Meta: Alternate Universes
Written for insearchtion
This is a meta on the kink of AUs. It begins with a definition of the terms alternate universes and alternate realities, continues a discussion of the appeal of both, and concludes with a couple of recs.
I. Definitions
Alternate universes can be roughly defined for the purpose of this meta as a ‘what if’ scenario. What if characters were swashbuckling pirates. What if the characters lived on the moon. What if they worked as gas station attendants. Generally speaking, the characters are taken from their roles in canon and transplanted into new settings.
Alternate realities can be used as a term which refer to a specific subset of the ‘what if’ scenarios in which the universe and characters are largely the same except for one (or more) significant deviations from canon. Examples of this can include: Mal incepted Dom rather than the other way around. Arthur is the forger instead of the point man. Ariadne never joins the team. Ultimately, the canon world of Inception stays mostly the same except for the differences generated by the author's deviation from canon.
II. The Appeal
A large part of the appeal of AUs is getting to read about well-liked characters living under different circumstances and leading different lives. Seeing Robert & Saito get a happy ending in a space opera can be a different experience than reading about two random characters because the reader is invested in Fischer & Saito's well-being from the get go. Fans are generally like seeing what Yusuf and Ariadne and the rest of the gang get up to in moments that aren't covered by the film, so reading about them in different contexts can be enjoyable.
AUs can also be a way to explore different facets of the characters. Stories that make Eames a musician or an artist explore the creativity and imagination necessary to do his canon job as a forger. Stories that make Arthur a lawyer or an accountant can explore his attention to detail and his strong work ethic. Stories that make Cobb an architect can explore what sort of man he might be in happier circumstances.
There is also the appeal, of course, of bringing canonically dead or unavailable characters back to life and exploring what they might have been like outside of dreams. What was Mal like as a person and not simply a vengeful shade? What scenario could have ever made Fischer Senior and Junior reconcile with each other? Who was Fischer Senior when he was alive and healthy--as a business tycoon he was probably a vibrant and charismatic man, able to build energy empires within a lifetime. His wife died when Robert was quite young--what would their lives have been like if she’d lived beyond his boyhood?
With an AU, there’s a chance to drill down and really focus on a particular character, or set of characters and their interactions. It can be a way to explore character nuances in a setting that’s more familiar for an author, easier to flesh out, or just plain fun to write.
AUs can also be a way of avoiding some of the darkness of the Inception universe and its characters if an author wants to. For example, it’s difficult to come up with a way to bring the entire team back together without handwaving certain difficult truths: Yusuf and Cobb both betrayed the team, which made both Arthur and Eames angry--Eames enough to quit the job and sit out. Arthur might have enough personal loyalty to Cobb to continue working with him even after a betrayal like that, but it’s difficult to imagine Eames simply signing up again without any reservations--especially given that the stakes can turn out to be so unexpectedly high. With an AU setting, none of those canon wrinkles have to be sorted out before a plausible scenario of a team-fic can be created.
III. Recs
A story that really demonstrates what can be done with an interesting Alternate Reality is In Medias Res by Starlingthefool, who inverts all the roles in the movies. Mal is the extractor tormented by a shade of Cobb, Arthur is the forger, Eames the Point Man, Yusuf the Architect, Ariadne the Chemist, Fischer the client, and Saito the mark. It's a fascinating exploration of the ideas and world fo the movie.
Of Monsters by Jibrailis is a story that plays with the mythology of dreams and the world of Inception, emerging with a riveting portrayal of Yusuf as a dream-eater and Mal as the shade who manages to will herself into the waking world. It’s a really fascinating take on both these characters and who they might be.
This is a meta on the kink of AUs. It begins with a definition of the terms alternate universes and alternate realities, continues a discussion of the appeal of both, and concludes with a couple of recs.
I. Definitions
Alternate universes can be roughly defined for the purpose of this meta as a ‘what if’ scenario. What if characters were swashbuckling pirates. What if the characters lived on the moon. What if they worked as gas station attendants. Generally speaking, the characters are taken from their roles in canon and transplanted into new settings.
Alternate realities can be used as a term which refer to a specific subset of the ‘what if’ scenarios in which the universe and characters are largely the same except for one (or more) significant deviations from canon. Examples of this can include: Mal incepted Dom rather than the other way around. Arthur is the forger instead of the point man. Ariadne never joins the team. Ultimately, the canon world of Inception stays mostly the same except for the differences generated by the author's deviation from canon.
II. The Appeal
A large part of the appeal of AUs is getting to read about well-liked characters living under different circumstances and leading different lives. Seeing Robert & Saito get a happy ending in a space opera can be a different experience than reading about two random characters because the reader is invested in Fischer & Saito's well-being from the get go. Fans are generally like seeing what Yusuf and Ariadne and the rest of the gang get up to in moments that aren't covered by the film, so reading about them in different contexts can be enjoyable.
AUs can also be a way to explore different facets of the characters. Stories that make Eames a musician or an artist explore the creativity and imagination necessary to do his canon job as a forger. Stories that make Arthur a lawyer or an accountant can explore his attention to detail and his strong work ethic. Stories that make Cobb an architect can explore what sort of man he might be in happier circumstances.
There is also the appeal, of course, of bringing canonically dead or unavailable characters back to life and exploring what they might have been like outside of dreams. What was Mal like as a person and not simply a vengeful shade? What scenario could have ever made Fischer Senior and Junior reconcile with each other? Who was Fischer Senior when he was alive and healthy--as a business tycoon he was probably a vibrant and charismatic man, able to build energy empires within a lifetime. His wife died when Robert was quite young--what would their lives have been like if she’d lived beyond his boyhood?
With an AU, there’s a chance to drill down and really focus on a particular character, or set of characters and their interactions. It can be a way to explore character nuances in a setting that’s more familiar for an author, easier to flesh out, or just plain fun to write.
AUs can also be a way of avoiding some of the darkness of the Inception universe and its characters if an author wants to. For example, it’s difficult to come up with a way to bring the entire team back together without handwaving certain difficult truths: Yusuf and Cobb both betrayed the team, which made both Arthur and Eames angry--Eames enough to quit the job and sit out. Arthur might have enough personal loyalty to Cobb to continue working with him even after a betrayal like that, but it’s difficult to imagine Eames simply signing up again without any reservations--especially given that the stakes can turn out to be so unexpectedly high. With an AU setting, none of those canon wrinkles have to be sorted out before a plausible scenario of a team-fic can be created.
III. Recs
A story that really demonstrates what can be done with an interesting Alternate Reality is In Medias Res by Starlingthefool, who inverts all the roles in the movies. Mal is the extractor tormented by a shade of Cobb, Arthur is the forger, Eames the Point Man, Yusuf the Architect, Ariadne the Chemist, Fischer the client, and Saito the mark. It's a fascinating exploration of the ideas and world fo the movie.
Of Monsters by Jibrailis is a story that plays with the mythology of dreams and the world of Inception, emerging with a riveting portrayal of Yusuf as a dream-eater and Mal as the shade who manages to will herself into the waking world. It’s a really fascinating take on both these characters and who they might be.