Discussion Saturday
I'm wondering...where is the line in slash/femslash between "OMG I think I'm actually bisexual" and We're Not Gay, We Just Love Each Other (WNGWJLEO)?
This isn't in reference to any particular story I've read or am writing, it's just a general musing.
Okay, so if I'm going to slash, say, John Watson then I would be in a hell of a lot of company, then I've got a few ways to go. He's canonically interested in women, so it seems faintly ridiculous to try and write him as completely gay. (I'm not saying you can't, but I feel like there should be a specific reason, something in the story that required it.)
1) So, you can say "He's always been bisexual, we just haven't seen it." And that's one kind of story and I think we can safely say it avoids WNGWJLEO.
2) You can also say "He's kind of vaguely always known it was possible for himself to be interested in men but never done anything about it." That's another story and I think it also avoids WNGWJLEO (although I could be convinced otherwise, I guess).
3) And then there's the very common cliche of "But Sherlock I don't like men!" And then they done sex. Can that be written so that it's not WNGWJLEO? Am I a bad person if I secretly enjoy some of those stories a great deal?
In the big gray area between 2 and 3, there seems to be a lot of space to play in, but I don't know when 2 tips over into 3.
What am I forgetting? ::waves a hand:: Talk amongst yourselves.
This entry was originally posted at http://mara.dreamwidth.org/162785.html, where there are
comments. Please feel free to comment either here or there.
This isn't in reference to any particular story I've read or am writing, it's just a general musing.
Okay, so if I'm going to slash, say, John Watson then I would be in a hell of a lot of company, then I've got a few ways to go. He's canonically interested in women, so it seems faintly ridiculous to try and write him as completely gay. (I'm not saying you can't, but I feel like there should be a specific reason, something in the story that required it.)
1) So, you can say "He's always been bisexual, we just haven't seen it." And that's one kind of story and I think we can safely say it avoids WNGWJLEO.
2) You can also say "He's kind of vaguely always known it was possible for himself to be interested in men but never done anything about it." That's another story and I think it also avoids WNGWJLEO (although I could be convinced otherwise, I guess).
3) And then there's the very common cliche of "But Sherlock I don't like men!" And then they done sex. Can that be written so that it's not WNGWJLEO? Am I a bad person if I secretly enjoy some of those stories a great deal?
In the big gray area between 2 and 3, there seems to be a lot of space to play in, but I don't know when 2 tips over into 3.
What am I forgetting? ::waves a hand:: Talk amongst yourselves.
This entry was originally posted at http://mara.dreamwidth.org/162785.html, where there are
comments. Please feel free to comment either here or there.