Clark & Lex
The college years are a time of sexual exploration and experimentation for almost everyone. Like many other girls, I had my Katy Perry moments. But what I didn’t expect was to get sucked into slash—a subculture built around fantasizing about sexual relationships between fictional male characters.
To put it simply: I wrote a bunch of homoerotic fanfiction on the Internet and I liked it.
As you might imagine, I didn’t stumble into the slash subculture during a game of Circle of Death at a party. Instead, a late night search engine jam session ended with me clicking on the most enticing kind of link: “Don’t Read This!”
“This” was a piece of erotic fanfiction.
(Need me to back up? Fanfiction—or fanfic, for short—is non-canon literary work based on existing stories and characters. Try searching on Google for “NC-17 Wolverine Slash.”)
At the time, I knew what fanfiction was. I hadn’t written any, but I’d read some a few years before. The concept of enjoying the epitome of nerdiness made me a little uncomfortable—but didn’t stop me from reading.
As I scanned through the story I’d stumbled upon, I flushed.
“Lex Luthor,” Clark choked, his voice accusing and unsteady. He remained still while Lex’s hands ran down his back, cupped his ass. Here, as Clark Kent, he had no means of fighting the man’s advances. And worse, he didn’t want to.
I glanced over at my sleeping boyfriend, turned the computer screen away from him, and loosened my pants.
That night, a slasher was born.
To put it simply: I wrote a bunch of homoerotic fanfiction on the Internet and I liked it.
As you might imagine, I didn’t stumble into the slash subculture during a game of Circle of Death at a party. Instead, a late night search engine jam session ended with me clicking on the most enticing kind of link: “Don’t Read This!”
“This” was a piece of erotic fanfiction.
(Need me to back up? Fanfiction—or fanfic, for short—is non-canon literary work based on existing stories and characters. Try searching on Google for “NC-17 Wolverine Slash.”)
At the time, I knew what fanfiction was. I hadn’t written any, but I’d read some a few years before. The concept of enjoying the epitome of nerdiness made me a little uncomfortable—but didn’t stop me from reading.
As I scanned through the story I’d stumbled upon, I flushed.
“Lex Luthor,” Clark choked, his voice accusing and unsteady. He remained still while Lex’s hands ran down his back, cupped his ass. Here, as Clark Kent, he had no means of fighting the man’s advances. And worse, he didn’t want to.
I glanced over at my sleeping boyfriend, turned the computer screen away from him, and loosened my pants.
That night, a slasher was born.
a friend recently forwarded this article to me, along with the article "Beyond Bromance." I have to say I loved knowing that I, as a married, white, middle-aged female, am not alone. I write (and read a shit ton) of slash in one particular fandom, and everything you said was spot-on.
While the sex and relationships may be unrealistic in the same vein as mainstream romance, there is something wonderful about playing with beloved characters and exploring kinks in a safe environment. Online fandoms give us a place to read about things that may never have crossed our minds before, using characters we already love and trust. As writers, we get feedback on our storytelling skill, and find a rich community of like-minded women (mostly) with which to share our kinks.
I can honestly say that while I thought of myself as fairly liberal and accepting of other lifestyles before reading slash, my sensitivity (and curiosity) has increased dramatically. It may be fluffy and idealistic to say, but love, in all it's forms (between consenting adults) is a beautiful thing.
"We’re in your fandom, slashing your dudes." = WIN.
lol I started reading slash fan-fic years ago and quickly moved on to yaoi. I have a crazy collection of yaoi manga hidden under my bed ^_^
Great article!