Slash Meme
I just felt like filling out this little (or not so little) slash meme I nicked from quazonic...
Read and/or write?:
Both.
Since when?:
I started writing slash in 2005 and had already been reading it for a couple of months, so possibly since 2004.
How did you stumble into slash?:
The first fanfic I read mentioned slash (trust me to read a parody about bad fanfiction authors as my first fanfic…) and my first thought was “people write stories like that? Where can I find them?!”. I guess that was that.
Your first fandom and pairing?:
I started out reading Lord of the Rings fanfiction but didn’t really have a favourite pairing. I quickly switched to Harry Potter and my first pairing there was James/Sirius.
The first person you told about your new hobby?:
A friend in school who, like me, went to a different school for religious education classes. It was one of the topics we talked about when walking back to our normal school. Religion and slash - cool combination, huh? ;-)
The fandoms you read?:
I regularly read HP, LotR (including RPS of the actors), the Beatles, Monty Python, historical slash (that probably doesn’t count as a fandom, but who cares?), but I’ll read pretty much everything if I’ve know the fandom.
The fandoms you write?:
Mainly HP, but I’ve started writing a something about the Beatles as well.
Your favourite pairings?:
HP: Sirius/Remus, Sirius/James, Albus/Gellert
Beatles: John/Paul
Monty Python: John Cleese/Michael Palin
LotR: Aragorn/Faramir, Frodo/Sam
LotR RPS: Viggo Mortensen/Billy Boyd
Favourite genres?:
Umm… I like hurt/comfort, humour… well, I don’t really have favourite genres. As for writing, crack!fics and parody are usually really fun.
Least favourite pairings?:
A lot of the rarer pairings can be quite disgusting (Harry/Fenrir, anyone?). Other than that, I just tend to get annoyed by the popularity of certain pairings that I don’t think are very likely (Harry/Draco, Harry/Severus), although there can be stories with these pairings that I enjoy.
Oh, and while this isn’t really on topic, I HATE it when people put the few canonly gay characters into heterosexual relationships. Arrrrgh!!!
Least favourite genres?:
P0rn with p0rn.
What makes a story good?:
An interesting, original plot, believable portrayal of the characters and descriptions that make you believe that you are actually there, anticipating what will happen along with the characters.
What makes a story bad?:
Characters that are so out of character that they are only recognisable because of their names, huge gaps in plot and general logic and horrible grammar and spelling and a writing style makes me check how old the author is.
The best author?:
Umm, there are so many good ones… the first that come to mind are thinkpink20, eleanorrigby_66, govigmoombean, secret-slashiness (though she changed her username and I can’t remember the new one). As I’ve said, there are plenty of others that are just refusing to come to mind right now.
Why?:
Because they write stories that meet the criteria of “what makes a good story”… ;-) Nothing more to say about that, really…
The best story you've ever read?:
I couldn’t name just one, because the ones I like are often too difficult to compare and chose one from. One that I enjoyed recently is Ahras Huitwalassis, slash set during in the Hittite empire.
The worst author?:
There are so many horrible authors, I couldn’t name just one. Besides, I’m not masochistic enough to keep reading those stories…
Why?:
See above.
The worst story you've ever read?:
I recently read one in which Snape was turned into a tree and Harry then falls in love with him. Horrible. Just ugh. Not just the plot, some authors probably have the gift to turn that plot into something good, but the writing style was terrible and the entire thing was flooded with OOC-ness. Ouch.
I’m sure there are worse stories out there, but this is the one that immediately came to mind.
The best story you have written?:
It’s always difficult to say. Some stories I’m really fond of don’t seem to find much of an audience while others I find slightly cringeworthy as soon as I’ve posted them get quite a lot of reviews.
The worst story you have written?:
I cringe to think about some my earlier stories. Too many clichés, the writing style awkward, etc. But then, I never like what I’ve written once some time has passed…
Do you leave feedback?:
Yes, but not nearly as often as I should…
Do you get feedback?:
Usually, yes.
