When I'm Wrong, I'm Wrong.
Okay, before I explain, I have to ask you guys who write or read fanfiction something:
Are all non-canon slash fics considered AU by the majority of readers and writers in most fandoms?
If I were to write a future-fic story where two characters who had an attraction in canon (endorsed by the writers, as I am a tinhatter, haha) got married, would you consider that AU?
What is your definition of Alternate Universe?
I am asking because--and if I hadn't have checked the post, I'd be blissfully unaware right up until I got disqualified--I ran across a questions section in the stargate_las Round 1 post. The question was asking if it would be considered AU for the competition if they wrote Jack and Sam together with a child post-series. The response was yes, that would be considered Alternate Universe... because they weren't married at the end of the show.
That in itself pissed me off, because, sorry, marriage doesn't autoequal kids, and neither does NOT being married equal no kids, so I said as much (the mod admitted that wasn't the intention, so I was mollified on that score).
It made me question the fic I was intending to write, though, which was a post-series John/Rodney fic. Would it be considered AU, I asked, if I wrote slash for this... because, well, if you're going to exclude anything that is NOT canon, wouldn't that naturally exclude pretty much any fic we write? Cause I don't know about you folks, but if I'm being pedantic about it, even knowing someone's thoughts during a canon scene of the show could be considered AU, since, you know, if the show's writers wanted us to know that, they'd have included it in the canon!
I don't know what I was expecting, but I was NOT expecting to be told that yes, slash is AU, anything that is not canon is AU, up to and including any pairings that aren't in canon.
I tried to be reasonable in my response, but in the end I said fuck it, because you know what? I'm not writing post-series fic with Rodney/Jennifer just because it's in canon. Strict canon fic is boring as hell to me, because I don't write fanfiction for most of my shows to simply expand on what's there, I write it to EXPAND on what's NOT there.
If Sam/Jack happily married fic (which is CLEARLY intended in canon for SG-1) is considered Alternate Universe because they are never shown getting married? Then fuck this comm and the rules they rode in on, because NO. That's ridiculous.
They appear to have deleted my question entirely, and farther down, someone asked how far they are defining the scope of AU... which got a response of 'PM me about it.' And here I was going to apologize for being vehement in my language...
Edit: In a comment of mine to eviinsanemonkey, I described how Atlantis post-season fic would be, even 20 years in the future:
Under their definition, John Sheppard would always stay at the same rank, he would always live on Atlantis with Rodney who would be in a relationship with, but never married to, Jennifer Keller, and they'd be living on Atlantis in San Francisco Harbor. Because that's how the show ended.
ETA: Got a PM from the mod:
The stance on AU had nothing to do with pairings --- slash, non-canon or otherwise but on the events in the fanfic. Pairings, any kind whether they are slash, non-canon, etc have nothing to do with AU for the benefit of the competitions. Meaning, that any pairings can be used for AU or "canon" fics. That's the point of the comms -- to have the freedom to write about whoever you want.
I really feel a lot better reading that. No matter the misunderstanding came about, knowing that other writers in the comm won't be sideswiped by what I thought were the rules makes me able to smile, nod, and move on.
Are all non-canon slash fics considered AU by the majority of readers and writers in most fandoms?
If I were to write a future-fic story where two characters who had an attraction in canon (endorsed by the writers, as I am a tinhatter, haha) got married, would you consider that AU?
What is your definition of Alternate Universe?
I am asking because--and if I hadn't have checked the post, I'd be blissfully unaware right up until I got disqualified--I ran across a questions section in the stargate_las Round 1 post. The question was asking if it would be considered AU for the competition if they wrote Jack and Sam together with a child post-series. The response was yes, that would be considered Alternate Universe... because they weren't married at the end of the show.
That in itself pissed me off, because, sorry, marriage doesn't autoequal kids, and neither does NOT being married equal no kids, so I said as much (the mod admitted that wasn't the intention, so I was mollified on that score).
It made me question the fic I was intending to write, though, which was a post-series John/Rodney fic. Would it be considered AU, I asked, if I wrote slash for this... because, well, if you're going to exclude anything that is NOT canon, wouldn't that naturally exclude pretty much any fic we write? Cause I don't know about you folks, but if I'm being pedantic about it, even knowing someone's thoughts during a canon scene of the show could be considered AU, since, you know, if the show's writers wanted us to know that, they'd have included it in the canon!
I don't know what I was expecting, but I was NOT expecting to be told that yes, slash is AU, anything that is not canon is AU, up to and including any pairings that aren't in canon.
I tried to be reasonable in my response, but in the end I said fuck it, because you know what? I'm not writing post-series fic with Rodney/Jennifer just because it's in canon. Strict canon fic is boring as hell to me, because I don't write fanfiction for most of my shows to simply expand on what's there, I write it to EXPAND on what's NOT there.
If Sam/Jack happily married fic (which is CLEARLY intended in canon for SG-1) is considered Alternate Universe because they are never shown getting married? Then fuck this comm and the rules they rode in on, because NO. That's ridiculous.
They appear to have deleted my question entirely, and farther down, someone asked how far they are defining the scope of AU... which got a response of 'PM me about it.' And here I was going to apologize for being vehement in my language...
Edit: In a comment of mine to eviinsanemonkey, I described how Atlantis post-season fic would be, even 20 years in the future:
Under their definition, John Sheppard would always stay at the same rank, he would always live on Atlantis with Rodney who would be in a relationship with, but never married to, Jennifer Keller, and they'd be living on Atlantis in San Francisco Harbor. Because that's how the show ended.
ETA: Got a PM from the mod:
The stance on AU had nothing to do with pairings --- slash, non-canon or otherwise but on the events in the fanfic. Pairings, any kind whether they are slash, non-canon, etc have nothing to do with AU for the benefit of the competitions. Meaning, that any pairings can be used for AU or "canon" fics. That's the point of the comms -- to have the freedom to write about whoever you want.
I really feel a lot better reading that. No matter the misunderstanding came about, knowing that other writers in the comm won't be sideswiped by what I thought were the rules makes me able to smile, nod, and move on.