Let's talk about genres and tags...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I believe we have had this discussion some other time, possibly more than once.  However, it never hurts to review things and we do have newer people here who might not be privy to prior conversations on the topic.
Please, anyone who has more to say on it chime in and let's see if we come to any different conclusions.  Section VII is about following the path laid down in the original series.  That means the guys are charming and sexy, date women and sometimes even have intimate relations with those same women.  In Napoleon's case we understand that he is the most sexually active, at least it looks that way.  The Kuryakin mystique hangs in there and makes us wonder, and some of us refuse to believe that he is as chaste as the series made him look.
Anyway...  stories here should reflect that very 60's image, which is the image of the show.  Every once in a while a writer likes to delve into something slightly AU (alternate universe) where the men have something additional in their lives that isn't in the show.  We haven't strictly enforced any rules about this, although writers have chosen to not post some of those stories here: for example mrua7 's stories that center around Illya and Napoleon having wives and children.  It really doesn't fit here, but has a fantastic following over on ff.net.  I believe there is a  baby that's been gestating for around two years... Marian just needs some encouragement perhaps ;)
Alynwa has a delightful series with Leona Nicole, her Sugar and Spies stories.  While it is not necessarily something we could consider within the parameters of the show, it slips in somewhere as the time away from Headquarters when we don't know what the guys are doing.  It's one of those maybe yes, maybe no but we sure like reading about it.
We don't do slash because it is an entirely different genre of stories set within what I consider an AU scenario.  It's great that we have the MUNCLE community for readers and writers who enjoy that genre, and some other non-specific comms as well.
Section VII started out as a dedicated site, and it's something we work on maintaining.  The newest tag to come along is gen/mature.  It was suggested by st_crispins as a way to describe the almost or mildly het stories that don't necessarily fall into purely explicit het.  It can also cover stories that might have violence or language that goes beyond what people experienced in the show.
I'm curious to hear back on the gen/mature category.  I know it makes for a little head scratching for those writing up the newsletters, so along with the tag gen/mature the writer now has an obligation to fill in the blanks; what exactly makes it mature?
The website HERE has a lengthy list of terms and genres that might be helpful in determining what it is you're writing, that is if you still have questions about it.  Of particular interest as I'm looking at it is the section on Songfics.  I might need to re-think how we post for Song Story.
Feel free to chime in on this.  The object here is to encourage writers and continue to see more stories written for MFU.  We've added an impressive number of new works to the fanfiction archives through the challenges here on Section VII.  Remember that if you have a story that leans more to Het, the mfu_map_room was opened specifically for those stories.  If a story leans more to Het then simply post it on the Map Room and leave a link here on S7 directing us to your entry.

Comments

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Personally, I don't look at tags before reading a story.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

The Gen/mature rating isn't just about sex...as I specified, it covers, torture, violence, and angst as well. This helps clarify things for writers and St. Crispins suggestion was an excellent one. There are other non-sex related topics other than the Gen, and Het classifications and I think the Gen/Mature helps cover them.

Mild het means nothing explicit as I pointed out in the Picfic blurb. The Map Room is reserved for anything stronger than that right? That's what the MR is about, sex, isn't it? So anything else doesn't really belong there...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I think the idea of our own PG13 type of tag can work out for writers and readers. As for the Map Room, it is geared for Het but not necessarily red hot mama sex stories. I have a tag over there for 'almost het', and so perhaps the Map Room is merely our version of a harlequin romance.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha, good Lord, 'red hot mam sex stories' ....I don't think so. It's good to get these things fine-tuned now and then, just so we have a better handle on things.

Hey, some of those Harlequin Romance stories and get pretty steamy though...lol.

[carabele.livejournal.com]

I've already told Glenna that I don't agree with the "gen-mature" tag for Section VII. But I'm in the minority it seems. [chuckle]

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

I'm focusing on issues like torture, violence and angst (more so than mild het or het implied) being addressed by the gen-mature tag. It's merely a clarification, like a PG-13 rating and by no means insinuates anything extreme or explicit. (but I made a point of saying that in the picfic blurb) I think it will help writers understand moreso what's appopriate for the site and what isn't.

