Pros and AUs... a rainy Tuesday question

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Feeling the need for Pros-y chat, as it's wet and grey and for some reason feeling very much like it should be the end of the week already - and it's only Tuesday! And as I was walking this morning, in between showers, I was thinking about the fics I have due, and what I had to finish, and what I wanted to finish, and that led me to Alternative Universe fic in Pros... *g*

One of my WIPs, that I'd really like to get finished for Discovered on a Hard Drive, is a Pros AU fic, you see, and I've also been re-reading Cook and the Warehouseman which I adore, and Witchery: A Tale of the Carbon Wars, and Heat by Lainie Stone on the ProsLib CD, and oh, just fab stories like that. Thing is, over the last year, the idea has popped up in a few Pros discussions, that people write AU fic because they're bored with canon in some way, and I saw it mentioned again yesterday-ish, and being me, I got to pondering...

I definitely don't read/want to write AU Pros because I'm bored with the lads in CI5, or with canon in any way at all! It never even occurred to me that might be a reason for people to write AU! What I love most about Pros is B/D (as I'm sure you know!) - it's the lads, and the lads together, and the challenge of wondering how they might react to various situations, and of finding out how other people think they might react. This is probably why I struggle to read fic if I have to stretch too far to see "my" version of the lads, because no matter how well-written the op, or the story etc, it's the lads that I'm interested in rather than the setting.

So to me, AU scenarios are just another way to give the lads a challenge they have to face, tension they have to battle, some kind of enemy to overcome, so that I can see their characters, and what they do.

But is that just me? Did Pros writers in the past turn to AU because they were bored with CI5, bored with the lads really, but couldn't quite tear themselves away? Most of the writers I can think of who wrote AU seem to have written case/CI5-set Prosfic after they'd written their AUs (Helen Raven, Lainie Stone, Sally Fell, Irene, Meg Lewtan, Pam Rose, Kitty Fisher, O.Yardley, H.G., all for example) so presumably they weren't bored with CI5 either...

So, I dunno - now I'm wondering what other people think about this! If you like reading/writing AU fic, is it because it staves off the boredom of yet more CI5/case-driven stories? Or is that more of a fannish-butterfly driven reasoning? Why do you read/write AU Pros fic? Please help me survive this day!

Comments

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

Not bored with case stories, no. I just didn't think I would be able to write a case driven story convincingly. I know zilch about police or spy procedure, nothing about guns or cars, and felt sure a believable plot would be completely beyond me. On the other hand I've always enjoyed history and reading historical novels and as it seemed quite acceptable in Pros (much to my surprise actually) I thought I'd give it a go and came up with The Victorian Kitchen Gardener. I was, and still am, in awe of the many wonderful writers in Pros who are able to write fantastic case stories without batting an eyelid. I have no idea you all do it. :-)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, but Nice Boys counts as a case-fic to me, cos it's the lads in this world, even if they are on holiday... And that's one of my favourite stories of yours too... *g*

So, you loved the lads and wanted to write them, so you fitted it into what you know? That makes sense to me, if I've got that right! And you know I feel that way about people who write AU, especially historicals - I'd be so sure that I'd get something wrong, or couldn't make it feel believable somehow - I'm always in awe! (Although I guess case stories sort of are history now, and I am always looking up what something would have been like in the seventies/eighties if I can't remember, so... *g*)

[squeeful.livejournal.com]

I adore AUs, for pretty much the reasons you stated here. How would they react to, say, time travel and a zombie invasion? It's, uh... It's a never-ending quest of "well, what if I did this?" How many strange and different ways can I create them to still be *them*? Are they still them if they were born in space, had never heard of CI5, were aliens, or had psychic powers and blew up London? Then the next thing you know they're having sex in front of the window of a Winnebago-cum-cave in a blasted-out world after having been chased by mutant wolves and triffids. I'm interested in Bodie and Doyle and all the fascinating aspects of their personalities and relationship, not just CI5.

