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[RokofAges75]

I don't have a set number of Backstreet Boys that must be in a story for me to consider it a BSB fic.  Like Julilly said, it could just be about one of them, and I would still lump it in that category of being a BSB fic because it's about a Backstreet Boy.  It should be about at least one of them, though, and not some random girl.  The main character should be a Backstreet Boy.  If there's a female lead, the main Backstreet Boy should have at least as much story time as her.

What I have a hard time with are AUs in which the guys are portrayed so differently from their real life selves that the only thing they really have in common with the Backstreet Boys are their names.  I don't mind AUs, but when I read an AU, I still want to recognize the guys in their different roles.  I want their personalities to be the same, and I want them to have the same type of brotherly/friend relationships they do in real life.  If they don't start out that way, they should be developed over the course of the story.  Whether they're a boyband or not, if the guys don't seem like the Backstreet Boys, it's hard to consider it a BSB fanfic.

[mare]

But what if it's not BSB fanfic but is, for example, Nick Carter or AJ McLean fanfic. Each one of the boys is a celebrity in his own right and being a Backstreet Boy is just one of many jobs. If they are just themselves, who happen to have the occupation of being a Backstreet Boy and it's not a group fic, then it's reasonable to think that although it's not BSB fanfic, it's still fanfic.

Yup, that's why I said BSB fanfic and not just fanfic. You are correct. If it was labeled as a Nick Carter fanfic or an AJ McLean fanfic, then there ya go! but if it's actually labeled as a BSB fanfic, that's where the ugh-ness comes in for me. LOL

[mare]

What I have a hard time with are AUs in which the guys are portrayed so differently from their real life selves that the only thing they really have in common with the Backstreet Boys are their names.  I don't mind AUs, but when I read an AU, I still want to recognize the guys in their different roles.  I want their personalities to be the same, and I want them to have the same type of brotherly/friend relationships they do in real life.  If they don't start out that way, they should be developed over the course of the story.  Whether they're a boyband or not, if the guys don't seem like the Backstreet Boys, it's hard to consider it a BSB fanfic.

I agree with this 100%. If the boys are so out of character you can't even tell it's them, to me it's not a BSB fanfic. They don't have to be a singing group but they should still have enough of their own personalities shining through that no matter what, you can tell BSB is in there somewhere. Their relationships to one another is what makes them who they are to me, so if that's missing, then in my opinion they are missing which is probably why I feel that way about what I stated earlier concerning only one boy in a story.

[Carter]

I have a few alternate universes myself. Cowboy Take Me away for instance Brian isnt a backstreet boy but my intention is for him to be a country artist with Nick being a good friend and Kevin still being his cousin of course. I always have Brian being something else when i write a Brian fic dunno why lol.

[julilly]

Yup, that's why I said BSB fanfic and not just fanfic. You are correct. If it was labeled as a Nick Carter fanfic or an AJ McLean fanfic, then there ya go! but if it's actually labeled as a BSB fanfic, that's where the ugh-ness comes in for me. LOL

We don't provide people that option when labeling their stories, actually. Maybe we should!

[mare]

Maybe! I never realized that but it's true.  You have to select Backstreet Boys for their names to pop up. We could put them in the music category as separate entities from BSB.

[julilly]

I agree with this 100%. If the boys are so out of character you can't even tell it's them, to me it's not a BSB fanfic. They don't have to be a singing group but they should still have enough of their own personalities shining through that no matter what, you can tell BSB is in there somewhere. Their relationships to one another is what makes them who they are to me, so if that's missing, then in my opinion they are missing which is probably why I feel that way about what I stated earlier concerning only one boy in a story.

Though I would argue that their relationship to one another is subjective. There are a lot of things that you see within their relationships or qualities about them as individuals that I don't (like Kevin's existence) and vice versa so if I portray a character trait that I can imagine but maybe you can't, is that not where a suspension of reality (especially when considering AU) comes into play? #devilsadvocate lol

I suppose I don't believe that, as characters, the boys only fit into one particular stereotypical mold, that they have to be the person they are in the public (which I don't really accept as 100% reality) in order to be accurately portrayed. Years ago, many people would never have portrayed Nick as a junkie because based on what we knew that was out of character, but it wasn't really.

[mare]

All of this is subjective so yes, we may portray certain aspects of the boys differently. For instance going back to the whole frick and frack thing. I view that relationship differently then others so when I write the two of them, it may be differently then someone who still pictures that relationship from before.

