snowflake challenge #3

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Challenge #3:

In your own space, put some favorite characters into an AU, fuse some favorite canons together, talk about your favorite AU/fusion tropes, or tell us why AU/fusions aren’t your cup of tea. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I do enjoy AUs, though there are some I prefer to read over others. Depending on the canon, I can be pretty picky. I will always read a 'shop AU- I really enjoy coffeeshop AUs but for the right couples, flowershop AUs are fun too, and someone recently reminded me that bookshop ones should be more of a thing, because yes, they should. College AUs can be good. Fairytales/movie/book AUs are great too. I did the Fairytale Exchange last year and I enjoyed writing a Thor/Sif Beauty and the Beast AU. Really helped me think outside the box. There are a lot of Pride and Prejudice AUs but I personally would love a reason to write a Persuasion one. I just need to decide on the ship that it would fit.

When it comes to writing (and reading), I still lean toward canon divergent AUs more than anything else. It is really appealing and fun to think about how things could have been different if one event had been tweaked- how these two characters had gotten together sooner, what if they had done x instead of y. Same with the different first meeting AUs. What if one had shown up at an earlier or later part of the other one's lives? That kind of thing.

The challenge for me when I write is for the characters to still remain recognizable to their canon counterparts. I'm currently working on a role reversal fic for Clark and Lois from Smallville, where Lois is the alien from Krypton but I had her adopted by the Lanes and Clark staying with the Kents. I wanted to keep some of their core personalities in tact rather than switching them completely, because those are the characters I fell in love with.

Going off that point, that is why I like when the superhero characters somehow get to keep their roles- Diana is still Wonder Woman, Steve Rogers (or Sam Wilson!) is still Captain America ... that kind of thing. Of course, I will read a mundane AU from time to time. I have a soft spot for Hallmark movie AUs and one of my goals is to actually write one, because a few of the shows I love (Gilmore Girls, Smallville) have that whole small town setting ready to go. It depends on my mood and the plot when it comes to reading fics. If their character seems completely different, it is usually not for me though.

In general, it is just great the way people can take established canons and put these characters into whole new worlds and come up with awesome ideas on how to make it happen. I always do admire the creativity. I may not read them all but it's nice that they're there.

Comments

[senmut]

Well said!

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Thank you! I was hoping it came off somewhat coherent. :D

[brokenhighways]

I'm with you, I prefer canon divergent AUs these days. Which is ironic because I spent most of my fandom days reading RPF AUs, lol. Sometimes you just want to tweak things a little and not change things too drastically!

Looking forward to the Hallmark AU if you ever write it! :D (and by ever I mean when because you should write it!). :p

[svgurl]

What you read and what you write don't always end up being the same thing! And of course it can vary from fandom to fandom too. I totally agree with you- it is just like 'what if x happened instead of y' and it is fun to think about. As much as I love how Clois got together, I love considering all the ways they could've done so in a different way or sooner.

Thanks! I saw a few Hallmark movies over the holidays and it really reignited my wish to write one. Smallville just *works* so well as a setting and I just love the idea of the small town guy going to the city for once. :D

[sparrow2000]

The fun of fandom is definitely having so many choices. A completely AU fic is someone's cup of tea one day and the next day it's all about the canon divergence. I'm so with you on the need to ensure characters are recognizable, otherwise you might as well put an OC in the story.

I love the idea of a Persuasion AU. You know you want to write it! :)

[svgurl]

Exactly! I know that's not the case for all fandoms, but if you are fortunate enough to land up in a bigger one, there is certainly options. And trends do vary, even if some definitely stay steadier than others.

I'm so with you on the need to ensure characters are recognizable, otherwise you might as well put an OC in the story.
That's how I feel. I know people love to write "evil" versions of their good faves and tone down the villains too but it is just not for me.

I saw a post on Tumblr a few months ago talking about how more people should write Persuasion AUs and explaining how good a story it is, and I totally agreed. I do want to write it, but I really don't know a ship that fits. Obviously it wouldn't be just a direct imitation but even the similar theme is not bending to my will for any of my current faves. One day!

[dreamersdare]

Okay, okay, I have to ask... what is the appeal of the flowershop AU in particular? Because I know I poked gentle fun at them in my answer to today's challenge, but in all seriousness, I don't understand why it is that fandom seems to find them so appealing. Like, why flowershops in particular?

(Obviously, I'm not expecting you to speak for fandom as a whole, but I'd love to know what it is about them that you like)

[svgurl]

That is a good question! I'm not quite sure. For me, I think flowers are pretty and romantic so a setting like a flower shop just seems ... whimsical in a way. Especially when you throw in the flower meanings. Usually, one of the characters is getting flowers for a loved one or someone they messed up with and there is always the easy addition of humor or fluff.

