Subtext is everything

30 Awesomely Absorbing Alternate Universes

   Ever just want to get away? Yeah, me to..

 Unfortunately, that usually costs money. I don’t know about you, but as a rather overzealous trip to Starbucks can shatter my budget for a week, that’s probably not gonna happen anytime soon. Even so, we all deserve a bit of a break sometimes. Wither you have a whole day off, or just an hour or so to decompress; sometimes it’s really nice to just shut out the real world and lose yourself in a story. Personally, most of my favorites are Alternate Universes. The reason; Precisely because they can be so random and varied (kinda sums up my general thought process).  It’s a kind of genre within itself that can encompass ANYTHING..

Anything you could imagine: spaceships, superheroes or time travel. How about an amazing fantasy world with dragons, magic and mystical creatures? Or even something more down to earth, focusing on family, fluff or humor, but no less engaging.  I get that 30 stories is a lot, but, well, It depends on what kind of mood you’re in what’s going to be appealing at the time. This is a very varied list (which, probably says a lot about how my mind works). There’s a LOT of fantasy, a good dose of Sci-fi, and some that, while set in modern day/Non Supernatural worlds, are just as intriguing. All of these stories, for me, catch your attention right from the start and (this is key) manages to keep it all the way through. Fair warning: many are pretty long, but they are worth the read. I usually prefer longer AU stories because they are, most often, building an entire world. Every story is a unique universe in and of itself, and I don’t like when that feels rushed. I love it when one of these is so clearly written, by the end, you can picture it so well it almost seems like it was a movie. For me, these stories do that. These are organized by word count and go from an epic, expansive, immersive spy drama set in a world divided, all the way to a slashy twist on a fairytale, and everything in between.

    1.     Turning Point:   Sam and Dean are the best agents on the demon side of the border. They are ordered by their boss Crowley, to infiltrate angel territory and lay low for a couple of years with the hopes of gathering some incriminating evidence on the angel's military leaders; the highly respected archangels. The angels have killed both their parents and many of their friends, yet they can't seem to keep their hearts separated from their hosts…. (* gets kinda graphic in parts, but is a really good read)(this is the longest story I have, Well over 100k words) 

    2.      Oadriax:  Sci-Fi AU heavily influenced by ‘Avatar’. Hunters don’t exist; Demons and Angels are types of aliens. Sam is a scientist studying alien life on a planet at the edge of the universe; Dean is a Marine, and determined to keep his brother from getting killed because he’s too busy geeking out about some new type of fish looking thing. But what happens when Dean gets lost in the jungle and gets rescued by an alien named Cas with black wings, and really blue eyes? (+80,000 Words)

    3.       What Are We:  Alec Lightwood is sick of being the family disappointment, so he decides to bring a boyfriend to an upcoming family get-together. Only problem? Yeah, he’s not really seeing anyone right now. Pretend relationship becomes real, it’s probably an overused trope, but this is a really good one. (+63,000 Words) 

    4.       Reason For Call:   Stiles has been working in his call-center booth for nearly 5 years when he first hears the voice of the new IT guy. Surely anyone who sounds like that has got to be H.O.T
Stiles takes it upon himself to get to know him better. The only problem is, he's got no idea what he looks like... This one is pretty unique as it somehow takes a turn from a simple AU first meeting to a corporate espionage case when you’re not looking. Really good read all the way through ( and I love the end) this author really does seem to build an entire world in this story. (+46,000 Words)  

    5.       Cupboard Love:   Stiles is going to college and trying to make extra money through an online ad, preparing meals for busy/overworked individuals. This leads to a meeting that will change his life, in a wonderful way.* this is pretty much just fluff, family, and humor, and almost guaranteed to make you smile- also, the talk of the food may end up making you hungry. (+32,000 Words) 

    6.       Nathan Stark's Town for Peculiar People:   Jack Carter and his daughter Zoe experience a pretty disastrous start to their road trip vacation when they get completely lost out in the middle of nowhere and then crash the car. They seek refuge in the nearby town of Eureka and discover a whole new world of 'peculiars' - people with extraordinary gifts, hiding from the rest of the world and, more importantly, from the monsters that hunt them.
Of course, it's just Jack's luck that the monsters chose that moment to find them and he gets dragged into the town's fight for their lives, discovering his own gift along the way as well as having to cope with his intense reaction's to Eureka's stupidly handsome mayor. (+29,000 Words)

