Slash, named for the punctuation mark in k/s (Kirk/Spock) is a subculture that began in the 1970s. It involves re-writing and re-editing franchise scenarios to propose a homesexual relationship between characters who, in the original, do not have this connection. The original and classic pairing is Captain Kirk and Mr Spock from Star Trek.
The Slash subculture goes back to the 1970s. Interestingly, the large majority of slash writers and artists, like the largest proportion of all fan artists, are straight women.
Here is a comparatively mild-mannered vid by “Miss Sheenie” in the k/s subgenre:
Vids and fan fiction, especially as written by women, suggest the liberatory potential of fan culture as a remix culture.
In the 21st century if big media isn’t telling the story you want to hear – if instead it still inundates you with the same stories of straight white males coming of age, killing rivals, getting the girl, etc – fans can rework or extend the stories to make them reflect what they want to hear about, and ultimately, perhaps, their own stories.
k/s fan art