Res ipsa loquitur

I actually think it would be more accurate to say that, within the rather limited context of romance fiction, the guys I like read as women.

This bit jumped out at me, a little more than the rest, and it immediately put me in mind of a thread a couple of years ago in which cesperanza (I think) talked about how slashing a pair of characters may be a desire to recover our own female friendships. It makes me think that maybe, when we reach a certain point in our own evolution, what we desire from a mate is that same interaction we get from that type of close friendship: respect, a basic understanding of the constraints and freedoms of being a woman in our society, being on the same wavelength, to an extent, if you like. A particular kind of equality, which a typical romantic hero is not in a position to participate in, given the requirements of 'hero-dom.' I'm an ex-romance reader, and enthusiastic slash reader for precisely that reason - the potential for real equality between the partners, both internally and externally to the relationship. (I should qualify that by 'equality' I mean 'balance', rather than a more pedantic interpretation that both partners can do the dishes and change the oil in the car.)

Thanks for making my brain tick over.