Please read it
After I read it I was sort of irritated at the whole negative dissaproving tone in the article, so I decided to write an email in responce.
Now I haven't sent the email, because it occurs to me that this website could just be reporting the negative aspects of the situation, but I thought I would post the letter on here and see what you all thought, and what you thought about the article and what not.
To Whom it may concern,
I recently read your web article on Harry Potter slash fiction and I just wanted to write in and let you know that it was a very interesting read. You see I am a 'slasher', I love reading, and sometimes writing slash fiction. I'm currently 19 years old, and I've been reading fanfiction for 6 years. Yes, that is correct, since I was 13. All though some might think that is outrageous; that it's sick and disgusting for a 13 year old to be exposed to such material. It actually began pretty normally, I began reading regular fanfiction (het and genfic) and I loved it. Not so much the romance part, but the getting-to-meet/put-these-people-in-odd-s
About a year after I discovered fanfiction I stumbled onto slash fiction. There was only one reason, at first, that I delved into slash fiction, the writing. Slash fiction, I find, is written better than het almost any day of the week and therefore it was a step up from reading crappy and cheesy 14 year old love stories. Soon I became hooked on the stuff and was interested in more than just the enhanced plot, I liked the characters and the unlikely romance between two men; It was intriguing.
Now the whole reason I've decided to write to you is that, while I was reading your article, the tone that came through was of disapproval, and I find it funny that while your disapproving of young adults and adults writing about characters ages 18 and up, you never even mentioned those that write het also featuring those same characters, but usually under age 18. I'm annoyed by your whole news site about this, why is it acceptable for a 17 year old female character and an older male character to 'get it on' and it's unacceptable for two male characters of the same age two be ensconced in a love story?
I'm merely trying to point out that, if I was reading about NC-17 rated het at 13, there should be no complaint or disapproval of someone reading about NC-17 rated slash at 18. Basically, why are you writing about and seeming disapproving of those that read slash over the age of 18, when there could be those out there reading the same material of a heterosexual nature at age 13. And yes, there are 13 year old teens out there reading NC-17 material.
And I sort of ran out of steam here, because I wasn't sure how to close the letter, and it just seemed a little stupid to send it, cause someone may want to crack the whip on those sites that let those 13 year olds read NC-17 stuff, and I know that when I couldn't read certain stuff at that age (thanks to cybercop and my mother) I got mad, and that would suck to never be able to access fic.
Anywho, please let me know what you think of the article and my letter that was never sent.
Thanks. :D
Minor note: Sorry I didn't email you Lorraine, I got the email and I wanted to also apologize for not commenting on your stuff, just been busya nd what not. *hugs*
To others on my flist, Sorry I haven't been commenting, just been a bit busy and sort of out of it. Thanks guys.
-e