In Search of the Ur-Fic

[thedeadparrot]

So one idea that's popped up into my head recently (and I'm willing to accept that it's an awful thesis that is WRONG and full of truck-sized holes), is that each OTP in fandom of a certain size tends to have its own Ur-Fic. This is a slight misnomer, as it doesn't have to be the original fic in that OTP or that fandom, but it is that general plot and attitude of a fic that all fic in that fandom tends to be based on. This even crosses over into AU stories, and I think, fundamentally, AU stories are about unearthing these Ur-Fics so that we can tell them to ourselves with the window dressing changed.

Examples of ones that I have thought of:

Mark/Eduardo (The Social Network) - Mark and Eduardo have to learn to love each other again!
John/Rodney (SGA) - John and Rodney have adventures (and occasionally wacky misadventures)! And are forced to admit their feelings in awkward circumstances!
Kurt/Blaine (Glee) - Kurt and Blaine are totes soulmates. Watch them figure this out together!
Charles/Erik (XMFC variety) - Erik is a brute, and Charles is the gentle soul that must soothe the savage beast!

I think there are several fandoms where I have thought the idea of a pairing as intriguing, but the Ur-Fic in that pairing was just really off-putting to me. And there are a few pairings where my own conception of the pairing ran counter to what the Ur-Fic said it was.

So, do these examples hold up to you? Do you have examples from other OTPs? Am I overgeneralizing to the point of offensiveness? Let me know!

Comments

[merisunshine36]

I think the really interesting thing to do is to trace this back to the specific Ur-fic, which I don't think I could do. I also am curious whether you make a distinction between, Ur-fic and fanon? Is one a matter of plot and the other a matter of characterization? i.e. for hockey RPF Kane/Toews, it's easy because the two overlap. Patrick Kane is a fuckup who is full of emotions, Jonny doms the badness out of him and in the process, learns to listen to his heart. But for Carts/Richie, their Ur-fic is their real life drama, but in terms of a specific headcanon for their characterization, nothing immediately pops to mind.

Others I can think of:

White Collar
Peter/Elizabeth/Neal- this is an interesting one, bc I think the showrunners basically wrote the Ur-fic, which is that Neal is a sad puppy full of needy feelings, Peter is inept at feelings, and El manages them both. I think the only differences is that the show seems to make Peter be randomly cruel to Neal morethan fandom does.

Star Trek
Spock/Anyone- Spock learns to get in touch with his human (read: better) side and the day is saved!

[thedeadparrot]

Yes, I would say that the Ur-fic is more of plot and fanon is more of characterization, but I do think that, like in most storytelling, the two are intertwined. Plot does follow character, etc.

I do think that there are some fandoms where the specific characterizations are less important for their Ur-fic. Kurt and Blaine definitely go all over the map in terms of how people characterize them, and in TSN, characterizations tended to fall within a much narrower spectrum.

Peter/Elizabeth/Neal - Yeah, definitely. I've definitely seen a lot of fic where Elizabeth is the person that bridges the gap between Neal and Peter. I definitely wanted more non-traditional 'any-two-white-dudes' examples, but those were the ones that came to mind.

LOL, Spock/Anyone. So much trufax. That does extend all the way back to the old TOS fic, too.

I wonder if there's an Ur-fic for something like Arthur/Eames, which seemed like the fic only had the most tenuous connections to each other, much less the movie. I assume so, but I could be wrong.

[zulu]

It makes sense to me. I think the Ur Fic coalesces out of the entire output of a fandom over time. Gradually, fics' popularity and different headcanons start to merge and be accepted as 'true', while other fics fall out of the zeitgeist once their moment has passed. I mean, heck, where do we get coffee shop AUs and A/B/O if not for a gradual winnowing of tropes to the most id-pleasing?

And of course what is Ur is not always what is most in-character, but what is most pleasingly parallel to in-character. The characters as we want to see them, at their best, with a few rough edges filed down, which generally makes happily-ever-afters more sustainable. (Are there any Ur Fics that end unhappily?)

House/Foreman: House and Foreman are each shocked to discover that their accidental/never-intended-to-be-serious physical encounter was actually...good, and also that it may have emotional implications. Snarking ensues.

[thedeadparrot]

Yeah, part of me wonders if the Ur-Fic for an OTP necessarily requires a certain amount of output. I think it's possible that there is the one Ur-Fic that draws people to a fandom in the first place, the one that acts as a blueprint for all other fics in the fandom. I think for the most part, the Ur-Fic usually will evolve after that to become more distilled, but maybe it never drifts very far.

As to whether or not any Ur-Fics end unhappily, that's a good question! I think there may be small OTP fandoms with an unhappy Ur-Fic. There was one I was in where one half of the pairing dies early on in the series, leaving the other half to mourn him. That death played heavily in the fic that tiny corner of the fandom produced, but it's hard to say if it ever got big or connected enough to create a proper Ur-Fic.

Fandom abhors unhappy endings, so I seriously doubt it works for any good-sized pairing.

Hour/Foreman: Heee!

[starlady]

I kiiiind of want to quibble about the XMFC thing, but--I think you're actually right. Sometimes it's buried, but it's definitely usually there.

[thedeadparrot]

I kind of wish that the Ur-Fic of XMFC were different, and I can't say that every fic in that fandom adheres to the Ur-Fic, but I do think it's the dominant story I've seen. Also, canon does follow it to some degree, though a lot of people cut off the part that undercuts the beginning narrative.