I don't like these fanfiction because the author ultimately changes the characters' past and everything that made them who they are. I'm a sole believer that the only thing separating one person from another is their experience (okay, their biological predisposition also plays a part, but these predispositions will mostly occur when people are living in an environment where it allows these predispositions to develop), thus, by changing a characters' experience, or what has happened in CANON, you are in effect making a completely different person, where the only thing that is recognizable is the characters names. Thus, you might as well be writing original fiction.
When I read fanfiction I want to read about the CANON characters involved in adventures with ALL of the CANON experience and memories that made them who they are. I don't want to read fanfiction where the only thing that is similar to my loved characters is the way they look and their names. For example, I like reading post-series fanfiction, which I know is classified as AU by some, these fanfiction I like because the characters are still themselves with all the memories of what has happened to them in the past (i.e. during the series), they act accordingly to what happened to them, or at least act in a way that is similar to ways similar to past actions.
In conclusion, no, this is not an attack on people who write this type of AU or people who like reading them; it is just a statement on my own personal taste. Okies, I think that's enough ranting on my part.
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Comments
I think that most authors write fanfiction where GW boys are dragonriders because they really think it's a good idea and cool. I do, however, agree with you that it probably is a unconscious act.
What about AUs of the what-if variety? Where you change key events in the series/past? A lot of them do have pretty interesting ideas...
I do agree with bakaneko on this one, AUs need to be defined better, and 'what-if' while AU is different than Transplantation. Mind you, I make the clear distinction during 'what-if' fanfics that the characters are no longer the one I love but rather what could have been if something in their life have gone a bit different. This is quite different from having characters in a sci-fi setting becoming pirates.
Simply, what if Lionel Luthor went into the cornfield looking for his son and not only discovered Lex suffering from meteor radiation, but also found an alien toddler dragging his space-pod after him like a favorite blankie?
I think AUs need to do be defined better, really. I think there's a difference between 'what-if' AUs and transplanting characters from a universe to another. Like the above example, the what-if fic wonders how 'differently' a character would have grown/matured if something else had/had not happened.
But the transplantation, (I keep thinking of it as a crossover for some reason), the characters REMAIN THE SAME regardless of background or current occupation. There are suitable changes to fit the new universe they're occupying in, but essentially, the character itself is supposed to be, somehow, the quintessential Heero or Duo or Sailormoon regardless of the actual universe they occupy. They may grow slightly differently, but it's like Sliders where you meet AU versions of yourself and discover that your AU version may be a beefy fearless barbarian warrior, but he still has the really horrible habit of picking his nose and scratching his ass when bored.
We won't consider those where only the character names are the same. Hopefully, the above was coherent...
I think I might have gotten off the point. And you read SV fics. WAHHHHH *huggles* Jen's fics are good.
It _is_ a matter of pesonal taste, but I sparkle at finding people who share the same opinion. It's especially bad for series like sports ones, I think - when a large part of who the characters *are* is built around their love of a game, or a specific ideal, or *something* anyway, you remove the setting in which they use that thing and you don't have the same character(s). End of story. It becomes the transplantation-AU person's orichara(s), more or less, and the quality of the AU itself aside, as you said, that wouldn't interest me. Like, Ryoma-tachi without tennis are *not* Ryoma-tachi, however engagingly you change their environments and them, and just - period. ^^; (I know, I know, Bowling no Oujisama eps and the like, but those were *funny* fillers.)
Exactly. Quality of writing aside, AUs make me sad (and lose my interest almost straight away, unless it's in the name of comede) because what make me love certain characters has been taken away.
Ryoma without tennis, would be like DragonBalls without the constant resurrection and fights. And seriously without tennis, Ryouma is like a snot nosed kid with no redeedim feature (ok, he's cute, and the snark is good, but there is no tennis). Also, Bowling no Oujisama had class (ok, cheese, but good cheese) ^__^
Ok, I'm done saying my "me too" now. ^_~
So I agree with you that I don't like at all stories where backstory is arbitrarily changed or added to, especially if the writer is going to introduce a Major Traumatic incident which is secretly the golden key to the entirety of the character's actions.
As for AUs, well, I just don't like them because I have a love-hate relationship with worldbuilding, and a lot of the times the world is like a character, and I think you gotta include it.
Oh yes, the Major Traumatic experience that gives their fave characters more to angst about. I'm getting quite sick of that.
You got it exactly. You've got to include the world if you're have the character. If you care going to build a new world you might as well make original characters.
Yeah, if there is Major Traumatic Experience that explains it all, you'd figure that the creator would have mentioned it as important to the conception of the character. Well, all of my favorite characters who angst have something already to angst about. >:D So I don't need to invent some incident.
Exactly. Putting the Suikoden characters in highschool only works if you're writing parody or deliberate badfic. For some reason this is an insanely popular genre, if only because so many of the writers themselves are thinking about what will happen when they go to HS next year. :P
To sum up, perceptions of behaviours, personalities, and identity is all related to your culture background. All of this is done subconsciously. This also works for object perception. Have a unique (colour, shape, whatever) in a pool with landscapes, etc. participants from EA backgound will provide much better information about the overall picture, but not much about the unique item, while participants from Western bg will provide more detail to the unique fish, and less info on the surrounding. Most of the experts bellieve that EA people seem to perceive things more holistically.
Gee, that was really lond winded, sorry ^^;;;
Nod to the Major Traumatic Experience. Seriously, why would you want to heap on some mundane trauma such as abuse, when the manga/anime provide you long, drawn out, painful angst that's so much more interesting.
HS fanfics, I like the parodies, they are always a laugh, but the serious ones... *sigh* I remember those. *laughs* Yes, the authors must be terrified of moving into the big, bad world o HS *snickers*
Notes from the author; Yes, I am aware that your
wankrant didn't include bad spelling, but I couldn't resist. I understand that you would want to tear me to little bits right now. If I don't get Soul Eater'd first. I always wanted to write one of these. Oy. Vey.....................
I'm scarred for live. See, this is the reason why I really dislike AUs. And babe. I'm gonna so wave pom poms if you SoulEater the dork.