Do you have a favourite kink?:
I can’t think of anything right now…
Does something squick you?:
Paedophilia, necrophilia and bestiality. Harry having sex with tree!Snape comes pretty close as well - I guess the term for that would be… botanophilia? *goes to scrub brain*
Is slash simply sex?:
No. That would probably be so boring I wouldn’t read it. ;-)
Is slash a way of life?:
I wouldn’t necessarily say way of life, but it is addictive…
How much time do you spend reading/writing?:
Too much. Life suffers.
Do you have RL friends who slash?:
Yes, one that I know of.
Have you made online friends through slash?:
Yes, occasionally.
Do you think slash is just a phase?:
If so, it’s a pretty long phase…
Could you simply stop slashing?:
Writing slash: probably. Reading slash: maybe. Seeing slash in all kinds of things: no very likely.
What do you think about...
Ratings G to PG-13?:
Pleasant to read.
Ratings R to NC-17?:
Well, I can always skim over certain paragraphs if the p0rn gets too boring.
AUs?:
I really enjoy them if they are well written and logical, and they can be really fun to write.
ARs?:
Umm… I don’t really differentiate between AU and AR…
Crackfics?:
Are probably even more fun to write than to read… ;-)
Porn?:
Okay in moderation; too much gets boring quickly.
Angst?:
Yeah, I often like it.
Mush?:
To me, the word “mush” already implies that there is too much sweetness…
Love?:
As opposed to just sex? Definitely!
Romance?:
Yeah, why not, as long as it doesn’t get too soppy.
BDSM?:
It’s okay once in a while, but currently, I’m getting tired of it.
Darkfics?:
Again, if it’s well done, I’ll read it.
Deathfics?:
There are some pretty good ones out there, so I tend to like this genre.
Non consensual/rape?:
I’ll read it occasionally if it’s necessary for the plot, not too explicit and not glorified.
Rape recovery?:
I’ll read it occasionally.
FPS?:
This question makes me wonder how many people actually only read RPS…
RPS?:
I’m getting over my original aversion to it fairly quickly, but from time to time, I do start feeling uncomfortable about it again… I always hope that nobody takes offence… *slinks into corner feeling slightly cringy again*
RPG?:
Not really my cup of tea. I prefer writing alone and interacting with other people I don’t know well often makes me feel a bit awkward.
First times?:
Love these stories.
Established relationships?:
Are okay, but often not quite as interesting.
Threesomes?:
Often make me go: “Wait… is that even physically possible?!” I wish people would use little movable figurines as props and use them to check if their stories go weird… ;-)
M/m slash?:
Yep.
Femmeslash?:
Somehow, there are too few good femmeslash stories out there. It’s a shame. But I’m guilty of not having written any myself… :-/
Slashing a children's book/movie?:
Of course. Doesn’t mean I’d show the slash to the kiddies. ;-)
Explicit sex?:
See all those replies above. Can get boring.
The importance of characterisation?:
Pretty important, though probably not quite as important as in original stories.
OOCness?:
Ick. Of course, in some AUs, characters can develop differently, the keyword here being DEVELOP…
Canon?:
If you totally ignore it, shouldn’t you just be writing original stories? But yeah, can be bent.
Fanon?:
Some conventions fanon turns up with can be quite nice, but fanon can also get annoying pretty quickly.
Clichés?:
Not entirely avoidable, but one can at least try.
Supernatural?:
I’m not really a big fan, but some elements can be interesting.
Mpreg?:
I study BIOLOGY. My mind works in a fairly visual way. I need a LOT of convincing. ;-)
Wingfics?:
*googles* Uh… why would one do that?! Now I somehow feel the need to write tentaclefic. Wouldn’t that be much more fun?
Genderfuck?:
Bleurgh. You want het? You write het. Don’t mess with the characters simply because you’re jealous of the canon female characters, but uncomfortable with the idea of homosexual relationships. At least that’s the impression I usually get. And the new names are usually atrocious.
