One thing that initially drew me to the X-Men was Wolverine's ability to be close to both women and men without there being romantic attraction involved. I firmly believe in (and write) close relationships that don't involve romance or sex.
Sex is sometimes used to signify the level of intimacy between characters, ie, that they are so close that no other, no lover can come between them. Which, when you think about it, is mildly ridiculous, since one doesn't have to have sex with, for example, one's brother to have a deep connection with him, one that is independent of other romantic relationships. Sex is not the final stamp of approval :-) And seeing that quite a lot of people go through life having sex with plenty, but trusting only a few, I'd say that trust is what's harder to come by. If it coincides, all is good.
However, if one were to accept the idea that sex is the ultimate expression and proof of emotional connection (which it certainly can be), the reverse still doesn't apply. It can apply, if it's written that way, but it cannot just be assumed that a connection founded on romantic interest supercedes one of friendship, mentorship or other. Some of love's guises are completely separate from sex.
The mentor/student and doctor/patient relationships and their boundaries can be written very interestingly if the issues and taboos are explored. Having overdosed on JAG and LFN fanfic, where Harm/Mac or Michael/Nikita romance stories are 90% of everything written, I have an unusual low tolerance for the average romance story, het or slash.
On the other hand, go visit the M7 fandom, where men are brothers and women are an afterthought, and you'll find that the brothers-in-arms relationship can be overdone too. Several of the best stories in the M7 ficdom are slash stories that don't duck the taboos and issues of being gay while working in a close-knit group and in law enforcement to boot.
What people said and...
Sex is sometimes used to signify the level of intimacy between characters, ie, that they are so close that no other, no lover can come between them. Which, when you think about it, is mildly ridiculous, since one doesn't have to have sex with, for example, one's brother to have a deep connection with him, one that is independent of other romantic relationships. Sex is not the final stamp of approval :-) And seeing that quite a lot of people go through life having sex with plenty, but trusting only a few, I'd say that trust is what's harder to come by. If it coincides, all is good.
However, if one were to accept the idea that sex is the ultimate expression and proof of emotional connection (which it certainly can be), the reverse still doesn't apply. It can apply, if it's written that way, but it cannot just be assumed that a connection founded on romantic interest supercedes one of friendship, mentorship or other. Some of love's guises are completely separate from sex.
The mentor/student and doctor/patient relationships and their boundaries can be written very interestingly if the issues and taboos are explored. Having overdosed on JAG and LFN fanfic, where Harm/Mac or Michael/Nikita romance stories are 90% of everything written, I have an unusual low tolerance for the average romance story, het or slash.
On the other hand, go visit the M7 fandom, where men are brothers and women are an afterthought, and you'll find that the brothers-in-arms relationship can be overdone too. Several of the best stories in the M7 ficdom are slash stories that don't duck the taboos and issues of being gay while working in a close-knit group and in law enforcement to boot.