I'm a pretty loyal follower and a beginning participant in the Internet Les Mis fan fiction community, and one of the things I always notice (okay, and maybe judge people on) on their fan fiction pages is their stance on slash fic.

For those of you unfamiliar with slash, it's fan fic (usually Enjolras and Grantaire but I've seen Cosette and Eponine, Javert and Enjolras. . .) with a overtly sexual nature and usually a homosexual one. Well-written slash can be some of the best work out there -- and badly written slash some of the worst.

I'll admit to a fascination with the better slash fics out there- who can forget Rabsjavert Lalapine's fics? She weaves smart philosophical speeches and observations into her slash, making it not only entertaining and witty but thought-provoking as well. And the ever-present Salatrel, who with a darkly humorous and deft touch adds her own signature twist to her fics, which aren't overtly slash but do involve slashy bits.

While I appreciate a good slash because the genre is so hard to do well in, some others refuse to read it or post it on their sites. This is ultimately the webmaster or webmistress's personal choice, but contrary to popular belief, fan fiction is an art. Sometimes the best fan fiction authors on the Net are more skilled than published authors taking a stab in the dark at fan fiction, such as Laura Kalpakian (and let me tell you, for dear ol'Laura it must have been very, very dark. . . . ). Fan fiction is as hard to write as original fiction -- the characters, while pre-developed, are so complex that to commit to their original forms while incorporating artistic thoughts and ideas into the plot is next to impossible. And slash, just like any other variation of fan fiction, deserves to have a place on virtual bookshelves as the art it is. Art galleries don't deny controversial artists space in their gallery -- they hang the paintings despite their personal opinions and let the art speak for itself. So why do we as a collective group censor this particular brand of fic? Why not post all the slash that the authors wish to be posted and let the fics speak for themselves? Most web page owners wouldn't dare to refuse to post sappy Eponine fics, no matter how badly written or offensive they may be to Cosette or Marius fans -- this is because the Eponine fiction following is so large and would surely revolt. Slash, like any other brand of fic, has its own following. Certainly not as grand as the following of Javert fics or Eponine fics -- or even Enjolras fics, but it has a following nonetheless and we deserve to see our fics posted and critiqued in a purely objective manner rather than one tainted by personal views.

Les Mis is about fighting for what you believe, among other things. I'm not either condoning or advocating the homosexual lifestyle, but I am fighting for the right for slash fic to take its proper place among other, more accepted fics. We are lucky to have the Fan Fiction Index -- Abby doesn't judge fics or authors. But other authors and fic posters out there refuse to post slash. As long as this train of thought continues -- among even a very small group -- we are missing Hugo's point. Hugo wrote his book in sympathy to the cause of freedom -- which includes freedom of the press. Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité! And Vive la Slash!

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