“What if everybody was completely totally different in a completely totally different world?”

[anaphalis]

I saw Quirky’s frustration at fanficrants and decided to poke my nose up since this is also something that drives me nuts. Before I start, I feel it only fair to warn the many excellent writers of AUs on my friendslist that this is a very personal rant. And should not be taken as condemnation, because I have nothing but respect for writers who can

Comments

[paynesgrey]

That's my biggest beef with anime fandom AUs. It's more of an origfic than an AU

[anaphalis]

-Sigh- I so very completely agreed with you when I read your rant, but I just thought that everyone was getting so badly side-tracked by definitions that they were missing the point and it was easier to post my rather lengthy response in my own journal :) Incidentally, I completely agree with your and DarthSnuggles definitions.I very much agree that a number of people use the fandom either as a crutch or a way to reach a larger fanbase for their original stories. I'm fine with that, but it just makes me avoid AUs like the plague in certain fandoms. Because while I love original fiction, I generally want to read fanfiction in the fanfiction section. Strangely, the Jane Austen section has amazingly good extreme AUs- I haven't seen that phenomenon anywhere else though

[paynesgrey]

I think the problem with some of the people at ficrants, and even with me as well, is the broard range of fandoms it covers. If it was an anime, or even Inuyasha specific, rant, then the disaggreements may have not been so widespread. But I have to realize that when I post a rant there, it applies to EVERYTHING, and not just my problem with anime AUs

[anaphalis]

I think a lot of people were simply misunderstanding you- I have a broad range of fandoms, to say the least, and it's something I've consistently encountered, particularly the thinly disguised origfic. It may not bother other people as much though. -Shrugs

[mscongeniality]

I (heart) you.

More relevant commentary later when I'm not slammed at work.

[anaphalis]

-Preens and basks in the love- I get to be bitchy *and* loved? This is really a good day ;) I'm looking forward to your thoughts....

[w0rdinista]

Naphy, you're my hero.

[anaphalis]

"-And the wind beneath myyyy wings." Er... sorry. This just happens to be one of my flashpoints. That really, really rubs me raw. Although I'm really enjoying the love for being a bitch ;)

[morganna3]

Amen

[anaphalis]

Oh yes hun- our pod brains makes us simply incapable of disagreeing with one another ;) I was thinking about Buffy while I was writing this actually- I've actually read some interesting highschool all-human AUs but honestly? They could have been orig!fics. I think that maybe highschool AUs have a tendency to eliminate all original personality traits anyways, so that may be why they come off so badly in this equation. But lord yes on the 'tacking the name onto an original character and making it run through

[morganna3]

I'm basically just a characterization whore.

Me too. When I write it's something I angst over. Wicked gets a lot of paranoid, whiney emails when I'm in the middle of something. It's ,also, one of the reasons it takes me forever to let something go. That and I'm forever tweeking.

Naphy's Lifetime Advice: Never, ever get into characterization debates with shippers of any stripe.OMG...tell me about it. I've never seen so many kerfluffles and shipper wars started over character interpretation. I remember one of the big ones was the AR scene in Season 6's 'Seeing Red' (I think it was 'Seeing Red') Oh 'teh drama'... I just backed away slowly and kept my mouth shut. I'm a live and let live kind of girl. I'll agree to disagree. There's no need to get into virtual fist fights

[mishakatt]

Naphy-darling, just tell me how many children you want and where to set up the cottage. *growls affectionately* I so love you right now.

I haven't seen this rant you speak of so I'll have to go take a look. I agree with you wholeheartedly here.

Heh, I have an AU that I'll someday get back to *looks about carefully to see if niamh is in ear-shot*. I swore I'd never write one because I'm such a stickler for canon characterization, and I really just prefer canon fics over AUs anyway, but well....yeah, I did it. One thing though, I've made damned sure to keep the characters as close to In Character as I possibly can (though I'm beginning to hate how I'm writing Kagome) and I'm trying make the original canon storyline fit into the fic the best that I can too.

I have more to say but I have a water fight to go break up outside. Yes, summer vacation's here. I'll add here, you're my hero too.

[anaphalis]

-Purrs and ravishes enthuasiastically- Hee. I love it when my opinions make you hot, darling ;)

I really honestly don't hate AUs. On my favourites list I have a number of extreme non-canon universe AUs listed (which I've been carefully avoiding mentioning). The things that made them for me were the incredible depth and fidelity of characterization and/or the really, really cool twists on the original storyline caused by placing it in a different setting. I'd love to see yours if you ever get around to writing it again -evil grin-

Damn. With all these hero comments I'm going to have to get a swelled head and a costume. I don't think you guys realize how bad I'd look in full-body spandex...

[mishakatt]

-Purrs and ravishes enthuasiastically- Hee. I love it when my opinions make you hot, darling ;)

Oh, you know it baby! Almost as much as when you beta for me. Then it's just, damn!

I do have a handful of AUs on my favorites list so I'm not completely anti-AU. I just prefer the ones that have the characters with some resemblance to how they are in the manga. There have been quite a few AUs that I've started reading only to give up on because the characterizations has just made my cringe after a while. They've then made me consider gouging my eyes out with a spork.

And my own AU? If you want to read it, it's right here. I haven't touched it since October 2004 though. I'm hoping to get back to it one of these days...maybe.

Oh, and make sure your costume doesn't have a cape. We don't want it getting caught in anything now do we?