AU week plot

[yakalskovich]

What if our lives had gone differently? If we lived in another time, or at another point of the sliding scales of magic and science? AUs (alternative universes) have long been a way of exploring that for our favourite characters in fandom.

Now I have thought of a way to bring AUs to Milliways, and the mods have approved my plans. So, here is what is going to happen.

In my old else!game, Morningstar Manor (originally on GreatestJournal, later on InsaneJournal after GJ's demise -- a few of you were there, at least for a bit), we had AU weeks when everybody got to be different; as we were working with original characters, that meant we puzzled out ways in which our charries' lives had gone differently. We posted the differences we had worked out by ourselves or with our closest co-writers in an OOC post that we linked to in our EPs, and then by agreement, that was (for that one week) the version that had always been there. It was enormous fun. I did one huge-ass plot all by myself, hinged on several consecutive AU weeks we did over a space of two years or so.

As we're writing canon charries, we can also use AUs that exist in other people's fic, AUs we make up ourselves, perhaps eve shared AUs for the entire canon. For example, I have read a lovely little biker AU fic which fits all the "Vikings" characters very nicely and which we plan to do collectively, and Write has written a college AU to end all college AUs from which she's going to bring that Javert and Valjean to Milliways for AU week.

Another thing people liked to do during AU week in Morningstar Manor was established friends being enemies for a change and vice versa, or established lovers meeting and falling for each other all over again. So it's not just the external circumstances but also the characters' relationships that can be changed and played with -- in MM, people used to go absolutely wild during the regularly recurring AU weeks!
The plot will last a week, and it will run near the end of July -- so lots of time to think about it and plan! But as quite a lot of thought and possibly coordination with canon-mates and co-writers can go into these AUs (to say nothing of AU iconnage, and the posts in which we set down the differences for reference), I'm announcing this early so you have time to prepare.

Of course, there needs to be a get-out clause. Not everybody will want to have their friends be somebody else and always have been those slightly different people -- nobody has to play, of course, but you'd have to agree to take the changes as something that always existed and that your charrie knows about. In other plots with drastic changes, like IMDb flu, people are still completely free in their own charrie's reactions. So, if you don't want to do that, you can decide your charries simply haven't met the AU versions before, and just meet them as complete strangers. However, in order to hit the ground running when threading with a changed version your charrie always knew like this, coordinating your interactions per IM or PM might be very helpful, in addition to the OOC establishing posts for each character participating.

Any questions? Suggestions? Ideas to already throw around?

Comments

[dejah_thoris]

Wait, so if I throw in Dejah (the artist from Brooklyn), then Curtis would interact with her as if he'd never known the Jeddak of Helium, only human Dejah?

Or if I threw in PacRim AU Ranger Thoris, then Marshal Pentecost would act as if she'd always been under his command?

[yakalskovich]

Yes, exactly! Unless their muns prefer not to play, then they would be strangers -- a new ranger coming in, or a person he meets.

As for Dejah and Curtis (and Curtis' little brother type sidekick), my immediate suggestion would be to have them be from the same world, or a similar world, for a change -- one can of course throw them into the same kind of hipster AU, 'Rent' type AU, or something like that.

We Vikings are all going to be bikers (the bikers from that fic, to be precise), but that doesn't mean nobody else can be in our biker gang or on its fringes, as that fic never does a roll call anyway...

[dejah_thoris]

Oh so a group thing! Got it. Thank you!

[innerbrat]

DID SOMEONE SAY AU WEEK?

Who wants to be on Korra's roller derby team?

(Anyone want to talk me out of evil Dick? Anyone?)

[yakalskovich]

Yay roller derby AU!

[bcgphoenix]

OOH OOH can Bolin be an overeager NSO who's terrible at staying neutral whenever Korra plays? :D :D :D

[innerbrat]

The ST who is too busy cheering to signal fingers back at the ref, or the PT who yells "ooooooooooooh!!!" at every penalty?

YES HE CAN.

[mix_it_up]

I am unlikely to be around, but if you so desire you have my permission for Asami to be Korra's biker girlfriend who dresses like this.

[gottadealwithit]

I was just this second whining at Bing that I couldn't have a Korrasami version of this

Your proposal is accepted anyway.

[wedic]

That sounds awesome, maybe I'll bring in a younger Bonnie...

[2goodarms]

.....

now I'm thinking of an AU where Curtis accepted Wilford's offer to take over as leader of the train.

HOW IS MY BRAIN CAPABLE OF THIS MUCH EVIL BEFORE COFFEE

[batyatoon]

...

that is evil. I'm impressed. :O

[never_shall_yield]

Obviously I'm in with Javert and Valjean.

I'd be interested in potential AUs for the Bruce's, but at the same time, Marvel and DC 'verse are so huge and there are lots of us and it might be impossible to coordinate. Unless we do one big EP with people who want to play, and let it run from there. If anyone has ideas/interest, let me know!

[innerbrat]

Write, I have five words for you.



(Needless to say, I would be In Like Flynn with Dick Grayson.)

[bigarmy_strangepants]

I'm so looking forward to your Javert and Valjean in Milliways so one can interact with them. They'll be Swenson and Karimloo on their icons, too?

As for DCU and MCU, separate plotting posts with 'courtesy phones' liked from the Backroom might be best.

Important Question

[innerbrat]

Will the be a reset button at the end of the week? Would characters retain memories / knowledge or is that up to us?

(I ask because Dick, so yeah.)

Re: Important Question

[bigarmy_strangepants]

Completely up to you. In Morningstar Manor, people only remembered AU weeks very vaguely, in dreams or flashes of fleeting deja vu, but I'd rather leave that up to the muns. That said, remembering things too precisely might make things awkward, if, for example, enemies were turned lovers for the week.

If either Sunshine or Father Harman were friends or even lovers with Eric Northman for that week and Eric remembers while they don't, the result would be potentially disastrous -- just as an example from my immediate circle.

[ceitfianna]

This is fascinating. I think I have one idea already, I adore my Hogwarts!AU Will Scarlett so he'll probably come out to play. The others I need to think on *eyes Charles*, the XMFC fandom is full of AUs and I have a few for him.

I'll need to think about the others. Actually Pacific Rim mechanic Sameth might be interesting to bring in and useful.

[yakalskovich]

XMFC fandom has the best AUs ever! You could pick a really bizarre one, like this (which I totally adore, by the way): http://archiveofourown.org/works/708718/chapters/1309439

[basic_powers]

>.> Oh thank fnord I'm not the only one thinking of the Hogwarts AU pups... ...*cackles*

[bjornwilde]

Well, there is always the 1602 version of Charles and his Witchlings or the X-Men Fairy Tales version of Momotaro. =D

[wedic]

I can't do this with the Sandhus because MUCH TOO COMPLICATED but I'm getting ideas with Bonnie.

Can I just clarify something - when you say that other people remember them as always being the AU version, will our pups remember afterwards?

[wedic]

Or failing that, would AU Bonnie be able to leave something that regular Bonnie could find?

[immortalthief]

Is it alright to bring an AU character that has been in Milliways before back? Amanda as a canonical AU personality who came to Milliways briefly, though I believe Guppy is the only character that might have interacted with that version of her.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

Of course it is -- any AU, as long as you put up a post that tells people what they need to always have known about your charrie.-