Snowflake Challenge #3

Challenge #3

In your own space, put some favorite characters into an AU, fuse some favorite canons together, talk about your favorite AU/fusion tropes, or tell us why AU/fusions aren’t your cup of tea.

Oh man, I love AUs so much. I'm pretty sure a solid 80-90% of what I read are AU fics. Like yeah canon is cool and all, but what if everything was different??? It's just so exciting to explore characters in completely different worlds. I have two favorite AUs. One is the very dull and very simple modern/mundane AU lol. Got some medieval characters? Stick 'em in modern times. Fantasy setting? Okay what if there was no magic and also they lived in a modern city? When it comes to novels, contemporary is actually my favorite genre, so it fits that I'm a sucker for it in fanfiction as well. (Which reminds me of a funny/cringey story of when my uncle asked me what my favorite genre was and I said "realistic fiction." He apparently heard "fanfiction" and started talking about how fanfic wasn't that bad and how he had read some really good ones... I couldn't even respond because I was too busy wanting to die at the thought that someone thought I would really say fanfiction is my favorite book genre,,,,, like,,,,,, I lov fic but no???? God I'm still cringing.)

...anyway, back to modern/mundane AUs, I feel like they also tend to give way to a more character-driven story for characters from a really plot-driven canon. I mean, you can do the same in more fantastical or historical settings, but those generally come with a fair bit of worldbuilding to really establish the setting. I do love worldbuilding, but I really am a sucker for laser-focusing on characters.

Speaking of worldbuilding, that's one of my favorite things about my second favorite AU. This one is admittedly very controversial, and I fully understand why a lot of people wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.... but man I really, really love A/B/O aka omegaverse. It's just..... such a diverse AU. Even though it's an "established" thing, the rules can change so wildly depending on the author, and it's really cool seeing how everyone interprets it differently. It's also like... a really... I don't want to say disconnected? But it's like an exploration of gender without being too real. Some people prefer real world issues to be presented in a realistic way, but as much as I love realistic fiction, I also really want that sense of escapism. People also really take issue with the themes of dubcon/noncon in omegaverse, but I find it gives the opportunity to really push consent in a non-preachy way. I'm.. terrible with words rn lol but like you know how hurt & comfort makes the comfort feel that much more satisfying because of the hurt? Putting a couple in a setting where dubcon is basically standard, excused, and even expected at times.... and then still having them really prioritize making sure the other person really wants this, and that they'll be safe and happy and all that like... they're not just doing that because of societal obligations or whatever. They genuinely care about the other person, and this is one their own personal morals they fully believe in. Like it just. Gets to me. I really love it haha

Finally, with the whole scenting thing, there's a form of comfort that's neither verbal nor physical, which really appeals to me. I don't like touching people, and I'm not the best at communicating, so the idea of just.... putting out vibes and the other person just gets it? Someone putting out vibes that make you feel safe? loved? happy? I love it lots.

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