Slash Musings
After my long weeks (months?) of immersing myself in slash fics I have reached a point where I simply have to stop or RL will just collapse around me. I dread meeting my prof and confessing to utter idleness. How that will go down with him, I don't even want to imagine...
However, I am not going to leave the slash fic universe without some general reflections on slash, OTPs, fandoms, and slash writers.
I am confused. Is Francesca an alias of Speranza or not? Having read some of Francesca's and all of Speranza's stories now, I detect differences, although admittedly merely subtle ones. Are these due to the different fandom? Are they due to a change in her writing style? Are they due to the different kind of voices/characters/environment/story background? Or are they due to a different identity? I am confused. I think I will have to ask Speranza herself. Though -- how embarrassing, really...
"Francesca" writes beautiful Sentinel slash. She was the first to make me fall in love with the guys. A love that later on was unfortunately not corroborated by viewing the series itself which I did after I read all the TS slash I could lay my eyes on. Strangely, I root for Slash!Jim/Blair more than for the actual series. I guess, I have a hard time tuning in to the slashy undercurrent everybody else seems to pick up so easily. I absolutely believe in it though, there is a reason why Jim and Blair were, for a time, vying for OTP with Fraser/RayK, but in the end the latter couple won. And I strongly suspect that's due to the phenomenal dS slash fiction I have read featuring these two, Resonant and Speranza being the best among its writers.
I remember that I found wonderful, epic slashfics for Mulder/Skinner once and, for a while, was totally engrossed in the X-Files fandom, although I never would have slashed Mulder and Skinner by just watching the series (which I did with great enthusiasm). It's what the writers do to flesh out these characters that really brings them alive for me. When it's well done, there is nothing more obvious and natural than to imagine them as a couple deeply in love. Of course, their characters as laid out in the series must carry the projection, I do not tolerate OOC actions/thoughts well.
One writer who absolutely nails this challenging task is, of course, baileymoyes. Her BBM stories keep amazing me in the most wonderful ways. I love how she weaves the original story into her fics and how she is able to change tone and pace and, in lack of a better word, color from fic to fic while never letting the voices slip. Altering, expanding, detailing - yes, but at the same time staying true to what I see as the core of Jack-ness and Ennis-ness.
Her BBM fics, as well as the wonderfully epic AU spin-offs "Human Interest" and "Two Crows Joy" by madlori and wordsmithslash's equally engaging "Reconciliation" (both over at humaninterest are the only ones I still read, having been disappointed too often by writers at wranglers or brokebackfanfic or brokebackslash. I am not into kinky stuff and I refuse to believe that there is a universe in which either Jack (although I would, under certain circumstances, make allowances for him) or Ennis would engage in such activities. As I see them and the world they live in, this just would not happen. Period. Neither would scenarios that patently ignore the deeply crippling trauma Ennis has experienced as a boy.
This trauma, in my opinion, is the very source, the very reason for the failure of their relationship and any fic that doesn't deal with that, that doesn't explore its implications -- be it with a positive or a negative outcome -- just doesn't understand BBM. Ennis's withdrawn-ness, his silence-bordering-on-muteness is not an 'attitude'. It's insecurity, inhibition, shame, shyness, and suspicion from a deeply troubled mind. All the more miraculous that Jack was able to reach through to him.
I believe that every slash reader develops some kind of 'slash-dar', an additional sense that discerns the 'true' from the 'not-true' in a portrayed pairing's relationship. And of course, this judgement is a completely biased and personal interpretation of what the pairing is about, what is driving their relationship, where their love and romance is to be found. So it's all the more exciting when one finds a writer that seems to exactly pinpoint one's own perception. Bailey is such a writer and I am grateful that she still puts out story after marvelous story in this inspiring fandom.
