3. Do you feel that AU fics are inherently OOC (out of character)? Why or why not?
Inherently OOC, no. But I think most of the AU fanfic I've read was out of character, maybe because the writers' didn't have a good enough grasp of the character, of what motivated him, what was integral to his personality or to making him someone I'd want to read about.
4. How do you feel about crossover fics (canon characters "visiting" other fandoms, characters from one fandom interacting with another, etc.)? What about other-sourced based fics (based on movies or other stories that might not be strictly fandoms, such as Brian and Justin re-conceived as Romeo and Juliet)?
I don't like crossover fics. Well... your crossover with Holmes & Watson may be the only crossover I've read. Generally it's not something I'm at all interested in, and I don't even read it. A source based fic such as Brian and Justin re-conceived as Romeo and Juliet? Sounds really really out of character. What would be the point? If you're putting Brian and Justin into Verona, uhm, it doesn't sound good, but maybe. But if you're "re-conceiving" them as Romeo and Juliet then they are not at all in character. (You could take that as a challenge to write it. I'd read it if you wrote it). Justin Taylor would never kill himself. If Brian Kinney died in front of him, in his arms even, I don't believe Justin Taylor would ever kill himself.
5. I've been writing in the QAF fandom for over 11 years now and in that time I've seen AU fics become much more prevalent (when I started most QAF fics were short gap-fillers and longer, while AU fics were rare). Do you see this as a good development - a way to keep the fandom fresh, for instance - or as a diluting of the canon plots and characters?
Partly isn't this simply because you started writing while the show was still on the air, so many people were writing something one week while waiting for next week's episode to come on. They may not have been interested in trying to write something AU while they were waiting to find out what would happen in the show. So maybe once the show ended (WITH AN ENDING SO MANY PEOPLE HATED, LEAVING BRIAN ALONE) people were more motivated to write AU to come up with something that would have a better ending. Maybe the more time passes, the more the people who remain with QAF are those who are interested in AU and reconfiguring the characters' lives and settings. But still, most of the stories I like best are those that stay as close to canon as possible, or start from 513 and go from there. I think it's only diluting the characters when a writer who isn't good at keeping in character attempts it. And that writer writing in canon might only SEEM in character because of having a character eat at the diner/dance at babylon/visit the baths (things that happen but that don't actually require understanding character or motivation).
I only found QAF in spring, 2009, and I found fanfic (specifically, QT) what, end of July, beginning of August 2009? I was less than half through QT when I left for Korea, and I remember reading the rest of it and then the Enchanted Cottage and then the rest of your stories while I was in Korea.... My point is, I haven't had very long with it. I like AUs some, but I still prefer stories that stick close to canon. And I prefer your stories. Unless Brian's in love with someone who isn't Justin. And then it just makes me unhappy and feels out of character.
Why or why not?
Inherently OOC, no. But I think most of the AU fanfic I've read was out of character, maybe because the writers' didn't have a good enough grasp of the character, of what motivated him, what was integral to his personality or to making him someone I'd want to read about.
4. How do you feel about crossover fics (canon characters "visiting"
other fandoms, characters from one fandom interacting with another,
etc.)? What about other-sourced based fics (based on movies or other
stories that might not be strictly fandoms, such as Brian and Justin
re-conceived as Romeo and Juliet)?
I don't like crossover fics. Well... your crossover with Holmes & Watson may be the only crossover I've read. Generally it's not something I'm at all interested in, and I don't even read it.
A source based fic such as Brian and Justin re-conceived as Romeo and Juliet? Sounds really really out of character. What would be the point? If you're putting Brian and Justin into Verona, uhm, it doesn't sound good, but maybe. But if you're "re-conceiving" them as Romeo and Juliet then they are not at all in character. (You could take that as a challenge to write it. I'd read it if you wrote it). Justin Taylor would never kill himself. If Brian Kinney died in front of him, in his arms even, I don't believe Justin Taylor would ever kill himself.
5. I've been writing in the QAF fandom for over 11 years now and in
that time I've seen AU fics become much more prevalent (when I started
most QAF fics were short gap-fillers and longer, while AU fics were
rare). Do you see this as a good development - a way to keep the
fandom fresh, for instance - or as a diluting of the canon plots
and characters?
Partly isn't this simply because you started writing while the show was still on the air, so many people were writing something one week while waiting for next week's episode to come on. They may not have been interested in trying to write something AU while they were waiting to find out what would happen in the show. So maybe once the show ended (WITH AN ENDING SO MANY PEOPLE HATED, LEAVING BRIAN ALONE) people were more motivated to write AU to come up with something that would have a better ending. Maybe the more time passes, the more the people who remain with QAF are those who are interested in AU and reconfiguring the characters' lives and settings. But still, most of the stories I like best are those that stay as close to canon as possible, or start from 513 and go from there.
I think it's only diluting the characters when a writer who isn't good at keeping in character attempts it. And that writer writing in canon might only SEEM in character because of having a character eat at the diner/dance at babylon/visit the baths (things that happen but that don't actually require understanding character or motivation).
I only found QAF in spring, 2009, and I found fanfic (specifically, QT) what, end of July, beginning of August 2009? I was less than half through QT when I left for Korea, and I remember reading the rest of it and then the Enchanted Cottage and then the rest of your stories while I was in Korea....
My point is, I haven't had very long with it. I like AUs some, but I still prefer stories that stick close to canon.
And I prefer your stories.
Unless Brian's in love with someone who isn't Justin. And then it just makes me unhappy and feels out of character.
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I'm especially interested in the problem of OOC in AU fics, for
exactly the reasons you state.
Thanks!
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