snick_backup: (anya bunnies)
[personal profile] snick_backup
[Poll #1850830]

Fanlore definition:
"Bob" is a recent term used by some fanfic writers as a variance of gen to indicate a story that has sexual elements or pairings, but those are not central; the definition used by musesfool in her meta about gen, is "stories where there is a sexual element but it is not the point of the story".


Fandom badly needs this term or something similar; I was recently complaining to [livejournal.com profile] ghostyouknow27 that what I really needed was some way to mark a fic as "has kissing, but isn't actually shippy." However, I'm not convinced this term has wide enough currency to be useful.

Date: 2012-07-01 08:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] circelily.livejournal.com
bob short for kate bobbins meaning a little bit rubbish, perchance?

eta - so completely wide of the mark. Nope, I had no awareness of bob as a fanlore neologism. Mine is English (North Eastern ) lingo.
Edited Date: 2012-07-01 08:46 pm (UTC)

Date: 2012-07-01 08:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] catcase.livejournal.com
That's really interesting! I still think of it as just "gen" so to speak but that may be because I read OF that is not romance genre or even Romance literature but there's a side romance as a plot point but it's mostly there for characterization or to contribute to the overall plot.

Date: 2012-07-01 08:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com
If forced to make a guess, I'd have gone with cross-dressing, as per Kate Bob from Blackadder.

And the above is pretty much the definition I've always used for gen.

Date: 2012-07-01 09:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reapertownusa.livejournal.com
Never heard that one. I suppose by that definition I typically write Dean/Lisa as bob - I usually write them as a couple, but generally without showing them doing couple-y things.

I still personally class it as being Dean/Lisa even though it's gen as far as their actions in the story because I use the couple definition of gen (i.e. if there is a pairing it's not gen), but gen really is quite murky in that everyone has their own definition for it.

And I love your Anya rocking the bunnies icon ;)

Date: 2012-07-01 09:38 pm (UTC)
quinara: Buffy looks up with a bloom of yellow sparklies behind her. (Buffy sparkles)
From: [personal profile] quinara
I only know because [livejournal.com profile] rahirah mentioned it yesterday... I would have forgotten it otherwise. But I have written that before, not least when I wrote about Faith in Who Are You?, including sleeping with Riley. Personally I just call that 'gen', but the way that other people don't is what often puts me off getting involved with gen fandom as it is...

Date: 2012-07-01 09:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cindergal.livejournal.com
Ah! I knew I'd read it somewhere, that somewhere being the original entry in [livejournal.com profile] musesfool's journal. I would not have much reason to use it myself, but I can see where it would come in handy.

Date: 2012-07-01 10:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jacyevans.livejournal.com
AHHHHH. I have a few fics that could be classified as this that I had no idea whether to list as het or gen (I went with gen.)

Date: 2012-07-01 10:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slaymesoftly.livejournal.com
What's wrong with "gen"? To me, gen means anything that isn't all about a relationship - whether there is a relationship (or two or three) in the background doesn't matter - if it's not the main focus of the fic, and there is a plot and an ensemble cast, then to me that's "gen".

Date: 2012-07-01 10:35 pm (UTC)
rahirah: (Default)
From: [personal profile] rahirah
There are massive catfights in the gen community because some gen fans insist that True Gen has no romance or sex or relationship stuff in it at all. Personally I think this is insane, but apparently it's a thing.

Date: 2012-07-01 10:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slaymesoftly.livejournal.com
That's silly. Canon is full of relationships. How do you write a fic of any length or with any plot that ignores that they exist? *shakes head*

Date: 2012-07-01 10:41 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
Would that be the same bob as in "bits and bobs"? But yes, totally different usage in certain parts of fandom.

Also, I see you friended. Welcome! Feel free to drop in any time. :)

Date: 2012-07-01 10:42 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Sam Dean (SD)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
*nod* Different fannish communities seem to think about it differently. In my experience, the definition of "gen" seems to matter a lot to communities that are prone to shipping wank.

Date: 2012-07-01 10:45 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Xander Anya)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
Yeah, different people seem to use the term 'gen' differently. The way I use it often depends on which ship I'm talking about; I'd mark something with background Xander/Anya as gen without thinking twice, but something with background Spike/Buffy might give me pause. Maybe I'm relating it back to how those relationships are handled differently in canon? IDK.

Date: 2012-07-01 10:50 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Xander Anya)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
I think there are some very fine lines here between gen, bob, and shippy fic. Like, if the fic has Dean/Lisa in the background but is actually about Dean teaching Ben how to wax the Impala, I'd consider bob or gen. OTOH, a fic that's about Lisa making Dean hot cocoa when he wakes up with a nightmare, I'd consider shippy or Dean/Lisa, because it'd be primarily about the two of them and their relationship, even if no kissing or anything happened.

