[PearlTook]

I guess there isn't such a thing, in full truth. I came here to check out the plot bunnies and there it is! Several slash plot bunnies and a person mentioning that they snuck a little slash into their story here. All at a "NON SLASH" site. I know, free speach and all, but I thought the main purpose of this site was a slash free environment for those of us who don't like it and are sick to death of it. I would have thought that included the forum and a place like a plot-bunny nursery where many of us would be checking out the postings.

Really, if you have to have it, can't you go to one of the hundreds of slash loving sites? They far out number the het only sites, one of which is supposed to be this site.

Am I so much in the minority? Am I the only one who is so sick of all the slash? Am I the only one who doesn't find it cute, funny or romantic?

I am no "homophobe" (a stupid word in my opinion). I don't dislike gay people, I've had several good and long term friends who were gay (none right now, the ones in the past - I moved out of town, they moved out of town). BUT I really don't approve of the life style and I don't like having to have it shoved in my face all the time.

I really am disappointed. I joined this site to not have to put up with the slash and here it is! Apparently those of us who can't stand it have no rights and no ability to get away from it. Perhaps you need to take the "Non slash" off the site description.

[Scribe]

Having read your post, I felt that this is an issue I have to respond to since I am the person who invited you here.

Yes this is a non-slash site and there will be no posting of those kinds of stories on this list - ever.

Now the forum, is exactly what it is a forum: where people are allowed to speak their mind freely.

If you tell me that members are making posts with slash content in their discussions, without warnings then I will act accordingly and tell them that if they wish to discuss slash in any shape or form in the forum - they will do so with the appropriate warnings in place for those who do not care for that kind of discussion.

I will however, not tell anyone what they can and cannot discuss on this forum. We can dictate the content of what is written in the archive but we created the forum so writers and readers alike can get together and talk freely. Now even if the archive is non-slash, we cannot deny the existence of the genre. Slash exists, that's all there is to it. We may not like or write it but we cannot ignore its impact on the fandom. We will not apologise for promoting the freedom of speech on this forum even if we have more stringent rules in our main archive. Some slash archives have steered their readers our way because we are an all het archive so our tolerance must extend the other way as well. Therefore we regard slash and slash archives as just another aspect of the fandom and can be discussed here in the forum with appropriate warnings just like everything else.

I've looked at the Bunny Nursery where you were and saw no indicators or warnings for Slash fics so if you saw that some of the posts contained them and were not warned previously, we are going to deal with it.

I hope you decide to remain with us Pearl because you're a good writer and your stories greatly adds to the archive, however, a warning to those posting is as far as we will be going with this. If they persist, then further action will be taken. We hope that is satisfactory.

Scribe

[irishelf]

No you arn't the only one sick of slash. No offence to my husbands memory, or his brothers, or any other person who lives that life style. It's just slash is not funny, and they seldomly touch the truth to make slash relationships logical. And to say one is "homophobic" should really look at the big picture. Some of us are just jaded over over dramatic *sensored*. ::huggles haldir::

Yes cept for plot bunnies, I have not noticed much noticable slash on this site. But this is the best nonslash site I seen PERIOD and these people run tight reigns. So you want safty from slash, here's the place to come. These people don't take *sensored*

THANK YOU FOR A SLASH FREE SITE!

::waves::

PS: HI my readers call my Ish now. This is Haldir

[Coriandra]

I agree completely, there are more than enough sites where people can post slash stories if that's what they want to. I also agree, however that in forum should feel free to speak their minds. Offering a slash plot bunny is quite different from actually posting a slash story. It was clearly stated that any slash story written as a result of the plot bunny was under no circumstance to appear on this site. I feel too, however that a warning should be given and from what I can see, it will be.

[PearlTook]

I sort of agree and sort of don't. Because of this, I now feel like I had best stay off the forum here unless I'm willing to face possible slash oriented discussions, although I've been told that the plot bunny nursery seems to be the only area this has happened.

I subscribe to the idea that if I were to run a site it is like you are all visiting me in my home. And like I would expect to have a say in what gets said in my living room, I would expect to have that perogitive on my site as well. I don't see where that should be percieved as a bad or wrong thing. This is a non slash site, and to me it is odd that it is then ok to have those of us looking for a non slash environment perhaps having to feel there is an area of the site that we will feel awkward visiting, as I did when I ran into that in the plot bunny nursery.

It also seemed totally out of place to me, like trying to purposefully make an issue of the non-slash stance of the site, to put up a plot bunny for a slash story. Why do that? I do realize that there are authors here who write both, but to me it was just really a strange thing to do. LIke someone just can't handle the idea of a slash-free zone and had to make sure it got pushed on here some way, any way. As a strictly non-slash writer it was like a slap in the face, like we just can't be allowed to have a place where we don't have to have slash shoved in our faces.

I will say that I thoroughly can see where I come across as way over reacting to this, and I'm sorry. But I am tired of feeling like I can't get away from all the slash and it annoys me when there are tons of places that are either slash friendly or slash only. I really don't feel that it is too much to ask to have some places that are entirely slash-free, forum boards and all. Why can't that viewpoint be accorded respect and consideration? Also, my first running into this happened right after a favorite author of mine, who hardly even writes anything sexy in any way shape or form (one story that was humorous), posted a story with one of the LOTR characters being gay. It was the last thing I would have expected and hit me like a ton of bricks (and I felt there had not been adequate warning, she disagreed). Then going to the plot bunny nursery on a **non-slash** site and finding a slash plot bunny just added to my angst.

