AU Meta and recs
Jan. 12th, 2009 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ishtar79-I can only hope this leads to more Dexter/Deb fic
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-I’m currently working through some my HP fic reading, and once again I’m not finding as many EWE fics as I would like.
It’s not that I’m not enjoying all the wonderful epilogue-compliant fics. There’s a unique satisfaction in reading something that ‘fixes’ canon, no matter how disappointing/frustrating/written-while-clearly-on-drugs said canon might have been. But on the other hand, I’m missing the dynamic in most pre-DH fics. I’m used to the characters as we knew them in the books, and regardless of how brilliant the characterization might be in an epilogue-compliant fic, it’s only reasonable that a few decades have altered the characters in some way.
I guess this means that I’m craving HP AU, which is kind of ironic since I am generally not a fan of the genre. Of course, a fic diverging from canon at some point is not the same as a non-magical AU, which in turn is not the same as “What if Harry’s parents hadn’t died?” story. I can see the appeal of each of one of those, but personally, as a reader, I’m interested in reading about the characters I fell in love with in the first place, and altering a crucial event in their lives or placing them in a totally different universe might leave you with a whole new set of characters: possibly still in-character within the confines of the specific fic, but not recognizable enough as their canon counterparts (which is not to say I haven’t read and enjoyed a number of stories featuring this kind of AU: this is where the whole ‘a great writer can sell you on pretty much any concept’ thing comes in. I just don’t actively seek out these kinds of scenarios).
Given the above paragraph, my interest in ‘diverging from a certain point in canon’ AU might seem contradictory. The EWE part might be easier to explain. After all, the epilogue is years away from the canon I’ve been following for the last seven books (not to mention tacked-on, kind of random, and not very well written). In that sense, AU here serves to restore the characters to the canon versions I’m familiar with. (Also, in the case of Snarry, it feeds my –almost- underage kink, but that’s a matter for a whole other post). It also provides a glimpse of the immediate post-Voldemort aftermath, denied to us (perhaps understandably, from a storytelling point) in canon.
What about stories ignoring canon aside from the epilogue though? I’m still a fan of those, for many reasons (dissatisfaction with the “extended camping trip” plot in DH being on top of that list). I guess the main difference between this and more radical AUs is changing what the characters do as opposed to who they are. The distinction is not always clear, and of course entirely arbitrary: after all, it’s our experiences that shape our very character. And what a character’s ‘defining moments’ are is a personal definition for every fan. A story ignoring all canon after CoS will possibly result in characters as different as a “What if Harry wasn’t the Boy Who Lived?” story. Personally, my cut-off point is Order of the Phoenix. I don’t read post-GoF stories anymore (the exception being, of course, old fics written before the fifth book), largely because I’m All About Snape and unable to ignore the juicy bits of Snape canon that book gave us. I can still get into WIPs and series that started pre-OotP that incorporate the new Snape information (the Occlumency, Snape’s teenage years, the shift in the Snape-Harry dynamic), but I’m no longer ‘sold’ on pre-OotP Snape characterizations.
So, how do you all feel about AUs? Do you have a ‘personal canon’ that’s non-negotiable, or do you enjoy even the wildest divergence? What about AUs that take ‘genre’ canons and take them to a more realistic setting (back in the Buffy fandom, I couldn’t bring myself to read a single “everyone’s human” AU-where’s the FUN without the monsters? And I’ve noticed a lot of modern-day AUs in the Merlin fandom, that I’m planning to check out at some point just to see if they work for me).
Merlin:
Woke Up New by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ficbyzee Merlin/Arthur An inspired take on bodyswap!fic, showing exactly what I love about the scenario when done well: the ‘walking in each other’s shoes’ leading the characters to a better understanding of each other, and of course the skillful way the issue of magic was handled. Simply lovely.
Onfindan byastolat Merlin/Arthur This one’s got everything: epic adventure and humour, wonderful character portrayals (of both the protagonists and the other players), a great plot and intriguing ways to use magic.
Before We Get Much Older byficbyzee Gwen/Morganna Can I just say how much I’m loving the wealth of well-written femslash in this fandom? The evolution of the girls’ relationship over the years is spot-on (to the point where I’m half-convinced it’s canon), but the biggest strength of this fic is the touching, convincing and in-depth look it takes at Gwen, and at the other characters through her eyes.
HP:
Requiem At Dusk byfemmequixotic Snape/Harry Forget all I said about my preference EWE fic, because is the kind of Epilogue-compliant story that I live for! Harry crosses over to the Underworld to rescue his son, and of course Snape is on the other side, still burderned with a sense of obligation and constant scheming into the afterlife. The characters are straight out of canon(not surprising, given this is femmequixotic), but what really sets this apart is the detailed, fascinating, vivid depiction of the Underworld. This is like Mythology geek porn (and of course there’s actual porn; and it is good). I feel like going back to read just to take in all the little details I’ve missed the first time around.
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Your result for The Sorting Hat Test...
Slytherin
You scored 32% Order/Chaos, and 33% Moral/Rational
Chaotic Rationality. You don't think much of rules and restrictions; you look at things from an analytical perspective and probably think morality is relative to some extent. Your strength lies in being able to make your own judgments and form your own strategies uninhibited by others; your weakness lies in the wariness other people may have of you, perceiving you as dangerous.
