a useful "I would like slash subtext, thank you for telling me I can find it here".
*nods* When it comes to certain fandoms and pairings, I definitely have a preference for slash-friendly gen. And I always like it when I know an author shares my shipping preferences. Even gen can be written through the lens of an OTP -- shipping is about more than overt sex and romance. It's also about which character serves as another character's emotional lynchpin. And reading genfic where the wrong character is Character's A Most Important Person, or where there's obvious UST between characters who's relationship is enjoyable when platonic but would be squicky to you-the-reader if sexual (because the characters are siblings and you have an incest squick, or because mentor/student relationships squick you, or some other specific-relationship-dynamic squick, or because you'd really like to never be made to imagine character X having sex) can be as jarring as reading something where there's a textual, consummated romantic/sexual relationship that you don't ship.
Whereas gen that has a nice helping of slashy subtext in the flavor you prefer is often just as satisfying as fic with actual sex scenes.
no subject
*nods* When it comes to certain fandoms and pairings, I definitely have a preference for slash-friendly gen. And I always like it when I know an author shares my shipping preferences. Even gen can be written through the lens of an OTP -- shipping is about more than overt sex and romance. It's also about which character serves as another character's emotional lynchpin. And reading genfic where the wrong character is Character's A Most Important Person, or where there's obvious UST between characters who's relationship is enjoyable when platonic but would be squicky to you-the-reader if sexual (because the characters are siblings and you have an incest squick, or because mentor/student relationships squick you, or some other specific-relationship-dynamic squick, or because you'd really like to never be made to imagine character X having sex) can be as jarring as reading something where there's a textual, consummated romantic/sexual relationship that you don't ship.
Whereas gen that has a nice helping of slashy subtext in the flavor you prefer is often just as satisfying as fic with actual sex scenes.