Is It UST?

[moonshayde]

This isn't exactly meta, per se, but delves into some meta issues within the context of fanfic and writing. You can apply this to many fandoms, but I will be using SG-1 to illustrate my points.


I find UST (unresolved sexual tension) to be a term/phrase that is often misused and can be dangerous when labeling writing. Conversely, it can be helpful. So...what do you do?

UST has a foundation in the inherent chemistry between two characters, three characters, an ensemble cast, etc. Chemistry in general is the heart of most engrossing tv and writing. Without chemistry, the characters fall flat and we are less emotionally involved in their actions.

The thing with chemistry is that it can be interpreted and read in a number of ways, one of which is UST. While I am not saying that all chemistry translates into UST, all UST has its roots in chemistry.

Apparently, this can create a problem in the fanfic world. Someone who likes gen will tend to turn their backs on UST and label it a form of ship/slash. Or a fic that may have UST between Sam/Jack may be dismissed because of a dislike for that pairing.

However, there is a chance that the UST in the fic is not actually UST at all, and just chemistry. Could we be turning our backs on outstanding fiction because we perceive UST in a fic when really there's not? Are we dismissing fic that has amazing chemistry between characters because it's labeled as UST, but that UST can be read as either sexual or not? And are we, as writers, boxing ourselves into a corner when writing a fic that has chemistry between characters that could be read either way?

I'm a fan of labels. Really. I don't want to open a fic and get a surprise pairing inside. I don't want to read a fic that I thought was gen and find that it's really a Jack/Daniel slash fic in disguise or fic where Sam and Daniel are secretly angsting over their feelings for each other. Not when I tuned in for a gen fic. What I'm trying to say is, are we limiting ourselves with UST?

I would say the main draw to the show that many of us share is the amazing chemistry between the cast. Whether that cast for you consists of an original cast -- say Jack, Daniel, Sam and Teal'c -- or a change in cast -- say Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and Jonas. It could be Cameron, Sam, Teal'c, Vala, and Daniel. Landry. Hammond. Janet. Whatever. It's the chemistry between the characters added to a decent plot.

Whether your pairing is canon or not is irrelevant. There is no denying that in most shows there is chemistry between most of the characters. In the case of SG-1, I would argue there is chemistry between all of the characters. I really don't think you can deny the chemistry between Sam and Jack -- some may not see it as sexual chemistry, but there is some kind of chemistry between them, whatever it is. There is chemistry between Jack and Daniel, whatever it is. The same for Jack and Teal'c. Daniel and Teal'c. Sam and Daniel. Sam and Teal'c. And so on and so forth.

The show has given us several examples of chemistry. You can look to Need for Jack's caring for Daniel. You can look to The Fifth Race for Daniel's caring for Jack. Singularity is a good example for Daniel supporting Sam. Holiday can show Sam's caring for Daniel. Foothold is a nice example of Teal'c protecting Sam. Death Knell has a nice supportive scene at the end with Jack caring for Sam. Cor-ai had a passionate Jack fighting for Teal'c (along with the others). The list just doesn't end.

Chemistry isn't all hugs and cuddles, either. Chemistry takes on the form of anger, tension, need, conflict, pain, hurt, separation...the list goes on. We've had examples of this through a show like SG-1 between all the characters.

However, the former examples that I listed, the ones that show deep caring, commitment and love, are more often than not the examples people cite as showing UST. (Though, chemistry that involves feelings of anger, betrayal, sadness, pain, etc can also show UST.) The key is that we can read these scenes any number of ways. Some slashers feel the scenes in Need and The Fifth Race indicate UST and a sexual/romantic love between Jack and Daniel. While, at the same time, some people see Death Knell as Sam/Jack ship. Holiday is one of the eps trumped by the Sam/Daniel people. Foothold for the Sam/Teal'c crew. Yet, someone who does not support that pairing can just as easily see those scenes as friendship.

With such a spectrum and fluidity in the show itself, it's not unusual to find that in fanfic, too. When I read a fic, I expect there to be caring between all the characters, like I see on the show. I expect to see that spark, that chemistry between the characters, reflected in their own unique bonds.

For some, that is not the goal. Not all fic should reflect this attitude. If you are writing a slash fic about a perceived sexual relationship between Daniel and Teal'c, then you might not necessarily need Sam and Jack in your fic. If your fic only concentrates on two characters, one character, a side character...things change. Maybe you don't like a certain character and don't want to read fic that has that character in it. Or maybe your interest is solely in a pairing. Plus, there are times maybe that's all we want to read and think, "Oh, I'm in the mood for some Cam/Sam today..." It's a different dynamic. I'm not really speaking to those kinds of fics here.