I think everyone (including myself) are able to suspend reality when it comes to certain stories (especially AU) because that's what AU is all about. You can make Brian a villain who lopes off people's heads for fun and then feeds them to his rabid monkeys but I think we'd also agree that while Brian wouldn't do this in real life (I hope!) unless there is some of his personality in there, it's not Brian. Maybe he does his annoying Micky Mouse impersonation before he kills them. Maybe he prays to God for their soul and then kisses his wife as soon as he's done doing the deed. Whether we all agree on how they are in real life or not, we all do have these perceptions of them. We all know Brian loves his family and is religious. He's hyper but also business minded. These are things whether we enjoy about him or not, we know as fact. So if some facet of that is thrown in, it makes it easy to ignore the rest.

You could also take who wrote it into consideration. When you go in knowing what the writer thinks about the boys and their personalities that helps as well. Like I know you hate Kevin (still don't know why. I know why you hate his voice but not him lol) so obviously he's never gong to be the same kind of Kevin I would write, but I'm sure I would still recognize some traits in your Kevin that would be Kevin across the board, if that makes sense.

Do we really know how they are in real life? No, but we obviously have a mental image of how they act and even if we agree or disagree on things, we can still believe certain elements of their personalities. If you make Brian a serial killer with absolutely no recognition of Brian then it's just a guy named Brian. I would imagine if you're writing a BSB fanfic, you'd want to at least try to include something that makes them who they are, if not then why not just write an OF?

And as you were saying before, even if we perceive them differently it can't be so completely different that he couldn't be recognized at all. I would find that very hard to believe.

Now, do I enjoy reading things like that? No lol but that's just my personal preference.

On a side note - what are you still doing up? You have a long ass drive tomorrow! Go to bed! lol

[julilly]

Maybe he does his annoying Micky Mouse impersonation before he kills them. Maybe he prays to God for their soul and then kisses his wife as soon as he's done doing the deed.

On a side note - what are you still doing up? You have a long ass drive tomorrow! Go to bed! lol

That made me laugh so much, moreso because I could picture Brian doing that! I totally agree with you, but I enjoyed the discussion LOL

I really need to go to bed. It's 11:30 and I'm getting up at 6 for an 8 hour drive to the booming metropolis of Bangor.

[RokofAges75]

LMAO, Mare!  You just described the plot of your songfic for "One Phone Call," didn't you?

I think you both have great points.  There are a lot of different ways each of the guys can be portrayed that still fit with the personalities they've shown us and how we interpret them and their relationships with each other.  That said, I also think there are certain aspects to them that are based more on fact than interpretation and shouldn't be changed in a fanfic unless there is a logical explanation for it.  I guess that's what writers of fanfic that's based on fictional source material (books, movies, etc.) would call "canon."

For example, Brian is religious.  That's not just how some writers see Brian; it's a fact, stated and supported by Brian himself.  So it doesn't make sense to have Brian committing mortal sins without remorse, unless you justify it by giving him a good reason to forsake his religion or reveal that the religious stuff was just a facade to hide his inner demons, whatever.  That could be an interesting story if handled the right way, but because it's such a stretch, it would definitely take some explaining to make it seem even halfway realistic.

I think it's okay to change one of the Boys through the events in the story or put your own spin on some aspect of their lives or personalities, but I don't like when writers completely ignore what could be considered canon.

[RokofAges75]

That made me laugh so much, moreso because I could picture Brian doing that! I totally agree with you, but I enjoyed the discussion LOL

I really need to go to bed. It's 11:30 and I'm getting up at 6 for an 8 hour drive to the booming metropolis of Bangor.

Have fun, and I'll see you Friday!

[mare]

That made me laugh so much, moreso because I could picture Brian doing that! I totally agree with you, but I enjoyed the discussion LOL

I really need to go to bed. It's 11:30 and I'm getting up at 6 for an 8 hour drive to the booming metropolis of Bangor.

Yes you do really need to go to bed! LOL safe travels and text me when you get there!

[mare]

LMAO, Mare!  You just described the plot of your songfic for "One Phone Call," didn't you?

Quite possibly! LOL

[RokofAges75]

Quite possibly! LOL

It's too bad we didn't vote Track #10 for the challenge, but regardless, you need to write this!  For me?  LOL

P.S. It's Donald Duck that he does, not Mickey Mouse.  For authenticity's sake and all!

[mare]

I knew it was at least a Disney character LOL

Maybe I'll  make that my Nick and Brian story next summer. Brian the serial killer on a road trip with a clueless Nick! LOL