Slash is a type of fanwork in which two (or more) characters of the same sex or gender are placed in a sexual or romantic situation with each other. Slash fanwork interprets the chemistry between the characters in the source text as homoerotic. Slash fanfiction is laced with sexual tension, whether it was acted on in the canon or not. The purpose of slash fanwork is to incorporate two “equals” in a romantic relationship. It is primarily written to eliminate gender hierarchy that is most often seen in mainstream media. The genre often uses straight male characters in a homosexual relationship. From its earliest days, slash fanfiction has been particularly inspired by popular Sci-fi fiction franchises, mainly because well-developed female protagonists
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The predominant demographics of slash fiction readers are female compared to other gender demographics the majority of whom identify as other than heterosexual. Science fiction writer Joanna Russ points in her essay "Pornography by Women for Women, with Love," that, in regards to the Kirk/Spock relationship, slash fanfiction provides a sense of combining both the masculine sides with feminine traits of emotional vulnerability. This stand of an equal relationship negates the power imbalance typically seen in regular fan …show more content…
Male characters in slash fanfictions are indeed often written in a way that makes them slightly more “feminine” than they are in canon, or than they would realistically be. For example in Antigravity, a fanfiction by [Redacted], Kirk and Spock are portrayed as better listeners, they show more empathy, they’re more sensitive and more intuitive, they communicate differently compared to their counterparts in canon text. All those are qualities that are usually labelled as “feminine”. This can also be viewed as, in slash fanfiction, authors are able to rewrite masculinity. In slash fanfictions, authors are free to create “ideal” characters and an “ideal” relationship - and part of the definition of “ideal” often is more of an emphasis on versatile masculinity that poaches certain female
The predominant demographics of slash fiction readers are female compared to other gender demographics the majority of whom identify as other than heterosexual. Science fiction writer Joanna Russ points in her essay "Pornography by Women for Women, with Love," that, in regards to the Kirk/Spock relationship, slash fanfiction provides a sense of combining both the masculine sides with feminine traits of emotional vulnerability. This stand of an equal relationship negates the power imbalance typically seen in regular fan …show more content…
Male characters in slash fanfictions are indeed often written in a way that makes them slightly more “feminine” than they are in canon, or than they would realistically be. For example in Antigravity, a fanfiction by [Redacted], Kirk and Spock are portrayed as better listeners, they show more empathy, they’re more sensitive and more intuitive, they communicate differently compared to their counterparts in canon text. All those are qualities that are usually labelled as “feminine”. This can also be viewed as, in slash fanfiction, authors are able to rewrite masculinity. In slash fanfictions, authors are free to create “ideal” characters and an “ideal” relationship - and part of the definition of “ideal” often is more of an emphasis on versatile masculinity that poaches certain female