I Would Greatly Prefer ANY Alternative Universe To The One I'm In Now

[redbrunja]

 I am sick.

I have been sick since Monday, and every subsequent day has only seen me as more miserable and ill. Seriously, today, I got up (at around 10:20 am) stumbled into the shower, had some breakfast, and collapsed onto the couch (11 am). Where I was unconscious for the next four hours. Seriously, my mom was getting ready to take me to see the doctor. There are also a host of other ailments and annoyances that are making live not worth living, but I'm so tired it's too much work to type them up.

So let's avoid reality and talk about AUs, for a bit, shall we?

(Another old-school fannish5 ):

1. AUs: yes please or what's the point?

I favor the latter position more, largely because a lot of the AU's I've seen (band AUs, HS AUs) do not do the work to keep the character relationships consistent, which makes me go 'just call original fiction original fiction, because these are NOT the characters you're claiming they are).

2. What's the best AU you've read?

Tempest in a Teacup. It was so good I was late to a French test because I couldn't stop reading.

3. What's the worst AU you've read?

I have a pretty fast hand with with back button, so nothing sticks out in my mind.

4. How would you like to see your fandom altered that you haven't seen yet?

? Do you really want the list of every authorial choice in every fandom I'm in that I have a problem with?

5. What AU worked that you never would have expected?

I honestly haven't read enough AUs to have found one that took a universe I never expected and put a new cast of characters in it in a way that made me go 'this is AWESOME.'

For further meta on AUs, cofax7  categorizes them here (I admit my preference for coin-toss AUs and it's sister, 5 Things/Times fics) and hradzka talks through his dislike of them with thefourthvine (this was a very interesting read, and I disagree with some of what he says and completely agree with other parts). 

Comments

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

It was a sore throat that merged and vanished into stuffed sinuses with the soreness occasionally resurfacing. Totally unpleasant.

And trust me, I am sleeping like a koala. It's ridiculous.

And AUs are... hard. Very, very hard to do well.

They are! I freely admit that. But I feel like a lot of the time, people don't even really try, you know? It's like they just plop the characters down anywhere and keep the names the same and it will automatically be in character and believable and that just... doesn't work.

Re: this is sort of rambly and incoherent

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

In a tree and high on eucalyptus? Red, that isn't the way. |D

It's an addiction I tell you! Addiction!

I think part of it can be that in an AU people are sort of obligated to write multiple chapters and create a bigger world, which can be super hard to maintain a high standard for characterization and the like. This isn't always the case - some chapter fics are amazing - but I think that sometimes people just aren't into doing all the work to make it really flow. That is a generalisation and naturally there are exceptions, but I think it can be the case.

I agree with this, and I think it flows into why there are so many high school/university/bands AUs - because there are a lot of cliches that people can shove characters into, which takes a lot of the work off of them and reduces the need for multiple chapters to explore the characterization and the differences in the world.

[wicked-seraph.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I hope you feel better soon! :C

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I am finally, today, starting to feel like I could maybe be recovering.

[despairinbeauty.livejournal.com]

DDDDDDDD: -gives you a digital bowl of chicken soup-

And, you're very right on AUs. ^^; The only kind I can actually tolerate are often ones that twist the canon storyline in another direction, yet keeps the same environment, so I doubt those are called AUs. ^^;

[despairinbeauty.livejournal.com]

Er, by environment, I meant world. ^^; I don't mean the exact same atmosphere in every way, etc, etc.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

*slurps digital bowl of chicken soup*

And, you're very right on AUs. ^^; The only kind I can actually tolerate are often ones that twist the canon storyline in another direction, yet keeps the same environment, so I doubt those are called AUs. ^^;

Those are my favorite too - they're often called coin-toss AUs. And I totally knew what you meant with the word 'environment.'