Confessions of a gen addict (comes with recs)

[selenak]

You know, this really applies for most fandoms: if you're not into shippy fic and the major pairings, finding fanfiction which you do like can be very hard. Here I am, trying to indulge my newfound affection for Torchwood (i.e. that feeling that started out as "great irritation mixed with being occasionally impressed", then went to "reluctant affection" and now is definitely a "wow, I really like this show") as a fan does, by reading other fan's fiction, and run straight into the problem that 95% of TW fanfiction is Jack/Ianto. Which I'm not interested in. (As opposed to last year, this year I find their relationship credible on the show, and their scenes work for me, but I still have no wish to read stories about that relationship. It reminds me of how I felt regarding John/Aeryn on Farscape most of the time, and of course most of FS fanfic is John/Aeryn...) The rest offers various other pairings, but that's not really what I want to read, either. One of the reasons, imo as always, why the writing for TW improved so much this season is that we can see the team relating to each other.

What not to do if one is frustrated about the lack of gen: check out how Heroes fanfiction is doing. Though in this case it's not just the 'ships in question but the characterisation the summaries offer (haven't read the stories because of the summaries). Okay, self, I thought, don't be hypocrite. You do like some 'ships, and the occasional NC 17 rated story. Yes, my inner reader whined, but those I like well-written, and with characters I recognize. Anyone using the description "ruby-red lips" in an unironic way should be either under 15 or should know better, and could someone tell X, Y and Z that they're not in a Barbara Cartland novel with added porn?

So back I went to the Whoverse, only this time not to the Cardiff gang but the Doctor and Companions. While the 'shipping is dominating there, too, it's a bit easier to find stories exploring other aspects of the characters than their love life. Also, 40 years of canon make for a really huge reservoir of fanfiction. The result of this morning's expedition, stories which coincidentally are also all in the light-hearted vein (handy on Mondays; the rest of the weeks, I'm an angst fiend as much as anyone as well!):


A pound note and a soft smack: whether you're a New Who or Old Who watcher, you might have noticed that the Doctor's age tends to be... flexible. Lesser minds would point to the scriptwriters. versaphile has written a hilarious story where Donna puts the Doctor on the spot and brilliantly deduces just why he's so fibby about just how old he is.

One day at a time: this one takes on Martha's and the Doctor's time in 1969. My favourite part is the obnoxious neighbour deducing the Doctor must be Barbara Chesterton's kept boytoy since she pays for the rent. (The Doctor using the Chestertons - One's companions, Ian and Barbara - as either a place to stay or pumping them for money when he and Martha are stranded in 1969 must be fanon by now, given several delightful takes I've seen on that.)

Etiquette Lessons: now this IS a Torchwood ensemble story, in which Jack tries to teach the team the finer points of alien etiquette. Everyone is spot on, and it gave me a happy grin.

Comments

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

mhalachaiswords is doing a fun BtVS / Torchwood crossover series - this links to the third story, there are links there to the first two.

http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/283987.html?style=mine#cutid1

[selenak.livejournal.com]

These are awesome. Thank you for the rec!

[elisi]

Ooooh fic recs! And such lovely ones. Thank you. :)

I barely have time to glance at fic these days, so I'm afraid the only rec I can give you is a self-pimp. It's a TW/ATS crossover (because I couldn't help myself...), and sort of gen I guess, even though I nod to a myriad of 'ships. Also lots of crack & meta. Dunno if it's your cup of tea at all, but I thought it might make you chuckle:

Captain Spike

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, and you know I commented on your story. *g*

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

if you're not into shippy fic and the major pairings, finding fanfiction which you do like can be very hard.

Ain't that the truth.

In that vein, thanks especially for the recs.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Check out the recs I received in the comments, too, oh fellow sufferer, very worth reading!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

The joyous thing about genfic is that the writer has to come up with an idea for a story. Much though I enjoy slash fic, I find that many writers do not bother with that essential requirement. PWP? (the exceptions can be excellent writing - it's just that I no longer have the patience to go looking for them)

Mind you, bad genfic is also rife, so thanks for the recs.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

Re: plot - well, not necessarily. I mean, out of the 100 plus stories I've written in various fandoms, only four or so are slash or het (err, if you can call a creepy Joseph Sisko/Prophet thing het), the rest is gen. But many don't have a decent plot; the shorter ones tend to be character portraits, or even relationship portraits through a certain time, or dialogue, basically. (For example, that old BTVS story I recently got feedback for again because it was recced, "Five in One", consists of five portraits of people Spike killed. Not much plot beyond "here they are, I try to make them come alive for the reader so she/he cares about them, and then he kills them".) Which is why I always admire people who can come up with a plot. I tend to do that mostly for my longer stories, of which there aren't as many as the shorter ones.

So I'd say the difference between slash (or het) and gen isn't so much gen requires a plot, but that gen requires you explore something other than "character x is attracted to character y; after some obstacles, there is sex". Not that sex can't be used to explore other facets of a character as well, of course, but more often than not the other aspects of the people in question simply aren't what interests the shippers...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Thank you very much for the rec! And I hadn't read the other two, so that was a nice treat as well.

[wisemack.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay! Recs for stories that aren't "shippy" are as rare as hen's teeth (sorry for the cliche!) so thanks a bunch.

*booksmarks happily*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

[neuralclone.livejournal.com]

Another gen fan sighs in relief - so I am not alone! I loved the stories you recc'ed. (Like Versaphile I've long suspected that the Doctor lies about his age because he's going through some kind of mid-life crisis. ;-)

(Among other things, I'm a Life on Mars fan, where most of the fanfic appears to be slash. There's good gen out there, but finding it is hard, hard work.)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

We'll just have to continue our labours.*g* Also, you're welcome, and check out the links the first two comments have, those stories are excellent as well!

The Doctor: you know, when I recently watched The Silurians where Three claims to be several thousand years old, I was so tickled. Because, using a line from Time Crash, that's what a young man does - claim he's older. Whereas now he obviously, etc....

[neuralclone.livejournal.com]

Maybe a community for genfic'ers? :-)

About the Doctor - maybe his newly redecorated Tardis is the Timelord equivalent of the middle-aged man who goes out and buys a bright red sportscar?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

There probably is one; we just haven't found it yet. But probably not multifandom...

maybe his newly redecorated Tardis is the Timelord equivalent of the middle-aged man who goes out and buys a bright red sportscar?

More than likely. And all the fancy new stuff the sonic screwdriver is able to do clearly parallels middle-aged men suddenly wearing tight jeans and leather jackets... oh, waint....

[chloris67.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the gen fic recs! I'm just starting to navigate Who/TW fanfic but I'm not a shipper so it's nice to be pointed to some good nonshipper fic.