AUs in the Pros community--discussion

[faramir-boromir.livejournal.com]

Hi, all. You may have been reading the panel reports that I've been posting about CQ in my LJ and over on the CQ yahoo group as well. If not, go read 'em, and enjoy!

It occurred to me that I didn't have notes on a panel that I very much enjoyed---why do you think the Professionals has so many good AU stories---I think I was blasted on Sunday morning and had lost the will to write, hence no notes. Then I realized, there's no reason that discussion couldn't go on here, at ci5hq. gblvr got the ball rolling in the panel discussion, and I'll borrow the three things that I do remember from the panel to get things started.

1) If you look at the total number of stories archived at the Circuit and click the "only AU" stories option, you get about 7% of all the stories. So on the whole, there don't seem to be many AUs in the fandom.

2) Yet, if you ask somebody to rec in the Pros fandom, within the first few recs, they'll be saying, 'oh, but you need to read this AU.'

3) One comment that was offered by flamingoslim at the con was that, back in the day, Pros picked up AUs that were scorned by the Starsky/Hutch fandom early on. As one of the oldest fandoms, she suggested, authors who felt closed out of one fandom moved over to another and went wild.

So, why the contradiction? Compared to other fandoms, Pros has very few AUs, but some are notably (and worthily) famous. And which AUs would you automatically rec to others? And what elements make for a successful AU, using Pros characters?

Comments

Re: Pros AUs - Novels, part 2

[jagr1968.livejournal.com]

Pam liked to write for her friends. I know that she wrote Arabian Nights because a friend wanted a romance set in Arabia. Linda, who loved to read bodice-rippers, specifically requested a seduction scene on top of a horse. It took a long time for Pam to write this story, so long that in the end she felt she owed Linda a novel rather than a short story.

As for favorite AU's - one of the best, Rediscovered In A Graveyard, alternates between present-day CI5 and the French Revolution. HG did a brilliant job of juxtaposing the two and incorporating the storylines into a seamless whole. I also loved her Master of the Revels, which had a great influence on other writers, and Rainbow Chasers, which was her answer to all those Doyle-as-hooker stories. Courtney Gray also wrote several great AU's, including Night Moves, which was her her response to Doyle always being portrayed as the rent-boy. She wrote Torch Song after seeing the movie, Gilda, and did a wonderful job there too. Both Courtney and HG were also moved by Martin Shaw's performance in Cassidy to write wonderful AU's, Griffin and Hunted by Devils.

Another writer who wrote great AU's was Kitty Fisher. Paper Flowers was an interesting take on Doyle as hooker and cashiered cop, with Bodie in his traditional CI5 agent role. Kitty also wrote some great historicals, namely: The Alchemist's Measure and sequel. Unfortunately, she never got around to finishing the intended trilogy. Her Pleasure Proven was also excellent and left me wanting more. So many great AU's, so little time to write comments on all of them.

Re: Pros AUs - Novels, part 2

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Pam liked to write for her friends. I know that she wrote Arabian Nights because a friend wanted a romance set in Arabia.

That's really interesting - thank you. There's a whole other topic in that - what motivates people to write! I was told, by someone who knows her from the early days, that Meg Lewtan also wrote her historical AU's because her friend & editor really liked them, so maybe that's a common thread?

I love Paper Flowers. Although he appears as a hooker, Doyle's background and character aren't that far from canon - as Bodie notices! *g* I also loved Alchemist's Measure but was dissatisfied with the sequel. It does feel unfinished, now you mention it.

Thanks again!