[ SECRET POST #3273 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3273 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 051 secrets from Secret Submission Post #468.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - picture with random french lyrics ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Being THAT writer

[(Anonymous)]

I really like soulmate AUs. I find that they're really easy to write first-time stories for since it allows skipping some of the build up of getting the two characters to move to the phase where they can see each other as lovers, and I love worldbuilding and doing the soulmate AU different ways.

The thing is, I feel like I've already gone to this well too many times. I have two kinds of fandoms. The ones where I'm brimming with ideas and have concrete story ideas, and the ones where I just love the characters and want to see them together but have no actual plot ideas. A lot of the latter are also super tiny fandoms that have ZERO fic.

Soulmate AUs are easy for the second kind of fandom. And, even in my bigger fandoms, I feel weird to write two soulmate AUs for the same pairing but I'm tempted for one pairing because I can't think what else to write for them that's simple and won't balloon into an epic for a fest I'm writing.

And for my teeny tiny fandoms, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say I'm going to be the only person to write these fandoms. I would love to get people interested in these fandoms, which puts a lot of pressure on me to write not only what I love but something that will showcase the fandoms in the best light. I'd like if they actually were canon compliant. I have a LOT of these kinds of fandoms where I'd love ANY fic. I usually write upwards of 50k pieces of fiction but soulmate AUs are more towards 5-10k. I can't invest as hard in my tiny fandoms or I wouldn't get anything done.

So, what are your thoughts on this kind of thing? What do you think of authors who seem to favor an easy trope like this? Are you turned off if they start writing away from the trope?

Re: Being THAT writer

[(Anonymous)]

I guess it would depend on how they feel about the trope. Me, I can't get enough sex pollen. I would love it if authors who have written it before wrote more sex pollen. When I find a story I like (any story, not just sex pollen) I usually check what else the author has written to see if there might be something else up my alley. If every story the author wrote in the fandom was really, really similar, it would get boring, but seeing a trope I loved used more than once would be great. If I didn't love the trope so much, I might not bother reading the others the author wrote that used it, unless I was just really impressed with the story I'd read first. Also, it depends on what you write for each fandom, not the stories you write overall, since people usually don't bother reading fics for canons they're not into (I don't even do that for sex pollen).

Re: Being THAT writer

[(Anonymous)]

That's kind of my concern. Soulmate AUs have the benefit of different kinds of worldbuilding but at the end of the day, sometimes I want to write the exact same setup for a different set of characters. Or, if I've already written a soulmate AU for a set of characters, then I feel intense pressure to make it REALLY different if I write another, and generally, I feel like I'm not allowed to write the AU again at all for those characters. I do feel like it could all end up being samey and boring.

Re: Being THAT writer

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think I ever really judge the author for writing these types of stories. I usually back out of them (if I'm desperate, I'll take it). But, if an Soulmate AU is well done--and I mean the characters are still in control of themselves, they feel the pull, try to fight it or understand what the hell is going on while getting to know each other etc, I might be down for it. That said, I haven't read many Soulmate AUs (the ones I have tend to be werewolf!fic of veela!fic where there's the "soul bond/THE mate thing" & I stuck around because I needed a fix).

I think it's best to write the fic, not post it, and see if you're satisfied with it.

Again, SoulmateAUs are tropes I tend to stay away from (not because they're "easy") but because they're not handled well. The clear choice is to have them see each other, romance and sex ensues, but a well written one, well, the author doesn't loose sight of the characters and how they would feel if they were in fact pulled into such a situation (assuming that AU isn't code for OOC).

Also, why do a soulmate AU? Why not just write fic of the two characters together? I've seen that done a few times. As in, the characters are already together. You're just walking in on "a day in the life". There's nothing wrong with that either.


You know what? Do whatever you like, OP! Although I get the pressure to write the best you can for smaller fandoms/rarepairs/etc. because of the dearth of fic.

Sorry if this was unhelpful.

Re: Being THAT writer

[(Anonymous)]

I write soulmate AUs because I like them. I don't like established relationship fics. I've written tons of two-characters-get-together fics, but I still like soulmate AUs. And I write excellent in-character soulmate AUs. Mine are handled very well.

I was looking for commentary on what being a one-trick writer looks like, not whether there's value in the one-trick or how well the execution of that one-trick is.

Re: Being THAT writer

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, apologies. My reading comprehension is not what it should be today.