Yes, I might be a bit prejudiced on this topic. I’ll stop now before I start ranting…
Crossovers?:
Again, I’m kind of big on logic. I’m the kind of person who thinks of language difficulties when I hear the word “timetravel”. Most of my fandoms don’t really blend neatly, so I need explanations and want to see the difficulties the characters have. Many crossovers don’t address these difficulties; if characters are somehow transported into a different world, most fics will have them settled in neatly after a day or so, no longer wondering about cultural differences etc. I haven’t found many crossovers, as you can probably tell.
Group Slut Fics?:
See answer about threesomes. That reply is even more valid to this question…
Incest?:
Sibling slash? Why not? Slash between father/son etc.? No thanks.
May/December?:
Depends. If it’s exploitative or the younger character is below the legal age of consent, chances are I won’t read it.
Het pairings in a slash fic?:
NO WAY! I only read fics in which the ENTIRE population is homosexual!!!
Nah, I don’t mind, though I do like the focus on the slash pairing(s) to be at least, uh… 45%.
I do like stories in which (former) het partners of the slash couple deal with the new circumstances. It’s an interesting aspect that isn’t explored often enough.
Plot?:
Entirely necessary. I live for good plots. Though I am frequently disappointed that authors didn’t make enough of the possibilities their plot has.
PWPs?:
I think you can guess my reply to this one by now… :-/
WIPs?:
Always make me wonder if my approach to things is so weird. I really prefer writing a story and being able to make all the necessary changes (the story often works better if things in early chapters are changed to fit with later occurrences) BEFORE I post my story. Posting the story after I have completely finished also usually spares my readers from unnecessary long waits and the possibility of my losing interest in finishing the story.
(Sorry, I’m afraid this sounds a bit arrogant. I’m sure many authors manage to do these this and still post while writing. I simply get annoyed by losing track of the plot due to infrequent updates and by not being able to finish reading a good story because the author stopped writing.)
LJ fics and communities?:
Lovely ways of finding new stories!
Mailing lists?:
E-mail notifications of new chapters are great, otherwise no thanks.
Big Name Fans?:
I’m guilty of mentally squeeing when certain fanfiction writers update… Enough said? ;-)
Politics in a slash story?:
Sure, why not?
Religion in a slash story?:
Yeah, though these stories often leave me frustrated. I wish religions were more tolerant… :-/
Wake up gay?:
In the Ocean of Irreality, between the Continent of Cringe and the Isle of Amusement, floats the Archipelago of Wake Up Gay. Many a ship had been wrecked against those sparkling cliffs, the sailors bedazzled by the bright and colourful flowers growing there. Deciding to build a raft in the morning, the sailors go to sleep under palm trees swaying. They wake up gay in the morning, dancing in the bright sunshine. All thoughts of leaving the Archipelago are forgotten and they join the tribe of gay, shipwrecked sailors already living there.
Many miles away, a lonely brain bobs on the dark waves of the Sea of Irreality, desperately trying to reach the Isle of Amusement. As it ponders the sense of these stories, a voice speaks from the depths: “Search all you may, it is in vain. There is no sense in these tales.” Despairing, the brain drifts on, carried towards the Continent of Cringe by the currents, while the sailors lived gaily ever After.
And finally....
Your pet peeve?:
Authors who don’t give a damn about problems that are fairly easy to fix (like using spellcheck to find mistakes). I’m sure I could come up with a lot more…
Your advice to new slashers?:
Uh… I think “remember that they are still men, not little girls” is always a good one to keep in mind… (that is, if we're talking about m/m slash...) ;-)
Your slash wish list?:
Um… I can’t think of anything specific right now, but I think this meme has made me think of a couple of ideas I might want to work on.
The best slash archive?:
Probably livejournal in general. Once you’ve overcome the first difficulties of navigating, you can find pretty much any pairing.
The worst slash archive?:
Any that are tiny and dead… or teaming with untalented authors. ;-)
Done. It is now 7 a.m. and time for me to go to bed (which also explains why some of the last answers are either slightly insane or uninspired….