Why does anyone write/create/read/watch/listen to anything outside of "normal" experiences? It's escapist, it's more than our lives and yet still is the same, it's potentially allegorical, it's fun. And there is some element of being free from the restraint of the case structure, but not boredom.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yes, see that's what it is for me too, and that's what I assumed it was for everyone who read (and perhaps especially) wrote AUs!

Hmmn, so perhaps the idea of AUs = boredom-with-current-fandom/fic is more of a recent fannish-butterfly-inspired idea... People who enjoy fandom interpreting writers' motivations, rather than people who are so dedicated to the characters... *Ponders...*

[tears-of-nienna.livejournal.com]

I totally thought of your post-apocalypse fic when I saw this post. XD Also, regarding the scene you just mentioned: DO WANT.

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

One theory I heard, and never found out whether it was true, was that a lot of the original fans, being of a certain age and generation, didn't like the secret police element of Pros. But they loved the characters, so they took them out of CI5 and put them into the AUs.

I've never written a proper Pros AU (I did have Doyle out of CI5, though). But I adore reading AUs and deciding whether the characters are still 'my' lads *g*.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, interesting theory... Although it wouldn't match up with the authors above who've written both... Are there authors who've only written AU? Helen Raven's written mostly AU, though also "Techniques" - which could perhaps be anti-secret police in fact! Rhiannon I think only wrote AU (but the two writers are very different ages!) Erm... I think most Pros writers have written both, though?

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think boredom would be the reason. As you say, there are plenty of writers who wrote AUs then went on to write case driven stories. I think it's wherever your mind takes you. An idea pops into your head, one that will only work as an AU; it would be a rare writer who would ignore it just for that reason.

I love AU's and I've written a few but I have no plans on abandoning the traditional settings.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I think/thought/feel! *g* But I'm curious about the claims that boredom is a motivation, cos I've never heard of anyone in Pros saying they were bored with the lads, and that's why they wrote AU - or writing AU and then moving on, even... I always wonder where these ideas come from, you know?!

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that I tend not to enjoy that many AUs in Pros, while adoring them (or at least writing a hell of a lot of them *g*) in my other fandom.

Hmmm. Maybe part of the attraction of writing AUs is that you're not bound to the real world to the same degree. That implies that you can write any old tosh in an AU, which is absolutely not the case. But with an AU you have a lot more control over the scene setting, and the plots that might come out of that. I have a case story plot bunny in canon setting, and there's a lot of research that I'd feel honour-bound to do. AUs present their own challenges, but that fear of making an error that someone in the know will roll their eyes over isn't one of them.

This issue relates to a personal hypothesis/question. Does not being a native of the culture of the fandom make a person more inclined to write AUs? When it's all foreign, does a writer find their footing by ignoring the problematical culture of canon, and write something where they have more control over the world and setting? Or is this just my hobby-horse? *g*

And having declared that I prefer a more canon setting (and my boogeyman story *was* set in canon *g*) I've been reading Randall Garrett's 'Lord Darcy' series and imagining Cowley and the lads in that setting...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Does not being a native of the culture of the fandom make a person more inclined to write AUs?
Hmmn - I can't think of anything that makes me think this, to be honest, though I can see where the theory comes from. But for example O.Yardley, HG, Helen Raven, Lizzie, Sally Fell, Kitty Fisher and Rhiannon are all native-to-Pros writers who've written AUs. Pam Rose is American, Meg Lewtan Australian, (can't remember where Lainie Stone is from! Or Irene! I want to say English, but I might be completely wrong - I even think I know where they're from, but I'm spacing out!) - um, what other non-Brit writers have written AUs? I can think of alot of them who've written case fic though... *g*

but that fear of making an error that someone in the know will roll their eyes over isn't one of them.
Oh gawd, it is for me! And I suspect it is for other Pros AU/writers too, based on what Caffy's said above. I almost think I feel more worried about writing an AU, because at least I know canon well enough to argue my corner on my interpretation vs someone else's interpretation, whereas I feel I'd have to be a real expert to write in a historical setting, for example. SF AU would be different, I guess...

