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Is my work Genre Busting?

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dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#1: Apr 22nd 2011 at 4:00:32 PM

O...k, here's the brief description on my work.

At the center of the plot, there's The Hero, who has access to the Origin, the basis of reality itself and a two hundered years old alchemist his assistant trains and monitors him, training him so he can control his power better. So that fits the fantasy part.

On the other side of the plot, the verse is pretty much very well acquainted with magic and there are many syndicates and terrorists utilizes magic. To subdue them, there are special military force, mostly non-magic users, deployed by the UN. Despite magic, the way that they combat with the criminals is more similar to that of real-life counter-terrorists, and have highly advanced military technologies. Would that fit crime/military genre?

Speaking of syndicate, there's an incident where failed experiments of fusing human DNA with that of other mythical creatures, like werewolves and trolls, causes some test subjects to escape, and the company that is responsible for it hires an occult detective to found the subject and put them down. The detective has some rather dark past involving The Syndicate and some of side effects still haunts him, both mentally and literally, in forms of paranoia and recurring nightmare.

The City itself is also pretty bleak and described as something out of a City Noir work.

Also, there's an alien race that from future whose technology and most major religion heavily draws upon the magic of the verse who learns/believes that The Hero is more or less the closest thing they can find to their (vaguely defined) God himself. However, the factions within the religious community has a massive controversy over this and ends up causing an enormous civil war (hey, there has been wars over religion in real life too, you know) and the surviving faction uses Time Travel and come to the Earth to find The Hero and get help from him because they think that only he can stop their war.

And lastly, there's something of a Slice of Life season that focuses on misadventure of The Power Trio in their schools and the bisexual love triangle between them.

the N', the Big Bad, is more or less directly involved with ALL of the arcs, mostly by being the founder of the biggest magic/crime syndciate in the world. Oh, and he himself has a something of The Dark Knight-ish backstory.

Yes, all of them are connected.

Does this storyline qualifies for Genre-Busting, Genre Roulette, or just incoherent mess of a plot?

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
animemetalhead Runs on Awesomeness from Ashwood Landing, ME Since: Apr, 2010
Runs on Awesomeness
#2: Apr 22nd 2011 at 4:52:59 PM

Sounds like Urban Fantasy with a Sci-fi influence.

No one believes me when I say angels can turn their panties into guns.
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#3: Apr 22nd 2011 at 6:27:54 PM

Hmm....it's that simple, huh? I was actually going for fantasy/Sci-fi/Modern Warfare-isque military flick/Crime/Horror/High School Slice of Life Romantic comedy with liberal dose of Mind Screw.

Question: Is anyone else here trying for Genre-Busting?

In an unrelated note, i think that if I EVER got my work published, I have no doubt that it would be one of the most Troperiffic works in human history :D

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
MajorTom Eye'm the cutest! Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Eye'm the cutest!
#4: Apr 22nd 2011 at 7:02:47 PM

Is anyone else here trying for Genre Busting?

Mine might be. The first few chapters are downright Slice of Life-y, then it turns into Star Wars mixed in with Wing Commander and a hint of Gundam, then back to Slice of Life with a tone of changing times. Then before you know it, it's playing out like a level of Modern Warfare, then going into a one team effort amidst a backdrop of greater conflict and wait a minute we now got sword fights? Now what? Hang on, now we've got Humongous Mecha! And Kill Sats and Initial D stunt driving! And now we've got Le Parkour and Roof Hopping antics! And it just...keeps going...from there.

edited 22nd Apr '11 7:03:48 PM by MajorTom

"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#5: Apr 22nd 2011 at 7:09:41 PM

[up]....that sounds just too awesome for my brain to comprehend...

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
lordGacek KVLFON from Kansas of Europe Since: Jan, 2001
KVLFON
#6: Apr 25th 2011 at 2:32:32 PM

[up][up] So it's a sci-fi war story?

"Atheism is the religion whose followers are easiest to troll"
OhSoIntoCats from The Sand Wastes Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#7: Apr 25th 2011 at 2:56:38 PM

[up][up][up] I don't think that's really Genre-Busting, it sounds more like Genre Shift.

Ettina Since: Apr, 2009
#8: Apr 25th 2011 at 3:40:32 PM

I don't care what genre my stuff is. But I think I might end up defining a new genre, since several of my books have Urban Fantasy style plots in High Fantasy settings - eg the adventures of a bunch of EmotionEaters living in hiding in the capital of a fantasy kingdom led by an uber-magical princess. The world isn't substantially changed by their adventures, and most of the plot takes place without any journeying around.

If I'm asking for advice on a story idea, don't tell me it can't be done.
Vyctorian ◥▶◀◤ from Domhain Sceal Since: Mar, 2011
◥▶◀◤
#9: Apr 25th 2011 at 4:55:09 PM

mine might up genre busting, it starts typical Action/Shounen-y but my Protagonist is a Non Action Hero, it has heavy Slice of Life elements mixed in with non-typical Urban Fantasy elements, it starts as a Character Study Coming of Age at first and then builds into a plot. It has elements of a Psychological Thriller and heavy amounts of Deconstruction and Subverted Tropes.

edited 25th Apr '11 4:55:25 PM by Vyctorian

Rarely active, try DA/Tumblr Avatar by pippanaffie.deviantart.com
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#10: Apr 28th 2011 at 10:23:19 PM

My comics are a Genre Roulette, though there's a lot of Affectionate Parody of all sorts and the overall tone is a Dramedy. My current work is hard SF Post-Cyberpunk (sort of) with a Space Opera virtual world as a primary setting - one of the underlying themes is I Want My Jet Pack. I wouldn't call it Genre-Busting, though.

