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SapphireBlue Since: Jan, 2001
#101: Nov 1st 2014 at 7:51:05 PM

Basically.

edited 1st Nov '14 7:51:24 PM by SapphireBlue

GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#102: Nov 1st 2014 at 9:29:31 PM

what is the appeal of this Mike from the Walky franchise?

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#103: Nov 2nd 2014 at 12:59:46 AM

[up][up][up]And what is the appeal of a High School AU?

undercaffeinated_reader Since: Aug, 2014
#104: Nov 2nd 2014 at 12:23:35 PM

The appeal of any trope AU (high school, college, coffee shop, etc) is just acting out a certain scenario, typically a meet cute romance, within an alternative-to-canon set of limitations. In my opinion, a well-written example of any of these AU tropes reconciles two conditions, the canon characters and the AU-specific expectations. As with any shipping fic, the ultimate goal is to portray a change in the focal relationship. The trope just provides the framework within which that change occurs. I'm sure there are plenty of high schoolers who like High School A Us because of the familiar setting, but I think the trope is typically used to focus on some aspect of the character. With a High School AU you'll often get a coming of age story, with Coffee Shop A Us a Slice of Life.

swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#105: Nov 2nd 2014 at 2:54:26 PM

But it's a coffee shop. Noting interesting ever happens in a coffee shop. I just don't get what is so interesting about one that it deserves an own AU.

Pannic Since: Jul, 2009
#106: Nov 2nd 2014 at 3:19:36 PM

You can have people talking and interacting in a coffee shop. There's one story I have that's about a group of musicians, and they regularly meet at a coffee shop because that's where they go when they want coffee. They sit down, have coffee, discuss their rehearsal schedule, etc.

swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#107: Nov 2nd 2014 at 5:58:27 PM

So that has something to do with this friends show everyone apparently love so much? (Really, American Coffee shops are places to make contact with new people? Who knew....)

edited 2nd Nov '14 5:59:03 PM by swanpride

ObsidianFire Since: May, 2014 Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#108: Nov 2nd 2014 at 6:00:08 PM

I think it's the idea that everyone comes to a coffee shop regardless of background for their coffee at the start/middle/end of the day. That way you can justify having a large selections of background to work with that usually wouldn't be interacting at work.

deadwaste Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
#109: Nov 2nd 2014 at 6:25:24 PM

Well, I do have some shipping questions. Why do people ship(insert random spongebob character/of)Xspongebob when spongebob is clearly an asexual creature and character and why do people raise a kids age so they can have sex with another character either about the same age or with a older,or way older age group.

undercaffeinated_reader Since: Aug, 2014
#110: Nov 2nd 2014 at 10:35:13 PM

Can’t speak to the Spongebob question, other than to say that people write ship fic for the same reason they write gen fic: the see intriguing possibilities in the canon.

As for aging up, that can be either for moral purpose (avoiding underage sex as you said) or story-telling ones. When an author likes a particular character, their canonical history, or their role within the canon narrative, they may want to make them a legal adult to give them a fuller range of possible activities in the fanfiction. Personally I'm more curious about authors de-aging adult characters.

edited 2nd Nov '14 10:35:51 PM by undercaffeinated_reader

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#111: Nov 3rd 2014 at 5:43:50 AM

Regarding any of the "mundane AU" scenarios, I think a major part of the appeal of it is that they allow for primarily character-driven pieces, whereas if you left the works in the canon setting you'd be forced to include the fantastic elements of the source material. I.e. if you want to write an Attack On Titan fanfic that emphasizes the characters' personalilties and how they interact without having to constantly talk about titans, you'd plop them down in a setting without titans so you can focus on the characterization.

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SaintDeltora The Mistress from The Land Of Corruption and Debauchery Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
The Mistress
#112: Nov 3rd 2014 at 8:17:08 AM

Lsama from way behind.: The animation is pretty, yes, but I don't feel anything by looking at it, it doesn't has any emotion or vigor behind it, it feels... dull somehow.

I don't care about Shiki, SHIKI is fun and okay, but besides her I honestly like Rokutou more than them.

Can you explain your second point better?

"Please crush me with your heels Esdeath-sama!
KnightofLsama Since: Sep, 2010
#113: Nov 3rd 2014 at 3:26:21 PM

[up] Kara no Kyoukai was written by Kinoko Nasu, the writing of Type-Moon who produced the Visual Novels Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night which are in canon with each other to a certain degree.

Kara no Kyoukai was written before them and while a lot of ideas in it are present are the later works, but not quite a developed or the latter works took in a different direction. As a result its considerably more self-contained.

IAmNotCreativeEnough himitsu keisatsu from asa kara ban made omae o miru Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
himitsu keisatsu
#114: Nov 3rd 2014 at 4:36:02 PM

[up][up][up]That assumes that the characters are, y'know, in-character.

You'll notice that the grand majority of High School A Us have the characters be barely recognizable, if at all, with only token mentions of qualities they share with the originals. Usually, it ends at physical resemblances and their names.

When written by a Yaoi Fangirl, for instance, a Highschool AU is likely only going to be a vehicle to write out the fantasy that fangirl has of a pair of males fornicating.

It's very rare when a 'mundane AU' gets written for the sole purpose of having character interaction in a setting that doesn't have the restraints of canon. And hell, you can do that without the mundane AU. If you're sufficiently creative, you can twist circumstances so that the characters you want to interact can do so without whatever situation they were in canonically interfering.

