Femslash Meta

So there was apparently a big kerfuffle about femslash while I was out and the fallout continues to be interesting. Since I suck at any sort of debate (I've come to terms with the fact that I'm too emotional about it all and am really only good at giving my opinion), I thought my smartypants flist might want to chime in.

fox1013 meta (do you know what you're missing) attempts to take some of the defensiveness out of the femslash community's response to the original post by viciouswishes. Actually, that's probably a bad summary of a complex post, but it's early for me.

trancer21's Meta: Femslash - Readers, Writers and LJ lists a number of great comms, yahoogroups and sites for any newbies wanting to get into femslash and some advice for those looking to 'grow a femslash community'.

tellitslant in is it just "where the women are"? speaks more specifically about the SG femslash community but brings up an interesting question(s):

So sure, shows with powerful women draw the femslashers. This is no surprise. But if, if, we take my hypothesis up there, about letting the women be less in SG, then what does that say about the community? Do we need those powerful women before we start anything? Can't we make them better on our own, or pull out the interesting bits when there might not be as many? Boyslashers have always lived on that old phrase about "being subversive." If femslash is subversive, can't we be subversive in the way of empowering women where the show doesn't have or take the time?

Actually, this is one of the reasons I started reading femslash in the first place. Of course, there's the hot GOGA, but all of these shows (including BTVS, my mothership), fell down in their representations of their female characters or didn't go far enough, and femslash went a long way toward filling that gap for me. Which makes me wonder why anyone even has to ask a question like that at all? Is it not obvious? Am I just a freak? Maybe boyslash really IS that different from femslash in at least this way. Most of the 'problems' I read with femslash are of the 'I just don't like any of the female characters out there' variety which makes me go, wtf? I LOVE it when a fic completely turns an underused character around. That's what I'm here for...other than the hot GOGA....Yes, I would love to see better, more 3D female characters on TV, but, d00d! they're all there in femslash already!!!! And I'm off on a tangent aren't I? *sigh*

and thelastgoodname RANT: It's just because I like ticky boxes, isn't it? rants (and rightly so) about being the only lesbian to respond to fandom polls. Which is one of the reasons we're invisible.

Actually, the way I see femslash (as someone who's only been around for only about 7 years), it's growing liek whoa right now. I can't keep up with it. and I LOVE that. I used to be able to go away for months and come back without missing too much, now it's an insurmountable slope of femslash when I get back.

Also, contrary to popular belief, I don't hate boyslash or gen or the people who write/love them. They're just not my thing. And it really pisses me off that I constantly have to defend myself on this simply because I prefer, and therefore rec, femslash. why the fuck can't we all just get along? What's up with the fundamentalist fans who feel that it somehow delegitimizes their thing if we all don't LOVE it and see that is the bestest best? 'Cause if I felt that way, I would have an (apparently) microscopic (but growing!!) fan!ego. Actually, I would have given up in a huff years ago.

Also, also apparently there was another kerfuffle about LJ recs while I was out that I completely missed...which is probably a good thing.

BTVS

I'm trying to return to recs, so I'm going to jump back on that horse with something I just read.
via femslash_today
if you keep on looking up at night, the stars will all appear by bestpossibility is BTVS, Anya/Tara, PG-13. I've read some really great 'heaven' fics for BTVS and Angel and this can certainly be added to the list.

This is how things work in heaven.

One night she thinks, "I want something different," and a building appears in front of her.

Really wonderful story and characterization. Speaking of giving underused characters their due...

House

also via femslash_today (toldya I was making my way through it):

quasiradiant's this body of wonder and uncertainty is Cameron/Cuddy, House, NC-17 and it is gorgeous in the way that all of quasiradiant's fic is. She has a way of drawing characters and story out in a delicate, breathless sort of build and balance, placing piece after piece precariously on the next. I don't know why they feel so precarious because it's not like there is huge PLOT going on with bizarre subplots to wrangle. It's probably the emotional depth of the writing and characterization. Sustaining that sort of voice is so difficult, I'm always breathless by the time that last piece is in place. And ms. radiant never fails to place that piece in exactly the right place. Even if this isn't your fandom (it's not mine), you really should check this piece out.


Also, does it count as feedback if I rec it? I'm all shy all of a sudden.