I know how that feels. I've been a slash fan for over 30 years now. Sometimes it's more important, sometimes less so. But I was a slasher long before so many other things that define me. Before I was a wife, a mother, a college graduate, a therapist, a retiree - I was a slash fan. It shaped me and is a part of my life. I can't imagine how different I would be if I hadn't found slash when I did.