Kudos to you for outing yourself as a slasher for a good cause!
Age: 25 Gender: female Sexual orientation: bisexual leaning towards lesbian Entered fandom: fandom in general: 1999 (broadway musical fandom... *cringe*), slash fandom: 2001 (Harry Potter)
1. What do you get out of a) fanfiction in general and/or genfic; b) romantic, 'shipper fic, regardless of the genders and sexualities of the participants; and c) slash fic, especially m/m slash?
a) I was into fanfiction before I knew what it was, like I think we all are. We all read books and wonder "what happened next?" We make up our own stories and insert ourselves as characters and fantasize. It's wish fulfillment/escapism, too. I want to be able to imagine myself somewhere else. I get the excitement of adventure without having to actually be in danger. Also, I DO think there's something to that statement of desire for "more," but that desire is enhanced by fandom more than it creates fandom. Once you start experiencing the fast pace of internet creativity, you get used to having more. So our desire for more creates fandom, but then fandom increases our desire.
b) I think your comparison to romance novels is a good one. I like things in fiction that I really wouldn't want in real life. Specifically, withr egard to the exotic and bizarre sexual activities I've read - exciting to read about, but I wouldn't want to actually do them. Similarly, I enjoy the feeling of "the chase" - getting to know someone, playing "do they like me?" and so on. But in real life? I'm happily involved and wouldn't want to end what I have to get that feeling. Romantic fiction is a way to experience that vicariously without having to sacrifice what you have.
c) slash fic - definitely all about the fiction for me. I think it's partly that no one wants to read someone else's self-insertion fantasy with [sexy male character of choice], so somehow it's more acceptable to make the figure of that self insertion be of the opposite sex. I know it is for me. Plus, I do think it comes down to boys are hot, two boys are hotter. Plus, as a bisexualish lesbian, I don't have the experience of doing any of the things they're doing, so I'm never thrown off by the unreality of it, or by my personal distaste for an activity (whereas I find I dislike femmeslash for those reasons - it's too close to home).
2. How does what you derive from all of these things differ a) from each other; b) from the source material; and c) from real life?
Ooh, I didn't plan ahead when writing - this one anticipates some of my answers to question 1. Anyway, to sum up, I'd say that I think fanfiction walks a fine line between reality and fantasy; it's got to be real enough to identify with and unreal enough to a) not identify with the crappy bits of reality and b) be an exciting and different escape from reality. I also enjoy both fanfic that is heavily canon-style and -content, and fanfic that widly departs from canon - it's just a matter of what suits for that particular piece.
3. If you're a writer as well as a reader, do you derive a different sort of experience from writing than from reading? How do the two compare? (If you're a vidder or artist, please feel free to talk about that, too.)
Writing, for me, is primarily a challenge. I've been "writing" fanfic in my head for as long as I've been able to read, but actually writing it down is a fairly recent development and I think is significantly different from reading because it's a lot more work. I definitely do it for different reasons.
4. What were your primary reasons for entering fandom--specifically slash fandom? What are your reasons for staying?
Reasons for entering - it was all over the place! I started reading HP gen and het, then kept seenig HP slash and just couldn't resist. I've never looked back because, well, it's fun!
5. Why do you think slash fandom and slash fiction are the phenomena that they are?
Some combination of: a) lack of acceptance for authorial self-insertion fic b) boys=hot, two boys=hotter c) getting to "experience" something (by being in the mind of the character) that writers and readers otherwise wouldn't be able to feel
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
via metafandom, I think
Date: 2005-12-02 05:19 pm (UTC)Age: 25
Gender: female
Sexual orientation: bisexual leaning towards lesbian
Entered fandom: fandom in general: 1999 (broadway musical fandom... *cringe*), slash fandom: 2001 (Harry Potter)
1. What do you get out of a) fanfiction in general and/or genfic; b) romantic, 'shipper fic, regardless of the genders and sexualities of the participants; and c) slash fic, especially m/m slash?
a) I was into fanfiction before I knew what it was, like I think we all are. We all read books and wonder "what happened next?" We make up our own stories and insert ourselves as characters and fantasize. It's wish fulfillment/escapism, too. I want to be able to imagine myself somewhere else. I get the excitement of adventure without having to actually be in danger. Also, I DO think there's something to that statement of desire for "more," but that desire is enhanced by fandom more than it creates fandom. Once you start experiencing the fast pace of internet creativity, you get used to having more. So our desire for more creates fandom, but then fandom increases our desire.
b) I think your comparison to romance novels is a good one. I like things in fiction that I really wouldn't want in real life. Specifically, withr egard to the exotic and bizarre sexual activities I've read - exciting to read about, but I wouldn't want to actually do them. Similarly, I enjoy the feeling of "the chase" - getting to know someone, playing "do they like me?" and so on. But in real life? I'm happily involved and wouldn't want to end what I have to get that feeling. Romantic fiction is a way to experience that vicariously without having to sacrifice what you have.
c) slash fic - definitely all about the fiction for me. I think it's partly that no one wants to read someone else's self-insertion fantasy with [sexy male character of choice], so somehow it's more acceptable to make the figure of that self insertion be of the opposite sex. I know it is for me. Plus, I do think it comes down to boys are hot, two boys are hotter. Plus, as a bisexualish lesbian, I don't have the experience of doing any of the things they're doing, so I'm never thrown off by the unreality of it, or by my personal distaste for an activity (whereas I find I dislike femmeslash for those reasons - it's too close to home).
2. How does what you derive from all of these things differ a) from each other; b) from the source material; and c) from real life?
Ooh, I didn't plan ahead when writing - this one anticipates some of my answers to question 1. Anyway, to sum up, I'd say that I think fanfiction walks a fine line between reality and fantasy; it's got to be real enough to identify with and unreal enough to a) not identify with the crappy bits of reality and b) be an exciting and different escape from reality. I also enjoy both fanfic that is heavily canon-style and -content, and fanfic that widly departs from canon - it's just a matter of what suits for that particular piece.
3. If you're a writer as well as a reader, do you derive a different sort of experience from writing than from reading? How do the two compare? (If you're a vidder or artist, please feel free to talk about that, too.)
Writing, for me, is primarily a challenge. I've been "writing" fanfic in my head for as long as I've been able to read, but actually writing it down is a fairly recent development and I think is significantly different from reading because it's a lot more work. I definitely do it for different reasons.
4. What were your primary reasons for entering fandom--specifically slash fandom? What are your reasons for staying?
Reasons for entering - it was all over the place! I started reading HP gen and het, then kept seenig HP slash and just couldn't resist. I've never looked back because, well, it's fun!
5. Why do you think slash fandom and slash fiction are the phenomena that they are?
Some combination of:
a) lack of acceptance for authorial self-insertion fic
b) boys=hot, two boys=hotter
c) getting to "experience" something (by being in the mind of the character) that writers and readers otherwise wouldn't be able to feel
Would love to see your essay when finished!