emmagrant01 | What kind of slash do you like?

I've been reading a lot of fan fic lately, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about what it is I really like in a good slash fic. After a few conversations with other slashers, I'm curious to know what other people think. Below I describe what I like and don't like in a fic, and I'm hoping this starts a conversation about what people generally like to see and why.

[Disclaimer: These are my opinions, and none of these comments are directed at any particular author or fic. If you disagree with me, great! But don't take anything here personally!]

So first of all, I'm not an OTPer. In fact, I'm the opposite -- I like pretty much Any Possible Pairing. (Probably not a surprise, coming from me!) I appreciate a good Qui/Obi story, no doubt about it, but what I *don't* like are mushy, fluffy, overly romantic fics in which the boys are destined for each other and declare their undying love before having glorious sex for the first time. I'm even more likely to hit the delete key if Obi has been "saving himself" for Qui, or if there's any whiff of a soul bond in the air. Or if Obi decides at the age of 17 that he is ready for a long-term commitment with his master, and Qui accepts this without question. Or if either of them says "I love you" only moments after they've recognized their mutual attraction. Unrequited love for a period of years is another turn-off, especially the old "Obi has never gotten over his padawan crush and is in love with Qui despite never having his feelings returned and is perfectly content to be lonely and celibate if he can't have his master" fic. Just doesn't do anything for me.

Why do I feel this way? Well, I've never liked "chick flicks" or romance novels. I much prefer conflict, characters dealing with inappropriate attraction for each other, and characters giving in to lust (because of stress, mistaken identity, or under the influence of chemicals) and then dealing with the consequences afterwards. I like angst. I like characters misunderstanding each other and hurting each other, and then working through their problems. I like insecurity, and people being forced to deal with their fears. I like people discovering their attraction for each other as a surprise, and resisting a relationship at first. I like stories that deal with the consequences of sex. Hot sex scenes are great, of course, but what does it mean for the characters? How does it affect them, positively and negatively? I like to see mediocre, merely comfortable sex occasionally, because that's realistic in a relationship. I like awkward sex, especially the first time.

I like Qui/Obi fics that deal realistically with the power differential between the characters, not to mention the age difference. I admire authors who either deal with it, or set the fic in a universe in which master-padawan sexual relationships are socially acceptable, and make me believe that universe makes sense.

I admire authors whose stories seem perfectly aligned with canon, but I love alternate universes as well. I love happy endings after a really angsty fic, but admire an author who has the balls not to give me a happy ending when it makes the story work. I like genuinely original plots and scenarios to get two characters together, or in which to explore an established relationship. I like to see new interpretations of characters that I thought I knew well. I like darkness and strife.

I suppose that fan fic is not an means of escape for me, so perhaps that explains my preference for realism and my rejection of what I see as pure romantic fluff. I like reading stories that make me think, that affect me physically, and that draw me in and make me care about the characters.

So, what about you?