But in a standard, teamesque type of story, where all the characters play a role, you're undeniably going to hit that chemistry that is present if it's a well-written story. That chemistry is going to slip into the conversations and actions between Jack and Daniel, Jack and Sam, Jack and Teal'c, etc.

Here's the problem. If an author wants you to know, yes read this chemistry as sexual, a label is slapped on that says UST. If a writer doesn't feel it is sexual, no label of UST. However, some writers don't like to be bound by an either/or attitude and are open to people interpreting their characters' chemistry as platonic or sexual. To slap a label saying UST doesn't reflect the nature of the story.

And yes, I am one of those people ;)

However, by labeling a story gen -- a story that tries to show chemistry between all the characters -- you run the risk of an outcry in the fandom over mislabeling. Some people will say that you're trying to sneak ship or slash into gen story. And sometimes people do, both consciously and subconsciously. But I think it's fair to say that there are a lot of writers out there that are open to people walking away with whatever view they want. If someone reads a story of mine that is gen and walks out of it thinking, "wow I saw something between Daniel and Teal'c" and I never intended that in the first place, I'm okay with that. And it has happened. I'm okay with people seeing ship when it's not there, slash when it's not there. And frankly, I try to write my gen in a way where people can see whatever they want, just like we do in the show.

But like I said, there's always a risk. You can't please everyone. And there will always be someone that doesn't agree with your views. There are fics where this doesn't apply -- full out ship and slash, for example. Also, there are times when a definite UST label is needed and others when gen is more than appropriate. It's a fine line, though.

My concern is that we might be missing some very good fic out there. Fic that might be perceived as Sam/Jack, but really just has some great chemistry between the characters and has a great plot. Or, a fic that might be perceived as Jack/Daniel which actually is just a story that can be read either way, again with a great plot. And that goes for Sam/Daniel, Daniel/Janet, Cameron/Teal'c, Jonas/Sam, even interactions between minor characters and original characters...you name the combination.

I wonder what are your thoughts on this? Again, I used SG-1 as an example but it can be applied to any show, despite whether the show contains canon pairings or not.

Comments

[sela21k.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, that's a lot to think about so early in the morning. :D

Well, IMHO, one fic writer's UST is another one's friendship. When it comes to labeling I tend to bow to what the writer of the fic is trying to get across even if I don't altogether see it. It could be what passes for UST for them is merely a close friendship to me but as it's their original piece I have to respect how they see their own work. The writer has the right to say what his/her work is and if I disagree with that, then I know what to respect when I read their work. That includes deliberate mislabeling although I so far haven't seen any of that.

I think thing would probably work a lot easier if there were a fan fiction terms and abbreviations dictionary / glossary that we could point to and say, "This is what UST is." It would also help when you're trying to introduce a newbie to the world of fan fiction. UST, OTP, OC, Angst, Whump, het, gen, slash, HC - there are times when I get confused and I write this stuff! :D

Good post for discussion.

[nialla]

I think the dividing line for me is whether the relationship in the fic (or the show itself) includes stuff like "longing looks" or one character thinking of a romanticized view of the other -- describing their beautiful blue eyes or shining blond(e) hair, etc.

Things like that place it on the shippy or slashy ends of the spectrum for me, even if nothing's played out on the page.

The cast of SG-1 used to have a great team chemistry, but now, not so much. I would love to have read some fics exploring Jack's mentoring of Sam to be in command in the future, but we never really got that on the show, instead getting UST that's tainted Sam (and Jack, to some extent) to this day for me.

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I'll have to think on this some more because I don't really see this distinction as difficult. For me, it's entirely how the writer presents the motivations of the characters, not how I could interpret the scene.

I expect something labeled "UST" to involve at least one character expressing sexual inclination towards another, either in thought or words. I expect that the tension plays an important role in the story plot- or characterization-wise. (Otherwise, why have it?) I expect that there will, in fact, be no resolution to these sexual desires. If it's open to interpretation, I think of it as "team."

Let's say that "Need" was a fanfic. As seen on screen, I'd call it "team." Could be friendship, could be slash, could be Jack being a good team leader. If Jack, however, had begun to think about how soft Daniel's hair was or how lucky Shyla had been to bed Daniel, it would be UST. If Daniel turned in his arms and they started making out? Slash.

But I'll have to think more on the line you're drawing because I think I'm missing your nuance. I know that fics don't always neatly fit categories, especially when you get outside the usual lines of het or slash, which are often romances revolving around a favorite pairing.

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

There are some gen fics out there that come across as very slashy to me, but in subsequent readings, I can only draw the conclusion that it's me putting in that subtext.

And I can only imagine a fic would be labled with UST if it's pretty clear in the story, such as you'll see romantic/sexual thoughts and actions of one character towards another. If it's not obvious in that way, then there's no real need to label the fic as UST.

[leenys.livejournal.com]

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.