Read and/or write?:
Both.
Since when?:
I started writing slash in 2005 and had already been reading it for a couple of months, so possibly since 2004.
How did you stumble into slash?:
The first fanfic I read mentioned slash (trust me to read a parody about bad fanfiction authors as my first fanfic…) and my first thought was “people write stories like that? Where can I find them?!”. I guess that was that.
Your first fandom and pairing?:
I started out reading Lord of the Rings fanfiction but didn’t really have a favourite pairing. I quickly switched to Harry Potter and my first pairing there was James/Sirius.
The first person you told about your new hobby?:
A friend in school who, like me, went to a different school for religious education classes. It was one of the topics we talked about when walking back to our normal school. Religion and slash - cool combination, huh? ;-)
The fandoms you read?:
I regularly read HP, LotR (including RPS of the actors), the Beatles, Monty Python, historical slash (that probably doesn’t count as a fandom, but who cares?), but I’ll read pretty much everything if I’ve know the fandom.
The fandoms you write?:
Mainly HP, but I’ve started writing a something about the Beatles as well.
Your favourite pairings?:
HP: Sirius/Remus, Sirius/James, Albus/Gellert
Beatles: John/Paul
Monty Python: John Cleese/Michael Palin
LotR: Aragorn/Faramir, Frodo/Sam
LotR RPS: Viggo Mortensen/Billy Boyd
Favourite genres?:
Umm… I like hurt/comfort, humour… well, I don’t really have favourite genres. As for writing, crack!fics and parody are usually really fun.
Least favourite pairings?:
A lot of the rarer pairings can be quite disgusting (Harry/Fenrir, anyone?). Other than that, I just tend to get annoyed by the popularity of certain pairings that I don’t think are very likely (Harry/Draco, Harry/Severus), although there can be stories with these pairings that I enjoy.
Oh, and while this isn’t really on topic, I HATE it when people put the few canonly gay characters into heterosexual relationships. Arrrrgh!!!
Least favourite genres?:
P0rn with p0rn.
What makes a story good?:
An interesting, original plot, believable portrayal of the characters and descriptions that make you believe that you are actually there, anticipating what will happen along with the characters.
What makes a story bad?:
Characters that are so out of character that they are only recognisable because of their names, huge gaps in plot and general logic and horrible grammar and spelling and a writing style makes me check how old the author is.
The best author?:
Umm, there are so many good ones… the first that come to mind are thinkpink20, eleanorrigby_66, govigmoombean, secret-slashiness (though she changed her username and I can’t remember the new one). As I’ve said, there are plenty of others that are just refusing to come to mind right now.
Why?:
Because they write stories that meet the criteria of “what makes a good story”… ;-) Nothing more to say about that, really…
The best story you've ever read?:
I couldn’t name just one, because the ones I like are often too difficult to compare and chose one from. One that I enjoyed recently is Ahras Huitwalassis, slash set during in the Hittite empire.
The worst author?:
There are so many horrible authors, I couldn’t name just one. Besides, I’m not masochistic enough to keep reading those stories…
Why?:
See above.
The worst story you've ever read?:
I recently read one in which Snape was turned into a tree and Harry then falls in love with him. Horrible. Just ugh. Not just the plot, some authors probably have the gift to turn that plot into something good, but the writing style was terrible and the entire thing was flooded with OOC-ness. Ouch.
I’m sure there are worse stories out there, but this is the one that immediately came to mind.
The best story you have written?:
It’s always difficult to say. Some stories I’m really fond of don’t seem to find much of an audience while others I find slightly cringeworthy as soon as I’ve posted them get quite a lot of reviews.
The worst story you have written?:
I cringe to think about some my earlier stories. Too many clichés, the writing style awkward, etc. But then, I never like what I’ve written once some time has passed…
Do you leave feedback?:
Yes, but not nearly as often as I should…
Do you get feedback?:
Usually, yes.
