Keep Hoping Machine Running (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thefourthvine) wrote2004-12-02 02:49 am
thefourthvine) wrote2004-12-02 02:49 am
Entry tags:
Tell Me How to Celebrate, Part 1: the Slashiest Fandom
I'm about to ask an important question, maybe the critical question of fandom.
What is the slashiest fandom of them all?
Think you know? Tell me in the comments, and please provide examples.
Or read on, and I will tell you what provoked the question. Basically, it was the juxtaposition of two things: vids and a video game. Let's consider them in order, shall we?
See, I've been on a sort of vid-watching kick lately (in the same sense that the Trainspotting boys were on a sort of heroin kick). And one of my secret shames is an adoration of the "four minutes of the slashiest moments in this particular fandom" subgenre, aka the Slash Highlights vid; I love these, especially when I don't know the canon, which is most of the time. Jack pushes Daniel's glasses up his nose. Blair and Jim make breakfast together. Starsky and Hutch strip. Wesley feeds Angel from his arm. And my once-cold heart just melts. When I first started watching vids, these Slash Highlights ones astonished me. I kept thinking, did the creators know what they were doing? Did the actors come from some distant country that has no concept of personal space? And are those two guys just going to fuck right there on screen or what?
It was at this point that I encountered a bunch of Highlander Slash Highlights vids, and in particular this one scene where a short-haired guy (Methos?) walks into a room and sees or is introduced to a long-haired guy (Duncan?). And Methos checks him out. I mean, obviously, visibly, and with no other possible explanation for his actions, at least not that I can see. And then he smiles, and it is, in my considered opinion, an "Oh, yeah, I'm going to love fucking this guy" smile. It's the sort of scene that makes you turn to your Best Beloved, assuming your Best Beloved is watching the vid with you, and say, "Did I - did he - oh my god, did he?" To which your Best Beloved responds, through almost uncontrollable giggles, "Totally. Oh, God, totally. Gay! Gay! Gay!"
So I started wondering how many other fandoms have these moments, and which fandom has the most.
And then the Best Beloved and I got hold of Shadow Hearts: Covenant, a Playstation 2 game that easily takes the title Slashiest Video Game of All Time away from the previous title holder, which was the original Shadow Hearts game. In SH: C, you collect - seriously - gay porn to get a flaming tailor to make dresses for a doll. And you can see the gay porn, mind you, in the inventory screen. You have a party member who is a vampire professional wrestler who wears a butterfly mask and who is apparently conducting an intense UST-laden relationship with his teacher. You have character interactions that can only be described as "like the DCU, if all the writers got hit by pink kryptonite." Really, there's not a single hour of the game that isn't imbued with slashy slashiness. And that includes the slashiest cut scene I have ever beheld in all my born days, a scene so slashy that the BB and I have held on to the save right before it so we can watch it over and over, laughing like loons every time.
Yuri, the star of both Shadow Hearts games, is in a bar in Southampton. In walks a Mystery Man with muscles and a swirling cape and a dangerously tailored uniform. Yuri is transfixed. He doesn't just cruise Mystery Man, he doesn't just check out every inch of MM's body - he quite literally cannot tear his eyes away. Then MM turns around and proves to be a man Yuri knows of old: Kato. Kato makes it clear that the fascination is mutual. They have a conversation that is full of references to the lovely time Yuri and Kato spent in Shanghai, including the pleasures they experienced then and the loneliness they've experienced since. They make an appointment to meet later. "I'm staying in this hotel," Kato says. "Come by any time. I hope to see you soon." Later, Yuri meets Kato in his hotel room (and there's only one double bed in there, and every other bed in the hotel is occupied, and yet Yuri stays somewhere that night); they have another intense conversation, and the screen goes dark. The next morning, Yuri rubs his ass and says, "I think I need a doctor." I can't really tell you more without explaining the whole story of the game, but trust me: there is so much slash in this cut scene that boys have been known to turn bisexual just from watching it.
In short, Shadow Hearts: Covenant is the motherlode of slash. Surely, I thought when I first encountered it, surely there is no fandom as slashy as this game?
So I ask you: is there? If so, what is that fandom? And what makes it so insanely slashy? Tell me. Convince me. Make me clap my hands because I believe in fairies.
