Fandom Discussion: Alternate Universes
Feb. 2nd, 2019 11:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fuzzyredIn just about every fandom I read, I have come across at least one Alternate Universe (AU) story. There a lot of variety in the AUs; same setting but with magic/powers, same setting with no magic/powers, coffee shop AUs, college AUs, even outer space AUs.
I enjoy reading AU stories because they give you a chance to see familiar, characters in an unfamiliar setting. In my opinion, it allows for far more creativity because there is less canon to keep track of. If you change the setting, you don't have to worry about keeping as many canon details in tact. You can simply focus on staying true the characters; with the rest of it, your imagination can run wild.
One of the major drawbacks of AUs for me, especially with The Avengers, is that I'm never quite certain which bits of canon have been kept. If it is a "no powers" AU, I never know if Steve is big or small. Sometimes it says in the tags, sometimes not, and sometimes a description is given until much later in the story. And sometimes even when Steve is big, I'm not quite sure how he got that way. The history between the characters and how they all know each other is another thing that can be confusing, depending on how the story is done. It's even harder to sort out which bits of canon have been used when a story goes half and half, some people have their powers while others don't.
Overall though, I find the added creativity and different settings make AUs worth reading. Getting to see the characters in an unfamiliar place or time seems to allow for more development in the characters as people, which leads to a richer experience and an enhanced story. I think I like the "coffee shop" type AUs best, really any type of regular job setting seems to give the best look at who the character really is, underneath all the powers. You get to see what they would be like if they were just ordinary people. It's fun to see and not something that can really be done in canon.
Do you like reading AUs of your favourite fandoms? Do you have any AUs you really like, or really dislike? Is there a particular AU you would like to see your favourite characters in? Are there any major flaws you've seen in an AU story that ruined that story for you?
I hope you'll join me for a discussion today. Even if you don't want to, or can't, answer the questions, you are free to ask me about anything in my post, or just say hello. :) Enjoy your Saturday everyone!
I enjoy reading AU stories because they give you a chance to see familiar, characters in an unfamiliar setting. In my opinion, it allows for far more creativity because there is less canon to keep track of. If you change the setting, you don't have to worry about keeping as many canon details in tact. You can simply focus on staying true the characters; with the rest of it, your imagination can run wild.
One of the major drawbacks of AUs for me, especially with The Avengers, is that I'm never quite certain which bits of canon have been kept. If it is a "no powers" AU, I never know if Steve is big or small. Sometimes it says in the tags, sometimes not, and sometimes a description is given until much later in the story. And sometimes even when Steve is big, I'm not quite sure how he got that way. The history between the characters and how they all know each other is another thing that can be confusing, depending on how the story is done. It's even harder to sort out which bits of canon have been used when a story goes half and half, some people have their powers while others don't.
Overall though, I find the added creativity and different settings make AUs worth reading. Getting to see the characters in an unfamiliar place or time seems to allow for more development in the characters as people, which leads to a richer experience and an enhanced story. I think I like the "coffee shop" type AUs best, really any type of regular job setting seems to give the best look at who the character really is, underneath all the powers. You get to see what they would be like if they were just ordinary people. It's fun to see and not something that can really be done in canon.
Do you like reading AUs of your favourite fandoms? Do you have any AUs you really like, or really dislike? Is there a particular AU you would like to see your favourite characters in? Are there any major flaws you've seen in an AU story that ruined that story for you?
I hope you'll join me for a discussion today. Even if you don't want to, or can't, answer the questions, you are free to ask me about anything in my post, or just say hello. :) Enjoy your Saturday everyone!
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Date: 2019-02-04 06:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-02-04 10:55 am (UTC)