One fandom I never felt comfortable in is the vast world of Harry Potter. As much as I love the books (though increasingly less; I think, she pretty much exhausted her style in the first three) I have a hard time picturing Harry/Draco or, worse, Harry/Snape (yuck!). Harry/Ron is sort of OK but neither of them strucks me as particularly sexy. Boyish innocence, awkwardness and cluelessness doesn't attract me, at least not in those characters. In Orlando, on the other hand -- bring it on! *g* -- Which neatly brings me to...
...a fandom that will always have my deep, deep love: LOTR. There is so much fiction out there -- it's staggering! Still, it's not easy to find writers that really 'do it' for me. For example, as much as I value and adore Bailey in her BBM slash fiction, her LOTR fics sometimes leave me unfulfilled. Although I have to make an exception for The Vigil which is an extraordinary epic with a lot of scope and detail and loveliness.
I have read a lot of LOTR slash a long time ago, maybe a year or even two years. I remember vaguely that Aragorn slash was in a way introductory for me to the slash phenomenon itself -- but I am not sure about it. I know though that I read heaps and heaps of fics, some of them astonishingly good and recreating the Tolkien universe admirably, others less convincing. But then I was still forming my taste and finding my preferences so I don't really remember a lot of it. I must have bookmarked dozens of links under Opera though, IIRC.
How come then, I might ask myself, that Vig/Orli or Aragorn/Legolas don't qualify for OTP? It's probably because Fraser/RayK is imbedded in our reality (with the occasional spice of the surreal thrown in, eg. Bob Fraser, Dief) and even if it's a tv reality it shares much with the world we live in. Whereas Aragorn/Legolas is exclusively fantasy-based. And Vig/Orli is even based on a projection derived from that fantasy. There is no other film featuring Viggo and Orlando so everything the imgagination can come up with must feed off of the LOTR trilogy and an imagined relationship built during the filming of it and although the Tolkien universe in itself is a world of incredible resources, it is still a fictitious, a non-existent world.
I guess, what makes or breaks an OTP work for me, is the belief that it could happen as in happen in my real world. That's why Fraser/RayK. That's why Jim/Blair. That's why Mulder/Skinner. And that's why Jack/Ennis (and me completely losing it in front of the screen during my first viewing of the tent scene; man, did I lose it there...). Jack/Sawyer ("LOST") or House/Wilson ("House M.D.") also qualify, although I haven't yet found really satisfying "LOST" fiction (it's mostly porn and never much in character) and in a way, "House" fiction has a hard time convincing me. It is just so difficult to conjure up situations in which House would show a softer side to Wilson, a moment when his mean, snarky, cynical shell would crack and show need, tenderness, and secret devotion. Because, after all, he will return to being mean, snarky and cynical to Wilson. And how could a relationship ultimately survive this rollercoaster? I don't root for masochists and anyway, that's definitely not how I (want to) see Wilson, nor House for that matter. Apart from the fact that every love scene I have seen so far with Hugh Laurie in it has basically freaked me out -- eeek! He is just not a sexy lover, not even remotely believable, not even nice to look at. Which is a shame, really, and a great disappointment too.
The thing that does it for me is "opposites attract". I need friction, I need possible conflict, I need obstacles that have to be overcome. I need fate, "against all odds", basically I need star-crossed love (well, duh! Hopelessly romantic -- yeah. Shakespeare addict -- also yeah). If a fic is working for me, it stresses the conflict and resolves it. Preferably in a loving, devoted fashion. Preferably woven into an engaging plot. Preferably with a lot of smut and/or porn thrown in. But it doesn't have to be sex all the time, although I never turn down a well-written PWP NC-17. But more important are the characters' interactions, their emotional dynamics, the acurate capturing of their voices. If I can really see them, hear them talking to each other, acting together, I'm satisfied, I'm a happy camper. And that's why Speranza is my absolute Queen of Slash. She does it in each and every one of her fics. I never get tired reading her fiction. Never. It's grand, it's beautiful, it's deep, it's unforgettable, it's my favorite pastime -- and my biggest envy.