It's more complicated than it looks! Personally, I tend to just say things have "background A/B" and leave it at that. People who are heartily opposed to A/B can avoid, and everyone else knows that it won't be all about the Twoo Wuv between A and B. :)

ANYA. She is one of my favorites. Here, have her and Xander dancing. :)

Date: 2012-07-01 10:53 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Scoobies doomed)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
I think the definition of gen and the marking of pairings tends to be a lot more contentious in communities that are prone to shipping wars. I would venture to say that Buffy fandom is mostly cooled down enough that nobody would give you grief if you posted, say, your AU S5 Dawnfic and called it gen, particularly if you marked it as "background Spike/Buffy" or some such. That's pretty much what I do in these situations. That way, everyone who really really didn't want to read the Spike/Buffy could avoid, and everyone else would know not to expect an emphasis on Twoo Wuv. :)

Date: 2012-07-01 10:54 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
It would be handy, if only people knew what it meant! Poll results suggest that most folks on my flist would not.

Date: 2012-07-01 10:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pocochina.livejournal.com
Ooooh, I've never heard this before, but this is super-useful for me. This is...most of my stuff, at least, most of the stuff over a few hundred words.

Date: 2012-07-01 10:56 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
I have the same problem! Hence my interest in the term. Alas, it looks like most folks wouldn't know what I meant if I used it.

Date: 2012-07-01 10:59 pm (UTC)
rahirah: (Default)
From: [personal profile] rahirah
Like I said, I think it's nuts. I suppose it makes a little more sense in fandoms for older shows which were all about Men being all Manful and and romantic interests were dead by the end of the episode...

Date: 2012-07-01 11:02 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
One of the places I see a lot of dissatisfaction with 'gen' as a catch-all is places that are strongly divided by shipping preferences. Like, SPN fandom has had to very carefully negotiate what it means by 'gen' because one of the main (non-canonical) ships is an incest ship, which a lot of folks aren't willing to call 'gen' by any definition thereof. I think it's situations like that where 'bob' might be a useful intermediate term.

Date: 2012-07-01 11:03 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
Alas, its usefulness is limited by the fact that the majority of fandom (per my totally non-scientific poll) doesn't know what it is.

Date: 2012-07-01 11:09 pm (UTC)
rahirah: (Default)
From: [personal profile] rahirah
My personal definition of gen would include canon ships only, so bob-fic comes in handy for any story featuring a non-canon ship in the background. Or even a canon ship that was wildly AU, I guess.
Edited Date: 2012-07-01 11:11 pm (UTC)

Date: 2012-07-01 11:11 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
*nod* That's mostly the definition of gen I've settled on for myself.

Date: 2012-07-02 12:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com
I think I'm with Beer, Barb, & SlayMe on this. If there are relationships going on, especially canon ones, but it's not all about them, then it's gen enough for me. Even things like innuendo have a place in my gen world.

Admittedly, I think of most non-shmoopy things with the sex scenes "off screen" as gen. Perhaps that's too broad, though. In one story for [livejournal.com profile] genfic_minis (I'm pretty sure it was for you) I strongly implied a non-canon three-way happened off-screen. It only occurred to me after posting that might not strictly fly as "gen", even if it was mos def PG-13, no smoochies, and not characters that anybody starts shipping wars over. Oops? Bad gen writer. No cookie.

Date: 2012-07-02 12:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slaymesoftly.livejournal.com
I think I'd agree that a fic that includes a ship that a/isn't canon or b/includes a kink that would pretty much guarantee it could over-shadow the story or c/is what the story is about in some way needs to be called something else. I can understand that, actually. I don't think you can write a fic that includes non-canon, slash incest (Wincest, I presume?)and call it "gen". I expect a gen fic to be about the characters as I know them from the show (whichever show it might be), including their sexual orientations and relationships.

Although most of my fics are by definition "Spuffy", a few could almost be called "ensemble" which I kind of like for a story that includes a lot of characters, some of which are paired off.

Date: 2012-07-02 12:16 am (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
I don't think you can write a fic that includes non-canon, slash incest (Wincest, I presume?)and call it "gen".

And that was just it. Lots of people who were not pro-Wincest were opposed to including it in any definition of gen, regardless of how they'd defined the term before.

Personally, I think my definition of gen hinges on whether or not the background ships are canonical. But then again, I had that one Sam/Jo (non-canonical ship) fic that was actually all about Jo and Dean, and I tentatively called that gen. That's a fic where bob would have been an extremely useful term.
Edited Date: 2012-07-02 12:33 am (UTC)

Date: 2012-07-02 12:20 am (UTC)
snickfic: (anya bunnies)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
You're talking about the one with Ethan and Anya and Halfrek? It had not even occurred to me that that was a little racy in its implications for a genfic, but I think you're probably right. Fortunately, I thought it was delightful anyway. :)

Date: 2012-07-02 01:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bobthemole.livejournal.com
OKAYS WHO DO I SUE FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT???

