And what about themes of friendship, idol-worship (probably not the case with W/A), or brotherhood (sister too)? Aren't those strong interpretations too? Or does reading into slash not necessarily contradict all those other themes.
Oh Idol Worship is absolutely the case with W/A - it was the basis of season one. And while prefering a slash pairing does not require these things to be present in the absolute canon (as in preferring a noncanon, though het pairing) - in order to seduce me they need to be there in an abundance. I will not live and breathe and hurt for a pairing unless I believe there is a deep connection. So it is not all about Wes dominating Angel's ass - although there is fun to be had there as well - but how did they get to the point - where they are now in season 5 and Wes is so obviously dominating his ass - what brought them there.
Re: Just to clarify
Oh Idol Worship is absolutely the case with W/A - it was the basis of season one. And while prefering a slash pairing does not require these things to be present in the absolute canon (as in preferring a noncanon, though het pairing) - in order to seduce me they need to be there in an abundance. I will not live and breathe and hurt for a pairing unless I believe there is a deep connection. So it is not all about Wes dominating Angel's ass - although there is fun to be had there as well - but how did they get to the point - where they are now in season 5 and Wes is so obviously dominating his ass - what brought them there.
If you are interested in reading an excellent essay about Wesley, Angel, canon, subtext and stereotypes - please check out this post:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/thebratqueen/195009.html