Have to speak fom my own meager experience here...
I rarely see a UST label on any fic. I enjoy chemistry between characters, and if someone wants to read more into that, then that is their own POV, and nothing can be done about it. I think all this constant labeling of fics actually steers opinion, and ruins surprises. Regular fiction isn't labled past the general genre.
I approve of labels for genre only. I don't even like mentioning the possibility of a character death, because it advertises what you've written and takes away a large part of the drama. If you know such and such is going to die, why read it? Let's advertise everything in a label-summary, "the team goes to this planet and does this thing and it's wrong and as a result such and such dies and everyone mourns for him/her." Well thanks, fine, no need to read the fic now.
Anyway, to me, UST is impossible to accurately label. If the tension is unresolved, does that mean is exists but neither party is willing to admit it? Does that mean exists only in the reader's mind? Does that mean they want to do it but physically can't? And isn't all sexual tension unresolved, hence the tension bit? Several of my gen-fics can be read as pre-slash, because of the chemistry. I've been told as such. Never got in trouble for it. And as a result became acquainted to the new "bring your own ship" idea. Which leaves me with an image of someone standing at the docks, waiting.
My opinion is, write it, label it with as little as possible to preserve a sense of spontaneity and surprise, and screw the masses that pitch a bitch over it.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-08-01 05:49 pm (UTC)I rarely see a UST label on any fic. I enjoy chemistry between characters, and if someone wants to read more into that, then that is their own POV, and nothing can be done about it. I think all this constant labeling of fics actually steers opinion, and ruins surprises. Regular fiction isn't labled past the general genre.
I approve of labels for genre only. I don't even like mentioning the possibility of a character death, because it advertises what you've written and takes away a large part of the drama. If you know such and such is going to die, why read it? Let's advertise everything in a label-summary, "the team goes to this planet and does this thing and it's wrong and as a result such and such dies and everyone mourns for him/her." Well thanks, fine, no need to read the fic now.
Anyway, to me, UST is impossible to accurately label. If the tension is unresolved, does that mean is exists but neither party is willing to admit it? Does that mean exists only in the reader's mind? Does that mean they want to do it but physically can't? And isn't all sexual tension unresolved, hence the tension bit? Several of my gen-fics can be read as pre-slash, because of the chemistry. I've been told as such. Never got in trouble for it. And as a result became acquainted to the new "bring your own ship" idea. Which leaves me with an image of someone standing at the docks, waiting.
My opinion is, write it, label it with as little as possible to preserve a sense of spontaneity and surprise, and screw the masses that pitch a bitch over it.
Kam