Pros has a rich tradition of debate by fiction and response stories and unauthorized sequels. When a story (AU or otherwise) generates controversy, Pros writers have often responded. One of the best examples is Consequences an early partner rape story) by Tarot which drew 15+ direct response stories, many explicitly "fix-its". Some deliberately played off the title (e.g. "Inconsequence", "Inescapable Consequences") to signal that their story was written in direct response. Response stories ranged from serious rebuttal to full-on parody ("Consequences: The Musical Version").
The AU story Poison Apples by Pam Rose has two direct response sequels with a "slash - no, het - no, slash" back and forth which is also explicitly referenced in the titles. Apples for the Lady by T. D. Murphy deliberately took out the slash and made it a het story, and Antidote to Apples by Kris Brown put the slash back in! Pam's story was a slash fusion with the movie "The Wicker Man".
Another direct response AU story was "Ghostly Shadowy Ghost Shadow" by O Yardley (Proslib & the archives). It was a response to two stories by Anne Carr (Ghost of a Shadow, Shadow of a Ghost - found on Proslib CD & at the archives) and also took some swipes at various cat, were-cats, and teddy bear stories. *g* O Yardley's author notes include this tidbit: (*NOTE*: There can be no polite disclaimer with this story since the author is offensive purely by intent.)
There are also many stories that represent a more general response to a particular trope or genre; for example, there were a number of CI5-based, canon-heavy stories that were written, at least in part, to counter the presence of AUs, particularly fantasy AUs. I'd also suggest that The Inappropriate Elf Challenge 2003 (huge multi-fandom challenge with 75 stories, 65 writers, 55 fandoms - http://www.trickster.org/speranza/cesper/Elves.html) was, at least in part, a reaction to The Hunting and the idea of elves in a fandom as reality based and gritty as Pros. Interestingly, there was only one Pros entry; perhaps because most thought Pros already had their share of elves?
I do think that the AU-reality based split is one of the deepest divides in Pros, reflecting both a real difference amongst certain types of fen and also the sometimes contradictory impulses contained within individual fen who are both attracted to the gritty world of Pros canon, yet want it tempered. For some fen, that tempering means a complete change of setting and a softer version of our beloved Lads and Cowley. Others, like faramir_boromir above, want their AUs to contain the the adrenaline rush of Pros.
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timeasmymeasure
Pros AUs - Novels, part 2
Date: 2007-07-28 11:31 pm (UTC)Pros has a rich tradition of debate by fiction and response stories and unauthorized sequels. When a story (AU or otherwise) generates controversy, Pros writers have often responded. One of the best examples is Consequences an early partner rape story) by Tarot which drew 15+ direct response stories, many explicitly "fix-its". Some deliberately played off the title (e.g. "Inconsequence", "Inescapable Consequences") to signal that their story was written in direct response. Response stories ranged from serious rebuttal to full-on parody ("Consequences: The Musical Version").
The AU story Poison Apples by Pam Rose has two direct response sequels with a "slash - no, het - no, slash" back and forth which is also explicitly referenced in the titles. Apples for the Lady by T. D. Murphy deliberately took out the slash and made it a het story, and Antidote to Apples by Kris Brown put the slash back in! Pam's story was a slash fusion with the movie "The Wicker Man".
Another direct response AU story was "Ghostly Shadowy Ghost Shadow" by O Yardley (Proslib & the archives). It was a response to two stories by Anne Carr (Ghost of a Shadow, Shadow of a Ghost - found on Proslib CD & at the archives) and also took some swipes at various cat, were-cats, and teddy bear stories. *g* O Yardley's author notes include this tidbit: (*NOTE*: There can be no polite disclaimer with this story since the author is offensive purely by intent.)
There are also many stories that represent a more general response to a particular trope or genre; for example, there were a number of CI5-based, canon-heavy stories that were written, at least in part, to counter the presence of AUs, particularly fantasy AUs. I'd also suggest that The Inappropriate Elf Challenge 2003 (huge multi-fandom challenge with 75 stories, 65 writers, 55 fandoms - http://www.trickster.org/speranza/cesper/Elves.html) was, at least in part, a reaction to The Hunting and the idea of elves in a fandom as reality based and gritty as Pros. Interestingly, there was only one Pros entry; perhaps because most thought Pros already had their share of elves?
I do think that the AU-reality based split is one of the deepest divides in Pros, reflecting both a real difference amongst certain types of fen and also the sometimes contradictory impulses contained within individual fen who are both attracted to the gritty world of Pros canon, yet want it tempered. For some fen, that tempering means a complete change of setting and a softer version of our beloved Lads and Cowley. Others, like