AU Problems

[amalnahurriyeh]

I want to talk, in a rambling fashion, about the writing of AUs. In particular, the type of AU where you pick up characters--fictional or historical or whatever--who were never actually in the same room, and put them in a scenario together, which neither ever experienced, or would have experienced.

One of the funniest comments I got on my Fringe/Caseyverse crossover was that I'd messed up the timelines of the two universes--during Season 1 of Fringe, Sadie wouldn't be born yet. Given that I was trying to write crack, well, OK, I did not particularly care. But it did somehow disturb my order of the universe; I had broken the laws of time. (That's a regular feature of the Caseyverse, though.)

Which brings me to this thing I'm writing now, for a, um, unnamed late-December fannish event. (Whose culture of secrecy I have yet to properly understand.) The story I'm writing contains two individuals who were never in the same country at the same time, as far as I can tell. They're pretty perfectly matched as a pairing for the story, and the prompt I'm using is, well, literally the best prompt I have ever written for, and I wrote this, so I'm clearly happy.

But I'm not clear on the mechanics of how I'm supposed to get these characters into the necessary scenario. More to the point, I'm not clear on whether this is something I'm supposed to give a shit about. I mean, the important point is that they're in [place] on [means of conveyance] using [mechanical object] to [verb] [noun]. As long as I write that--and the conversation after they [verb] [noun] from [mechanical conveyance] wherein they talk about [thing they have in common] and possibly [verb]--I'm pretty much golden.

But I want to know. What were they both doing in [origin point] before the whole [noun] situation began? In what way did they end up together during the journey towards [destination]? Why [destination], apart from the fact that one of them lived there at one point? Given that they are not of the same generation in their respective canons, what age are they both? And does this take place in person A's timeframe, person B's timeframe, or in [timeframe I prefer, during which neither of them are actually alive]? If I go with [preferred timeframe], how are they different? More important, how is the world different for them not having existed and [verbed], given that their [verbing] seems to me a very important thing? Granted, not necessarily from the point of view of [verbing] [noun], given that [noun] don't really [verb]. But from my point of view, who loves them for what they actually did? I don't know what a world without them doing it, when they did it, would even look like.

Maybe I should let go. [Verbing] [nouns] with [mechanical object] is not a thing that requires a whole lot of good backstory. It's just what it is. And I don't necessarily have to write a great deal; just enough to tell this story adequately. If the story is about [verbing] [nouns] with [mechanical object], and the comedy comes from the fact that it's these people doing it, well then, just have them [verb] the damn [nouns]. Easy-peasy.

But Scully should have been pregnant in The Old X Designation, and these two people never met. They probably never even heard of each other. (Wait, *runs to wikipedia*--yes, the dates fail to align nearly perfectly.)

So, dear audience: how much should I care about this? Some? None? Entirely? Do you think this sort of worldbuilding shows through in a snippet universe like this?

Also, is it considered within [exchange] rules to recruit someone to illustrate your fic? Because, I gotta say, X and Y on [means of conveyance] using [mechanical object] to [verb] [noun] is the default icon I have always wanted.

Comments

[azurelunatic]

Illustration, A-OK! *messages*

[amalnahurriyeh]

Thanks! Now I just wonder if my favorite illustrator would be as amused by the situation as I am...

[idella]

I totally knew the other prompt was the DD/GA. :)

I wouldn't worry, unless writing the actual story is giving you trouble & it helps for you to know. (But look, last year I looked up the weather in Minnesota ten years ago for a story involving completely made-up people. For instance. So I'm one to talk.) As a reader, I probably don't care? Do you have favourite XOs you can pick over? Oooh, what about the old TXF porn battle XOs with the word count cap?

I seem to recall illustrations being just fine. (& I notice there are separate posts for art on AO3.)

AHAHA, Yuletide secrecy. I mean, yeah. Secrecy. I think as long as people don't shake the archive or name the fandom they're writing in public, & go through the mods with questions for their recipient (so they can disguise the fandom being queried).

