[ SECRET POST #3622 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3622 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 44 secrets from Secret Submission Post #518.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

03. http://i.imgur.com/xB6HOft.png

[(Anonymous)]

I dunno, I think the grad school adventures of Dean Winchester or Captain Jack Sparrow could be fucking hilarious.

[(Anonymous)]

I could see Jack Sparrow at a gradschool, guy has the smarts to do it. Supernatards though, nah.

[(Anonymous)]

+1

[(Anonymous)]

As a very smart person currently in grad school, my god I wish I had Dean Winchester's work ethic. And I'd really like to know his answer to my own periodic fits of 'what is all this shit good for anyway' pique. He'd probably be in a more practical program than me, though.

(like, not even a little bit going to contest that the show itself is shit tier. but that's never, ever been a barrier to good fic in my experience, and the culture clash could be the source of some interesting stories)

[(Anonymous)]

Tell me someone has done this!!!! These men were the pillars of my adolescence! <3

Somebody please write this and tell me, make my dreams come truuuueee!

Lol I'd want to see them in any situation, tbh.

[(Anonymous)]

As someone who went through the whole grad school process, I'm with you, anon; it's unrealistic and just doesn't sound that interesting to me.

[(Anonymous)]

If the stories were more realistic, there would be a lot more fic with characters in their penultimate year of their English Lit PhD having meltdowns about finishing their degree and what they could possibly do with it afterward.

(frozen comment)

[(Anonymous)]

The removal of social worth from arts degrees, and the sheer viciousness of the jokes about them will be the neocon think tanks most lasting impact on our culture. Of course by removing the ability to appreciate art and think critically about narratives is exactly how you go about removing empathy from a society.

[(Anonymous)]

I'd rather have those than more fucking high school AUs.

[(Anonymous)]

Plus One Million

grad school AUs are fun even if they're not realistic

[(Anonymous)]

At least they are about characters trying to adult instead of whiny teen angstplosions.

[(Anonymous)]

They both come off as super-cringey, self-insert fic most of the time, but at least grad school is a less embarrassing stage of life to force the characters into.

[(Anonymous)]

High school AUs are the worst AUs.

[(Anonymous)]

No they're 2nd worst. ABO AUs are the worst.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, because realism is the sign of great fanfiction! Said no-one, nowhere ever.

[(Anonymous)]

So why all the real world settings? That's contributing to the problem.

[(Anonymous)]

Every random character doing a grueling PhD in medieval lit is unbelievable, maybe, but of the people I know who finished undergrad, most have tried some kind of grad school...

Barista AUs are worse imo.

[(Anonymous)]

Could there be audience for a story about a character starting grad school, having doubts, struggling with finances, and finally deciding to quit and do something else? And would that get in the way of the obligatory romance?

Barista AUs are indubitably worse, but some characters I can slightly more easily buy taking up a coffeeshop gig than starting an architecture degree.

[(Anonymous)]

I've never seen a grad school AU, just loads and loads of undergrad college/university AUs, which I don't particularly like, since they feel like either teens trying to write about what they think college is like or adults trying to write the kind of college experience they think they were supposed to have.

I think a grad school AU would be a bit more interesting, actually.

[(Anonymous)]

I actually really like them, and search these stories out in the fandoms I'm interested in. But I think it's okay to leave out a few of the cast... Or at least have the two halves of the OTP pursuing different degrees...

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think an AU needs to be realistic in the sense of "Would the canon version of the character realy do something like this?" You're starting from the premise that the character would go to grad school or open a restaurant or become a rock star or join a religious order or become a space marine, despite showing no canon interest in academics or food or music or religion or whatever. I don't think you need to come up with a justification or backstory for why the character did this, either.

I've read some very good AUs that had characters doing things wildly different things than in canon but still made it feel believable. I think the most important thing is keeping the characters' voice and personality intact as well as their core values.

[soldatsasha]

Yeah, this. The fun of an AU is plucking characters from their setting and seeing what they do in a new one.

Plus, I think some of the appeal is figuring out how a character would get to that point. Like what would make Harry Potter leave the wizarding world and join a muggle grunge band? How does AU Thor Odinson wind up in grad school, and what would he study? Maybe he feels pressured into academia because his parents are both noteworthy scientists (mirroring their canon skills with magic), or he's expected to before he takes over Asgard Inc. from Odin.

[(Anonymous)]

Link those AUs, anon! I'm always up for good AUs.

[(Anonymous)]

All these comments are making me want to write a medschool+PhD AU. Possibly throw in a law school in there, all about three or 4 different characters from different fandoms (see Jack Sparrow & Dean Winchester) becoming friends through friends or such, and following their drama & friendship.