DPP: Going AU

[anamarya.livejournal.com]

Ok, this is it - the week in which the person in charge of the DPP bus doesn’t have a driving license. so, because of that and the fact that I had a plan and then I changed it and then sort of changed it again, and so on… I’ll take one advice from another show and “I’ll fake it until I make it”. I do hope that you all are going to bare with me and not throw assorted vegetables my way.
After last week’s lovely discussion about what we don’t like in fiction I ended up with the idea of speaking about AUs this week (or at least for a while).
Today’s topic is not really a topic but a Q&A about AUs in fanfiction. In a perfect world the goal would be to try and classify them but some thoughts, opinions, ideas, even some recommendations would be great.

1. do you like them?

2. what do you like/dislike about them?

3. what works and what doesn’t?

4. when do you consider a fic to be an AU and when not or if you want: where are you drawing the line?

5. do you prefer the ones where we have just something slightly different, the ones where everything is different or even the totally different setting type?

6. how do you feel about crossovers?

7. are BSG related AUs different from the ones that you wrote/read in other fandoms?

8. what about original characters?


And the list can go on and on but I promised myself to keep it sort of short and to go by my own 8 question rule. So, let’s have it people...

Comments

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

1. do you like them?

YESSSSSSSSSSSS! I find this conversation pretty funny actually, because I've come from pretty AU heavy fandoms and when I first got here my love of and craving for AUs was met with shifty eyes and amusement. Much has changed in six months!

2. what do you like/dislike about them?

I love the opportunities and possibility AUs open up. Not that you can't tell plenty of stories within a canon framework, but AU gives you so much room to play.

3. what works and what doesn’t?

Of course it's going to boil down to smart writing and smart subject choice. If you've never read the Twilight series, setting your AU there and find + replacing the names "Bella" and "Kara" and "Edward" and "Lee" isn't going to create a brilliant masterpiece. (Although that sounds HILARIOUS and I kind of want to read it now.)

4. when do you consider a fic to be an AU and when not or if you want: where are you drawing the line?

I actually have a couple of lines.
* Canon-compliant fic is, I guess, non-AU is the easiest description.
* Extra-canon, is Academy and post-poof fic (in BSG's case, for other fandoms obviously the rules are different or this category doesn't exist).
* Canon-AUs are major diversions from canon including babyfic, Kara and/or Lee as cylons, Kara not marrying Sam and the repercussions thereof, etc.
* True AUs, are fairytales (unless they're also canon-AUs), high school stories (not to be mistaken for Academy fic), barista AUs, adaptions of books/tv shows/movies, etc.
* Crackfic is generally canon-compliant but involves characters growing wings/developing super powers/turning into animals or inanimate objects etc.

5. do you prefer the ones where we have just something slightly different, the ones where everything is different or even the totally different setting type?

I like them both, provided they're done well, but True AUs where the setting is totally different are my favorite.

6. how do you feel about crossovers?

Like others have said, I don't mind them if I know what BSG is being crossed with, but I often find them frustrating.

7. are BSG related AUs different from the ones that you wrote/read in other fandoms?

I come from sort of a weird fannish background in which I read/wrote a lot of Real Person Fiction (RPF) where because the canon is fairly tame, there are a lot of AUs including really really cracky stories about animal transformation and the like.

8. what about original characters?

There's a value to original characters, especially in big ensembles like BSG, but I think writers need to be reeeeeeeeeeeally careful with them. No one clicked on your fic to read about Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones having wacky adventures. We're here for Pilots. Deliver on PILOTS.

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

If you've never read the Twilight series, setting your AU there and find + replacing the names "Bella" and "Kara" and "Edward" and "Lee" isn't going to create a brilliant masterpiece. (Although that sounds HILARIOUS and I kind of want to read it now.)/

... you may just be in luck b/c innibis and I have been kicking around a pilots/Twilight satire for months now. (And she's determined that one of these days we'll actually get around to writing it.) : )

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

Hee! Hilarious fantasies DO come true! That's awesome!

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

And I don't think she's going to stop bugging me about it until it gets written. But I'm demanding that she accompany me to the EPIC AWFULNESS that will be Breaking Dawn Pt 1. After all, one must have appropriate research and inspiration. *g*

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

Well naturally. You can drink heavily and whisper back and forth "Kara Thrace would NEVER!"

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, there will be much drinking and cringing. But I'm so looking forward to the level of badness coming our way in this film. Just... epic.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

YES PLEASE YES PLEASE OMG CRACKFIC!!!!!

I can just see Kara saying all of Bella's lines with a massive eyeroll, or a demand for some serious cash/booze up front in exchange first. Ditto Lee, who would probably say Edward's lines with the look of someone who's smelled something bad (and would insist on Kara splitting the cash 50-50 for the torture, hee!)

[anamarya.livejournal.com]

If you've never read the Twilight series, setting your AU there and find + replacing the names "Bella" and "Kara" and "Edward" and "Lee" isn't going to create a brilliant masterpiece. (Although that sounds HILARIOUS and I kind of want to read it now.)

very, very strange but you sort of put me in the mood also. well, as long as we speak about the written version of Twilight. but ya, i can see that.