Jane of course wrote alot of Pros AU fic, and although I can see her as an argument for the "boredom" idea, since she did seem to move away from our lads, I suspect that was more due to her setting up as a paid writer (and adapting her Prosfic to be "original" so that she could charge for it) than specifically being "bored" with the lads...

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I see AU's as "what if's", in the sense I learned the phrase from (comics fandom). I think it's brilliantly interesting to put the Lads in a different place or time, or in different circumstances. But AU's really only work for me if I can see that the author understands them, that she can "translate" them from the CI5 world to somewhere else & maintain character integrity - not necessarily 'same as canon', but definitely similar except where explicably dissimilar (if you get my drift).

I write case-fics for a couple of reasons - I find "episode-style" fairly easy to latch onto, for a start. Also, there's the attraction of England/London - I enjoy the research & the challenge to my imagination - what was it like 30 years ago? I can't see myself ever getting bored, because I can always think of somewhere new to explore, some new wrinkle in the social and political fabric of the time to investigate.

Having said that, I'm attempting an historical AU at the moment and I'm finding it really hard work - so kudos to those who do it well! My penchant for detail is not helping when said detail is lacking/difficult to access.

Sorry, back to your question:- I think there are probably several reasons why people wrote AU's; because they were worried about the concept of CI5 as secret police (as lukadreaming suggested), because they were very familiar with the tropes of a particular genre such as historical romantic fiction and wanted to see B & D in that setting, because they felt they couldn't write believable CI5 stories, because they had a conversation with someone that sparked an idea...

I think boredom probably has very little to do with it.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

But AU's really only work for me if I can see that the author understands them, that she can "translate" them from the CI5 world to somewhere else & maintain character integrity - not necessarily 'same as canon', but definitely similar except where explicably dissimilar (if you get my drift).
Yes! Same here! Rhiannon's lads are a good example of that to me - they're not at all canon-like in one interpretation of them, but for me they've absolutely got that integrity of canon character that I'm interested in reading more about... *g*

I love the idea of what-was-it-like-30-years-ago too - it is historical research as far as that goes now... *g* But then I have a mixture of nostalgia about mid-eighties UK too, which I think also appeals...

Thanks for that - I wonder if anyone will say they write AU because they're bored, or if it's just one of those ideas that's perhaps been carried over from something someone once said, or wondered etc, and has exploded into people's assumptions about other fans... Relativism...

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

It took me awhile before I would even read AUs. *g* I couldn't understand why anyone would want to write/read them. I was in love with the lads in their setting--why would I want to read about them elsewhere? They wouldn't be the lads if they came from other backgrounds/experiences!

I have since changed my mind, of course. *g* And I adore AUs if I can pick up a vibe that speaks to me of the lads. (And that's very subjective. I see it in "Larton" for example, but many, many others don't.)

I was once shocked to discover that most of the novels and long stories I love are AU. Huh. But then, perhaps it is easier to get to novel length with an AU--where you need to set up a whole world, complete with back story. It naturally lends itself to length. Which is not to say, of course, that you can't have a novel that is CI5-based--of course you can--just that when I start listing novels, most of them are AUs.

Writing...yeah, I could write an AU. Well, I have, more or less. And I've other ideas. It is definitely not boredeom, but more...oh, the "what if" that others have mentioned, and the challenge of it. Which sounds like boredom--to say I like the challenge of it--but really it's not. It's Pros invading everything in my life, and thus all my writing. It's not wanting to let go of the lads. *g* It's the opposite of boredom.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee - I was just the same, took ages to get into AUs cos I wanted the lads as the lads, but then I totally fell for them! Had nothing to do with boredom though, just... perhaps realising that the lads still were the lads in these AUs, and it was that that I loved in fact - so as you say, it was another kind of challenge then. *g*

I don't think liking to be challenged has anything to do with boredom though. I like to cook something challenging now and then, but it doesn't mean I'm bored with my old favourite stand-bys, it's just a change... Same with walking (and probably running!) - a new route is interesting, perhaps challenging, makes a nice change, but it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with old route...

