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wiseheartI was updating my InsaneJournal entry (=the newest chapter of "Atonement), when - among the adverts - I found a link to this short article.
I found it highly amusing, and I believe the author is right. We like what we like, and if men are allowed to like lesbian pr0n, why should women have to explain themselves and find deep reasons for liking guy-on-guy action?
And, more importantly, as the OP says: the part that counts is the story and the characterization, not the nature of the pairing included. If it's badly written, I won't care to read it after the first chapter. That's why I've got a problem with most of the Sherlock slash out there.
Personally, I see John and Sherlock as friends - nothing less. True friendships, where there is genuine love among the friends (and I mean love, not falsely labelled sexual attraction) has become very rare. People always jump to the assumption that two friends of whichever gender who show feelings for each other also have sex, or want to have sex. Which is not true, but all those falsely coloured goggles have led to people being afraid to show even the slightest of affection.
That said, I've read a few (very few) well-written and convincing Sharlock/John stories. But they are truly rare. So, in my choice of selection I usually stick to friendship fics. In one of said rare stories, John puts it wonderfully when asked if he loves Sherlock: "I don't want to shag him, if that's what you mean." But in the end, he agrees that yes, he does love Sherlock. Because love is so much more than just wanting to get involved in sexual gymnastics with the other one.
I've got the same problem with Hobbitslash in the Tolkien fandom. For me, Frodo and Sam or Merry and Pippin, respectively, are friends and relatives and brothers-in-arms. I find that so much more than playing footsie under the table.
Those who can be bothered to read my stories know that I write a great deal of slash myself. But I also write a great deal of genfic, and, to a lesser amount, even het romances. As I said, the part that counts is the story and the characterization.
Or, in my case, a chance to describe everything in terrible, painfully extensive detail. *g*
I found it highly amusing, and I believe the author is right. We like what we like, and if men are allowed to like lesbian pr0n, why should women have to explain themselves and find deep reasons for liking guy-on-guy action?
And, more importantly, as the OP says: the part that counts is the story and the characterization, not the nature of the pairing included. If it's badly written, I won't care to read it after the first chapter. That's why I've got a problem with most of the Sherlock slash out there.
Personally, I see John and Sherlock as friends - nothing less. True friendships, where there is genuine love among the friends (and I mean love, not falsely labelled sexual attraction) has become very rare. People always jump to the assumption that two friends of whichever gender who show feelings for each other also have sex, or want to have sex. Which is not true, but all those falsely coloured goggles have led to people being afraid to show even the slightest of affection.
That said, I've read a few (very few) well-written and convincing Sharlock/John stories. But they are truly rare. So, in my choice of selection I usually stick to friendship fics. In one of said rare stories, John puts it wonderfully when asked if he loves Sherlock: "I don't want to shag him, if that's what you mean." But in the end, he agrees that yes, he does love Sherlock. Because love is so much more than just wanting to get involved in sexual gymnastics with the other one.
I've got the same problem with Hobbitslash in the Tolkien fandom. For me, Frodo and Sam or Merry and Pippin, respectively, are friends and relatives and brothers-in-arms. I find that so much more than playing footsie under the table.
Those who can be bothered to read my stories know that I write a great deal of slash myself. But I also write a great deal of genfic, and, to a lesser amount, even het romances. As I said, the part that counts is the story and the characterization.
Or, in my case, a chance to describe everything in terrible, painfully extensive detail. *g*
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Date: 2012-10-13 11:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-20 06:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-13 12:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-13 01:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-13 04:25 pm (UTC)Within fic, I generally find this is true of any (non-canonical) pairing - I want the story to make me believe the romance (not necessarily that it will all end well, but that it fits the characters). Characters are in many ways the most important thing to me - if a plot requires a character to be ooc, it doesn't matter how interesting it is, I will end up stopping reading.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-20 06:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-13 06:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-20 06:15 pm (UTC)That's the part of the population that I do understand. My own generation... not so much. Sure, I've done the dirty writing-wise mysefl, quite a few times, but after a while it simply becomes boring. Besides, I find it a much greater challenge to describe such elusive concepts as friendship than producing the umpteent scene about inserting Character A into Character B (in most cases in biologically highly questionable ways - sorry, that was probably more information than you wanted).
(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-20 01:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-10-20 06:17 pm (UTC)