Your Opinions Wanted - Subject: Alternate Universe Fics

[catscradle]

Okay, a friend of mine, being a dutiful reader and replying to a fic they thought was well written and entertaining, told a pair of authors that they did a great job with characterization in their fic. The pair of authors - very well known in the GW writing community, wrote back saying that while they appreciated the compliment, any characterization that seemed in character was entirely accidental - because all their fics were AU and by definition, they didn't have to be in character.

Now, I do appreciate the candidness there - but what the hell? Since when did AU imply OOC? AU merely stands, as was my understanding for the past 7 years, for Alternate Universe. This means that characters in the fanfic are found in situations/environments that fall outside of the canon. It doesn't mean, and never has, OOC or Out of Character. In fact, it's always been my opinion that AUs actually need to be in character more so that the readers can identify who the characters are. It should not be by name alone. An AU with OOC characters is an original piece of fiction. It's not fanfic. If nothing is there to reflect the characters or the plot of the show - there is nothing there that a fan would recognize. Authors need to have a little confidence and post that stuff to original fiction sites/list which are found all over the net.

What are the opinions of others on this matter?

While I'm ranting - comedy/humor writers. . . OOCing the characters does not a comedy make. The humor is more appreciated when you nail the characterization. Also, the more plausible the situation, the funnier it is. Few people can get away with out and out slapstick. Great when it's done well, really, really horrid when it's not. 3% of the writing population does slapstick well. Please, please, please, stop.

Today's Send a Hug: A friend of mine is having a horrible few days. Those of you that know her, please send a note of encouragement. *HUG*

Comments

[catscradle.livejournal.com]

I appreciate your comments =) I do understand that it's difficult - writing in character is actually always difficult - but that doesn't mean you toss it away because it's hard. (and I know that's not what you were saying, I've just seen it done one too many times *g*) Two ways to write AUs are to 1) write the fic so that the plot and environment fit the characterizations of the characters you're using. For instance, if you need a loud obnoxious character, it's probably not a good idea to cast Trowa or Heero in the role. Don't cast your favorite character to play the lead if that character doesn't fit the role. 2) if you're running a what-if experiment - like "What if Trowa didn't grow up with the mercenaries, what if he grew up with loving parents?" - in that case, yeah, Trowa is going to be different. He may not even be recognizable - but given the context of the writing, we should be able to pick out that difference and think "Ah, so this is how he'd act in this environment. . ." The trick of the author is to make us think that things couldn't have happened otherwise for that character given the situation he/she has been put in. Also, if an author writes a situation like that, then the other characters need to in character to contrast that difference.

Casting Quatre as a medeivel prince doesn't alter his surroundings all that much. We can conceive of a Quatre that grows up in a different time period and born into royalty that doesn't act too differently than he does now. I think what the author needs to think about is why they want to put the characters in an AU setting. Is the author trying to show the characters in a new light? Is the author trying to show that the characters would act the same way given any situation? Is the author trying to illustrate that the character archetype fits a variety of environments/plots. Or is the author simply writing an AU because they like medievel fantasy stories and wouldn't it be nice of Duo was a prince? If it's the last one, the author needs to ask themselves if fanfiction is the option for them, rather than an original story.

And you're right - it takes actual thought for writers to recognize the difference between a good story idea and a bad one. I think many writers out there write and post any idea that crosses their mind - rather than taking the time to really flesh the story out and see if it works first.

Thanks for the comments! =)

[yuukimiyaka.livejournal.com]

Disregarding the idea of OOC for a moment, I tend to think that most AUs are about "what if." A "what if" story isn't confined to the canon story setting. I could just as easily write "What if Wufei was a Paladin in Krynn" as "What if Duo had never been orphaned." We will also, for the moment, disregard the idea that all fanfiction is AU by default. Having stated that, I'll go back to the crux of the issue: OOC.

I don't think you necessarily have to write the plot and environment around the actual character, particularly for an AU (of the type I described above.) More, it's about understanding the character well enough to find a balance between the actual personality and the changes made because the environment has changed.

For example: In a story where Duo isn't orphaned, he still might retain the boisterous, loud personality everyone writes him with. But instead of it being a "false mask" to hide his angsty past, it might be his actual persona. In a story where Wufei is a paladin from Krynn, he will still have the obsessive views of weakness and honor, due to his training, but he would likely not be as mysogynistic as he is in the series. That's still OOC, despite the changes.

People's personalities change depending on to whom they are talking, as well. And your perceptions of a character are likely remarkably different from mine. Fanfiction is often about offering to others what you see in the characters, not trying to keep to their points of view.

A final note about fanfiction versus an original story: Yes, a story where the characters are OOC and the setting is AU is technically an original story (just as fanfiction is AU by default), there is still some merit to retaining it as a piece of fanfiction. Again, if you care enough to try to understand the characters about which you are writing, there is the potential that even in such a setting, you can show others what you see in the character. It's all about perception and caring.

Now, this is based on your original post, which discussed a good story where your friend was complimenting the authors on characterization. I am not basing my statements above on poorly-written and un-thought-out fanfiction, which I do not read any more.

[catscradle.livejournal.com]

I don't think you necessarily have to write the plot and environment around the actual character, particularly for an AU (of the type I described above.)

I didn't say you had to write an AU in this manner - I listed it as one of the ways you could write it. And yeah, a lot of writing is successfully is finding that balance of personality and environment. I wasn't arguing against that. That again goes to knowing the core of the character I mentioned in a reply to another poster. There are margins the author has when writing a pre-established character. As long as you have the framework down, there's a LOT of leeway for the actions of the character. It's just another way of saying balance.

Fanfiction is often about offering to others what you see in the characters, not trying to keep to their points of view.

Yes and no - each person brings their own interpretation to the characters. I should not, however, be seeing the author's person point of view over the character's. For instance, if the author would have cried given a certain situation, that doesn't mean the character would have too. The character and the author are not interchangable and the author should NEVER stick themselves in where the character should be. The term for this is Mary Sueing the character.

Yes, a story where the characters are OOC and the setting is AU is technically an original story (just as fanfiction is AU by default), there is still some merit to retaining it as a piece of fanfiction. Again, if you care enough to try to understand the characters about which you are writing, there is the potential that even in such a setting, you can show others what you see in the character. It's all about perception and caring.

Or you're showing what you'd rather see than what is - which might make an interesting statement on the psychology of fanfic, but still doesn't make for good fanfic writing. As long as the balance/framework remains and there's something of the characters that remains, then the AU has a point outside of the author's own mind - otherwise, it's merely self-indulgent fantasy.