Pimps (then I'm really going to do homework, really)

[katekat]

Ok, first off, check out this meta (link via sl_podcast )

What you want, what you need: fans and endings, and narrative satisfactions
 
From the article:

Authors are readers, and authors desire order and satisfaction as well. But the job of an author is to suspend satisfaction, that is, to sustain the reader's desire so she'll finish the story. Therefore the author's discipline is to resist the narrative path-of-least-resistance - in simple terms, to put off the happy ending. In order to balance security and risk/conflict, the author plays on generic expectations, so that the reader is simultaneously reassured (by the appearance of familiar tropes and structure) and challenged (by some appearance of newness - the fiction that this time it might be different).

Also, from fanthropology, there are three people who are trying to gather some informal information on slash - and they're really really interested in people who don't read slash answering their poll.  So, if you're bored, clicky!

From their poll header:

We (myself and my two co-moderators, shoemaster and lovelokest) are trying to gather some informal statistics on whether or not most fangirls (or fanboys!) are open in "real life" (RL) about reading/writing slash (i.e. are you in the slash closet?). We are co-moderating a panel at a very small fangirl gathering and this information will help us in our discussion. We would be very appreciative if you took this poll and PIMPED it to EVERYONE you know INCLUDING NON-SLASHERS. Thank you!!

Comments

[antennapedia.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, that's a good essay. Thanks for the pointer!

[katekat]

my pleasure!! glad you liked - thought it might appeal

[murielle.livejournal.com]

I'm always into participating in polls and such, but I found I couldn't respond to the poll honestly. Not because I am not willing to tell the truth, but because what would have been my truth wasn't covered in the "answers".

I read writers. I follow the works of certain fanfic folks and if they write slash I read slash. Also the two major fandoms I write in BtVS and OZ are both open to slash for various reasons. So, although I tend not to do smut--because my smut is pathetic--I'm not opposed to it and will often allude to it: het, slash, whatever. But, and it's a big but, slash is not my prefered reading or writing "thing".

Neither is profanity, but if I think the character will say something profane I'll write it and I don't freak out if someone else does. I guess I'm neutral. I can take it or leave it.

But thanks for the link. You know, I'm just going to copy this and post it as a comment. ;-)

[katekat]

Interesting. See, now, from the outside I would say that you do read slash - because you read writers and those writers write slash - which would have then put you (in my head) in the category of those who read/write slash... but simple definitions aren't really the correct ones, are they?

Lately I've been encountering more and more people who aren't actually interested in fandom productions for the sex, which is an interesting mindset for me since for the first several years I simply didn't read anything under an NC17... but that's partially because I went looking for fandom productions for very specific purposes (and because I still rely on things like fantasy books to satisfy my narrative non-sexual fantasies)

But I'm glad you commented to them! I think it's important when people do polls like this to remind them the world is not necessarily as either/or as they might believe

(and i like the new icon! kitties!)

[murielle.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I love the kitty! I got her from pouringicons Kitty looks like the way I feel a lot of the time.

" ...but simple definitions aren't really the correct ones, are they?"

It could just be me. I have found myself deliberating when playing with blogthings. ;-))

When I first started reading fanfic, I read a lot of NC17. I wonder how much of the change in my reading motivation is just down to getting older. Sex is no longer a huge factor in why I do anything anymore.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments. Made me think too. ;-)