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Mademoiselle Kitty >^..^< said
I guess for the same reason he’s usually portrayed as a girly, scared, crying weakling. People somehow need someone to be the ‘woman’ or the ‘victim’ in their stories, and Paul, due to his public persona and looks, is the easiest choice for that.  

So I got sucked into some of the more slashy fiction recently, even though I initially had some reservations about it.  I was morally conflicted about letting myself read and enjoy it, not because I think it’s outside of the realm of real-life possibility that J+P may have had some dalliances, or because I’m homophobic.  I’m not straight myself, and the thought of the boys not being straight would actually make me think they’re even cooler (and we know that Yoko has posthumously outed John as bi in recent years).  I think it’s more gross when people (white male rock critics of the 70’s and 80’s I’m looking at you) fetishize the negative feelings J+P had for each other in the aftermath of the break-up.  I digress, I got curious and read a few that I actually liked, even if I do have my reservations about slash fics involving real people (like, how would it feel to be one of their kids or something, Google your dad, and find this stuff, heh).  But once I got sucked in, I couldn’t go back!  I’m a very flawed human being, OK? Anyway, I wanted to recommend this series. 

It’s McLennon slash dealing with the post-breakup years, but it doesn’t involve acting girly, being super dramatic, etc.  IIRC, both of them cry a little at varying points just because sh*t gets real in the story line, but I have read accounts of tears being shed amongst the guys in real life over what they were dealing with at that time, so I don’t think it’s out of bounds to include some crying in stories like this.  I like this series because the writer is good at what she does.  She characterizes them well, based on what we know of their real personalities.  Actual, historical events are incorporated into the stories.  It’s clear she did her homework.  She acknowledges that they were two Northern men who, despite being people we’d perceived to be evolved and sensitive, were prisoners to some social norms we’d call toxic masculinity in present day.  As such, she has them navigating their feelings and communicating to one another in a way that fits into that framework, which I think is amazing.  The stories that have the guys acting the way we’d expect two close, female friends in 2018 who can openly talk about their feelings without fear of judgment or rejection just don’t pass muster with me.  This one really does make you feel the agony of, if they really did have such feelings for each other, the reality that they just couldn’t bring themselves to be completely transparent about how they felt, and couldn’t let themselves open up about how much they really meant to one another.  As such, I think this is the most “realistic” slash that exists on the entire Internet. 

Courtesy content warnings: It’s got a lot of sexual situations (DUH), and as John was known to struggle with depression, the author has him experiencing suicide ideation at one point (just in case reading that may be too disturbing for some). 

If McLennon slash is your cup of tea, but you don’t like the stuff where Paul is basically made to behave like a melodramatic teenager who throws crying fits all the time, this is for you.  A little teaser: it gets bonus points from me for the author incorporating a couple of tracks from The Talking Heads’ Fear Of Music album into one of the scenes.  

Part 1 – I Still Miss Someone: https://archiveofourown.org/wo…..ks/3820159

Part 2 – I Know That I Miss You, but I Don’t Know where I Stand: https://archiveofourown.org/wo…..ks/4886890

Part 3 – Close the door Lightly When You Go: https://archiveofourown.org/wo…..s/13692534

A fun little headcanon, in my opinion, is that this next story, written by a different author, is an epilogue to the stories above.  This one involves George giving Paul a bit of tough love during the Anthology recording sessions, and is aptly titled “Now And Then ” after the demo that a lot of hardcore McLennon believers feel was actually written for Paul.  It’s fun to imagine that after all that went down in the stories above, years after John’s murder, Paul and George have this little chat, and George gives his feedback on J+P’s melodramatic relationship and the aftermath of John’s death.  Here it is:

http://archiveofourown.org/wor…..s/12213291

Silly Girl said
*three hours of procrastinatory binge-reading later* I didn’t need my heart anyway

Thanks for posting @her_magesty. You were right on all counts.  

I know, right? I’m glad you enjoyed them!