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

It's certainly not boredom with the lads in CI5 that leads me to read or write AUs. As far as the writing goes, my first few stories were CI5-based, then came a couple of AUs, and since then I've been firmly back in CI5 land. It really all depends on what sort of scenario pops into my head and demands to be written. I've never sat down and specifically decided to either write an AU or a CI5 story - it just sort of happens...

And as for reading AUs, again it just depends on what happens to land in my lap. As long as the lads are firmly in character (at least, to my way of thinking...) then I'll read anything. That doesn't just apply to AUs of course, I've been thrown out of many a case-based story because the lads just don't ring true to me.

So no, boredom's definitely not a factor where I'm concerned.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Stoopid work - I had to do some - gargh!

It really all depends on what sort of scenario pops into my head and demands to be written. I've never sat down and specifically decided to either write an AU or a CI5 story - it just sort of happens...
Yes! Well said! (Not that I've written/finished any AUs yet, but... *g*) But it's definitely not boredom for me either!

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

What I've heard -- and I suspect this is true -- is that AU is a taste acquired naturally as one progresses through fandom.

This is certainly true of myself. Initially I just wanted more of the show I loved. I only wanted CI5 stories, case stories -- but (obviously) with slash. I had no patience for AU. But as I progressed through fandom, I became more and more open to the idea, and now I enjoy a well-written AU just about as much as anything else.

With the exception of gen or het (which I consider a distasteful branch of AU). *g*

Why people write it...I imagine there would be as many reasons as there are for writing anything. Rarely, when it comes to creativity, does one size fit all. I'm sure one reason would be that authors feel they've explored every possible angle of the CI5 world. Some of these earlier authors were staggeringly prolific.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

AU is a taste acquired naturally as one progresses through fandom
Yeah, I'd probably agree with this, from what I've heard and talked about with people. Most people I know didn't want to read it at first (including me!) but then I realised that the lads were still the lads within an AU world (when done well) and that really it was just somewhere else for them to be, a whole new set of challenges. And now they're almost my favourite, in fact... *g*

I was kind of taking it for granted that there are many many reasons for writing AUs, just as for anything else, and I'm sure someone out there does it out of boredom... *g* I was particularly interested though because I've heard it stated with such surety, such complete well-of-course attitude, that I was thinking that someone would come in and say "Well, over in such-and-such fandom, I was bored with blah-blah and so..." - but not so far!

The only person I can remotely imagine feeling as if they'd explored every angle of CI5 universe (based on stories written) is Jane of course, because she really did go in so many different directions, and was hugely prolific - but I suspect she was branching out into what she wanted to be her original fic at the time, so I'd not say that was boredom as... enterprise? *g* Hmmn, who else might you have in mind when you were thinking about that?

[sineala.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not bored with Bodie and Doyle, and I have generally always loved AUs, in every fandom I've ever been in. *flaps fannish-butterfly wings*

I also just really like speculative fiction in general, so AUs really let me play the what-if game -- "What if Bodie and Doyle were in this time? What would they do?" It lets me read about them in my favorite historical settings, or fantastical or science fiction settings. I really like reading what people come up with as worldbuilding in SF, especially. I don't think "CI5 agent" is intrinsic to either of them as an element of their characterization; the drive that led them to it is, the personalities that make them enjoy it... but it's just a job. They can do other things and still be themselves.

The other reason I, as a reader, like AUs is that many of them do something a lot of canon-based stories don't: they show me a romance. Which is not to say that non-AUs can't be romantic, but a lot of stories, even first time stories, assume that, say, B&D already know each other, they're already friends, they already work together, and there's just this pesky problem of these (not so) unrequited feelings one of 'em seems to have. Which is great, I love that plot too, but sometimes you just want a story about how they start. How they meet, how they get to know each other, how they fall in love. And a lot of AUs I've liked do that plot, more than the canon-based ones.