You join people like Theodore Nott, Severus Snape, and Horace Slughorn.
The 4-grid I used to determine this is as follows:
You join people like Theodore Nott, Severus Snape, and Horace Slughorn.
The 4-grid I used to determine this is as follows:
| Chaotic | Orderly | |
| Moral | Gryffindor | Hufflepuff |
| Rational | Slytherin | Ravenclaw |
Take The Sorting Hat Test at HelloQuizzy
-I’m currently working through some my HP fic reading, and once again I’m not finding as many EWE fics as I would like.
It’s not that I’m not enjoying all the wonderful epilogue-compliant fics. There’s a unique satisfaction in reading something that ‘fixes’ canon, no matter how disappointing/frustrating/written-while-clearly-on-drugs said canon might have been. But on the other hand, I’m missing the dynamic in most pre-DH fics. I’m used to the characters as we knew them in the books, and regardless of how brilliant the characterization might be in an epilogue-compliant fic, it’s only reasonable that a few decades have altered the characters in some way.
I guess this means that I’m craving HP AU, which is kind of ironic since I am generally not a fan of the genre. Of course, a fic diverging from canon at some point is not the same as a non-magical AU, which in turn is not the same as “What if Harry’s parents hadn’t died?” story. I can see the appeal of each of one of those, but personally, as a reader, I’m interested in reading about the characters I fell in love with in the first place, and altering a crucial event in their lives or placing them in a totally different universe might leave you with a whole new set of characters: possibly still in-character within the confines of the specific fic, but not recognizable enough as their canon counterparts (which is not to say I haven’t read and enjoyed a number of stories featuring this kind of AU: this is where the whole ‘a great writer can sell you on pretty much any concept’ thing comes in. I just don’t actively seek out these kinds of scenarios).
Given the above paragraph, my interest in ‘diverging from a certain point in canon’ AU might seem contradictory. The EWE part might be easier to explain. After all, the epilogue is years away from the canon I’ve been following for the last seven books (not to mention tacked-on, kind of random, and not very well written). In that sense, AU here serves to restore the characters to the canon versions I’m familiar with. (Also, in the case of Snarry, it feeds my –almost- underage kink, but that’s a matter for a whole other post). It also provides a glimpse of the immediate post-Voldemort aftermath, denied to us (perhaps understandably, from a storytelling point) in canon.
What about stories ignoring canon aside from the epilogue though? I’m still a fan of those, for many reasons (dissatisfaction with the “extended camping trip” plot in DH being on top of that list). I guess the main difference between this and more radical AUs is changing what the characters do as opposed to who they are. The distinction is not always clear, and of course entirely arbitrary: after all, it’s our experiences that shape our very character. And what a character’s ‘defining moments’ are is a personal definition for every fan. A story ignoring all canon after CoS will possibly result in characters as different as a “What if Harry wasn’t the Boy Who Lived?” story. Personally, my cut-off point is Order of the Phoenix. I don’t read post-GoF stories anymore (the exception being, of course, old fics written before the fifth book), largely because I’m All About Snape and unable to ignore the juicy bits of Snape canon that book gave us. I can still get into WIPs and series that started pre-OotP that incorporate the new Snape information (the Occlumency, Snape’s teenage years, the shift in the Snape-Harry dynamic), but I’m no longer ‘sold’ on pre-OotP Snape characterizations.
So, how do you all feel about AUs? Do you have a ‘personal canon’ that’s non-negotiable, or do you enjoy even the wildest divergence? What about AUs that take ‘genre’ canons and take them to a more realistic setting (back in the Buffy fandom, I couldn’t bring myself to read a single “everyone’s human” AU-where’s the FUN without the monsters? And I’ve noticed a lot of modern-day AUs in the Merlin fandom, that I’m planning to check out at some point just to see if they work for me).
Merlin:
Woke Up New by
ficbyzee Merlin/Arthur An inspired take on bodyswap!fic, showing exactly what I love about the scenario when done well: the ‘walking in each other’s shoes’ leading the characters to a better understanding of each other, and of course the skillful way the issue of magic was handled. Simply lovely.Onfindan by
astolat Merlin/Arthur This one’s got everything: epic adventure and humour, wonderful character portrayals (of both the protagonists and the other players), a great plot and intriguing ways to use magic.Before We Get Much Older by
ficbyzee Gwen/Morganna Can I just say how much I’m loving the wealth of well-written femslash in this fandom? The evolution of the girls’ relationship over the years is spot-on (to the point where I’m half-convinced it’s canon), but the biggest strength of this fic is the touching, convincing and in-depth look it takes at Gwen, and at the other characters through her eyes.HP:
Requiem At Dusk by
femmequixotic Snape/Harry Forget all I said about my preference EWE fic, because is the kind of Epilogue-compliant story that I live for! Harry crosses over to the Underworld to rescue his son, and of course Snape is on the other side, still burderned with a sense of obligation and constant scheming into the afterlife. The characters are straight out of canon(not surprising, given this is femmequixotic), but what really sets this apart is the detailed, fascinating, vivid depiction of the Underworld. This is like Mythology geek porn (and of course there’s actual porn; and it is good). I feel like going back to read just to take in all the little details I’ve missed the first time around. 