The High School AU, like any other trope, is not bad in and of itself, but it's a red flag for a lot of people for a reason.

himitsu keisatsu seifu chokuzoku kokka hoanbu na no da himitsu keisatsu yami ni magireru supai katsudou torishimari
Windona Beetle Brained from At the intersection of eternity (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Non-Canon
Beetle Brained
#115: Nov 3rd 2014 at 5:22:11 PM

[up]Hey, it could be worse. I once saw a high school AU of a show where the main characters were in high school.

Meh, I don't want to be too harsh on writers who just start writing fanfics. Everyone needs to get their start somewhere- I was once a 12 year old girl writing Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction with a Mary Sue or two in it. The only way you improve is by writing and figuring out what works and what doesn't.

My AO3
IAmNotCreativeEnough himitsu keisatsu from asa kara ban made omae o miru Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
himitsu keisatsu
#116: Nov 3rd 2014 at 5:37:27 PM

Eh.

I'd say, if you're not willing to at least try to step out of your comfort zone, then don't even bother trying. If you're not gonna write a story using the characters, settings or, really, anything other than names and physical likenesses, then don't bother writing fanfiction.

himitsu keisatsu seifu chokuzoku kokka hoanbu na no da himitsu keisatsu yami ni magireru supai katsudou torishimari
mercuriesandrandomness Since: Oct, 2014
#117: Nov 3rd 2014 at 6:34:44 PM

Why do people like romance and slash so much?

My AO3. Results may vary
TheFarmboy You can go home, Courier from Mojave Wasteland (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
You can go home, Courier
#118: Nov 3rd 2014 at 6:46:26 PM

Shipping Fics in general is a usual turn-off. Also when I look at some Mario Fanfics, I often see some playing Amazing Race or some other game show with Mario Chatacters. But the worst has to be fanfics dedicated to the Mario females farting...

I got spurs, that jingle-jangle-jingle!
PrincessGwen The Wicked Witch of the West from In the U.S.A Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: If it's you, it's okay
The Wicked Witch of the West
#119: Nov 3rd 2014 at 6:52:50 PM

[up][up] Romance, I'm guessing it's because some of them have a crush on a character and want to make an OC of themselves to ship that character with. And others because they just like the idea of shipping.

Slash, you got me. I'm guessing because there's just something about two guys fornicating that's hot. I'm not a fan of slash because a lot of fanfics I read have characters who suffer from either Die for Our Ship or Wimpification.

edited 3rd Nov '14 6:53:25 PM by PrincessGwen

"And nobody, in all of Oz, no wizard that is or was, is ever gonna bring ME DOWN!"
mercuriesandrandomness Since: Oct, 2014
#120: Nov 3rd 2014 at 6:56:10 PM

[up] I don't get it either. And I've written shippy stuff... but it's just that there are are so many other thinsg you could be writing about, and you're writing about sex. (coughaphcough)

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EvaUnit01 Fandom Heretic Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Fandom Heretic
#122: Nov 3rd 2014 at 9:09:08 PM

Shipping = more than just sex.

Sometimes, people just crave that Warm And Fuzzy Feeling. And romance can be a fine way of getting to it.

swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#123: Nov 4th 2014 at 2:41:10 AM

Superfamily....I really don't get it. I mean I get that it is usual to ship in every attractive male with each other. But I don't get the point of throwing a child version of Spider-man into the mix. Or a Teen Spider-man who grew up with the Avengers. Because neither version can really be Spider-man, it's just a character named after him. I don't get the appeal. What is the point of doing a crossover when the Spider-man in question is for all sense and purposed not Spider-man?

edited 4th Nov '14 2:42:23 AM by swanpride

Notoyax17 When all you have is a blowtorch... Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: I've got a total eclipse of the heart
When all you have is a blowtorch...
#124: Nov 4th 2014 at 5:10:08 AM

[up]x5 Slash shipping (I'm not referring to the sexual aspect - people write sex because people LIKE sex. Why even question that?) actually comes from the fact that the many, if not the majority, fandoms out there are male centered with many, most or all of the characters being male.

People write fanfiction about characters they LIKE and, unfortunately, in many works the females most likely to be used as love interests may be bland, not to one's flavor when paired with your favorite character (preferring their friendship or the female being his sister), or simply unlikable.

In addition to that, by FAR the most complex relationships in those works are between men. Friendships, mentorships, rivalries, etc are simply much more fun to play with than a romance that's already been played out or a friendship/rivalry/etc that seems watered down in comparison to the other relationships in the film/book/show.

"Yo, those kids are straight up liars, man. All I told them to do was run product. And by product, I mean chewing gum."
Windona Beetle Brained from At the intersection of eternity (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Non-Canon
Beetle Brained
#125: Nov 4th 2014 at 5:10:51 AM

[up]They just took the Civil War subtext that made it feel like Tony and Steve were getting divorced and making Peter choose between them and ran with said subtext. They do usually have Peter be Peter in terms of personality, but his background is changed slightly so either Aunt May ends up moving in with them or for whatever reason her and Ben are not in the picture. (At least, that's the impression I get from my friend's tumblr, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

Or, as my friend explains it, it's cute.

My AO3

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