I'm hoping that this will help me do my 111th post. Because that post should be a celebration of this LJ's core values. (Slash. And fandom. Also, slash.)
-The Evidence: Vid Recs, Because, After All, This Is a Recs LJ-
Want to see some slashy moments in the flesh? I can't promise that these are the slashiest vids in their fandoms, but they do contain most of the scenes I mention above. And some others that are equally ohmygodtheirloveissoobvious.
Stargate, Jack/Daniel: "Let's Hear It," by Relic 1979, has Jack pushing up Daniel's glasses and a bunch more; you can download it from Relic's website.
Highlander, Methos/Duncan (I think): "Just Like You," by Luminosity, features the "I'm going to love fucking this guy" bit. You can find it at Luminosity's website.
Angel, Angel/Wes: "If It's Hurting You" contains the Wes-feeding-Angel scene, and "Completely Pleased" contains a whole bunch of other Angel/Wes-ishness. They're both by Charmax, and they can be found at Bronze Ambition.
Starsky and Hutch, Starsky/Hutch: "Mighty Fine," by Kassidy Rae, shows the guys stripping, together, happily, and at some length, for reasons best known to themselves. It can be downloaded from her website.
Multifandom: "Dirty World," by Diana Williams, has great slashy moments from a bunch of fandoms. You can download it at her website; that site only features her newest vids for downloading, though, so eventually you will have to order a hard copy to get this one.
Multifandom: "Wouldn't It Be Nice," by Laura Shapiro, features another cross-fandom parade of slash. To get the vid, you'll need to email Laura for the password to her website, so the link is for that.
What is the slashiest fandom of them all?
Think you know? Tell me in the comments, and please provide examples.
Or read on, and I will tell you what provoked the question. Basically, it was the juxtaposition of two things: vids and a video game. Let's consider them in order, shall we?
See, I've been on a sort of vid-watching kick lately (in the same sense that the Trainspotting boys were on a sort of heroin kick). And one of my secret shames is an adoration of the "four minutes of the slashiest moments in this particular fandom" subgenre, aka the Slash Highlights vid; I love these, especially when I don't know the canon, which is most of the time. Jack pushes Daniel's glasses up his nose. Blair and Jim make breakfast together. Starsky and Hutch strip. Wesley feeds Angel from his arm. And my once-cold heart just melts. When I first started watching vids, these Slash Highlights ones astonished me. I kept thinking, did the creators know what they were doing? Did the actors come from some distant country that has no concept of personal space? And are those two guys just going to fuck right there on screen or what?
It was at this point that I encountered a bunch of Highlander Slash Highlights vids, and in particular this one scene where a short-haired guy (Methos?) walks into a room and sees or is introduced to a long-haired guy (Duncan?). And Methos checks him out. I mean, obviously, visibly, and with no other possible explanation for his actions, at least not that I can see. And then he smiles, and it is, in my considered opinion, an "Oh, yeah, I'm going to love fucking this guy" smile. It's the sort of scene that makes you turn to your Best Beloved, assuming your Best Beloved is watching the vid with you, and say, "Did I - did he - oh my god, did he?" To which your Best Beloved responds, through almost uncontrollable giggles, "Totally. Oh, God, totally. Gay! Gay! Gay!"
So I started wondering how many other fandoms have these moments, and which fandom has the most.
And then the Best Beloved and I got hold of Shadow Hearts: Covenant, a Playstation 2 game that easily takes the title Slashiest Video Game of All Time away from the previous title holder, which was the original Shadow Hearts game. In SH: C, you collect - seriously - gay porn to get a flaming tailor to make dresses for a doll. And you can see the gay porn, mind you, in the inventory screen. You have a party member who is a vampire professional wrestler who wears a butterfly mask and who is apparently conducting an intense UST-laden relationship with his teacher. You have character interactions that can only be described as "like the DCU, if all the writers got hit by pink kryptonite." Really, there's not a single hour of the game that isn't imbued with slashy slashiness. And that includes the slashiest cut scene I have ever beheld in all my born days, a scene so slashy that the BB and I have held on to the save right before it so we can watch it over and over, laughing like loons every time.