It's just another tag that we have to use should the need arise, that's all. Section VII still remains a gen site.

[lindafishes8.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this! I am relatively new to fan fiction and want to have warnings posted before I start to read a story. There are enough sites out there for everyone to find exactly what they are looking for. There is integrity and honesty here in Section VII. Thank you dor keeping it that way.

[avery11.livejournal.com]

The entire MFU community is a safe and honorable space, I'm very glad to say. Maybe that's because the number of Cousins is relatively small. Everybody knows everybody, and we all do our best to be kind and respectful of one another.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Linda, your comment makes me glad to be here at Section VII. This is simply a place for people who want to write and/or read MFU fiction. I think discussing these things periodically keeps us in touch with each other, and allows for a conversation on the topics.
Thanks for joining in.

[rosywonder.livejournal.com]

I can understand why you say that the 'family' stories might belong in MRoom, but I see them as more like a development of the series. Family life is not just about sex after all. I love the family stories myself, love writing and reading them. I have often wondered where to post them, apart from ffiction and AO3 etc, and would welcome a discussion on that one.

And yes, I agree with Avery that the MFU community per se is a lovely one! I am really not into tags myself, and would prefer a kind of preface or blurb like you read on the back of published books. Like a published book, one can always stop reading if it's not to your taste. I don't like to limit myself by assigning these things, for instance I might have gen, het and slash in the same story!

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Map Room is actually for Het, but it made me laugh a little for you to designate it for 'family' stories, although families might be the outcome of what goes on there.
My point about the family stories was that they didn't exist during the run of the series, which is mostly what is dealt with here on Section VII. We've pretty much stuck to that; I have avoided (to the best of my memory) posting my House of Vanya stories here because they occur beyond the series.
To my mind we have communities for whatever anyone wants to read or write. MUNCLE for slash, specifically; Section VII for Gen; MFUWSS and Network Command for all genres. Those are the writing communities on LJ, and hopefully meet the needs of everyone in the fandom.
Movies have ratings systems and so it isn't surprising that they exist here. I suppose the key is to not get carried away with them until we're all just reading tags instead of stories.
Oh, by the way... We do have Writer's Choice on Saturdays for posting any story. That is a perfect place for your family stories, so feel free. Do we have a new tag... Family Stories?

[carabele.livejournal.com]

Do we have a new tag... Family Stories?

No, we don't need a tag for that. Let's keep the tagging to a miniumum. Tagging becomes totally irrelevant when there is too much of it.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

No, no family tag ;) I'd be happy if it was just gen and slash. However, I've read comments from people who prefer slash that indicate how much they dislike het, so I guess that one is necessary as well.

[rosywonder.livejournal.com]

I can't get my head round tags so the gen/slash thing is about right for me. I don't really understand anyone finding either difficult, as both homosexual and heterosexual relationships occur in the real world and I do think people should be a bit more inclusive. I don't want family stories to become a separate entity, just to be more acceptable as a natural possibility in this genre. Understand more clearly now about Section VII though I find it a bit constricting personally, as I think the original series was, i.e. no proper back stories, no personal life etc etc. There's so much more of that now in modern TV series of that genre, so it's hardly surprising that one should want to include it in stories. Am rambling.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Sometimes parameters make for happy pathways. Ours here is simply to think within those encompassed by the series setting, which is in itself fairly broad if you consider the variety of circumstances the guys found themselves in.
I was kidding about the family tag ;)

[rosywonder.livejournal.com]

I know you were. It would be quite amusing though ...! Sorry if I came on a bit strong this morning. Must remember to save myself until the afternoon when I am calmer ... thinks calming thoughts ...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Not a problem, I've had worse remarks made about Section VII. At least you still come and visit here so I know we hold a special place in your heart :D