Regarding the OP - that's not really Genre-Busting, just a rather unconventional Urban Fantasy. Not that's that's a bad thing, of course.

toalordsothe Not a Dong from Hell, Michigan Since: Oct, 2009
Not a Dong
#11: Apr 28th 2011 at 10:25:55 PM

Alan Moore put it best.

"Life isn't divided into genres. It's a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you're lucky."

CAUSE EVERY GIRL IS CRAZY 'BOUT A SHARP DRESSED MAN
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#12: Sep 10th 2011 at 9:53:17 AM

Wow, a really stupid thread I've launched.

By now, it would be just a futuristic horror fantasy.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
ArgeusthePaladin from Byzantine. Since: May, 2010
#13: Sep 10th 2011 at 9:59:17 AM

"Life isn't divided into genres. It's a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you're lucky."

I have taken this advise to heart.

As a result, my novel now has a Tolkienesque elf (admittedly, with less treehugging and more being a global superpower because they are just that better than all the other races) and his bonded war dragon fighting in another world alongside with the Kreuzritter Squad of the Surface Alliance against the Neo Rome Colonial Movement. Using robots.

edited 10th Sep '11 9:59:45 AM by ArgeusthePaladin

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USAF713 I changed accounts. from the United States Since: Sep, 2010
I changed accounts.
#14: Sep 10th 2011 at 10:21:35 AM

Is anyone else here trying for Genre Busting?

Kind of? I'm trying for straight genre fiction, but with the beautiful lenses of Deconstruction/Reconstruction and George Lucas Throwback.

I prefer to hand the audience something seemingly interesting, and yet somehow so very different, than something that is simply strange and nearly incomprehensible until you've sat with it a long time...

I am now known as Flyboy.
Newfable Since: Feb, 2011
#15: Sep 10th 2011 at 10:55:56 AM

I was actually going for fantasy/Sci-fi/Modern Warfare-isque military flick/Crime/Horror/High School Slice of Life Romantic comedy with liberal dose of Mind Screw.
Remember that a novel won't be considered part of a specific genre if it only has a bit of what makes that genre that genre. A comedic love story as a subplot won't throw your work into romantic comedy territory.

Besides, if you're already trying to shoot for something that's similar to other genres, or attempting to write something that has major elements from other genres in it which can help identify what genre the work belongs to, it doesn't really qualify as a genre buster does it?

Kraken Since: Jun, 2012
#16: Sep 10th 2011 at 5:20:46 PM

The biggest question is not "Is my work genre-busting?"

But rather; "Does it matter?"

edited 10th Sep '11 5:26:05 PM by Kraken

annebeeche watching down on us from by the long tidal river Since: Nov, 2010
watching down on us
#17: Sep 10th 2011 at 5:22:23 PM

The City itself is also pretty bleak and described as something out of a City Noir work.

You just answered your own question with that sentence.

If that's how you interpret your own story, then no, you don't think it's "Genre Busting". Our opinion doesn't matter.

As for me, do I think it's genre busting? I don't know, I haven't read the story.

edited 10th Sep '11 5:23:25 PM by annebeeche

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#18: Sep 10th 2011 at 9:05:31 PM

Eh, I don't really care that much about my work genre bust or not anymore. This thread is one of those many Old Shame threads. :/

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
annebeeche watching down on us from by the long tidal river Since: Nov, 2010
watching down on us
#19: Sep 10th 2011 at 10:31:21 PM

Wait, what?

-looks again, sees it's from April-

oh.

Why'd you necro this thread if you didn't like it?

edited 10th Sep '11 10:31:47 PM by annebeeche

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.
Morven Nemesis from Seattle, WA, USA Since: Jan, 2001
Nemesis
#20: Sep 11th 2011 at 12:23:44 AM

Because d Roy's most predictable action here is to create threads about which he has second thoughts? At least judging from his hollers.

A brighter future for a darker age.
USAF713 I changed accounts. from the United States Since: Sep, 2010
I changed accounts.
#21: Sep 11th 2011 at 1:11:04 AM

Well, we could always just have it as a random thread for anyone who wants to know if their work is genre busting/what genre their work is, exactly...

I am now known as Flyboy.
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#22: Sep 11th 2011 at 1:16:44 AM

[up][up] Wait, what does that mean?

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
USAF713 I changed accounts. from the United States Since: Sep, 2010
I changed accounts.
#23: Sep 11th 2011 at 1:19:19 AM

I think it means you tend to make a thread asking a question and then regret it when you get answers you (presumably) didn't expect...

I am now known as Flyboy.
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#24: Sep 11th 2011 at 1:21:56 AM

Oh, that? Yeah, that was from first one or two months after I discovered this forum when I threadspammed the whole time. I don't do that anymore and those old shame threads can just die in oblivion for all I care. :/

The reason for this...I got to say I have no excuse. Perhaps if I find some good things that I might be able to elaborate upon well, I might necro them too reworked. Now that I have my own thread, you won't see me threadspamming.

EDIT: Wait, answer that I don't expect? That never happened, as far as my memory serves.

edited 11th Sep '11 1:22:35 AM by dRoy

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
USAF713 I changed accounts. from the United States Since: Sep, 2010
I changed accounts.
#25: Sep 11th 2011 at 1:26:49 AM

~shrug~

I couldn't imagine any other reason for regretting a thread.

I am now known as Flyboy.

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