And then you get the crazy AUs, where the characters are transported to Hogwarts or Ancient Rome or space or a pirate ship.
I call those ones Elseworlds rather than AUs, and I strictly prohibit myself from writing them. I think there is a point when I, at least, go too far from canon, when I'm not just examining the characters in a new light but actually using their names on an original cast.
My own "ranking" for self-indulgence, from least to worst, goes: Canon extrapolation, minor What-Ifs/AUs, full scale Alterniverse, Crossover, Elseworld. I start to get wary when I hit an alterniverse that requires a fundamental change in the canon setup, because it can too easily turn into an elseworld which I'd do better saving as an original fic.
This is part of my attempts to limit plot-bunnies, however, since once I've been in a fandom for a while I start trying to think too far outside the box (^_^), and may not work for everyone...
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branchandroot
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Date: 2004-09-28 07:29 am (UTC)I call those ones Elseworlds rather than AUs, and I strictly prohibit myself from writing them. I think there is a point when I, at least, go too far from canon, when I'm not just examining the characters in a new light but actually using their names on an original cast.
My own "ranking" for self-indulgence, from least to worst, goes: Canon extrapolation, minor What-Ifs/AUs, full scale Alterniverse, Crossover, Elseworld. I start to get wary when I hit an alterniverse that requires a fundamental change in the canon setup, because it can too easily turn into an elseworld which I'd do better saving as an original fic.
This is part of my attempts to limit plot-bunnies, however, since once I've been in a fandom for a while I start trying to think too far outside the box (^_^), and may not work for everyone...