As someone who's just written an AU -- can I admit that it was easier to write than canon-based, in terms of the details? If I want to know, say, what the standard career progression for an equestrian under the Flavians, I can look it up. There are books. And there aren't any Romans around to tell me that I got the details of a mystery cult's ceremonies wrong, or whatever, because that they didn't write down. Whereas there isn't a book for "daily life of CI5 agents in the early 80s," and there will be people noticing if I get the details wrong. The standards for accuracy are higher, and there are fewer research materials; you're just expected to remember/find a beta who remembers the details. I like things I can look up, and I get nervous just having to make up things/places when people can come along and tell me it's wrong...

(Plus sometimes I just find CI5-as-secret-police a little creepy, yeah. Not that I plan to write only AUs forever.)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeay the speculative what-if game, I'm all about that too!

Hmmn - I do think of CI5 as fairly intrinsic to who they are in the eps, but that's why I can stretch their characterisation a bit further in AUs as well - not their basic personalities, but the rest of them. For me, if Bodie was a horse-loving Anglo-Irish soldier, he would totally be Bodie of Larton, and if Doyle was a retired ex-policeman-turned-writer he would totally be Doyle of Larton - but then other people can't get as far as "But why would they be doing that in the first place?". Doyle as an absolute whinge-basket fainting at the first sign of someone being mean to a kitten though I don't get - no matter what job he had...

Interesting about the looking-up too, cos I do alot of looking-up of Pros era when I write, to be honest. There's lots of books just set in '80s England, which I'm used to reading, that gave me a flavour of the times - I was in the UK in the mid-eighties, but not during proper Pros-times, so for that I rely on newspapers, books, other tv shows and films and so on... I'd say it's a similar kind of research (though I use relatives and friends and stretches-of-memory as well, I guess!) There's definitely more around than just betas though! *g*

I'd feel more nervous about writing a historical AU though - I do, cos I've got one on the go - and I get caught up on so many little details that can't be fudged... Mind, it's more recent history (WWII) so there are more people around to trip me up, too!

But you know, I'd like you to write Pros AUs forever, they're fab... *vbg*

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I posted a long response and it's gone into cyberspace somewhere. *sigh* If it shows up (it was hours ago when I posted), then forgive me.

I love AUs but as I've said before, unless the canon character is in the AU, I tend to get bored quickly. It takes a good writer to keep me interested in a non-canon AU if I'm in the mood for Pros. For example, Larton is adorable, sweet, engaging, but it's not Pros. So once I understood that Bodie and Doyle were not in the story, I happily read the zine as original fic and loved it. Hunted by Devils skirts the line for me. I read it was original, but I do see flashes of Bodie more so than of Doyle in it. However, it's one of my all time favourite stories in any fandom and/or original m/m fic.

Right now, I'm reading one of your (BSL's) favs. And so far, in the first 40 pages our of about 150, Bodie is here, but Doyle is not. So we'll see how it goes. So far, I'm interested enough to keep going. But I've almost accepted the fact that this Doyle is barely a shadow of the snarky, tough, full of life man from canon.

So to me, a good AU is no different than a CI5 story, only in a different setting. Some settings just don't interest me. I've rarely found a Roman or Greek setting that I can read. There's only been one story set in that era that I've finished, and that was in S&H. And I'm a hard sell on a "
'Sherlock Holmes" type setting.

I admit I love case stories. I love reading and writing them. The entire idea of setting up the crime/story, going on the investigation step by step, and by the end, solving the case makes me happy.

I admit, I have very few moral problems with CI5, its ethics or methods. There are times I'm sure I would prefer something else had been done, but overall, I'm with Cowley on what needs to be done, as harsh as that can be at times. I'm not a pacifist and I like men (and women) with guns, or I'd be watching something else.

And I've never found an elf story that I could read. LOL! Except in Lord of the Rings.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Bum, hate it when that happens! I got myself into Cntrl+C before I hit send for any post, just in case - I lost too many carefully-typed-up posts, it's rare that I don't have it on the clipboard now when I hit that button!