    7.       A Kingdom Cloaked in Gold  Prince Sam Winchester has spent a majority of his life locked away in a tower, sent by his father because of a prophesy that threatened his kingdom and his power. After years of waiting for someone to save him, Sam has given up any hope of rescue, his only friend a golden dragon outside his window named Gabriel. But, a traitor within his walls and suspicious notes from someone named Red have Sam scrambling for a way to save both him and Gabriel before it's too late. (+31,000 Words)

    8.      The Seal A figure steps out of the shadows, and it takes all of Danny’s training not to shoot then and there. "Have no fear, citizen!" a voice calls out. "Everything is under control!" Or, the AU in which Steve is a superhero and Danny is still a cop, and they still sort of drive each other nuts. Together, they have to save the world from certain doom.  (+30,000 Words) 

    9.     Morning Light Stiles is a deputy for the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department. Some weird and crazy things happen in Beacon Hills, but none of that could prepare Stiles for the crazy turn his life would take, and it all starts with him finding a little girl playing in his flower bed at six in the morning. * Kid fic, Derek’s a single father, Stiles is a deputy and Werewolf’s still exist ( Stile’s doesn’t know this last part yet)-In a list of my favorite stories, this is, quite possibly, my favorite.  (27,272 Words)

    10.  Sweet Tooth:  Derek Hale had returned to Beacon Hills and the ice cream place was reopening. “Best. Day. Ever,” Stiles told Scott.  (It’s werewolves running an Ice Cream Shop, how can that not be great?) Lot’s of fluff and humor.   (+21,000 Words)

    11.  Sasquatch:   Castiel and Gabriel are amateur investigators of the supernatural on a hunt for Big Foot. They run into a pair of somewhat shady guys, also looking for the elusive sasquatch, and end up working together - to the dismay of some of them. In the end, nothing is what it seems and the shady guys turn out to be exactly what they need. (fun, adventure, and an interesting case fic)   (+20,000 Words)

    12.   Trickster's Rite:  After Dean and Cas disappear with the Leviathans, Sam does everything in his power to bring them back. When a pagan ritual brings back the Trickster instead, Sam finds himself bound to Gabriel, and the two have to work together to mount a rescue straight through Purgatory. --  A really great, absorbing adventure.     (+20,000 Words)

    13.   Breathless and Bulletproof:  Mike was a werewolf, Henry was a vampire, so Mike didn’t trust Henry on principle. They were working together to stop a madman (madwoman?) from calling forth a demon, and that was it. The flirting was just Henry trying to get under Mike’s skin… right?     (+21,000 Words)

    14.   Rock Around The Clock    "You built a time machine...out of the Impala?"--- Having a mad scientist for a brother, you'd think Sam would be used to things going wrong...like accidentally getting sent 60 years into the past. It was a complicated enough situation before Sam ran into his boyfriend, looking exactly the same, going by a different name. As Dean tries to figure out how to get back to their own time, Sam tries to figure out how Gabriel can exist in two time periods   (+21,000 Words)

    15.   Sea Foam and Sunshine   Derek's job at as a lifeguard is dull, sometimes, but he saves lives, and after everything that happened with Kate, that's all he needs. So when he sees a swimmer out after closing hours, too far into the deeps to be safe, he plunges into the water without thought. But things are not what that seem ( It’s a kind of romance between a werewolf and a merman)   (+19,000 Words)

    16.  Call Me Trickster   In a world where Castiel died at the hands of Lucifer, and Dean gave himself to Michael in the wake of his grief, Gabriel found love in the lost and wandering soul of Sam Winchester. But A horrible final encounter catapults Gabriel into another time and place where Armageddon never happened and Sam doesn't see him in the same light. Will Gabriel find a way to win this other Sam over? Or will his obligation force him to return to his own world where he has no idea what lies in store for him upon his return—This is VERY well written, a lot of emotion, may make you tear up in a few places, but really exceptional.   (+17,000 Words)

