Pros fic genres

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Cross-posted from ProsLit, because I know there are longstanding Pros fen out here too, who might be able to answer a question or two about genre in Pros fic... (and newer people too!) *g*

I've been watching (and using!) the new Automated Hatstand Pros fic archive with interest, and the latest thing to make me wonder is their list of genres. It currently reads as follows:

Action-Adventure
Angst
Case
Christmas
Curtain Hanging
Drama
Emotional First Time
Episode Related
Established Relationship
First Time
Humour
Hurt/Comfort
Letters
Outside Viewpoint
Poetry-Filk
Polyamorous
Post-series
Pre-series
PWP
Romance
Vignette

Alot of these are straightforward of course, but I've got to admit to wondering about the definition of one of them, and the term used in another: "Emotional First Time", which I'd never heard of as a separate "genre" before, and "Curtain hanging fic" which I've always (only three years I know, but still!) known just as "Curtain fic".

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the use of these terms (Were they in use when you were in Pros? When was that? Did you notice a change in usage at any point? Have you never heard of them?)

I also wondered if there were other such "genres" that might once have been commonly defined, but are perhaps less-known amongst the lj-type crowd, or seem to have faded out of use?

And what about more "current" terms, that might be heavily in use in other fandoms but less-so in Pros? For example, I'd say there's lots of what's now known as "Crack!fic" in Pros (I like this definition from the Urban Dictionary: "intentionally unbelievable and insane; often humorous. Usually short, one-shot stories.") - A Purple Cow by The Hag, or An Elf By Any Other Name by Arduinna Finn are two of my favourites - and there's a fab new story up at The Safehouse livejournal: A Night at the Opera by Josey)! I wonder if using the term will catch on in Pros, or if it'll zoom by with passing fannish-butterfly types - has that happened before, that anyone's noticed?

Aaaaand - I'm sure there's other genre-y questions I could be asking, but can I start with those? *g*

Comments

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

It's always been "curtainfic" where I've travelled. I've heard "Emotional first-time" used to describe a particular kind of relationship story, different from "first time" (sex) and "established relationship", but I don't know how widespread that is. I always thought it was more a discussion point.

I think it's a pick-and-choose multiple possibilities list - genres mixed up with story descriptions. I mean it would be possible to have an angsty story concerning polyamory and emotional first-times set in the middle of a CI5 universe action-adventure *g*!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ah, cool... I guess I've not even seen "emotional first time" as a discussion point, though I can see how it could be one!

And you're right, it's got to be multiple-genre for most fics, I'd've thought - the other thing that I think about, is that if you get toospecific about genre, you're going to be spoilering the fic, which I hate hate hate - and I can't see any way of blocking that information from showing when you click into a story, too... likewise the warnings etc seem to come up... Hmmn... I mean, sometimes I like to know that I'm reading "Christmas" story, for example, but I don't want to know whether it's first-time, or emotional first time, or whatever until I start reading it - that's half the adventure of reading to me, seeing what's going on and sort of wiggling it all into your picture of the lads... if I'm given too much information up front I guess I sort of lose interest to some extent, and that can't be good... *wanders off, thinking*

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

I've always known it as 'Curtainfic' too.

And until a couple of days ago I have never come across the term 'Emotional First Time' in Pros or in any of the other fandoms I'm in and I've been in fandom for nearly ten years.

And reading the list I also have to confess to having never come across 'Polyamorous' either.

I'm very surprised to see that 'Crack!Fic' is missing that's an established term now and has been for quite some time - years.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'd love to know more about where "Emotional First Time" was in common use - in the Yahoo lists, in letterzine discussions, on the old message boards..? Among just one circle of people, or more widespread, or... I'm told it was, but no one's given any specifics yet!

I've definitely read "Polyamorous" Prosfic - Brenda K's "Matters in Hand" comes to mind, and a few others whose titles I can't recall, but I often think are poorly-disguised MarySues! I guess that one's a practical definition, even if people don't describe it that way... ohmigods, just thought - Cat Tales is definitely "polyamorous"!

I've not seen Crackfic (with or without the ! which is recently insinuating itself between words everywhere! *g*) used very often as a term in Pros, though there's lots of it about... Maybe because Pros already had that type of fic, without defining it in any way like that? Maybe it was all just writing! Or maybe there was some other name for it, used long ago, and all hazed up with the mists of time... *g* Actually, I suppose "Elf fic" should be a genre on the list, cos that's a rather old and venerable Pros tradition... *g* I wonder what the most recent elf fic is? I know Castalia wrote an elf fic drabble, which I've linked to (I'm 99% sure!) at palelyloitering, but am too lazy to go and find now... But apart from that, I wonder... Hmmn!

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

So would I! It was hagsrus who made a small post about it now appearing a day or two ago, but until then I'd never heard of the term.

I meant I'd never come across the term 'Polyamorous' as a term before.

You could well be right that crack!fic isn't really a term in Pros because so much of it existed - Elfic would really fit into crack!fic. And the term has become much more widely used across stories that I sometimes don't think are really crack!fic in its original meaning.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Sorry to be so long away from the conversation again - I was away this weekend just to compound everything, and only managed to catch up on a few posts last night before I fell asleep!

So far it seems as if hagsrus and nellhowell are the ones who've heard/used the term "emotional first time" - no one else who might have has answered anywhere!

Must have got my words crossed somewhere as well, cos I did realise that you were talking about "emotional first time" rather than "polyamorous" fic - sorry!

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that about crack!fic in Pros too - interesting how different people interpret what's crack and what isn't! I was wondering if there should be a genre for "elffic" at AH as well, but I suppose that would only work if more people were going to write it... *g*

Do you think you'll put up any of your fic at AH, or will you stick with your own website? Just being curious/nosy... *g*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I think I've already said to you elsewhere that I've never heard of EFT either, but I was just thinking, a great example of that genre would be Coming Home by Kathy Keegan - admittedly only from Bodie's point of view, but I think it's a classic!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

You know, I absolutely have to read Coming Home again - I think I did ages ago, but I can't for the life of me think of it now... Thanks for the rec! *g*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've just realised what I said. I didn't mean it was a 'classic' in the sense of a great story, but a classic example of EFT. A lot of it is good, very readable and it used to be one I read a lot but there were a couple of things which stopped me in my tracks so I'll let you read it first before I go on....