COMPLAINING and a rec!

[roxy]

I'm sorry, but this using a / to indicate a gen relationship really irritates the hell out of me. I'm a SLASH reader and a SLASH writer and more specifically a WINCEST reader and writer. That's my main interest, and when I click on a story that has Sam/Dean in the headline, I expect some form of slash. I don't necessarily need out and out sex--though that's more than nice, but it pisses me off when it turns out to be a completely, *totally* gen story, or worse, a het story. Nothing wrong with either, just not when I'm expecting guy love. When I want to read gen, I read gen. Much, much more rarely, I'll read het. I just like to know what it is I'm reading.

I know that these folks aren't posting like that intending to misrepresent, I think that they just don't get that there's a difference. We've talked about this a few times here. Is it not the same other fandom places? Is it only LJ anymore that adheres to the slash meaning a M/M relationship?

*throws hat down and flings hands up*





Had to get that off my chest. Okay, I bitched, so let me rec a fucking fabulous GEN story. See? I read them sometimes. Are you wondering where Sam's at, what's going on under that massive forehead? This fic explains it all. It's chilling, heartbreaking, *scary* as fuck and just plain amazing. I really liked it.

Stapled Shut, Inside an Outside World bycaranfindel

Comments

[nicnac918.livejournal.com]

I'll totally back you up on a '/' between two character names means a romantic or sexual relationship of some sort occurs between two characters, and then I'm rather partial to '&' to signify that a story places a special emphasis on the *platonic* relationship between the characters. Of course occasionally there are issues where a fic is kind of borderline gen (for example: if running through the fic, but tangential to the actual plot, A has a number of thoughts about how (s)he would like to get into B's pants, but by the end no pants were actually gotten into on- or off-stage), but at that point the writer really just has to make a judgement call. And then they should add some sort of tag or disclaimer or something that let's people know it was a judgement call. Throwing in a 'onesided,' 'UST,' or 'pre-slash' are all good options for that.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

I like 'pre-slash' very much for a fic in which feelings are had that aren't acted on. Sometimes I like those stories better than the ones where pants are gotten into. :) ( i like that!)

[bradygirl_12]

*nods*

I have a story that I will be posting soon that is pre-slash. I'll probably label it with "/" to indicate the strong feelings and put in a note explaining that it's very pre-slash, though.

What I don't get is people labeling het fic as slash fic! I guess it's because you can use the slash (Steve/Diana, for example), but that doesn't mean it's slash!

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

You know, reading your comment, I'm nodding along, understanding *perfectly* what you mean, and it hit me: to a newbie, none of what we're talking about makes any sense.

"wait, there's the word slash, means sex, but specifically male male sex. But, "/ " means paring too and not just M/M sex...hunh???"

LOL!

[bradygirl_12]

LOL! True! Fannish lingo can confuse a newbie for sure! And it's a dozen times worse since the Internet. What kind of took its time to wend its way around fandom organically now takes about a millisecond and things change so fast!

Better a "/" symbol than the cutesy-poo names people come up with for ships! Half the time I look at it and say, "Umm, who are they supposed to be?" ;)