    17.  Aerie:  Dean’s runs an information hub for Hunters after a permanent injury takes him out of the game. It’s pretty peaceful until an angel gets dropped into his lap. Dean cares for a baby angel, and it’s going okay, until the babies family show up. Sweet, lots of family one of my favorite stories. Four part series (Aerie, Flock, Mate and Adopt) (About 17,000 Words All together)  

    18.   Of All:  Semi-AU. The Grimm are creature-hunters because they have to be. Any creature that eats the heart of a Grimm will live forever. After Nick ends up getting attacked, he ends up staying with Monroe, what follows is a dark case filled with twists and turns.     (+17,000 Words)

    19.   Ultra Violet:  “There's no way he's a quarian. Least of all the quarian prince we're supposed to be escorting." Erica whines, and Derek wonders why he named her his staff lieutenant, she has no tact whatsoever. Or, the one where Derek and his crew are assigned to be the glorified babysitter of an alien prince, and everything is not as it seems. (+15,000 Words)  

    20.   Gabriel Should Never Try to Help: Gabriel tries to make Castiel happier through turning him into a kitten and giving him to the Winchesters. While the boys are on a hunt. Just before Dean’s birthday. Dean is not pleased (at first). (+14,000 Words) 

    21.   Set in Stone:   There are monsters living in the basement of the Hale House.- Yeah, It’s a gargoyles AU. One of my favorites, very well written, good balance of humor, drama and actual case fic ( plus, and I can’t emphasize this enough, it is a Gargoyles AU, I don’t care that I’m a fully grown adult now, I miss that cartoon!)(+13,000 Words)  

    22.    Glaukos:  Magnus Bane is a wealthy merchant that sails the open seas to sell his wares. When a dangerous storm throws him overboard, he's lucky to be saved by a gorgeous, young man with black hair and blue eyes and...a fish tail?  (+12,000 Words) 

    23.    Druid and the Beast:  Once upon a time… in a faraway land lived a young Prince in a castle. The Prince was cursed by a darach into his Alpha form to be locked away forever unless true love's kiss breaks the spell by his 21^st Birthday. (+12,000 Words) 

    24.  Detours and Shortcuts:  Hawaii 5-0 meets The Hangover. In which Danny wakes up wearing a stranger's t-shirt. And why is there a rabbit nibbling on his fingers? (+10,000)  

    25.  Pockets Full of Stones:   Danny never expected to fall in love again. He also never expected the love of his life to be half fish.  (+10,000 Words)  

    26.  A Modern-ish Fairytale:   Sam meets Gabriel on a bus; they become friends and fall in love without realizing it. College AU. Some coming out/family drama but mainly fluff and humor. (Really makes me smile) (+9,800 Words) 

    27.  With A Little Christmas Magic:    Stiles is jobless this Christmas and as a last resort, is stuck playing one of Santa’s elves at the mall. The job is a bust, and Stiles isn’t really in the Christmas mood, until he finds salvation in the Starbucks at the food court, not only in hiding from kids, but in one very sexy barista named Derek. ((Or: In Wich Stiles in an Elf and Derek is a Christmas Coffee Magician)) (+9,000 Words)

    28.   I Guess We Thought That's Just What Humans Do:  Kinda based off of How to Train your Dragon In a world where there are summer 'werewolf hunter' training programs at the local police stations and werewolves are thought to be slobbering monsters, it takes one boy to change all of that when he accidentally injures and traps an Alpha werewolf. (+8,000 Words)  

    29.   Even Now, We Are Still Waiting For Morning: Derek Gets hunted, Jackson is forced to deliver groceries, and Stiles is not good at being a hermit ( but he is a total badass) (+8,000 words)

    30.   What it's Worth: Sam is held captive by an evil king and forced to perform impossible enchantments, made a series of deals with a trickster. Now he has to figure out that trickster's true name, before the trickster can figure out who his "beloved" is and steal them away. Problem is, Sam has no idea who that is either. (About 4,200 words. For such a short story, they get a lot in it)  

Yeah these really do go all over the place, don’t they? Hey, I said it was random going in. I’m the first to admit my mind can be a confusing, random, sometimes disturbing place- “So, you know how weird my mind is” is practically a catchphrase for me. My Coworkers will agree with this (they really have no idea, but, they’re probably happier and less confused like that).

