#but that sounds terrible so i'll stay here and write about insterstellar dwarf robot space pirates or something instead

[tathrin]

fic-trope game: modern au?

F-minus-infity. We hates it, precious. Doesn't matter what fandom it is (even one that takes place in modern times already), if you take away whatever makes the world its own exciting element of the story—be it magic, spaceships, time period, the Force, robotics, shape-shifting, monsters, aliens, whatever—and don't replace it with something else fun that skews the world into a different but still singular and interesting direction (e.g. LotR but it's cyberpunk now, Star Wars with medieval trappings so the Force = magic, Animorphs but it's changelings trying to fend-off fae dopplegangers, etc etc) then I'm out. I'm out so fast I'm leaving dust trails behind me.

I have found one (1) exception to this so far, and that is @roselightfairy and @deheerkonijn's Modverse LotR AU, and the distinguishing factor there is that they didn't make it our world, they made a modern-ified version of Middle-earth. The world building they've done for those stories is exquisite, and it makes for a setting that is absolutely unique and fascinating in its own right, and every bit of it that I've read so far has been an absolute joy.

If more Modern AUs operated like that, actually building a world for the story to take place in that acknowledges and incorporates core elements of the story instead of stripping-out all the cool non-our-world aspects of the characters, their lives, what they do and where they live, etc, then I'd probably be a lot more on board with the concept because I do love deep and detailed world building and alternate universe crafting. But that's the only Modern AU that I've ever seen (and admittedly the fact that when I see the words "modern AU" I about-face so fast I might be tapping into the Speed Force means that it's entirely possible that this sort of thing happens a lot and I just don't see it, I do acknowledge that possibility) that doesn't just plop the characters smack into a generic "our world" setting, eliminate all the fun stuff, and call it a day. Bleh.

I'll read the occasional cute graphic novel that's set in our world with no "extras," yes, can't deny that. But prose fiction? fanfic? No thanks. Give me laserswords or magic or spaceships or kelpies or aliens or robots or elves or zombies or something.

#i just do not understand the appeal i am sorry #if i wanted to read stories about normal boring ordinary people doing normal boring ordinary things in our normal boring world #i'd probably go outside and try to talk to people or something #but that sounds terrible so i'll stay here and write about insterstellar dwarf robot space pirates or something instead #fanfic tropes ask #fanfiction #ask meme