Ooh, which of my faves are you reading? You must tell me! *g* Especially if you're saying it's a favourite of mine but Doyle is un-tough, un-full of life, cos that doesn't sound like me at all!

I can do without men and women with guns (I don't think they help in the long term in real life), but I like the simplicity of a show like Pros (for all it's gritty reality too!) - who doesn't fantasise about getting rid of their problems with a simple bang sometimes?

I need my canon characters to be in an AU too (I think we have different definitions of our canon characters!) - but as I said to someone up above, for me there's a difference between their CI5 lives and their characters, so I utterly see Larton B/D, whereas I know you don't, for example. I have absolutely no desire to read Larton as an original fic though (and in fact the Wayward version nearly put me off completely) because it's recognising the sparks that are my B/D in Larton, and the delight of thinking Oh yes they would do that if...! that means I enjoy it so much. Without that, it's just another nice little story, but it's lost its magic... But I think we've had this conversation before... *g*

Anyway - it doesn't sound like you turn to AUs out of boredom with the CI5-verse either! *g*

[tears-of-nienna.livejournal.com]

For me, writing an AU is a chance to take Bodie and Doyle and see how they would find each other in a different universe, or how they would deal with a situation that canon doesn't permit. It doesn't mean I'm bored with canon at all--I have plenty of canon ideas as well as crackfic AU plans.

Maybe the problem is the fact that I can't turn off my Pros brain. I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies right now, and randomly my eye will track off the page while I'm considering the idea of "Pride and Professionals and Zombies." I sort of wiped Bodie's memory at one point after watching Dollhouse and Pros back-to-back--although that one is blurring the line between AU and crossover, I guess.

I guess it's really the opposite of boredom for me: I want to see more of Bodie and Doyle, in every possible situation. And then I want to see them in impossible situations. ;)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee - know what you mean about Pros brain, I do that too! What would it be like if Bodie and Doyle had been at Frankenstein's castle...... *g*

I guess it's really the opposite of boredom for me: I want to see more of Bodie and Doyle, in every possible situation.
Ooh yes, I like that thought - me too! *vbg*

But then there's a difference for me in AU and "crackfic" too - was it you thinking about an mpreg Pros story? Somehow to me that'd change their characters too much, I think, for me, and there are other stories that've been described as "crackfic" where I think the emphasis was more on writing a whacky story than it was on the characters, which is maybe leaning more towards the bored-with-Pros hypothesis, come to think of it... Hmmn - interesting! But it's got to be the lads that I see in impossible situations, you know?!

reason for AU

[smirra.livejournal.com]

I'm not bored with them in CI5 world– although I'm enthusiastic about quite some of the AU I still like a well written case based fic or drabble.

On the other hand some of the episode books/plots as they appear are not that exciting and complex, compared with other series today. But that cannot be the reason because most of the popular AU's are classic fiction from the early days /from classic writers.

I think one of the reason is the look of the lads. Bodies statue, his classic face and looks, Doyles curls are very tempting and inviting for b. e. historic AUs. If I compare their looks with MFU by example, those guys don't look as much like an historical AU than Bodie & Doyle.
Also in the early days it was the age of great new science fiction movies, (hence the sf AUs).
There also was Marion Zimmer Bradley's novel 'Catch Trap' what I think likely to have playd a role in the making of the AU 'Harlequin Airs'.

More then being bored with the CI5 world was I think the urge of the writers to write original fiction with the characters Bodie and Doyle. Some of them had a very special writing style also in their non-AU fiction. (If we consider say 'Heat Trace' not as an AU, that is. What I do, because it has enough of the general CI5 world setting.)