Anyways, I figure, its random enough, whatever your interests, there should be something there that will catch your attention.

5 Reasons Fan-Fiction Is Better Than Actual TV Shows

5. Sex 4.Sex 3.Sex 2.Sex and 1.Sex, end of list…

Kidding, that’s just what most people think of when they hear of fanfiction. Fanfic is NOT just about people boning! I know that’s what most people think when they hear about it, but it’s really not. Yes, there is a lot of sex in fanfic, of course there is. Sex is EVERYWHERE; in every show, book, movie, commercial, everything. It is absolutely permeated into our culture. That is just the world we live in, there is no avoiding it. Saying all fanfic is sex is like saying all scifi is Star Wars: is it a part of it? Yes; is it a pretty significant part? For many, yes, absolutely; are there people who take it too far? Oh my god, yes. But, at the end of the day, it’s just one element of a huge, expansive universe of possibilities. 

 It seems like anytime you see anything written about fanfic it’s always about the most cringe-worthy things that they can find. It’s usually about how bad the writing can be, how explicit many scenes can get, or how mind-bogglingly insane a story can go.  Those exist, no question and there is a reason for that; fanfic is written by the author, and only the author. For many, it’s a look into their minds, a glimpse into their inner-most (darkest, craziest, and yes, sometimes dirtiest,) thoughts. It is a way to express their most private visions and fantasies. For some, it is a kind of catharsis; a way to work through some of the confusing, depressing, at times even disturbing, things that they are facing in their real lives. For others it’s an escape from all that. It’s a way for someone who may, in person, be shy, awkward or somewhat introverted, to express themselves in a way that they simply can’t in real life.  Then there are those who simply do it because they are intelligent, kinda quirky, and creative and came up with a unique, interesting story that they wanted to share; that, or they were drunk and it seemed like such a good idea at the time.

            Okay, rant done, onto my original topic. There are many reasons why some people may prefer fan-fiction to its source material, things like….  

5. Hate the way a story went? There is a story to fix that:

Fanfics are kinda like apps; there is one for everything. Ever have a show that you LOVED the first season, and then it just kinda went off the rails? They added characters, killed off your favorites, changed so much that it’s not the same show, or even cancelled it entirely? How about read a book, watched a movie, or finally made it to the end of a series, only to be left underwhelmed, confused or simply with a mental loop of “Seriously!?!”  This is why fan fiction exists. So much of fanfics are ‘Fix-it’ fics. Anytime I watch an episode of one of my favorites, only to be disappointed with how it went, I wait about an hour and go to archiveofourown.org. It is almost a certainty that someone (much more creative than me) was also disappointed and wrote something to fix it. Or, when they have the quick stinger for the next episode and you have to wait a week, or month or whole season, and you just don’t have the patience, damnit; there’s a fic for that. Killed off your favorite character?  There’s a fic for that. Somewhere, online, they’re still around, even years later, they will still be showing up; having adventures and storylines, all happy and healthy and totally not dead (unless they’re like a ghost or vampire or something, fanfic really can go anywhere).

4. Find a narrative that speaks to you:

            I’ll be honest; all my favorite stories are slash. Slash, to those who don’t know (hi, welcome to the internet, you must be new) is when canon-ly straight characters are written as Gay/Lesbian/Bi (generally Slash is used for male characters, femslash is women, obviously). I think this is so common because there is such a shortage of multi-dimensional gay/lesbian characters.  It could also be that, in general, there are a larger number of well written, unique male characters. It could simply be because most shows just have more men on them. Or, as most fanfic writers are female, maybe they think the guys are hot and/or they are just sick of everything revolving around objectifying women and boobs; whatever the reason, there is a LOT of slash out there.  My favorite thing about slash is that you get actual storylines with gay characters as opposed to just ‘gay storylines.’ Let’s face it, most storylines involving gay characters can be summed up as: denial, acceptances, depressing homophobic drama, come out, fade into background/ occasionally make random sassy quip, when needed and, seemingly more often than not, die ( or apparently, in lesbian stories: denial, acceptance, come out, fade into background/make random snarky quip, end up hooking up with random guy, THEN die). Look, I’m fine with coming out stories, I’m good with drama and self-acceptance and all that, really I am.  When I’m in the right mood, I may even actively seek them out. But, honestly, most of the time I’d take action, scifi, lots of humor, sarcasm, and explosions over all that emotional stuff any day.  I don’t watch shows or read to be pulled into serious ethical dilemmas or to be, depressed, angered or annoyed, I’m watching/reading to escape all that crap for an hour or so! I like cheesy quotes, ridiculous action, and completely off the wall scifi craziness. With slash, I can get all that, only with a little gay twist. See, LGBT characters in stories, to me, are kinda like the romantic subplot. I like it, it makes it interesting and adds depth, sometimes it may even be one of the main draws, but if that’s all it’s about, I’m out. I need more than just that to keep my interest. Again, that is what I look for in a story; you may actually like romance stories, you may only like stories with straight characters, you may like stories that are dark and depressing and make you dissolve into tears. Heck, for all I know you may only like stories with where all the characters are anthropomorphic Tetris blocks, I don’t know. And that’s fine; that is one of the best things about fanfic, no matter where your interest lie, no matter how traditional or, quirky, or even downright bizarre, you can find something that will appeal to you.

