Fandom Snowflake Challenge 2022 - Day 3
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.
Overall, I'd say I like AUs and fusions. What I really like is a good canon divergence/alternate timeline fic, which AO3 marks as an AU, but I do wonder if it isn't a slightly different thing. You're still directly working with canon in some way, after all.
At any rate, I've written fusions, mostly. Come to think of it, I haven't really written many proper AUs outside of the aforementioned canon divergence sort of fic. I've written plenty of those. Actually, here is the link for all the stories I have marked as such on AO3 to make short work of it.
Now for some favorite AU/fusion tropes: time travel. Oh, I love a good time travel fic. The opportunity to go backwards and attempt to fix something? A character cursed with knowledge of what is to come? The possibility that everything will be just as awful as before?! That's some good stuff. Unfortunately, this is a trope that is very hit-and-miss with fandoms. XD The fandom will either be inundated with it or there won't be a single story with the tag.
I also like any AU that does an absolutely insane amount of worldbuilding to the point where you're essentially reading a brand new novel with the same character names. Extra points if you 100% believe these are the same characters just in a radically different setting. Basically, I'm looking for either horror, sci-fi, or possibly fantasy with this. For example, I do like it when people take some characters and toss them into Silent Hill (or something like Silent Hill). I want to see these characters struggling with their psychological difficulties manifested as monsters.
Hmm, I think that what I'm saying is I kind of like my fanfic to have exactly what I'm already looking for in a regular book. 8D Just, the fanfic version of it.
Things I'm not too interested in for AUs: not too crazy about coffee-shop AUs, sports AUs, school AUs, slice of life AUs... I will read them on occasion, but it's not what I crave. Mafia AUs are weirdly common in the Yuri!!! on Ice fandom, but I swear I haven't seen them anywhere else. XD They're okay. Aforementioned horror AUs are excellent. Historical AUs can be really cool, especially if combined with other genres. Good Omens has some truly wonderful historical fics, which aren't really AUs considering two of our main characters are 6000 years old, but you get the idea.
I'm not sure I have a whole lot more to say on the subject. XD In short, they can be cool when executed well and I particularly like seeing "what could have been."