Neil wrote:
and I think the only thing that bothers me is the insistence by either pro or anti-slashers that their reading is the only possible correct one. That particular line coming
from
the pro-slash side bothers me more, but I think that's because they just tend to be so much louder, so much more insistent, and so eager to clutch
at
the feeblest of straws and claim them as hard evidence. Basically, the pro-slashers just become a noisy nuisance, while the anti-slashers can
quite
rightly (IMO) point to the thinness and ambiguity of all this so-called evidence, though not so rightly (IMO) claim that this 'proves' that the characters are absolutely straight.
Actually, on re-reading a selection of recent posts, I think this is a teensy bit unfair. Practically everyone supporting slash readings has been careful to point out that this is a personal view only.
The only real difference between the two is the relative importance accorded to the sexuality of the characters, and it's not something I regard as terribly important. If Blake is planting explosives round a Federation base, who cares if he's gay, straight or bi?
True. But -- likewise -- not everyone's interested in fanfic about Blake planting explosives around a Federation base.
That's probably my biggest gripe about not just slash readings but het readings too. They reduce the characters to nothing but their sexuality. Nobody, straight, gay or whatever, is that one-dimensional. Adult fic
seems
to separate the entire universe into Sex and Everything Else, and promptly homes in on the sex. I consider the Everything Else to be not only more interesting but more important as well. Consequently I tend to avoid
adult
fic not because it squicks me..., but because it's just so bloody
*boring*.
I agree in disliking one-dimensional fiction. To me, the adult/slash fiction I enjoy intellectually is the stuff that attempts to map sexual tensions onto other aspects of the series. (The sort that focuses on the romp aspects doesn't do a lot for my intellectual side.)
However, the same is true of other one-dimensional fiction. A jolly adventure romp about Blake planting explosives around xyz Federation base would bore me to tears. The same action with an added moral aspect (eg consideration of the Federation civilian casualties) or relationship aspect (eg Blake and other crewmember row over the feasibility/morality/necessity of such action) or whatever would be much more interesting.
The separation (dare I say ghettoism) of 'adult' fic is one of my pet peeves in B7 fandom. But I won't reiterate here the rant that already graces the TTBA editorial...
(...I'm virtually unsquickable unless animals get involved)
Tavia womanfully refrains from making that hamster joke.
Tavia