/ is starting to irritate me

[roxy]

The thing that irritates me is this: Reading Dean/OMC--or whatever character of your choice followed by a slash in the header, only to find that the interaction between C and OMC was *rape*. Or the /Whoever was in the fic with the character for the blink of an eye. Yes, there's a difference between the short term character being a pivotal point of the story and just someone fucked in an alley.

I know, I know, I complain when I've done it myself but I'm coming to hate it. Because to me, the / means that a relationship with main Character is in the offing. It's an awful disappointment to me when I find the writer thinks / means so little. I'll click out of a story these days when that happens. It's probably just me, but it's becoming more and more an irritation. I'm thinking that newer writers don't know what the slash means? Or am I confusing what the slash means? Has this post descended into incomprehensibility?

Yeah, anyway, it's bugging me so knock it off.

Comments

[cha.livejournal.com]

checks my slashes

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

*GIGGLE*

not you!!

[lexalicious70.livejournal.com]

To me, the slash indicates the pairing. That's how it's been since I started posting slash online in 2004, and probably meant it before that!

And dude, if people have rape in their fic, why are there no warnings about it? Not cool. Damn n00bs. Rape should never be a surprise when reading fic!

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Oh no, the writers do warn for rape--no one would dare not to--it's just that I'm so trained to see the slash as an indication of pairing that I'm shocked that in using the slash, the writer means the *rapist*. That's not a pairing in any sense of the word, to me.

[lexalicious70.livejournal.com]

Ah! Okay then, that's different.

As for the other thing, that seems like a pairing fail, to me. A victim of a rape and his/her attacker is not a pairing, IMO. That's more like . . . a felony?

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Yes, thank you! Why not change the header to 'no pairing', and in the warnings refer to 'rape of main character' or something like that. Then we know our hero is in serious trouble, without mistaking it for a relationship. *shudder*

oops! wrong button! *sheepish grin*

[danceswithgary]

And yet, I've seen complaints when another (encounter, hookup, pick your poison) wasn't included in the pairings list because there are those who want only read their OTP untouched by any other hands.

Basically, I can't win when I fill out my headers. *shrugs*

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

You know, I see complaints about that all the time, and I just can't understand that. What is this bizarre *thing* folks have that the OTP have never willingly had sex with other people? *Real Life* folks--people actually live it until they meet the person they decide they love. Not to mention they might decide they're in love a couple of times before they meet the One True One. *shakes head*

Even catering to that doofy idea, I can't see why folks can't go to Author's Notes or Warnings and find out all that stuff there, instead of disappointing folks like me who *love* reading the Hero with people besides the standard love interest?

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think of the slash as a mark for a relationship, not rape or other forms of nonconsensual sex. (Are you reading the Dean/Alistair in hell where Alistair has a barbed cock story? That one scares me!) I was just thinking about inappropriate uses of the slash in that Chuck-centered story that was just posted, since it listed Chuck/Zachariah as a pairing but it was all Zachariah raping Chuck. I would label that as a gen story with rape, not a Chuck/Zachariah story.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Am I reading that story? God, no! No barbed cock for me, thanks! Is that the story that involves Castiel as well? Don't think I can do that one.


I would label that as a gen story with rape, not a Chuck/Zachariah story.

Exactly! That wasn't the particualr story that inspired this post but I keep seeing similar things.

[bradygirl_12]

People have some strange ideas about rape. *shakes head*

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Omg, I *know*! Too much yaoi, I think!

[(Anonymous)]

Or too many soap operas. If I had a nickel for every "redeemed" rapist on a soap opera who wound up married to his victim....

--Jessica

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

RIGHT??? what the hell is wrong with people?

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I think you've pinpointed yet one more example of the fluidity of terms in fandom and on the internet as new people come in.

I prefer the / to indicate a relationship pairing --established, UST, whatever, but a relationship, not just sex (and certainly not rape).

But slash also carries the strong connotation of a purely sexual story between the characters named on either side of the slash--including PWP where there's really nothing about the relationship EXCEPT the sex. So "Dean/OMC" where Dean has a brief encounter with some random guy doesn't seem like a wrong use of the /.

After all, the term arose to distinguish a story in which Kirk and Spock play key roles, and a story in which Kirk and Spock have sex. So I can see both sides of the question. But it's a good complaint.

And 100% no to rape being any part of a slash pairing.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

So "Dean/OMC" where Dean has a brief encounter with some random guy doesn't seem like a wrong use of the /.

I can agree with that, I don't even mind if the story is only about sex with a random stranger. I prefer the story to be about consensual sex, sure, because I want to see Dean's interaction with someone other than his brother, I want to see folks write interesting OCs. It doesn't have to be romantic, it can be bordering on non-con as long as there's some reason for it--but it shouldn't ever be about rape. I think that belongs in the warnings section of the header, along with warnings for other possibly triggering subjects.

I know that me complaining about Dean getting dragged into a bathroom, being pushed into sex, and basically ending with Dean and me both going 'wtf just happened there?' and labeling it Dean/OMC is me shouting into the wilderness, but hey! I'm allowed to be crabby. I have the permission slip.

[(Anonymous)]

I learned / formatting in Forever Knight, where people were really particular about whether a story was Nick-Lacroix or Nick/Lacroix. And I don't might seeing it for brief encounters in short stories or a brief-but-significant interlude in a longer story, but lately I've been seeing the / used to show who's in the story, and I wonder if there are perfectly good gen stories I've passed up because I wasn't into the "pairing".

--Jessica

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

It's certainly a possibilty. I think that the meaning of / is soon going to be a lot different than when we first discovered it.

[tabaqui]

I would *never* use character/character in a RAPE scenario - that's just wrong. The / *does*, for me, mean a relationship of some sort, and rape is so not that.

Ick.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Right? I was just saying to emeraldsedai that it doesn't have to be romantic, it can even be dub-con but straight up rape is not a pairing. Now, if it's an EvilSam story, and he rapes and tortures Dean and it's labeled EvilSam/Dean, I can buy that because they have a history that lends a reason to what is happening. There's a twisted kind of dependency that makes it a horrible version of a relationship. Screwy, gross and fucked to hell, but a relationship. And what does this prove? That labeling things is kind of like trying to hold onto a greased pig. Very difficult. :)

[tabaqui]

Heeeee. Exactly.

And, quite frankly, i loathe that sort of story. Blech.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Yes, and I'm thinking hard about using that in a story that's been kicking around for a long time in my head.

Mind you, in this story, there are going to be Consequences and Repercussions--I *hate* stories where Sam is evil and abusive and never changes.

[tabaqui]

Me, too. I hate stories where Dean is *broken* and just becomes this shell and it's all Evil!Sam fucking him!! and crap like that. Blech.

Wriiiiiiiiiiite eeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

[arianstarr.livejournal.com]

Agreed!

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I swear, I know I'm really cranky lately but this thing has gotten under my skin. Well, that and 'passed/past' and how they are not interchangeable.

[arianstarr.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhhhhh that is one of my biggest pet peeves!!!

[ender24]

I feel the same as you?
its a sure sign, we are getting old XD

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

LOL! I'm going to have to buy a cane to whack the annoying youngsters with!