Why I read slash

There's been lots of discussion about why straight women enjoy reading slash: stories that pair up men in explicit and loving detail . Some of what others have said rings true for me, some doesn't.

The "slash is vicarious sex with our characters" reason isn't my reason for reading slash. I have figured out two reasons that work for me.

PART ONE:

I adore stories with sex in them because (blush) sex catches my attention. It might appall me (like most X-rated films I've had the misfortune to see), or it might turn my crank mightily (like Flamingo's "Total Eclipse of the Heart"), but it very seldom bores me.

Take characters that I already like, add love and sex, and sister, I am *there*.

But, none of this is exclusive to slash. Give me a female character that I like, and I'll happily read gen stories.

So. . . why slash? Because there's so few women on television and in movies who I like. Okay, three: Buffy, Scully, and Ivanova. That's *it*.

Where's the women in Starsky&Hutch? I mean, other than babe-of-the-week plot devices? The show's about the relationship between Starsky and Hutch. (And foiling bad guys -- but that's just an excuse for guns and car-chases and violence, all of which turn some major do-not-ignore cranks in my head as well.)

Back to character. If I'm gonna read fanfic, I want to read about characters I recognize and like. And the majority of characters that I like are men.

PART TWO

I didn't realize that until I read some wonderful ladyslash (try "Better than Icecream" by Hth, over in dueSouth fandom), and it is different from boy-slash and both are different from gen.

Slash is surprising. Unexpected. To the characters. To the readers (at least, at first). There's less of a script to the way slash relationships "are supposed to" progress.

There's no missionary position for slash. There's no expectation that Starsky and Hutch, when they admit that they are sexually attracted to each other, are going to do the dinner-date, "want to come up for coffee?", heavy-petting, falling-into-bed mating dance of modern heterosexual America.

So how does the author get Starsky to admit his deep love (such an unguylike thing) to Hutch, or admit his lust (which is a guylike thing, but only socially acceptable if it's directed at a woman or a car)?

Once they get around to making out, which one is going to lead? Which one will follow? Who is on top? Who is on first?

It makes the stories more fun to read.

I'll be quiet now,

Gearbox