 I got a bit sidetracked again (fair warning, if you can’t already tell, I do that a lot). anyways; most fanfic won’t follow cannon. The characters won’t be dealing with all the same things as the show, they may not be in the same relationship as the show, they may not even be in the same universe as the show; but who cares? Despite how obsessive some of us can get, none of these shows/characters are real, they’re all just fiction, and, I figure, if it’s all fiction anyway, you may as well find the narrative that appeals to you, right?

3. Expansive, immersive, unique worlds:

            Speaking of different universes, one of my absolute favorite things about fanfic are Alternate Universes. I love these because you can have your favorite characters in completely different worlds, different genres, different everything. The authors of some of these can build an entire, unique world with their words and imagery. These can go anywhere from a slight detour from cannon, to a train, plane, possibly a freaking spaceship trip from where you started, which is why it is so appealing. You can have a character that you love in a type of story that would never happen on the actual show. These can be so creative, unique and expansive, that you almost forget what it’s based on. I have read a Hawaii five-0 story where one of the main characters was a werewolf; there’s a Teen Wolf ( shut up, you can’t look up slash without running into this one, a while ago they were  actively encouraging slash fics) one that is set in a scifi/space type universe , complete with aliens, space battles and a collective of assassins. There’s actually a few Supernatural ones where angels and demons are similar to the show, but they’re aliens or something else instead (like I said, I like scifi). I love it when I find a really well-written AU, where you can get completely absorbed in the story. To me, these kind of stories are kinda like seeing a favorite actors that, no matter what they’re in, they’re still the same person; Tom Cruise, Steven Seagal, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Sheen (Wait, bad example, let’s just stick with the firsts three, okay?).

2. Stories that are exactly what the author intended:

            Okay, cards on the table? This one is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand; you get the story exactly how it was intended, not deluded, edited or censored; on the other hand you, well, get the story exactly how it was intended, not deluded, edited or censored. These works are all based on the authors’ preference, on their tastes, views and peculiarities. It can be whatever that one particular person thinks up, and, let’s face it, there are some pretty peculiar people out there ( once again, you are on the internet right now, you know this) with some pretty twisted minds, hey, for all I know, you might be one of them. Their view may not appeal to you, it may creep you out, it may disturb you, it may even offend you; but the thing is, you can always stop reading and move onto something else, not every story is written for every audience. It’s not that hard to figure out, read what you want, ignore what you don’t.

            This also means that most of the writing is subject to the authors level of skill; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve went to check out a story with a plot that really interested me, only to have it have so many spelling/grammar errors that I couldn’t continue, was a bit too convoluted even for me to follow or, simply, veered into a direction that I just didn’t want to follow. I’m not gonna lie, there is a lot of bad writing out there, but, the same can be said about any form of media; you can’t tell me you’ve never read a book or watched a show, got part way through  and thought “what the hell is this?”.

 See, the thing I like about fanfiction is that you do get to see just that one individual’s story. It isn’t a hodgepodge of ideas assembled from a group of writers like most shows and books. It isn’t a story tossed together, designed to appeal to the widest audience possible. It’s not about marketing, merchandizing and monetary value. It’s just a story that someone came up with and felt that they wanted to share with the world, simply because they could; to me, there is something so fantastic about that (yeah, yeah that’s kinda sappy, but I don’t care.)