Yuri, the star of both Shadow Hearts games, is in a bar in Southampton. In walks a Mystery Man with muscles and a swirling cape and a dangerously tailored uniform. Yuri is transfixed. He doesn't just cruise Mystery Man, he doesn't just check out every inch of MM's body - he quite literally cannot tear his eyes away. Then MM turns around and proves to be a man Yuri knows of old: Kato. Kato makes it clear that the fascination is mutual. They have a conversation that is full of references to the lovely time Yuri and Kato spent in Shanghai, including the pleasures they experienced then and the loneliness they've experienced since. They make an appointment to meet later. "I'm staying in this hotel," Kato says. "Come by any time. I hope to see you soon." Later, Yuri meets Kato in his hotel room (and there's only one double bed in there, and every other bed in the hotel is occupied, and yet Yuri stays somewhere that night); they have another intense conversation, and the screen goes dark. The next morning, Yuri rubs his ass and says, "I think I need a doctor." I can't really tell you more without explaining the whole story of the game, but trust me: there is so much slash in this cut scene that boys have been known to turn bisexual just from watching it.
In short, Shadow Hearts: Covenant is the motherlode of slash. Surely, I thought when I first encountered it, surely there is no fandom as slashy as this game?
So I ask you: is there? If so, what is that fandom? And what makes it so insanely slashy? Tell me. Convince me. Make me clap my hands because I believe in fairies.
I'm hoping that this will help me do my 111th post. Because that post should be a celebration of this LJ's core values. (Slash. And fandom. Also, slash.)
-The Evidence: Vid Recs, Because, After All, This Is a Recs LJ-
Want to see some slashy moments in the flesh? I can't promise that these are the slashiest vids in their fandoms, but they do contain most of the scenes I mention above. And some others that are equally ohmygodtheirloveissoobvious.
Stargate, Jack/Daniel: "Let's Hear It," by Relic 1979, has Jack pushing up Daniel's glasses and a bunch more; you can download it from Relic's website.
Highlander, Methos/Duncan (I think): "Just Like You," by Luminosity, features the "I'm going to love fucking this guy" bit. You can find it at Luminosity's website.
Angel, Angel/Wes: "If It's Hurting You" contains the Wes-feeding-Angel scene, and "Completely Pleased" contains a whole bunch of other Angel/Wes-ishness. They're both by Charmax, and they can be found at Bronze Ambition.
Starsky and Hutch, Starsky/Hutch: "Mighty Fine," by Kassidy Rae, shows the guys stripping, together, happily, and at some length, for reasons best known to themselves. It can be downloaded from her website.
Multifandom: "Dirty World," by Diana Williams, has great slashy moments from a bunch of fandoms. You can download it at her website; that site only features her newest vids for downloading, though, so eventually you will have to order a hard copy to get this one.
Multifandom: "Wouldn't It Be Nice," by Laura Shapiro, features another cross-fandom parade of slash. To get the vid, you'll need to email Laura for the password to her website, so the link is for that.
no subject
I’d say The O.C.. Seth and Ryan… otp. So it’s mostly from Seth’s side, though Ryan is the king of Intense Looks Of Longing.
Seth gets together with his long time crush, Summer, they’re all happy and love-y, but then Ryan leaves with his ex-girlfriend who’s pregnant and Seth runs away.
He angsts to Summer and then runs away… ‘cause life isn’t worth living without Ryan there for him.
Then there’s this (transcribed strait from an ep.):
Seth: Hey, oh ... sorry. I'm surprised that hasn't happened before. Not saying I'm disappointed it hasn't happened before just saying the mathematical probability of ...
Ryan: Yeah, crying during chick flicks, walking in on me getting dressed ...
Seth: Yeah, what's your point? K, I'm not seeing what you're getting at? Do you work out?
Ryan: Not really.
Seth: Cool, me neither. I'm gonna go watch some hockey.
Ryan: Hockey season's over.
Seth: Damnit. Where you going?
Ryan: Gonna go find Luke. Beat the crap out of him.
Seth: Oh, where shall this can of whoop-ass be opened?
I'm not all knowing about The O.C., or even as obsessed with it as I am with most of my fandoms, but boy. Is it slashy.