Ah, well! I've gotten up on the soap box again. The problem with having a pet peave.

I really do appreciate having a site where at least the stories are slash-free.

Pearl Took

[dolarabee]

[KhazarKhum]

Here's a tricky question:

What makes something slash?

WARNING: Discussion of slash ahead.

Blatant homoeroticsm? Or just the mention of homosexual sex in a conversation between characters?

For instance, if Sam told Rosie that he'd a had a fling with Frodo, would that immediately brand that story as slash?

Would the mention of the existance of a gay couple make a story ineligible for the archive? Fr'instance, if Faramir told Eowyn that the two pretty young guards were a couple, would that make the story a slashy one?

If the act is implied, does that make the story slash? If Shagrat says Ugluk raped him in prison, is that slash?

Keep in mind that I am trying to be very clear with this rule. There are many slash stories where Aragorn thinks about Arwen just before getting involved with some other man. The presence of the het thought doesn't disqualify the story as slash. Is the reverse also true?

Khazar, confused as always

[Viv]

Hmmm. I could have a very peculiar view of the subgenre here, but I always thought that slash was mainly about sex. Two same-sex characters having sex. Honestly, I've only ever read one story (one that I co-wrote) about two homosexuals having romance (and no overt graphic sex).

I can't imagine that mention of homosexuality would make a story slash. But -- and history afficionados would have more info about this, I think -- homosexuality was illegal and persecuted in some spots in our history (and even now, in some places). So mentioning it out loud could be dangerous. Those two guards who are having a fling could be in some trouble if the wrong justice were to find out.

What is the technical definition of slash, anyway? (Must contain sex? Must contain erotica? Or is any and all same-sex affection slashy?)

[Roisin]

I'm a little unclear too. I don't so slash, but I wouldn't rule out having a gay character in a fic (sans sex scenes, which I wouldn't really know how to write anyway). Would that make it slash?

Roisin

[dolarabee]

Though Scribe and I never really sat down to draw very definite lines, here are my thoughts on the subject. And please, do not take this to label me an anti-slash person because I'm not. But this is pretty much how I would define the genre and try to implement some limits for the people who do not want to be exposed to it.

[Viv]

[Desdinova]

For the record, let it be known. I'm not homophobic. I'm gay. Most of my friends are gay, too. Likewise, I'm not heterophobic either. This is not contradictory. To me, people come packaged as individuals, not genres.

I'm happy to see an LotR archive with no slash. Not because it squicks me, or I think it's evil. It's because I think if Tolkien had thought it important, he would have added it himself. Do I think this is homophobic? Hell, NO! If it's so important to an author to have an epic story that feature gays, let this person create his/her own, not merely hijack the life's work of someone else. Tolkien slash has got to be one of the most bizarre things I have ever encountered. Once again, not because it's wrong, but because from the Tolkien perspective, sexuality is not the issue.

Because of this, I don't see the need for any kind of sexuality in Tolkien fanfic. My fanfic generally tends to mirror the tone of the original work. I.e., if a work is humorous or serious, I generally tend to write this way. To me, Tolkien is very, very spiritual, and I tend to approach it from that angle. But this is my opinion only, not a judgment on the choices of others. If a fic is otherwise well-written, tasteful, and congruent with canon, I don't have an issue. But it seems to happen so rarely.

Which brings me to my REAL point. As far as handling the issue of slash on this board, I think you've managed to achieve the best of all worlds. I think this is as good as it gets.

Oh, I'm new here. Hi!

[dolarabee]

Wow... Thanks.

And welcome, Desdinova! Welcome to the madness.

do.

[Hathor]

You said it, Desdinova.

I have nothing else to add, other than: welcome!

[Desdinova]

I know good when I see it. Happen it that I am administrator on my own board for the promotion of better writing skills and greater adherence to canon.

Bet you can imagine how popular that is.

But it is a fact. Slash is everywhere. It's becoming a universal constant like gravity. Ignoring it would be nice, I imagine, but impractical, much like ignoring gravity when walking along the edge of a 200 foot cliff.

I have written such material, I will freely allow. But these stories are set in a fandom that is wholly adult in nature, and if the pairing is not completely canon in nature, there is nothing to prohibit such a pairing, either.

I am a firm believer in canon, as far as it goes. By strictest canon, there would be NO adult fanfics in the LotR universe whatsoever. But one must take a reasoned view. I do feel that if a person chooses to write such things (het OR slash) s/he owes it to the reader to do as good a job as can be done.

Slash involving canon characters bothers me simply because it can't be done without violating canon. The main characters in LotR are JUST NOT GAY. This is not a matter of interpretation, or homophobia, or anything else. It's spelled out in black and white. Period. Once again, this is MY take on it.

To me, canon matters most. It would not matter to me if ALL the characters in LotR were homosexual. It would disturb me just as much if fanfic writers kept trying to make them straight.

These characters inspired us to write about them because we liked them the way they were presented by the creator. Minor changes? Hey, people do change. But if someone has to perform major revisions on a character to bring him/her into line with his/her likings, it stops being fanfic, no matter how well-intended or written. Most fanfic suffers from this downfall: original characters masquerading under a popular face and name.

You know, I never intended to rant.

Thank you, dolorabee and Hathor for the lovely greeting. I think I'm going to have fun here.