Do you have a favourite kink?:
I can’t think of anything right now…
Does something squick you?:
Paedophilia, necrophilia and bestiality. Harry having sex with tree!Snape comes pretty close as well - I guess the term for that would be… botanophilia? *goes to scrub brain*
Is slash simply sex?:
No. That would probably be so boring I wouldn’t read it. ;-)
Is slash a way of life?:
I wouldn’t necessarily say way of life, but it is addictive…
How much time do you spend reading/writing?:
Too much. Life suffers.
Do you have RL friends who slash?:
Yes, one that I know of.
Have you made online friends through slash?:
Yes, occasionally.
Do you think slash is just a phase?:
If so, it’s a pretty long phase…
Could you simply stop slashing?:
Writing slash: probably. Reading slash: maybe. Seeing slash in all kinds of things: no very likely.
What do you think about...
Ratings G to PG-13?:
Pleasant to read.
Ratings R to NC-17?:
Well, I can always skim over certain paragraphs if the p0rn gets too boring.
AUs?:
I really enjoy them if they are well written and logical, and they can be really fun to write.
ARs?:
Umm… I don’t really differentiate between AU and AR…
Crackfics?:
Are probably even more fun to write than to read… ;-)
Porn?:
Okay in moderation; too much gets boring quickly.
Angst?:
Yeah, I often like it.
Mush?:
To me, the word “mush” already implies that there is too much sweetness…
Love?:
As opposed to just sex? Definitely!
Romance?:
Yeah, why not, as long as it doesn’t get too soppy.
BDSM?:
It’s okay once in a while, but currently, I’m getting tired of it.
Darkfics?:
Again, if it’s well done, I’ll read it.
Deathfics?:
There are some pretty good ones out there, so I tend to like this genre.
Non consensual/rape?:
I’ll read it occasionally if it’s necessary for the plot, not too explicit and not glorified.
Rape recovery?:
I’ll read it occasionally.
FPS?:
This question makes me wonder how many people actually only read RPS…
RPS?:
I’m getting over my original aversion to it fairly quickly, but from time to time, I do start feeling uncomfortable about it again… I always hope that nobody takes offence… *slinks into corner feeling slightly cringy again*
RPG?:
Not really my cup of tea. I prefer writing alone and interacting with other people I don’t know well often makes me feel a bit awkward.
First times?:
Love these stories.
Established relationships?:
Are okay, but often not quite as interesting.
Threesomes?:
Often make me go: “Wait… is that even physically possible?!” I wish people would use little movable figurines as props and use them to check if their stories go weird… ;-)
M/m slash?:
Yep.
Femmeslash?:
Somehow, there are too few good femmeslash stories out there. It’s a shame. But I’m guilty of not having written any myself… :-/
Slashing a children's book/movie?:
Of course. Doesn’t mean I’d show the slash to the kiddies. ;-)
Explicit sex?:
See all those replies above. Can get boring.
The importance of characterisation?:
Pretty important, though probably not quite as important as in original stories.
OOCness?:
Ick. Of course, in some AUs, characters can develop differently, the keyword here being DEVELOP…
Canon?:
If you totally ignore it, shouldn’t you just be writing original stories? But yeah, can be bent.
Fanon?:
Some conventions fanon turns up with can be quite nice, but fanon can also get annoying pretty quickly.
Clichés?:
Not entirely avoidable, but one can at least try.
Supernatural?:
I’m not really a big fan, but some elements can be interesting.
Mpreg?:
I study BIOLOGY. My mind works in a fairly visual way. I need a LOT of convincing. ;-)
Wingfics?:
*googles* Uh… why would one do that?! Now I somehow feel the need to write tentaclefic. Wouldn’t that be much more fun?
Genderfuck?:
Bleurgh. You want het? You write het. Don’t mess with the characters simply because you’re jealous of the canon female characters, but uncomfortable with the idea of homosexual relationships. At least that’s the impression I usually get. And the new names are usually atrocious.
