Gen Fic, for SCIENCE!

[ratherastory]

This is something of a follow-up to a conversation in my post about the hypothetical Gen Big Bang, in which I discovered to my shock and dismay that not everyone agrees on what constitutes gen fic!

Thus I am conducting a poll for SCIENCE!

Please spread the word, I am really curious to hear opinions on the subject.

Poll Gen Fiction

Comments

[flawlessglitch]

Although my vote may be bias because I barely read any gen fic like..at all. I think I've read 3 in my entire fandom life and 2 of them were yours so lol

SOOO I probably am not that well versed :P

[ratherastory]

Wow, that is really flattering!

*this is the sound of me converting everyone slowly over to gen fic*

[flawlessglitch]

lol No way, I'm a Wincester always, and J2. I live off the stuff.

What can I say, it's a sickness.

But I did enjoy the ones I read :D So I GUESS you like 10% converted me :P

[katsheswims]

Well, I chose other. I think gen fics definately can't have romance, but I do think that sex could possibly be involved as long as it's not really explicit(smut). Like I can imagine a gen fic that involves Dean flirting and going off with a waitress or something, but that isn't romance. Canon pairings can be mentioned but there shouldn't be any focus on the couple together plot wise. Like John and Mary Winchester are of course married, but as long as the fic isn't focused on thier relationship it's gen.

[ratherastory]

Interesting. I hadn't thought of that. So, implied sex is okay, but nothing explicit and no romance.

Food for thought.

[tahirire]

Gen fic: A story that is rated anywhere from PG-R and does not focus on romance as the primary plot line.

[greeneyes_fan]

That's a simple and reasonable definition.

[tahirire]

Thanks! I just made it up, LOL.

[ratherastory]

Very nice and succinct. Is it your definition or did you get it from somewhere? Inquiring minds want to know!

[greeneyes_fan]

If there is no explicit sex and the main plot of the story is not sex/romance related, it's gen in my book. Gen fics may involve incidental Dean/Random Chick, or references to canon pairings, but I consider that character development. If I write a story where Dean/Chick is the main idea, that's het. If I write 5,000 words about Sam and Dean hunting a ghost and the many complications of their partnership and throw in 50 words about one of the boys flirting (or even having offscreen sex), that's gen.

[ratherastory]

That's pretty much how I view it too, but comments in my other post suggested that even mentioning in a sentence that one of the boys went off with a girl to get laid automatically made the fic het, even if it's one sentence in a 75K-word fic.

So, clearly, there needed to be a poll.

[katwoman76]

ITA. Just because the story isn't focussed on Romance or any kond of pairing, doesn't make the boys monks. I mean, if you can mention Dean's love for the Impala or food, you can also mention him flirting or having sex. It's just part of his personality. And just because a story is gen, it could still include the fact that Sam dated Jess or John and Mary are a couple.
If it's just a mention at the side, but not really something that the story focusses on in a main- or subplot, the story is still gen in my eyes.

And honestly, why does it always have to have ONE label. What's the problem with mixing it up a little.

[ratherastory]

Labels are important! How else will people know what to read? ;)

[embroiderama]

To me, there's an issue of length. Like, a very long gen story can have moments of romance or out-of-sight sex because then the other 95% of the story can be focused on the gen elements. For a short or mid-length story, I think it's difficult for there to be any real romance without that becoming a focus of the story. I do tend to see canon pairings working best with gen--and in SPN I would say that original character pairings are as much canon as anything else. I can't really see any story with, say, Dean/Cas or Sam/Jo or whatever being gen.

Though, that said, I read a lot in all three categories so it's not a matter of to-read or not-to-read but just the slot I place it in, in my head.

[ratherastory]

True. I hadn't considered length in the composition of my poll, nor did I consider the raging (G, PG, R, etc.). In retrospect, my poll is not at all comprehensive. Oops.