I also think the author should have an understanding of the characters, their general motives, featurees, to get an interesting translation into another world. I especially love AUs when an author has special knowledge about onother era and can deliver details, so that it's a very pleasant history lesson like Miles Scortillusque by Sineala.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

some of the episode books/plots as they appear are not that exciting and complex, compared with other series today.
Yeah - plus you'd thinking writing more case fic would be the best way to put that right, rather than writing AUs! *g*

D'you know, I very rarely picture the lads looking anything other than as they do in the eps! And even in historical fics I actually get thrown out if I'm told that Doyle has really long hair, or that Bodie does - for some reason I need their hair to be ep-length! *g*

Good point about the new science fiction movies of the time actually - and LotR and fantasy novels were really kicking off too, hence perhaps Jane's big elf-frenzy... *g* With all that wonderful inspiration, how could you not want to see what the lads would do in those situations! Although perhaps that doesn't bode well for future Pros then - if there's an increasing rigidity about the canon, as kiwisue suggested above, and if there's a determination on the part of some to keep Pros in their own universe, is that because people aren't inspired/challenged to take them to other places any more, perhaps? Maybe there's less out there in the creative imaginative world in general that is inspiring Pros writers to write AUs! (Although that said I know a few people with AUs on the go, so... *g*) And perhaps when we think that they were written over 30 years, there's not that many AUs compared to case stories... Except as novels, but then msmoat had a good suggestion above that too...

Hmmn!

Oh I'm curious about your definition of an alternative universe, if you're not calling Heat Trace an AU? I'd define it as any fic where Bodie and Doyle aren't both in CI5, in the 1970s+ world (expanded to include "older lads" as long as their world is the real world that we've seen/live in!) But you're more flexible in your definition, perhaps?

And yes! You can always tell when an AU author knows what they're talking about, can't you - Miles Scortillusque was a treat like that - and Secrets Beneath, and... oh, so many of our AUs! I love Pros writers! *vbg*

[tango65.livejournal.com]

I enjoy reading about the boys in AU, because it is about the boys and because it gives me the sense that regardless of when or where in time, the world, the universe etc it is, the boys would be together. Romantic notion, maybe, but one I can live with. :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, gods yes! What a perfect way of describing it - I'm right there with you! Romantic notions like that I can totally live with too!

[hagsrus.livejournal.com]

"I think I still have to find that fic where one of them is the spaceship."

Is that Freetrader by Debra Hicks?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

You know I thought I'd read that one, but now that I'm looking at the start it doesn't look familiar... yeay, lunchtime reading!

[robeau.livejournal.com]

Sometimes an idea simply pops into my mind that I think works for the characters and I start playing with it - not because I'm bored but because it stimulates my brain and I like to see if I can write the characters we know and love within the confines of whatever scenario I came up with. Boredom has nothing to do with it.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

See, that's what I would have said! I wonder where this "out of boredom" idea came from originally...

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Just catching up with discussions that started while I was away... and this one really interested me! Sorry I'm late!!

I love reading AUs in all my fandoms. I think I enjoy reading them so much because I adore all kinds of genre stories such as fantasy, sci fi, historical romance, etc. but so much of the 'original' stuff on offer, online and printed, has such cardboard characters who are never properly developed. So if someone who writes well can combine two characters I already 'know' who are many-sided and fascinating, with a different genre from their 'usual' I'm all for it! It fleshes out the story, whether it's set in a spaceship or a Victorian houseparty or whatever, and it enables the writer (and therefore the reader) to explore yet more aspects of the personalities.

In writing groups/comms, a common ploy is to ask participants to 'ask' their characters how they would react to outlandish events, in order to deepen their knowledge of the characters. I assumed this was the kind of motivation that got people to write AUs.

Boredom seems a most unlikely motive because if a writer is bored with the series all they have to do is move to another series/fandom and if they're bored with the characters they won't want to write them at all. I suspect the 'boredom' explanation is put about by people who don't like AUs as a kind of put-down.

I don't usually write AUs because I try really hard to develop my original fic and develop very not-cardboard characters in it so I don't want to use fandom characters. And as you know, other than drabbles I don't usually write Pros, partly because my imagination just doesn't come up with plausible episodes that haven't already been used and I'm not at all keen on PWP. Maybe I should try an AU?