Yes, I might be a bit prejudiced on this topic. I’ll stop now before I start ranting…
Crossovers?:
Again, I’m kind of big on logic. I’m the kind of person who thinks of language difficulties when I hear the word “timetravel”. Most of my fandoms don’t really blend neatly, so I need explanations and want to see the difficulties the characters have. Many crossovers don’t address these difficulties; if characters are somehow transported into a different world, most fics will have them settled in neatly after a day or so, no longer wondering about cultural differences etc. I haven’t found many crossovers, as you can probably tell.
Group Slut Fics?:
See answer about threesomes. That reply is even more valid to this question…
Incest?:
Sibling slash? Why not? Slash between father/son etc.? No thanks.
May/December?:
Depends. If it’s exploitative or the younger character is below the legal age of consent, chances are I won’t read it.
Het pairings in a slash fic?:
NO WAY! I only read fics in which the ENTIRE population is homosexual!!!
Nah, I don’t mind, though I do like the focus on the slash pairing(s) to be at least, uh… 45%.
I do like stories in which (former) het partners of the slash couple deal with the new circumstances. It’s an interesting aspect that isn’t explored often enough.
Plot?:
Entirely necessary. I live for good plots. Though I am frequently disappointed that authors didn’t make enough of the possibilities their plot has.
PWPs?:
I think you can guess my reply to this one by now… :-/
WIPs?:
Always make me wonder if my approach to things is so weird. I really prefer writing a story and being able to make all the necessary changes (the story often works better if things in early chapters are changed to fit with later occurrences) BEFORE I post my story. Posting the story after I have completely finished also usually spares my readers from unnecessary long waits and the possibility of my losing interest in finishing the story.
(Sorry, I’m afraid this sounds a bit arrogant. I’m sure many authors manage to do these this and still post while writing. I simply get annoyed by losing track of the plot due to infrequent updates and by not being able to finish reading a good story because the author stopped writing.)
LJ fics and communities?:
Lovely ways of finding new stories!
Mailing lists?:
E-mail notifications of new chapters are great, otherwise no thanks.
Big Name Fans?:
I’m guilty of mentally squeeing when certain fanfiction writers update… Enough said? ;-)
Politics in a slash story?:
Sure, why not?
Religion in a slash story?:
Yeah, though these stories often leave me frustrated. I wish religions were more tolerant… :-/
Wake up gay?:
In the Ocean of Irreality, between the Continent of Cringe and the Isle of Amusement, floats the Archipelago of Wake Up Gay. Many a ship had been wrecked against those sparkling cliffs, the sailors bedazzled by the bright and colourful flowers growing there. Deciding to build a raft in the morning, the sailors go to sleep under palm trees swaying. They wake up gay in the morning, dancing in the bright sunshine. All thoughts of leaving the Archipelago are forgotten and they join the tribe of gay, shipwrecked sailors already living there.
Many miles away, a lonely brain bobs on the dark waves of the Sea of Irreality, desperately trying to reach the Isle of Amusement. As it ponders the sense of these stories, a voice speaks from the depths: “Search all you may, it is in vain. There is no sense in these tales.” Despairing, the brain drifts on, carried towards the Continent of Cringe by the currents, while the sailors lived gaily ever After.
And finally....
Your pet peeve?:
Authors who don’t give a damn about problems that are fairly easy to fix (like using spellcheck to find mistakes). I’m sure I could come up with a lot more…
Your advice to new slashers?:
Uh… I think “remember that they are still men, not little girls” is always a good one to keep in mind… (that is, if we're talking about m/m slash...) ;-)
Your slash wish list?:
Um… I can’t think of anything specific right now, but I think this meme has made me think of a couple of ideas I might want to work on.
The best slash archive?:
Probably livejournal in general. Once you’ve overcome the first difficulties of navigating, you can find pretty much any pairing.
The worst slash archive?:
Any that are tiny and dead… or teaming with untalented authors. ;-)
Done. It is now 7 a.m. and time for me to go to bed (which also explains why some of the last answers are either slightly insane or uninspired….