Your thoughts on slash?

[mouse]

Hi all,

just wondering what's the consensus on slash? Love it/ hate it/ no opinion? Personally, I'm ok with it, providing it's written tastefully.

I ask because I wrote a BW slash recently. It was a bit of a step outside my comfort zone, which is why I decided to write it in the first place.

So, what are your thoughts on the genre?

[Alak]

Honestly, I don't like it. I'm the type of person who prefers to write fiction so that it doesn't contradict the canon storyline. More often than not, romantic fiction (especially same-sex pairings) will clash with the true story. Now, if the fiction revolves around a pair that is already romantically-attached, then I have no problem with fans exploring that. Sometimes I even support people who write about pairs who were hinted at having an eventual romantic link (i.e.- Green Lantern & Hawkgirl in JLU). However, I really don't like it when people just toss in random pairings (i.e.- Dinobot & Rattrap or Depth Charge & Rampage). Not only do those pairings insult the original characters, they also don't work out every well. Simply by defying the canon's portrayal makes the fiction start off with a bad taste.

[SkyxDB]

Well, me personally I kind of like slash. Well as long two guys involved are kept in character. Also I don't see what's wrong with supporting same sex pairs in fandom. In my opinion I think fandom would be boring if we only stuck to what was in canon. I think it's fun to explore alternatives and what if's. But of course I'm not interested in the pairs that so wouldn't work, like Rampage/Depth Charge for example.

Also I don't consider putting characters in same sex relationship an insult. Now if the characters are blatantly OOC, then it's an insult. But if they're in character it's no problem. Because sexuality does not determine one's personality, and it's only the bad writers that will change the personality.

[Blazemane]

I don't like it either.

I don't have the right to tell an author what they can and can't write (except in an environment I'm partially or completely responsible for- such as a group I might design or moderate on fanfiction.net), but I certainly avoid reading slash pairings.

I know its a controversial opinion, but I've admitted it before, so I may as well explain myself again- I find homosexuality immoral. There are lots of things out there with gay pairings that I don't completely turn away from (King of Queens has a gay couple once and a while), but fiction written specifically for the pairing- essentially focusing on the homosexual couple and glorifying the practice- would make me feel guilty to read.

I think that's really the center of the slash argument for most people. Is homosexuality ethically acceptable or not? And that's a debate that can fill up many a page of internet forum (and often has).

[SkyxDB]

Oh, here's an essay on TF Slash that would recommend reading: http://locoexclaimer.deviantart.com/art ... -179373676

[Blazemane]

I think I've actually come across that article before.

There are a lot of statements it makes that I disagree with just on a factual basis. And I know it's kinda' lame of me to not go into detail about that broad assertion, but I don't have the time to go through my disagreements with it right now. Homework beckons.

Curse you homework, curse you!

[JazZeke]

As someone who reads a fair share of erotic stories, I have nothing against smut in general - so long as it's "tastefully" written. Getting off on fictional characters that were not intended for such though seems disrespectful to the creators and to the characters themselves. That said, to avoid redundancy in this thread, I'll just say that my opinions echo Alak's and Blaze's.

I find homosexuality immoral in practice but I'm not going to get in gay peoples' faces about it. At the same time, I find "gayifying" heterosexual characters stupid, just as much as I find any other kind of story that spins them out of character in some way or another.

[Nurann]

I'm really curious as to what it is in that article that you disagree with Blazemane, but I'll pm you on that rather than hijack mouse's thread.

For the record, I fully agree with you, mouse; the points made in that article; and both Alak and Sky, in that I prefer to read fics that are tasteful, plausible in relation to canon, and in-character. I myself have written a Bayformers Prowl/Jazz one-shot that has proven to be popular and is still getting reviews over a year later on ff.net. Thankfully I haven't received any flames for it and hopefully never will. I fought with it for months though before I created the final draft because I wanted to make sure Prowl stayed in-character and anything less just wasn't post-worthy for me. However, I have that standard for fanfics in general these days. Slash wasn't the issue for me, and generally never will be.

If it's tasteful and well-done,I say go for it. Who is your pairing? If you aren't comfortable posting it here mouse, I'd love a link or pm copy of your fic

[Night-Hunter]

Really? I we are serously having this coversation? Well i love love slash, as long as its tastefully written or drawn. At first i was so-so but now i freaking love it. And hey i could care less if some one was gay its thier life let them live the way they want and leave them to live in peace and i hate having coversations like this. Gay people are out there, so are alot of things, let the gays live how they want to live and shut up about it.