(It was a toss up between Oz, this and The Boondock Saints... the only reason I didn't do BDS is 'cause plenty of people have done excellent break downs of the EXTREME slashyness... such as this one. Omg. With pics. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/perseph2hades/42697.html) Though the slashiest pairing in BDS is incest... if you see the movie, you will be converted, It's just too obvious).
no subject
a) the world's biggest, ugliest, most TV-like billboards ever, solely for that show, including a giant one that I have to pass millions of times daily because it's on the freeway where I spend 3/4 of my life, and it features, like, clips of the characters at 1000x size, and - yeek, just YEEK
b) radio station DJs and traffic reporters who now call Orange County "The O.C.," which, trust me, they never did before That Show came out, and it's IRRITATING
So I have some bias against the show, as I'm sure is coming through to you, and I've avoided the slash for it even though some of my favorite writers are in the fandom. But that? That is so slashy. TOC sounds like a serious candidate for the title.
Boondock Saints sounds even slashier, though. I've always avoided that one because of my serious incest squick, but that recap was so persuasive (and scary) that I'm going to have to be squicked out by the actual movie now.
*fears*
Ah, well, fandom's all about breaking artifical boundaries, right?
no subject
From the Conan O'Brien Show, the transcript is here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/theoc_slash/255196.html?thread=1113308#t1113308):
C: You think there's a little bit of a...slightly gay undertone?
A: Total homosexual undertone! Everytime I read the script I think 'next scene, for sure they're making out... no.' Sometimes I have to literally play against it. I'm like, "So, Ben. I'm going to do this line (it's) vaguely gay, so I'm not going to look at you, you don't look at me, let's stay five feet apart" ... just to make it.... Ben'll creep up on you, I swear to God
C: We had him here, he was movin' in on me! (he mimes Ben as guest, leaning in on him like he's making a move). I was like 'Chill out, Chino!'
A: And um, and then there's an interesting thing, there's a new character. This kid, Michael, a great guy. He plays Zach. And Seth's crush on Ryan is nothing compared to Zach's crush on Seth. I swear, you will see, this awesome triangle.
And you don't really have to watch the show to enjoy the slashiness of the fandom. The fics provided enough.
no subject
no subject
Only you're probably not going to do that, are you?
(Hee to the transcript, though. And at least for TOC, my perennial question is answered: the actors know exactly what they're doing. Which - yay.)
no subject
But if you're interested,
P.S. I knows what you mean about those posters. They need better photographers or a new ad campaign.
no subject
If it gets you into either/both of those fandoms then, yes. Indeed.
The O.C. is way over hyped, it’s… entertaining and has above average dialog, but it’s hardly The Best Show Ever. I can’t believe how much advertising you get thrown at you, it’s quite scary. I think that’d put me off too. There’s something about Australia (um, where I am) that isn’t so… extreme when it comes to stuff like that.
I guess I like a lot of scary fandoms, hee.
(BDS has some of the best fic from one of my favourite authors in the whole world:
no subject
Hell. Well, I knew this post was going to yield at least one scary result.
I can’t believe how much advertising you get thrown at you, it’s quite scary.
Well, in LA we get overhyped for most TV and movie things - it's worse here than anywhere else in the US and probably the world. But even so, they've gone to a new level with The O.C. I haven't resented an entertainment ad campaign this much since Armageddon did this very realistic whole-building cling-ad thing that made it look like the building was being hit with a meteor, and did it right near one of the busiest interchanges on the planet. It caused a horrible traffic jam that I spent hours and hours in, giving me lots of opportunity to stare at the billboard and hone my hatred.
There’s something about Australia (um, where I am) that isn’t so… extreme when it comes to stuff like that.
Well part of it, I swear, is that the rest of the English-speaking world forgets Australia exists most of the time. No, really, we think it's all kangaroos and sand down there. So, you know, no major international ad campaign is going to center on Australia. Plus, you probably have less of an entertainment industry concentration there; I swear many of these extravagant ads are mostly to show off to other industry groups.
no subject
Heh. That's pretty much true.
Also: There is no resisting the power of
no subject
no subject
There's a lot of good BDS fic out there, if you don't include mine [/backwards type self pimping].