I have read that real florists don't really care about flower meanings and all that, which makes sense, but I figure that people who work at a coffee shop also probably don't see their customers as romantic interests as much as they do in fic either. :D

I hope that makes sense!

[dreamersdare]

Hmmm, I wonder if that's it and the flower meanings/flowers equals emotion is the key here, because that fits well with the usually soft nature those particular AUs seem to have.

Not dissimilar to "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" bakery AUs.

Made perfect sense, thanks for thinking that one out and articulating it for me. I am always interested in what catches fandom's attention, even if it's not my bag.

[svgurl]

I think they definitely play a big role, especially since the flower means are often used as a method for one character to express how they feel about the other one in this particular setting.

A good comparison! I think I lean toward coffee shops and even bakery AUs, because there is more room for consistent interaction but these can be fun. Now that I think about it, I don't know if I can read a very long flower shop AU though, unless there is a wedding and even then at some point, I feel the interactions get a little forced.

No problem! Thanks for asking. It is good to think about. There are definitely AUs that don't work for me, but it can be nice to read about why it works for other people and it often gives me a new perspective too.

[dreamersdare]

I feel the interactions get a little forced

It's possible this is one of the things that deters me from the 'mundane' (not liking that word, but can't think of a better one off the top of my head) AUs - I like events in my fics beyond the character interactions, especially if it's a long fic. And if all the events relate just to the characters interactions without any other stimulus, I lose interest. Basically, gimme some thrilling heroics to hang the character interactions around :D

[svgurl]

Understandable, and I think 'mundane' is the popular way to describe these type of AUs. It is hard for a plot to really take off in certain situations, outside of relationship drama. I think that is why some of these tropes can't be made into a long fic. Even coffeeshop AUs have some sort of spy/extra plot when they get longer, which is the only way I can read the lengthy ones.

[dreamersdare]

It is hard for a plot to really take off in certain situations, outside of relationship drama.

You may have hit the nail on the head here, you know? Are you here for the relationship drama? Then the mundane AU is going to probably suit you down to the ground. If, on the other hand, you want the thrilling heroics, then the 'exactly what it says on the tin' coffee shop AU is just never going to rock your world.

Basically, do you want romance, or do you want action with a romantic subplot?

Also, I never get far enough into those mundane AUs to find out if they have an exciting subplot. i wonder if I'm missing out!

[svgurl]

You summed it up well. I think that is why people do lean toward mundane AUs- because they want their ship to get together without having to consider, like, Thanos or Voldemort or something. Just happy times with some pining and minor misunderstandings. However, if you always want the action (which plenty of people do), it is going to be boring.

I'm not sure. I mean, you can usually tell when there is action baked into the plot with the summary. I've read a couple of Clint/Coulson ones where that was the case.

[scintilla10]

Persuasion AUs! Yes! Love that idea, would definitely love more of that. :D

[svgurl]

There definitely needs to be more! I've seen a couple but there was a person on Tumblr who pointed out how good the plot would be for an AU and it has really stuck with me.

Something about two characters being young and one of them being influenced to break things off with the other and the other coming back years. Then the pining and the misunderstandings ... so many good tropes. I just can't think of a ship where it would work for me!

[dragonyphoenix]

Good points. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on AUs.

and in terms of a Persuasion AU, I'm with Sparrow2000. You know you want to write it!

[svgurl]

Thank you! I'm really enjoying this challenge- people have such interesting, nuanced takes on this topic and I've liked reading all of them.

Haha trust me, I'm easily sold. If only I could come up with a ship that would fit!

[bradygirl_12]

I always do admire the creativity. I may not read them all but it's nice that they're there.

Well said! :)

I do find the challenge of keeping your characters IC intriguing. How much of their character is innate and how much due to your AU's different circumstances? Nature versus nurture?

[svgurl]

Thanks! The wide imagination of fandom is certainly to be admired (and maybe feared a little too lol).

That's a good discussion point. It certainly makes no-powers AUs especially when it comes to superhero characters all that more interesting, because you do have to rely on other aspects of their personalities to fuel their motivations and find their interests. Obviously if their whole background changes (say, Bruce grows up with his parents or Clark is raised Kryptonian), you definitely can't expect them to stay the same, as even we saw in Smallville, with Clark Luthor. Though in that case, one of my main frustrations is that i like to see some goodness in Clark, regardless of circumstances so to see him be that irredeemable was tough, but we do see what side the writers took when it comes to nature vs nurture, whether intentionally or not.