What Is AU or AR?

[lady_windermere]

Just posting my thoughts on what is AU or AR in BtVS and AtS.

Well for the complete purist, anything which is not controlled by Joss would be AU or AR, therefore all fanfiction is, as it is the fanfic authors version who has control of what happens to the character(s). I am not a purist, so I don't hold to that view myself.

My AU or AR is a completely different reality from the Jossverse, such as sexymermaid's Wings, Manhunter or The Janitor.

Anything set in the world of Joss where, for example, Angel and Spike are vampires, Buffy is a slayer, the Scoobies are the Scoobies, And either Sunnydale or LA are as stands in the Jossverse are variations of cannon to me.

The least AU or AR are stories which are episode reinterpratations, an example, from sexymermaid would be Jan's latest Seven, a Spander reinterpration of Season Seven. They keep the most detail from the Jossverse seasons, and are closest to cannon.

What does everyone else think? Sorry for using you as an example Jan, but I think your work is the most widely known in my bit of the BtVS and AtS world.

Comments

[makd.livejournal.com]

I posed this question a couple of years ago. Here's the answer I received most frequently:

AR means that canon has been changed. An example would be twoladiesofquality's Career Change which posed an entirely different Season 5 BtVS, post-The Crush.

AU means that the entire universe is different. An example would be angelspike69 and anamcara240's fic, "Runaways", where Angel and Spike are human.

[makd.livejournal.com]

"Career Change" was written by 2ladies of Quality, and I apologize for mistyping her proper LJ name.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Excellent examples, yes I agree. fanfic cannot be cannn, only in a fandom accepted way, but that is still under Joss' control. Wonder what changes if any the comics will make?

Guess it depends how many people will read them

[aschicca.livejournal.com]

I agree with you both. AU has to be a totally different universe from canon, and AR a different version of the show.

Other outstanding AU examples are incasink stories and some of felisblanco's (like for e.g. 'Closer' or 'Differences Aside' or the newest, amazing 'The Fire Within').

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

I think I may do a follow up post, just to clear things up a bit in my own head. Excellent stories your picked!

[jans-intentions.livejournal.com]

It's all very confusing, really, and I think everyone has different interpretations.

I found award sites have some of the most helpful breakdowns, so I got a lot of my ideas on AUs and ARs from Shades of Grey.

AUs can be all human AUs such as Inca's current Kinesis or my The Janitor. No special powers, but hopefully the personality of the canon characters is there.

Then there is another break down of AU human: shanshued vampires, which I think is closer to canon, sort of post NFA. daedream_fanbot's wonderful Felon Fodder spander prison fic features a shanshued Spike.

In contrast, Bent Justice by KatB is totally human AU spangel. No fangs. And yet, what a totally canon spangel feel she captured!

Then there is supernatural type AUs where the characters might be mermaids, fairies, winged creatures. So they aren't vampires, but they are still not human...and yet, think about it, they are more than human. I think the appeal of a supernatural being is still being represented there. He or she just doesn't have fangs anymore, but the character might instead possess wings, as in my Wings, or Tempt by uh, oh, name escapes me. Her spander where Spike was a merman.

ARs I sort of see like Kept. Spike and Angel are vampires, yet they live in a very different world.

I'm seeing more of these kinds of explorations of supernatural or AU human in new material. I think that with new people entering the fandom and the shows being over, this is the new ground and I think we'll see more of these kinds of stories. A lot of new writers are intensely confident in this realm and there is more acceptance now for this then there was when I first started. An example would be Mel and her Back Down AU human spangel.

Interestingly, I think that spangel has some of the very best AU human stories. The list of stellar authors doing those is really wonderful.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Thank You Jan for such a well thought out reply!

I will not say why, but I was annoyed that certain fic, and one in particular, and outstanding piece of work, was nominated in the WRONG catagary. I mean in any other it should win! Honest is was that good, but it was just seasons (yes more than one) rewrites. Bloody Brilliant it was! It just couldn't win in AU!

Please tell me when you have read this, as I think I will delete it. If you want a link to an outstanding rewrite with Faith as the main slayer let me know, it is bookmarked. So good!

[jans-intentions.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know the fic you mean. I've read it for another site. It's won a lot. Frankly it should be in best characterization or something, IMHO.

Go ahead and delete this, lol.