[Blazemane]

And hey i could care less if some one was gay its thier life let them live the way they want and leave them to live in peace and i hate having coversations like this.

Oh, I'm certainly not trying to turn this into yet another ethics debate thread. I just... figured I'd give my two cents.

And I'll definitely respond to your message tomorrow, Nurann. But it is time to sleep.

[Alak]

Bayformers Prowl/Jazz

Regarding that, you've picked a good pair and let me explain why. Prowl has never made it into a Bayformer movie (not yet) and therefore is an unknown. Jazz had very little depth to his character other than the fact that he's the 2nd-in-command Autobot who died at the hands of Megatron. Both characters are open to a lot of interpretation and haters are unable to say "that wouldn't happen" because there's not enough material that supports or denies it. Now, imagine if someone wrote a slash fiction regarding Optimus Primal and Rhinox. Everyone who has watched Beast Wars should know that such a pairing would never happen and why. Taking a lot at other transformers fiction, you see the most ridiculous pairings (homosexual and heterosexual) that eclipse the example that I just provided. To me that's just a slap in the face to the creators because writers like to disregard the established characteristics simply to satisfy their own fetish.

And hey i could care less if some one was gay its thier life let them live the way they want and leave them to live in peace and i hate having coversations like this. Gay people are out there, so are alot of things, let the gays live how they want to live and shut up about it.

Don't derail this topic. We're talking about slash fiction, not the philosophy regarding real life homosexuals. If members here dislike slash fiction due to their personal opinions on homosexuality, then that's their answer to the question at hand. No one here is bashing anybody.

[SkyxDB]

Well I do agree with what JazZeke about it disrespectful to disrespectful to the characters and creator to use the characters for porn to get off and unfortunately the slash fans who do that, give slash fans a bad name. But I sometimes why it's mostly slash that get associated with that considering that there are people in the het fan base who do as well. But still regardless of whether it's het or slash, I do find using fictional characters for porn disrespectful. But I also agree with his point that smut is okay as long it's done tastefully.

But not everyone in the slash fan base get off on it. For me, I like both het pairs and same sex pairs, because I like romance in general. To me it doesn't matter if the pairing is het or same sex as long as the story is good. Personality I'm not into the more sexual stuff, but I won't get in the face of those who are about it.

Also I do agree that's it weird to turn a confirmed straight character gay, but there are a lot characters who's sexuality are never made known, so for those, I don't really put gender into consideration when pairing them then. For those sexuality unknown characters, in my opinion what their sexualities are up to fan interpretation until the creator confirms the characters' sexuality. For example, J.K. Rowling confirmed in an interview that Dumbledor is gay.

Anyway the slash fan base does has some sane fans and good writers, but it makes me sad that it has a bad rep because of the of the rapid fans and the bad writers. But I wonder why it's mostly slash that gets the rap for that? The het fan base has their share pf fan brats and bad writers as well.

[Alak]

^ very true. It is unfortunate that a few rotten apples ruin the reputation for the whole lot. I'm going not gonna lie... the only slash fiction/drawings that I've come across are horrible ones. Being a Final Fantasy fan exposed me to many rotten apples, and that definitely impacted my views not only on slash pieces but slash artists, as well. I've never seen any Transformers slash, but I constantly hear people toss around ideas for pairings and those alone disgust me. It's the trash that gets all of the attention, and since I have no interest in homosexual content, I'm not going to search around for any good slash fiction and art. Therefore, I'm only going to be subjected to the popular trash being tossed around on DeviantArt, forums, etc.

[SkyxDB]

Really you've never seen Transformers slash? That weird. I've heard slash haters complain before that can't do search for anything TF related with out seeing it.

Yeah, I'm a Final Fantasy fan as well, and unfortunately it seems that fanbase as whole has a bad rep, especially those in FFVII fanbase. Not to mention the ones who complained about FFXIII being released on both Xbox360 and PS3, didn't help matters much either. But still in my opinion, from my experience a lot fandoms have their share bad het and slash and unfortunately it seems like no matter what fandom you're in, it's gonna have its share of rotten apples.

[eves_apple]

Canon in TF would mean no romance period, hetero or same-sex, so those who are toting their Canon laws would need to adhere to this. Period, no exceptions.

If you are willing to write hetero couples and still harp on about only wanting what in canonical, then you are a hypocrite. Romance is romance, angst is angst and if a person wants to write believable love between two robots that technically don't have biological organs to call a gender, then so be it; no matter the 'gender'.