And while I'm at it, here one more link for the slash-starved brain, the title says it all: Essential Links for Slash Readers
Slash away!
However, I am not going to leave the slash fic universe without some general reflections on slash, OTPs, fandoms, and slash writers.
I am confused. Is Francesca an alias of Speranza or not? Having read some of Francesca's and all of Speranza's stories now, I detect differences, although admittedly merely subtle ones. Are these due to the different fandom? Are they due to a change in her writing style? Are they due to the different kind of voices/characters/environment/story background? Or are they due to a different identity? I am confused. I think I will have to ask Speranza herself. Though -- how embarrassing, really...
"Francesca" writes beautiful Sentinel slash. She was the first to make me fall in love with the guys. A love that later on was unfortunately not corroborated by viewing the series itself which I did after I read all the TS slash I could lay my eyes on. Strangely, I root for Slash!Jim/Blair more than for the actual series. I guess, I have a hard time tuning in to the slashy undercurrent everybody else seems to pick up so easily. I absolutely believe in it though, there is a reason why Jim and Blair were, for a time, vying for OTP with Fraser/RayK, but in the end the latter couple won. And I strongly suspect that's due to the phenomenal dS slash fiction I have read featuring these two, Resonant and Speranza being the best among its writers.
I remember that I found wonderful, epic slashfics for Mulder/Skinner once and, for a while, was totally engrossed in the X-Files fandom, although I never would have slashed Mulder and Skinner by just watching the series (which I did with great enthusiasm). It's what the writers do to flesh out these characters that really brings them alive for me. When it's well done, there is nothing more obvious and natural than to imagine them as a couple deeply in love. Of course, their characters as laid out in the series must carry the projection, I do not tolerate OOC actions/thoughts well.
One writer who absolutely nails this challenging task is, of course, baileymoyes. Her BBM stories keep amazing me in the most wonderful ways. I love how she weaves the original story into her fics and how she is able to change tone and pace and, in lack of a better word, color from fic to fic while never letting the voices slip. Altering, expanding, detailing - yes, but at the same time staying true to what I see as the core of Jack-ness and Ennis-ness.
Her BBM fics, as well as the wonderfully epic AU spin-offs "Human Interest" and "Two Crows Joy" by madlori and wordsmithslash's equally engaging "Reconciliation" (both over at humaninterest are the only ones I still read, having been disappointed too often by writers at wranglers or brokebackfanfic or brokebackslash. I am not into kinky stuff and I refuse to believe that there is a universe in which either Jack (although I would, under certain circumstances, make allowances for him) or Ennis would engage in such activities. As I see them and the world they live in, this just would not happen. Period. Neither would scenarios that patently ignore the deeply crippling trauma Ennis has experienced as a boy.
This trauma, in my opinion, is the very source, the very reason for the failure of their relationship and any fic that doesn't deal with that, that doesn't explore its implications -- be it with a positive or a negative outcome -- just doesn't understand BBM. Ennis's withdrawn-ness, his silence-bordering-on-muteness is not an 'attitude'. It's insecurity, inhibition, shame, shyness, and suspicion from a deeply troubled mind. All the more miraculous that Jack was able to reach through to him.
I believe that every slash reader develops some kind of 'slash-dar', an additional sense that discerns the 'true' from the 'not-true' in a portrayed pairing's relationship. And of course, this judgement is a completely biased and personal interpretation of what the pairing is about, what is driving their relationship, where their love and romance is to be found. So it's all the more exciting when one finds a writer that seems to exactly pinpoint one's own perception. Bailey is such a writer and I am grateful that she still puts out story after marvelous story in this inspiring fandom.
One fandom I never felt comfortable in is the vast world of Harry Potter. As much as I love the books (though increasingly less; I think, she pretty much exhausted her style in the first three) I have a hard time picturing Harry/Draco or, worse, Harry/Snape (yuck!). Harry/Ron is sort of OK but neither of them strucks me as particularly sexy. Boyish innocence, awkwardness and cluelessness doesn't attract me, at least not in those characters. In Orlando, on the other hand -- bring it on! *g* -- Which neatly brings me to...
