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I'm currently working on an AU to pass the time as I try to work out other current fics that are proving difficult. It's not one of those major AUs where I take the cast and make them doctors or cowboys or detectives at Atlantis hospita/ranch/PD whatever. It's actually pretty minor, but that's all I can say about it.
Anyways, it's got me thinking about AUs and what some might consider to be tolerable AUs and others plain ridiculous or nothing more than character stealing.
Friendshipper has a wonderful AU fic that doesn't take place in Atlantis, yet is written in a way that still feels like it could be part of the show. For one thing, she keeps the characters in character: Sheppard is still military (or was) Rodney is still a scientist, and though Teyla is earth born she's still an alien - an illegal alien - but that's all I'll say of the story as I don't want to give too much away if someone hasn't read it.
But there was another story I looked at where John and Teyla are cops and yet I couldn't stomach it. It wasn't that the story was poorly written, but that it was more a cliche original fic that had stolen the names and physcial attributes of the characters from SGA.
So when is a an AU fic tolerable and when is it crossing the line into character-stealing original fics? I would like to hear people's opinions on the matter (just please no specific fic bashing). For me, it's when the story contains major connections to the show, such as with Friendshipper's story, that it works. But when it's a story where the characters are suddenly detective, doctors, marine biologists or whatever, where Rodney is too nice and Sheppard a total grouch or jerk, that I'm turned away.
Keep in mind I'm talking major AUs, not the AUs that are Atlantis but taking a different direction from Canon (like with Retrograde by LtLJ). Although even those kind of AUs have been known to cross lines from time to time (at least in my opinion.)
Anyways, it's got me thinking about AUs and what some might consider to be tolerable AUs and others plain ridiculous or nothing more than character stealing.
Friendshipper has a wonderful AU fic that doesn't take place in Atlantis, yet is written in a way that still feels like it could be part of the show. For one thing, she keeps the characters in character: Sheppard is still military (or was) Rodney is still a scientist, and though Teyla is earth born she's still an alien - an illegal alien - but that's all I'll say of the story as I don't want to give too much away if someone hasn't read it.
But there was another story I looked at where John and Teyla are cops and yet I couldn't stomach it. It wasn't that the story was poorly written, but that it was more a cliche original fic that had stolen the names and physcial attributes of the characters from SGA.
So when is a an AU fic tolerable and when is it crossing the line into character-stealing original fics? I would like to hear people's opinions on the matter (just please no specific fic bashing). For me, it's when the story contains major connections to the show, such as with Friendshipper's story, that it works. But when it's a story where the characters are suddenly detective, doctors, marine biologists or whatever, where Rodney is too nice and Sheppard a total grouch or jerk, that I'm turned away.
Keep in mind I'm talking major AUs, not the AUs that are Atlantis but taking a different direction from Canon (like with Retrograde by LtLJ). Although even those kind of AUs have been known to cross lines from time to time (at least in my opinion.)
