A poll about gen fanfic

[alias_sqbr]

This post is about fanfic. If you are not into fanfic, just be grateful I used a cut and scroll on...

In Words, Words, Words pandarus talks about the way fanfic about same sex couples get classified as "slash" when the equivalent story about an opposite sex couple would get classified as "gen", and in the comments gives a specific example ("Child via mpreg is read a story" below) which really got me thinking.

So, first, a poll, about different types of stories. It doesn't matter what definition of gen you use, as long as you're consistent. Assume these hypothetical stories are otherwise totally free of references to sex and romance.

[Poll #1392668]
(Sorry for the stark same sex/opposite sex dichotomy, but the whole slash/het divide isn't really designed for the possibility of trans/intersex/genderqueer characters. Or threesomes etc. Someone else will have to do another poll :))

I must admit I'm guilty of this myself. I tend to classify borderline stories as not-gen if the mentioned couple sticks out at me, and having been raised on a diet of heteronormative fiction where any two members of the opposite sex can plausibly get together with no warning, but none of the same sex ones can, it's the same sex couples that tend to jolt me more. Now I'm not one of these people who gets really uptight about categories, and I read plenty of (boy and girl) slash, but I still don't think it reflects very well on me.

I don't have a paid Dreamwidth account or I'd post over there with my nice comments policy. So assume it applies, though even if you don't like it you're welcome to take the poll.

(*)I am thinking of a Spike/Buffy story I read once. I don't think the child's conception was ever explained. Maybe Spike had become human? I back-buttoned pretty quickly :)

Comments

[busaikko]

This is interesting! For the shows that I watch (mostly SFF), I tend to think of gen as "similar to a TV episode". So for me it would be gen if The alarm sounded, and John leapt out of bed to go deal with the week's latest disaster. He dropped a distracted kiss on [Jennifer or Rodney's] forehead as he left .../insert plotty action here/... "Well, we sure killed all of them," John remarked from his infirmary bed, and [Jennifer or Rodney] said, "Do not ever be so reckless again, you mad fool." That is, there can be relationships, but they're more background noise and not focal, if that makes sense. In het or slash, the romantic relationship has a larger role in the story.

[alias_sqbr]

I tend to agree, though I think, from the way people tag their stories, that I have a more narrow definition of "not focal".