/ 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

[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*