[Q4W] Could you explain the appeal of SlashFic? And did it have any affect on your adult romantic interests?

Lyanina · 2018-05-07T11:44:49+00:00

Oh, this thread is for me.

I'm a woman in my early twenties and have been reading and writing fanfiction since I was a pre-teen. My reading and writing preferences only got slashier (gayer) as I grew up -- it's not the only thing I read, but a majority of the fics I go for involve two male characters getting it on. Also, if I want additional stimulation for some reason when I masturbate, I'll turn to erotic fanfiction (not porn).

I can't say that I usually put more thought into this than Hey, this is hot. However, I do think there are several factors that contribute to this preference:

Two guys = double the hotness: Most of the people writing slash are into guys. This should not be harder for you to understand than guys being into lesbian porn. It is probably a little different -- less visual, less desire to actually join in on the fanfic writer's side --, but similar enough to be understood.

It's like a "safe" way to explore fantasies: Some of the explicit slash out there is very kinky. There are things that I can view as sexy and arousing when happening to a fictional character, that would turn me off immediately if I were to imagine myself in their place. With two guys as the characters involved, the chances of me imagining myself somewhere in the room are greatly reduced. I imagine for some women dominance/submission dynamics are exciting but they have a hard time dissociating between a sub woman and a degraded woman. Alternatively, slash can be a way to explore same-sex fantasies if the reader/writer isn't straight, or to explore gender if they aren't cis.

No gender roles: It's fun to explore a relationship where it's not expected to fall on the guy to make the first move, initiate sexual escalation, make all the grand romantic gestures. Because there are two guys, paradoxically, the romance becomes "gender-blind." Incidentally, in slash fic there is a lot of angsting over feelings and lots of opening up emotionally. The guys are rarely Stoic Manly Men ^T ^M, and tend to fulfill female romantic fantasies. Male pregnancy fics are even a thing. Note that I'm not saying slash fiction is a political statement of any kind, but rather a place to explore erotic or romantic fantasies while being free of gender expectations, or to explore the dynamics of a relationship where there is true "equality."

There are a lot of guys in fiction: Take any story. It's common to find a relationship (friendship, rivalry, whatever) between two guys that is more interesting and more developed than the female love interest that someone tried to shoehorn in as a subplot. In the Harry Potter movies, anyone has more interesting chemistry to explore than Harry and Ginny -- that includes Harry and Hermione, but also Harry and Draco. The biggest slash pairings are born out of exploiting existing subtext, as subtle as it may be.

Bonus angst: Again, feelings and angst make for enjoyable romance (in fiction). Imagining the characters as gay can easily create bonus angst -- figuring out their sexuality, anxiety about coming out, other people's reactions, what if the other character isn't into guys?

Curiosity: A woman knows more about female sexuality than about male sexuality, typically. It can be more interesting for her to read, or write, about sex between guys, because it's something she hasn't and won't experience.

There's probably more, but that's all I can think of right now.

Are just some types of girls attracted to it? If so what types of girls?

I don't know about "types" but certainly not all women are into it. Some are indifferent, some are actively repulsed by it.

Do adult women still enjoy it?

Some do.

Does it evolve into something sophisticated as you get older?

Not IME so far. What does sophisticated even mean here? I like good fanfics.

What kind of things make a slash fic good?

Good grammar and spelling. A fluid writing style. Relatable characters. An interesting plot. Sizzling sexual tension, resolved or not.

Are there different types?

I guess? Fluff, angst, explicit versus non-explicit, unrequited, BDSM, mpreg, long fics, short fics...

Have you ever seen or experienced something like slashfic IRL?

Um, no?

Why do teenage girls in particular get so into it?

They're probably more likely to be in fandom in the first place. Reading a lot, watching a lot of TV...

Did it have any effect on your adult romantic interests?

Nah. My boyfriend thinks it's weird, but that's about it.

kandyapplez · 2018-05-07T12:37:17+00:00

I don't know if this is the same thing but I used to be pretty involved in one direction fandom and lots of girls were really into pairing off the band members with each other or even conspiring that they were secretly in relationships with each other. The vibe I got is that a lot of these girls hated other girls but loved the idea of the boys being romantic/sexual, so they just paired them with each other.

Gravel_Roads · 2018-05-07T11:38:15+00:00

No, it's not uniquely "female", slash-fiction (male-on-male romance stories) are entertaining to generally anyone who finds the idea of male-specific intimacy appealing. It's just another type of eroticism, no different from the common "girl-on-girl" entertainment a lot of straight men enjoy (there's even female-on-female slash fiction as well!)

It's possible women enjoy written-form more than men (who seem to prefer visual things like porn more), but as a man in his 30's who reads slash fiction, I can confirm that men and adults enjoy it too. I am also a writer, so I enjoy good fiction in general, and a good story and good writing with well-developed motivations can make the circumstances around a sex act very steamy -- Arousal is very conceptual.

I'm honestly surprised anyone would be confused by this.

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Title	[Q4W] Could you explain the appeal of SlashFic? And did it have any affect on your adult romantic interests?
Author	lost_jellyfish
Upvotes	3
Comments	32
Date	May 7, 2018 9:31 AM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/8hm8cg/q4w_could_you_explain_the_appeal_of_slashfic_and/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/q4w-could-you-explain-the-appeal-of-slashfic-and.262571 https://theredarchive.com/post/262571

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