Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: mare on July 27, 2011, 06:05:56 AM
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This is another thing i'm going to do every few weeks or so.
Anyone who reads AU, now's the time to tell us your three favorite picks and why you enjoyed them so much and why you think we might enjoy them.
You can only name three. If you don't have three then name your favorite one or two.
:)
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Since no one has posted in here yet, I figured i'll go first.
I only really have one that i'd recommend and that's Yesterday's Blue Skies by Just_Marina. This story is so complex and layerd it's ridiculous. It's a sci-fi as well but the guys are not BSB but are related which is what drew me in. Kevin, Brian and Nick are brothers and AJ and Howie are their cousins. It's not completed and Maria isn't the best with updating but I promise if you read it, you'll get sucked in. :)
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Oops, I saw this earlier and then promptly forgot about it after going into the debate thread!
Here are my picks:
"Between the Lines" by Carrie: http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=9179
This is my favorite AU and the story that made me truly appreciate how good AUs can be. It's about the guys as Seattle Mariners baseball players, which seems pretty random, but it's perfect because the brotherly bond they have as bandmates in real life works for them as teammates, too. The story progresses through one memorable season, and you see their bond with each other and their families/significant others, too. All five guys get a starring role, so it's definitely a group story, and their personalities make them seem like the same lovable guys we write fanfics about. It'll make you laugh and cry.
"Happenstance" by Bianca: http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=5453
This is one of the rare romances I've read and enjoyed that doesn't rely on a lot of outside drama to make a good story. It's about Nick, who is just a regular guy living in a small town on the coast of North Carolina, and he literally runs into an older, married woman, and they have a summer romance/affair. It's very Nicholas Sparks. If you read romance outside of fanfic, it's worth checking out, because it's very well-written and reads like a non-trashy romance novel.
"On the Outside" by Amy: http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/dreamcastle/ontheoutside.htm
I never would have read this story if it hadn't been for Mare and her old fanfic discussion group, but I did for that, and I ended up really enjoying it. It's a story inspired by "The Outsiders" about the guys as kids/teenagers who are orphaned or don't come from good families, living in poverty or on the streets, and they form a friendship and help each other to survive. It's been a long time since I've read it, so that's probably not a great summary of it, but I remember it being well-written and kinda cute, and again, it builds that brotherly bond well.
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I enjoyed both On the Outside and Between the Lines as well. I don't really remember Between the Lines but I do remember it making me an emotional wreck at one point. LOL
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Does no one else have an AU they enjoy? How come I'm the only one besides Mare who did this? LOL I'm sure there are plenty of people on the board who read more AUs than me!
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I don't know! LOL Considering there are so many people who write them I'm surprised as well. The only reason I went with AU first is because they seem to be so popular.
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The only one I can list is Stockholm Syndrome. I know I've read more but am not sure what they are.
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I would've replied sooner but I've had a busy week and haven't got around to it until now :)
I love AU stories and three of my favourites are :-
Song For The Undead
This is my favourite AU. The boys are all in it but Nick is a failed actor, Howie a business man, Kevin in the armed forces, AJ a tortured artist who is battling his addictions and Brian is a pastor (I think, or something like that) and along with 5 others, they seem to be the only survivors against an airborne disease that turns the rest of the nation into zombies. I could go on all day about how brilliant this story is and I really would love to see it turned into a real book and a movie.
Stockholm Syndrome
Another one I love. This one is about a gang of criminals who kidnap a rich girl but they treat one of the gang really bad (Nick). He ends up having to look after the kidnapped girl and begins to lose faith in his friends. I won't give any more away, but recommend it.
Sinister Devotion
I love this one too! All the boys are in it in some form, but it's mainly AJ, who is a hitman going by the name of Jack D. He's ruthless and only cares about his car, until he meets Crystal that is. But I'll say no more because I don't want to give anything else away.
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Hmmm my three picks would have to be
"00Carter"- this was probably the first AU I ever read and I really enjoy it. Plus Nick as a secret agent and Howie a maniacal villian...you can't go wrong.
"Song For The Undead"- one word: Zombies!!!!
"Homecoming" I really enjoy science fiction. And its an AU, Kevin is a space captain that seems to have been through something traumatic. The other boys are in it as well...I really like the story so far.
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Steph, thanks for the HUGE compliment, and Tracy, thanks for mentioning both our collabs! :) Collaborating is what turned me on to writing AUs, and 00Carter and Undead have both been a blast to write!
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I haven't read as much AU as I thought I had...oops. Here are two that i remember...