Kam

[destina.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Very interesting post! I haven't used a UST label on a story since I wrote in X-Files, and that was, uh, 10 years ago, where the UST was canon. The only story where it might have applied in SG-1 was Ciphers, and I labeled it both gen and pre-slash rather than UST, and let people see it as they may. *g*

As for the accuracy of the label, Mulder/Scully was my benchmark, and I don't see UST in non-canon pairings, generally. It's an issue of objective, I guess; UST I see on the screen, but it's a visual thing that's deliberately written in for and/or played by the actors, not something I objectively see in written text. UST is not necessarily subtext, and vice versa; slash subtext I see because I want to see it, and not because it's created for me. Does that make sense? Clearly I need more caffeine. *g*

[rowan-d.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, nice post. I've really wrestled with this label myself, and I think it DOES often become a catch-all. One of my most often mentioned (by my readers) Sam/Daniel fics, I wrote as a friendship hurt/comfort story, yet the majority of readers see it as obvious UST and read it entirely with potential 'ship in mind. Another of my Sam/Janet stories was written mainly as friendship, and I really struggled with how to label it, because I felt if I labelled it UST (or pre-Slash) it would alienate the non-femslashers, yet I felt there was a lot there the femslash folk would enjoy, and I knew the UST label would open it up to that whole audience. In the end I labelled it as "friendship, can be seen as UST if you wish" and the Sam/Janet fans wrote back saying "ya think?!???" while the friendship fans said, "Oh, no, this is just purely a portrait of a beautiful friendship". So...meeenhh.

I have always had issues labelling my Sam/Jack fic, because, to me, Sam/Jack UST is canon. Whether you think they really have deep feelings of devotion to one another is up for interpretation, but the fact that (particularly during various eras of the show) Sam and Jack flirt and tease is just blatently THERE in canon. So, to me, writing a team fic with Sam/Jack UST is writing in canon, and you should be able to label that gen, as long as it never GOES anywhere. But I find that any hint of Sam/Jack 'shippiness in a gen fic (even when it is nothing more than you would see on screen on a Friday night) will get you potentially burned at the stake. So, I have never written anything labelled gen fic, because when I write the team, I refuse to ignore the canon flirtatious chemistry between Sam and Jack. And if you label it "friendship", you lose the 'shipper readers who think you're somehow opposed to UST.:S

So, yes, you have a very good point, but I have no idea what to do about it.:D

Myself, I do end up labelling a lot of Sam/Jack fic UST that probably shouldn't be. I would prefer to restrict it to fic in which there is obvious physical chemistry, brushes against skin, focus on Sam's scent when Jack passes, etc., and not have to label it such if Sam's beaten up and scared and wants Jack to hold her for a while, more than she wants the rest of the team. I don't think that should have to be UST, just becaue they share a hurt/comfort connection. Then again, if it were Daniel, I would say "hug her" and with Jack it's always "hold her", so maybe that's my answer right there.;)

I'll shut up now before I lose your original point altogether.:D

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

Could we be turning our backs on outstanding fiction because we perceive UST in a fic when really there's not?

I would. Whether the author intended it or not, if I perceive it in the fic, I'd find it to be a huge turn-off. I'd probably not finish the story. It's not anything bad or anything against the author, but it's just something I don't like and wouldn't read. It'd be like me eating mushrooms. There's just no good reason for me to eat them, so I won't--not even if they're free or covered in chocolate.

What I mean is, if the best ever Jack/Daniel fic has even a hint of perceived Jack/Sam UST in it, I'm outta there. I mean this with no disrespect towards any author. I love that people can write whatever they want and explain things away in ways that make sense to them and even fulfill their own fantasies through fic writing. I just also know what I'm willing to read, and I can't even force myself to read stuff I don't like any more. The older I get, the harder it is. I used to finish every book I started no matter what. Now? I have a zillion books around that I've started and never finished. It's all a matter of taste to me. Some people like chocolate, some vanilla. There's room for everyone. *g*

I'd feel the same about a gen fic or a team fic, though I really tend to avoid those types of fics as much as possible because I don't enjoy them.

I really don't think you can deny the chemistry between Sam and Jack

I can. *bg* That's one interpretation, but I don't see it. I see that they have as a sort of anti-chemistry--about as far from chemistry as you can get. In later years, when the writers started trying to write (orchestrate) chemistry between them, instead they came off all awkward and bizarre in a way that I find truly disturbing and squicky.

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

Great discussion. I sincerely hope all of my gen stories are overflowing with chemistry. I only write SG-1, and I don't shy away from writing the affection and occasional playfulness that I see as part of Jack and Sam, early on, before there was any question of on-screen UST.

I dealt with the whole mess by writing up a disclaimer I can point people to in the event I have complaints.