As far as I am concerned, a bob-fic is an RPF about me.

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES.

Date: 2012-07-02 01:19 am (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
I... almost made a separate radio button for you. And then I didn't. I'M SORRY. D:

Date: 2012-07-02 02:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ghostyouknow27.livejournal.com
Maybe it will be known to those most likely to get grumpy when the sexual relationships are not front and central? I think it's a useful term that should have more currency, because fandom can get fussy when a story isn't what they expected. Granted, I learned the term like a week ago.

Date: 2012-07-02 03:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ever-neutral.livejournal.com
I assumed it was some weird sex kink tbh.

In any case, how useful! I will ~use that the next chance I get. :D

Date: 2012-07-02 03:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reapertownusa.livejournal.com
That definitely makes senses. I have to admit to being one of those crazy gen purists, but I pretty much despise writing relationships so I shouldn't even get a vote ;)

Exactly! That's what I did with my last fic. I had like 56K of gen and maybe 2K of Dean/Lisa interaction (about 0.4K of which was non-explicit sexual). Even for me, the purist, to list that story as Dean/Lisa just because they're kind of there in the background doesn't feel accurate as far as letting readers know what they're going to get.

Oh, so much love! Anya is as cute as a button (especially with Xander) and that 'I'll Never Tell' duet - so absolutely precious!

all about bob

Date: 2012-07-02 03:54 am (UTC)
auroramama: (white)
From: [personal profile] auroramama
That does sound handy for gen-spirited fic with a non-canon sexual relationship in the background.

But I kind of love the idea of gen = utterly without romantic/sexual feelings of any sort anywhere. Like, this story takes place in an AU where humans reproduce by budding.

Date: 2012-07-02 05:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyofthelog.livejournal.com
This term is unfamiliar to me! Interesting!

Date: 2012-07-02 11:15 am (UTC)
shapinglight: (Default)
From: [personal profile] shapinglight
I know what you mean, but only because I was privy to the discussion where the term arose.

Otherwise, I would probably assume it was a Blackadder reference and something to do with cross dressing.

Date: 2012-07-02 02:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] catcase.livejournal.com
*nodding* Very good point. I think that the more OF I read as opposed to FF, I get confused over how we categorize our fic in fandoms. Right now I am really into casefic and I just want good case-oriented fic and I don't care if someone is romancing someone else for a paragraph or two.

Date: 2012-07-02 02:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com
I knew it had some sort of fandom meaning (only from reading fandom history wikis), but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it meant. But yes you are so right that we need it.

has kissing, but isn't actually shippy

YES.

Re: all about bob

Date: 2012-07-02 03:45 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
LOL. Actually, a friend of mine has an RPF fic on the back burner in which one of the characters is a slightly different species and reproduces asexually. Although not by budding. (Ew? I'm not sure how I'd feel about the visuals that'd go with that.)

Date: 2012-07-02 03:48 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
Yeah, in fandom shippy/non-shippy seems to be the key division that we care about, and it's not always a useful one when a person really wants to sort via some other category. Like casefic.

Re: all about bob

Date: 2012-07-02 06:09 pm (UTC)
auroramama: (angelique tulip)
From: [personal profile] auroramama
I've never tried to visualize human budding, since I'm pretty sure I picked up the term from Asimov's "What Is This Thing Called Love," where the aliens have never encountered sexual reproduction before and are frankly appalled and disbelieving. One of the aliens talks about the sacred privacy of their asexual reproduction ritual, and begins to sing a little song:

"In budding time, in budding time,
In sweet, delightful budding time,
When..."

I guess they whisper their own names tenderly, too.

Re: all about bob

Date: 2012-07-02 07:33 pm (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
I remember that story! I read it when I was fairly young; I remember being scandalized. It is a classic, though.

Date: 2012-07-04 01:07 am (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
That's a good point. The people who feel the need for such a word might possibly be more likely to know it.

Date: 2012-07-04 01:08 am (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
Yes, because weird sex kinks are totally my preferred LJ topic except for the knotting stuff which totally doesn't count because it's worldbuilding, darn it!

Date: 2012-07-04 01:09 am (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
I don't think it's very widely in use. If I'd expect anyone on my flist to know it, it'd probably be you, because you dabble in so many different places.

Date: 2012-07-04 01:10 am (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
Ha ha. You're the third person to make a Blackadder reference in this post. I suppose I should try watching some more of that, eventually. The one ep I tried did not enthrall me. :(

Date: 2012-07-04 01:10 am (UTC)
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
From: [personal profile] snickfic
There's a big difference between "these two characters kiss once" and "these two characters have a future together." Grr!

Date: 2012-07-04 01:25 pm (UTC)
shapinglight: (Default)
From: [personal profile] shapinglight
It's a bit British, I suppose.

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