Views on AU(s)

[mesotablar]

Challenge #3: Talk about your favorite AU/fusion tropes

I love a good Canon Divergent Alternate Universe. Tweak some minor details in canon and you get a whole new story growing. It always makes me think about Multiverse Theory, and the infinity of possible outcomes from differing actions and timings. I think staying close to canon at the start also allows you more freedom in the representation of the characters

because

I do like wildly different Alternate Universes, but I feel the characters have to be instantly recognisable. They have to be tight to their canon character representations, but if that is done then I'll read any AU you throw at me. Historical! Futuristic! Mundane! Soulmates! A/B/O! Magical! I'll even read Fourth-wall Breaking Anthropomorphic Objects AU! (does that even exist? well, it is AO3 so it probably does!) 

Comments

[jedi_of_urth]

I do like wildly different Alternate Universes, but I feel the characters have to be instantly recognisable

I was linked something a while ago that discussed how this is basically what defines fanfic as a genre. That character is the key to fic and good fic is first and foremost judged by how in character people are. That whatever situation you're writing in, no matter how far from canon it is, people have to feel like they know the characters.

And that this is how fanfic people can hold dozens of 'canons' in their head. That the central point it all orbits is the characters.

Let's see...Found it

[mesotablar]

Thanks so much for the link!
It is blowing my mind right now
Fanfic as a character-driven genre makes so much sense!

For things without much substance/content, like drabbles, PWP and crack, they can be crazy AU with barely any characterisation yet still be interesting, because at that point I think it comes down to the writing style and personal obsessions (A legit addiction, like obsessing so strong for a character you read anything with their name to get a 'fix', even if they are just renamed OCs with no dialogue that stand pining under a tree in the rain for their love) Yeah, 'character as friends' point is going into parasocial relationship territory.

[dylan_mx]

Interesting, thanks for the link!