I'd like to pose a question to the masses of LJdom

Is it possible to have a straightforward discussion of the validity of slash as a character ship (not a fandom ship), without having people get upset?

Sometimes I'd like to sit down with yaoi (slash) fans of Gundam Wing and debate with them why Heero and Duo are not gay, but Quatre and Trowa might be. Or with Highlander, why I do think Methos did it with Byron, but not with Duncan. Or the canon-based exptrapolation of Spike/Angel versus Spike/Xander-- or, if one were so inclined, why none of those work and everyone is straight unless explicitly and irrevicably stated otherwise, or vice versa.

But it seems that slash discussions between people who disagree on whether a slash pairing is valid as a "conventional" couple instead of an unconvention/fandom-based one, always go badly-- and then no one ever really gets to hear the other side's reasons.

Is it just that it's an argument best had in person, where you can read each other's expressions and not take offense so easily?

Do people censor themselves and not try to talk about it, for fear of starting an unintended argument?

Is there a way to say "I don't believe in your ship, you don't believe in mine, let's talk about it and explore why" without the conversation eventually getting bitter?

Do slash fans and het fans even want to have discussion and debate about it?

Or is it like putting Pro-Life-ers in a room with Pro-choice-ers and telling them to talk about only abortion: there will be blood and vitriol no matter how good your intentions?

hehee.

Oh oh, bestill my heart!

Three more women have come forward with allegations against Schwarzenegger!

Wither and die in a brew of your own horny election-thieving messes, Republican scum.

[no offense, sabrinanymph, you know you're cool]

Arnold, Arnold, Arnold... even your fellows can't help you now.

::reads newspaper::

Whoa man, oh man. Sure, this Hitler admiration thing might not be true, but it still can not be a good thing to have your name and Adolf's printed in the same article that many times.

(no subject)

Anyone else like H/L as a ship for HP?

My fellow shippers from a faction of fictionalley.org have come up with a soundtrack for the pairing (we were bored, and it was fun), and now you can vote on it.

http://www.pixielights.com/looniesandlions/webpolls.htm

I don't think you need to be a member of anything, since the poll doesn't require that you register on a board. But if you like the pairing, come cast your vote. We're going to put the songs up later so people can make their own soundtracks.

****

Speaking of soundtracks, I've been listening to savaa's "After the Fall" CD from the Spuffy music-trade last year, and was amazed again by all the songs I'd forgotten I had on it that I liked. And some of them I don't even know who is singing, or the song title (I think I lost the guiding songsheet), but I like number 4, and number 13, and number 16, whose titles I can only postulate to be, respectfully: After the Fall, Telescope, and King of Yesterday. At least, that's what I'd name them if they were my songs.