tiny amount of fic in general because it's so damn sex-filled on screen! Like, I don't need to read Lee/Kara because I had TOO DAMN MUCH of it in the show.

That said, for some crazy ass reason, I wrote Gater, and I don't even see that whatsoever. It was a thing. I have no idea.

Anyway it really bothers me a lot that in the SGA fandom, McShep is the BIGGEST THING since sliced bread. And people actually prefer it when really, it makes ZERO ZERO ZERO sense with the character of John Sheppard to be gay. And therefore it's dumb as it's so unsupported by canon. At least in my opinion.

[cynthia-arrow.livejournal.com]

*butts in*

Re: canon... I love love love het in canon, but in fanfic, writing/reading canon pairings bores me, maybe because they're already on the screen. I can't get into writing it. I write best (and enjoy reading most) when there's the challenge of making something I haven't seen--like slash or non-canon het--seem like it belongs in canon. Obviously, we need very different things out of fanfic. :)

But you're right--I can only think of one or two examples of seeing legitimately slashy undertones between two ostensibly straight men, and it def. wasn't on BSG. (House/Wilson on House; Clark/Lex on Smallville.)

[hollywoodgrrl.livejournal.com]

Helloo.

I write best (and enjoy reading most) when there's the challenge of making something I haven't seen--like slash or non-canon het--seem like it belongs in canon. Obviously, we need very different things out of fanfic. :)
I kinda agree, yes. Again, this is why something like Lee/Kara isn't at all interesting. And I certainly love to read/write anything that is hinted at in subtext, but hasn't been told forthright. Unless of course it's an aspect of THAT thing that hasn't been explored. Anyway, it's very intriguing. But in terms of slash, it's safe to say that usually it will never be realized on the show, while there's hope for *some* het pairs (again, it really depends on the pair) so that's where I get the turnoff. Again, especially if it just doesn't make sense with the characters we see on screen.

I don't watch House, but I take your word for it. I have, however, seen Smallville and I agree, Clark and Lex have a *special* bond. ;)

[crickets.livejournal.com]

You have a good point about the BSG fandom not needing fic to fulfill the audience desire for porn. Damn straight. But some of us are insatiable, I suppose. *wink*

And re: Canon and the slash fitting in. I am pretty much a giant advocate of defying canon in a believable way. I actually read a really good meta today about latent bisexuality in men and that it's probably more common than we know due to societal... norms? I dunno. Hold on lemme link you: here (http://metamiri.livejournal.com/2846.html).

Not that I'm trying to convince you, I guess maybe us slashers are coming at it from that kind of perspective.

Also I think what makes slash (or other difficult non-canon pairings) so appealing, from a storytelling standpoint, is oftentimes there's a level of secrecy or an intensified feeling of angst that you don't get with canon pairings. And I live for angst... so... Hahaha.

I don't even watch Atlantis currently. (3 eps in I'm taking my time! *cowers*) and I happen to think McShep is just the cutest thing ever. Hahaha.

I'll admit it, I'm a sheep. Hehehe.

[hollywoodgrrl.livejournal.com]

LMAO! Ok, ok, we all have our vices. I just can't handle bad porn and like 90% of the time it's just baaaad in any fandom.

I am pretty much a giant advocate of defying canon in a believable way. I actually read a really good meta today about latent bisexuality in men and that it's probably more common than we know due to societal... norms?
Ah yes. Well I have the meta opened in a tab (thanks!) but before I take a look at it, I wanted to say that I completely believe in if the situation is right (and it will have to be some sort of angsty situation to have the men revert to it), then I think men can easily revert to the old Greek/Roman standards of fucking each other. That I believe in. But femslash is a whole different thing.

Like, in BSG, the only slash I could buy is let's say Lee and Anders drinking their grief for Kara away, then somehow a fight breaks out between them, and then after beating each other up all drunkenly they hump. But only because their angst for Kara is so equally strong, and they're so super desperate.

Or the Gaetar fic that I wrote, where Gaeta rapes Baltar, which honestly, I feel nothing for, but it was a power play on Gaeta's part and therefore the only legitimate kind of sex between the two imo, and it was set during "Taking a Break" so it made sense to me.

But McShep...although cute (in a platonic sort of way), is NOT OTP!!! :P

[crickets.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

Tough and Cuddles...

:P

Ten years later, I'm ETAing to say: I totally get you on the bad porn. I have found some exceptions to be the SPN fandom and the Lost fandom. (There is a small-ish, pocket of really really brilliant authors in the Lost fandom - most of whom are on my flist.) Anyway, I see your porn frustration with BSG. I have found it to be... not up to what I'm used to, because before that Lost and SPN were my main fandoms so I was used to something a bit... different. I think it can be done well, in any case, with any fandom, but some fandoms are more blessed than others.

[hollywoodgrrl.livejournal.com]

Trufax! We need good writers, dammit!