Honestly, I usually cheat when I read a story; I’ll read the last line to make sure it doesn’t end somewhere I don’t want to be; though, to be fair, I usually prefer longer stories, and if I’m gonna read +20k words, it needs to be worth it. For all of that; for all the typos, quirky spirals, and bizarre porn (I said it wasn’t all of it, never said that isn’t where a lot ends up) that exist in fanfic,  there really are some amazing writers in fanfiction that totally make all the rest worth it. Which brings me to…

1.Sometimes the writing is actually better than in the actual show:

            I don’t know about you, but when I get a new favorite show, I like it right off the bat; love the characters, premise, storylines, everything. Then it goes on for a bit and networks just. Can’t. Leave. Well. Enough. Alone. They add more characters, add more twists, kill off your favorites ( to be fair, this isn’t all on the show, sometimes the actors want to leave for whatever reason) or they add in unnecessary romances/ love triangles in an attempt to keep a show ‘fresh’. Note to TV writers  STOP DOING THAT. If it works, leave it alone; give me more of the cases, action, bantering, humor and quirkiness that attracted me in the first place because that is why I am watching this show and not some sappy/overdramatic movie on lifetime. Don’t add a random girl just so the main guys have someone to flirt with/sleep with/compete over. Not only is that sexist, but this is not the narrative most of the audience is looking for; I don’t want to see them trying to hook up with or competing over some random woman, I just want to see them solve cases, fight, and occasionally blow stuff up. Is that really too much to ask?

            Sorry, this concludes the TV rant, going back on topic now. So, have you noticed how, after a show has been on the air a while it just kinda goes downhill? They lean too heavily on random tropes, they do a lot of ‘special’ or ‘themed’ episodes. Yeah, that bugs me too. There are some shows that changed so much that I stopped watching altogether and have switched to just reading fanfic for it. The reason; some of these writers are absolutly amazing at writing stories that feel like an actual episodes, or an entire season, of a show, sometimes even better than most of the actual shows writers. 

An example; Psych was one of my favorite shows for quite a while. I loved the first couple of seasons, but as it drug out the stories got more convoluted and random. The premise was fantastic, but it seemed like many of the stories just kinda missed the mark. I get that it was mainly a comedy show, but it was also heavily driven by cases; for me, most of these just kinda fell flat and were forgotten in favor of slapstick comedy and the will they/won’t they relationship between the fake psychic and the junior detective he was usually working with (It’s a guy and a girl, you know they will). There are some amazing stories that are exactly like an actual episode, complete with the flashbacks and everything, only with more adventure and more compelling cases. These writers can draw you in with the first few words and keep your attention all the way through. Another of my favorites was Eureka. I actually liked this entire series, but at the end of the 3^rd season they killed off one of my favorite characters. I loved the quirkiness of the show, it was funny and interesting with a good mix of scifi, humor and action. There simply wasn’t enough of this show; with fanfic you can get a lot more ‘episodes’, This has also inspired some really great AU’s. they are just as fun, interesting and quirky , as the actual show  just, you know, without the commercials.

Look, I know that many people look down on fanfiction; they see it as anything from badly written porn, the ranting of a lunatic, or basic copy write infringement.  Those stories are out there, no question, but that is just a part of it. A lot of it is well written, creative narratives that just take an existing idea and run with it; and honestly, how is that much different from any other media? Most of the characters from Star Wars are pretty much lifted from old westerns and samurai films. Every other movie or TV show that seems to be coming out is an homage to, spin-off or gritty reboot of something else. Nearly every story is going to borrow some things from others. Most characters are gonna be inspired by others, wither it’s just a bit or in everything but the name; at least fanfiction writers are honest about where they are borrowing from. Bottom line, a lot of these writers have an amazing ability to weave interesting, creative, imaginative stories better than many who get paid for it; and they’re not doing it for money, fame or other forms of personal success. They just want to tell you a creative, interesting story. They want to entertain, to express themselves, and to give people interesting narratives that they can identify with that they may not be able to find too many other places; or like I said, maybe they were just drunk. Either way, it usually leads to something pretty entertaining.