I think that every appreciator of male/male pairings usually go through that stage.
I have to agree with you there. Unfortunately, some just don't get over it.
I don't know about you but I really like my guys to -look- like guys.
In all honesty, I like the pretty lookin' guys. I love it when they have long hair, long eyelashes, pale skin - I'm getting distracted here. But just because they're pretty doesn't mean they have to act like girls, which is the thing that really pisses me off. For example, Orochimaru's pretty (IMO). But that doesn't mean he's suddenly going to act all femenine and doesn't automatically leave him as the uke (even if I do prefer him as such). Oo; I can't even imagine a feminine him without cringing.
I think that as far as lemons go, buildup is -key-.
That's a big AGREED from me. I think PWP takes the thrill out of a pairing. I'm always looking for stories that show the hardships of a pairing becoming a pairing and then staying that way. And in all the pairings I like, I always ask myself: "Who gets to be seme and uke, and why is it so?" There has to be a reason! There has to be! Why is Renji the uke, 95% of the time he's paired with Byakuya? Byakuya's being uke to Renji could mean so much! Why isn't it explored?! *flails*
... pairings are just all about personal preference, right?
Right! I'm not much of a Byakuya/Rukia fan, though I am a RenjiByakuya fan. It's probably because I seem Rukia and Byakuya as having a purely brother/sister type of relationship. Which probably sounds odd coming from me, considering I pair Sesshomaru and Inuyasha together and they're half brothers. But I don't see them as having a brotherly relationship. They're related by blood yes, but that's about as far as that goes... Does that make sense?