The Fast Lane- It's about the guys being car racers and they've got a bunch of drama. I'm sorry, I read this a few years back.
Searching for Mercy- I LOVE this story! It's about the guys growing up in a small town and all being close friends, even leighanne. The years go by and they all do their own thing and some even leave town. One day tragedy strikes involving Kevin, which makes them all come back to town and of course the drama unfolds. (I didn't even mind that the wives were in it) If you haven't read it...definatel y check it out!
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Wow, thank you Steph! That's a huge compliment and I'm really flattered! :)
And Tracy, ditto on what Julie said. Thank you for naming both Undead and 00Carter.
I'll be back in here with my own picks.
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I agree about Song For the Undead. It kind of reminded me of Heroes- where you have the huge cast of characters and then their storylines begin to overlap in a rather epic way. I'm hoping I can catch up on that story this month before I start teaching, when I feel I'll never have time to read for pleasure again. haha.
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Aww, thank you! I loved Heroes! And I've always wanted to write an epic kind of story like that, so I have to thank Rose for helping me to do so. Hopefully you find some time to read. Once the school year starts, I usually read right before I go to bed to unwind.
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Two popped into my head real quick: "Scars Run Deep and Wide" and its sequel; and, "Mel's Tree" and its sequels. I love the drama and mystery in "Scars;" and I couldn't resist a young angsty Nick in "Mel's." All of these stories were written by Mare.
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Thanks Pammy! :)
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Telling people why I think they would enjoy something is hard for me. How do I know whether they'll enjoy it? lol So I think I'll keep it to why I enjoy(ed) it!
1. On The Rails by Filiklepto
Seriously I love historical AU. I'm kind of a history buff, and I especially enjoy when an author puts a lot of time into learning and researching about a different period of time. It really shows! With this story in particular I think the Boys are as close to their real personalities as they can be given that some of them have the same profession, only many years earlier. It's a lovely story, I look forward to more of it.
2. Between the Lines by Carrie
I know everyone else has already mentioned this, but I had to include it too. This was one of the first AU fics I read and absolutely loved. It was part of what encouraged me to write in the genre. Again, it's a perfect example of someone who truly knows what they're talking about. There was never a doubt in my mind that everything she said about baseball was true. I find with a lot of canon fics there's a lot of incorrect assumptions about the music business, media, etc. Many AU fics are much better researched.
3. Whitmore Lake by Honey
The fact that I love a Brian fic should speak volumes about why I chose this. I don't love Brian fics lol
This is just one of those stories that I will never forget reading and just really stuck with me. It was a cute story and just a good read.
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I love On The Rails and Whitmore Lake too
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On the Rails is an excellent fic!! God, I am so bad at remembering stories. I think i'll just come in and keep saying, "Oh yes! That one is awesome!" lol
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I find with a lot of canon fics there's a lot of incorrect assumptions about the music business, media, etc. Many AU fics are much better researched.
That's so true, and it's one of the things I like about writing AU. I am a stickler for doing research and making things believable, but I don't know that much about the music business, at least not from the perspective of someone who's in it, and it's a tough thing to research. It's nice not to have to worry about writing about touring and recording and all that stuff in an AU.
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I am soooo far behind... so I'm gonna try to catch up on all of these tonight/tomorrow :P
AU... here goes...
Song for the Undead -- I think I've said this repeatedly, so I don't feel the need to go into too much detail, but this story could stand on it's own, without being "fanfiction" easily. I would buy the book!
The Time Watcher -- Loved this story -- wish Pengi would continue it *hint hint*
On The Rails -- Love the history in this one! And it's so well written!!
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Thanks again, Rachel!! That's the biggest compliment anyone could give. It would be fun to try to turn Undead into a book someday. We'd have to take out/rewrite some parts, but it wouldn't take too much work to de-fanfic-ize.
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I am not really into AU. I don't exactly know why lol
The first AU that I checked out is Just one kiss by Kevmylove, because I thought it wasn't an AU since she only added the AU on the genre on 3rd chapter. But I loved it and waiting for her updates. :)
Stockholm Syndrome - I loved this one, too. I checked this out because the summary was very interesting, and I loved it. It was very well written.
I think I have to check out your favorites, guys. :)
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Thanks Rachel! That's just such a flattering and huge compliment. Julie and I have talked about the idea of going OF with it someday once we finished the FF. Cause like she said, it wouldn't take as much as it would with other stuff we've written to make the change. So once again, thank you! Best compliment any reader could ever give. :)