Gen - ahhhhhhhhh what is it

[lettered]

I just switched the tags for my Avengers fic on Ao3 to the "character&character" format rather than the "character/character" format. No characters have sex, make out, or profess love for any of the other characters in these stories. Characters do feel lust and look at each other with longing.

I admit to some confusion, because people who have read Responsible Science, my Avengers series, have seemed to agree, when they brought it up, that the series is indeed gen. However, the consensus also seemed to be that my fic The Pure and Simple Truth was not gen. In that fic, no characters had sex, made out, or professed love, but Harry felt lust and looking at Draco with longing.

There are plenty of reasons even the same readers (and these aren't the same readers) may feel the one is slash and the other is gen. The Pure and Simple Truth was written for an H/D fest and was a remix of an H/D fic. There was mostly talking not a lot of action. The focus of the fic was Harry's relationship with Draco (well, actually it was supposed to be about forgiveness). The end suggested H/D would get together. Meanwhile there's no context for Responsible Science other than as Avengers fanfiction, and there's more action/plot than Pure and Simple. The focus of the fics is Bruce's relationships with Natasha, Steve, and Tony (well, actually it's supposed to be about ethics); maybe people are less likely to read sex/romance into the equation when you've got one person having rather intimate feelings about three people at once. There's not been a suggestion at the end of any fic in Responsible Science that anyone will end up together (except perhaps Pepper/Tony).

At times I feel rather disingenuous, claiming that Pure and Simple is gen, because I definitely had all the sexy Harry/Draco thoughts writing it. But I'm having just as intense sexy Bruce/Natasha, Bruce/Steve, and Bruce/Tony thoughts while writing Responsible Science. None of the attraction between any of the characters (in either Pure and Simple or Responsible Science) is mentioned explicitly. It's more just Character A noticing that Character B parts his hair to the side, or whatever. And none of the thoughts characters have about each other is explicitly sexual, except for Bruce and Natasha in A Fine Spur. (I wonder if people consider that one less gen than the others?)

Because so much fanfiction is written with the intent of hooking A up with B, I totally understand the necessity of slash/het/gen labels. And yet, as I find myself writing less and less fics with that intention in mind, the rationality of the labels seems to be disappearing. Should my intent in writing the fic play a part in the label? Should what readers could read into a story play a part in the label? A story in which no one could be shipped by the reader is a bad story, imo. In any good book/show/movie/game/whatever you consume, there's usually room for shipping, and thus a large contingent of fandom.

Speaking of which. Poll. Tag Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Avengers movie with pairings so you can put them on an archive.

Comments

[readertorider]

I think I do read less romance into the equation when there's more people involved, just because I can't see all the characters ending up together (3(+)somes being an exception). In The Pure and Simple Truth I feel the ending heavily implies that Draco and Harry are going outside to kiss and settle into a relationship, but in Responsible Science I feel like Bruce could eventually end up with any of his interests and have a Ron/Pansy type friendship with the others. The Bruce/Natasha, Bruce/Steve, Bruce/Tony, even Bruce/Pepper all sort of combine into a Schrodinger's pairing with Bruce in some sort of gen-limbo.

I think who the people are matter too--admiring a friend or relative is different than admiring a(n ex)mortal enemy, with people more likely to read sex into animosities than friendships.

But I'm also inclined to think cannon relationships are gen (i.e. the Avengers (if it were a fic) would be gen even with the wonderful Pepper/Tony scene because Pepper/Tony was established in the Iron Man movies) as long as they aren't the focus of the story, so you might want to take my opinions with a pinch of salt ;)

I think either the & or / work fine for Responsible Science, but I think the & makes more sense in your case because the fics aren't explicitly shippy and the attractions shouldn't squick anyone (as opposed to Sam/Dean incest or Loki/horse whateverness). I think A Fine Spur is less gen than the others just because the Natasha relationship is the only one. The thoughts being explicitly sexual doesn't matter so much, I don't think, because I feel like Bruce is more restrained with Tony or Steve since Tony is in a relationship and Steve may or may not have a blind spot, while Natasha owns/understands her sexuality?

I've had way too much fun reading the comments here and on lj!

[lettered]

all sort of combine into a Schrodinger's pairing with Bruce in some sort of gen-limbo.

This sentence just made me so happy ;o)

admiring a friend or relative is different than admiring a(n ex)mortal enemy

That's really interesting. Although, I think that depends on the reader as well, because I do think some people have a stronger tendency to ship enemies or people who have animosity than others. Most of my ships tend to be those in which the characters feel and instant connection and are drawn to each other, and then as they try to work through a relationship something comes up between them. Obviously, Harry/Draco is an exception (although I don't think Angel/Spike is necessarily an exception. I think one reason I like it so much is how Angelus and William were totally into each other and then fought. But my major BtVS pairing is always Buffy/Angel, which is obviously no exception to my stated preference).

I'm also inclined to think canon relationships are gen

I sort of think so too. I mean, no one's going around saying Pure and Simple Truth should be het, even though Ron/Hermione exists and actually plays a rather large part in the story.

I think A Fine Spur is less gen than the others just because the Natasha relationship is the only one

Welllll...Bruce's relationship with Steve is the only relationship in The Hollow Men. There are some other characters, but Bruce is fairly arm's-lengthy with them.

Bruce is more restrained with Tony or Steve

I do mean to write him that way, so I definitely figured Bruce/Natasha would come across more strongly than the other two.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!