[amalnahurriyeh]

I HAD A REALLY LONG COMMENT AND THE INTERNET ATE IT BOOOOO

The question for me is, where's the line between what I have to know and what the reader will want to know? So, for instance, I spent a lot of time on Bryn Mawr's housing website determining precisely which housing unit Casey lived in, because I know the symbolic importance of housing units, particularly at Seven Sisters schools. Which turned into literally a single word in a single story. BUT NOW I KNOW.

The question is, how much do I need to tell? So, for instance, my current outline is: 1) verbing nouns; 2) why there are nouns and why they need verbing; 3) talking about verbing nouns, and possibly verbing because, after all, this is fandom. But do I need 2 at all? I feel like the transition between 1) and 3) would be clunky without it, but still. Hmph. IDK.

I love that prompt so much. I am thinking there needs to be another pornbattle, because...IDK, because I need moar porn?

[idella]

The question for me is, where's the line between what I have to know and what the reader will want to know?

&

But do I need 2 at all? I feel like the transition between 1) and 3) would be clunky without it, but still. Hmph. IDK.

Could you, idk, just write it, muddling through all the parts where you feel like you need to know more, and get a couple of second opinions on whether you really need more detail? (I don't even think you'd need people who know canon, if they're reading for flow. Hit me up if you want to.) And maybe as you're writing you can prioritize the stuff you want to think more about vs. the stuff you can let slide? By how it feels when you're writing it (if writing even works like that for you. I am drinking a glass of wine and commenting, okay, I don't even know if any of this makes sense.) I find Write or Die helpful for writing something ANYTHING, and bonus points for not having enough time to stop and debate every little thing. YMMV, though.

Anyway. Good luck.

Of Course You Have To Care

[wendelah1]

Kyle suggested you use a time machine to get them into the same universe. How about a tardis? I don't watch Dr. Who, but isn't that a time/space machine? Or something like that anyway...

Not to get too metaphysical, but couldn't they both be dead? In the story, I mean. Maybe they could meet in the afterlife? Isn't there a special level of hell for dead [nouns]? You know, where they send smart people, or something? I need to check...

If the story is about [verbing] [nouns] with [mechanical object], and the comedy comes from the fact that it's these people doing it, well then, just have them [verb] the damn [nouns]. Easy-peasy.

Um, maybe that wouldn't work with your concept, after all.

Re: Of Course You Have To Care

[amalnahurriyeh]

Of course, the thing is, they both are dead. Like, you know. Currently. I'm entirely convinced there's a special level of hell for dead [nouns], but I would like them to be able to have a conversation about the world, which requires them being in it, you know? I don't know how much use [thing they both do] would be in the afterlife.

A ha ha ha ha, X and Y in the TARDIS! That would be a disaster for everybody involved--but would conveniently get them into a place where they could [verb] some [nouns] without problem. Frankly, I think the entire point of Doctor Who is to allow people to verb some irrational nouns.

I think I've pushed the symbolic potential of language to its limits.

Re: Of Course You Have To Care

[wendelah1]

Of course, the thing is, they both are dead. Like, you know. Currently. I'm entirely convinced there's a special level of hell for dead [nouns], but I would like them to be able to have a conversation about the world, which requires them being in it, you know?

Maybe you could have the Doctor dump X off into Y's backyard. X just didn't work out as a companion, you see. What do you mean this isn't your century? It's pretty close... This Doctor Who (invent your own) is a little vague on earth history. X is rather indignant. Y is puzzled. Who the [verb] are you anyway? Who the [verb] are you? X retorts.

[quitratue]

You are over-thinking this (not to say that's a bad thing ...). The approach I've liked best as a reader (regarding this sort of thing) is to not explicitly spell out the back-story but either leave it entirely alone or perhaps just provide bits and pieces that allude to it. This is fiction after all, you can tell your part of the story and leave the rest up to us.

[amalnahurriyeh]

I overthink everything. Universally. This particular prompt is very much open to overthinking, as well, given its intersection with what I do for a living. :)

Good to know what readers are looking for. I admit, as a canon-fixing writer by trade, I want to know what goes in all those holes! The question in writing this is the space between knowing and putting on pixel.