...a fandom that will always have my deep, deep love: LOTR. There is so much fiction out there -- it's staggering! Still, it's not easy to find writers that really 'do it' for me. For example, as much as I value and adore Bailey in her BBM slash fiction, her LOTR fics sometimes leave me unfulfilled. Although I have to make an exception for The Vigil which is an extraordinary epic with a lot of scope and detail and loveliness.
I have read a lot of LOTR slash a long time ago, maybe a year or even two years. I remember vaguely that Aragorn slash was in a way introductory for me to the slash phenomenon itself -- but I am not sure about it. I know though that I read heaps and heaps of fics, some of them astonishingly good and recreating the Tolkien universe admirably, others less convincing. But then I was still forming my taste and finding my preferences so I don't really remember a lot of it. I must have bookmarked dozens of links under Opera though, IIRC.
How come then, I might ask myself, that Vig/Orli or Aragorn/Legolas don't qualify for OTP? It's probably because Fraser/RayK is imbedded in our reality (with the occasional spice of the surreal thrown in, eg. Bob Fraser, Dief) and even if it's a tv reality it shares much with the world we live in. Whereas Aragorn/Legolas is exclusively fantasy-based. And Vig/Orli is even based on a projection derived from that fantasy. There is no other film featuring Viggo and Orlando so everything the imgagination can come up with must feed off of the LOTR trilogy and an imagined relationship built during the filming of it and although the Tolkien universe in itself is a world of incredible resources, it is still a fictitious, a non-existent world.
I guess, what makes or breaks an OTP work for me, is the belief that it could happen as in happen in my real world. That's why Fraser/RayK. That's why Jim/Blair. That's why Mulder/Skinner. And that's why Jack/Ennis (and me completely losing it in front of the screen during my first viewing of the tent scene; man, did I lose it there...). Jack/Sawyer ("LOST") or House/Wilson ("House M.D.") also qualify, although I haven't yet found really satisfying "LOST" fiction (it's mostly porn and never much in character) and in a way, "House" fiction has a hard time convincing me. It is just so difficult to conjure up situations in which House would show a softer side to Wilson, a moment when his mean, snarky, cynical shell would crack and show need, tenderness, and secret devotion. Because, after all, he will return to being mean, snarky and cynical to Wilson. And how could a relationship ultimately survive this rollercoaster? I don't root for masochists and anyway, that's definitely not how I (want to) see Wilson, nor House for that matter. Apart from the fact that every love scene I have seen so far with Hugh Laurie in it has basically freaked me out -- eeek! He is just not a sexy lover, not even remotely believable, not even nice to look at. Which is a shame, really, and a great disappointment too.
The thing that does it for me is "opposites attract". I need friction, I need possible conflict, I need obstacles that have to be overcome. I need fate, "against all odds", basically I need star-crossed love (well, duh! Hopelessly romantic -- yeah. Shakespeare addict -- also yeah). If a fic is working for me, it stresses the conflict and resolves it. Preferably in a loving, devoted fashion. Preferably woven into an engaging plot. Preferably with a lot of smut and/or porn thrown in. But it doesn't have to be sex all the time, although I never turn down a well-written PWP NC-17. But more important are the characters' interactions, their emotional dynamics, the acurate capturing of their voices. If I can really see them, hear them talking to each other, acting together, I'm satisfied, I'm a happy camper. And that's why Speranza is my absolute Queen of Slash. She does it in each and every one of her fics. I never get tired reading her fiction. Never. It's grand, it's beautiful, it's deep, it's unforgettable, it's my favorite pastime -- and my biggest envy.
And while I'm at it, here one more link for the slash-starved brain, the title says it all: Essential Links for Slash Readers
Slash away!