dropping blorbo in the suburbs is fascinating and i actually have many thoughts about timeskip dimitri and houselessness but idk. sometimes i feel like people use a modern au as a shortcut and don't actually dig into the inherent character exercise it is
and like some people can write casual modern aus that don't consider character or place and other people can read them! but that's not how i prefer to interact with a work
also frankly with fódlan i'm much more interested in modern fódlan aus and not "transposed to our world" modern aus and also if i have to hear about sothismas (which is the equivalent calling christmas godmas) i x out, but that's bc i'm a salty cunt
i get it i do! i definitely prefer thoughtful ones and i try to be as thoughtful with mine as i can, though i admit i do sometimes just like to enjoy the vibes of a modern setting for fun
modern AU is also super broad as a setting, so there are certain specific modern tropes that irk me... like I find it difficult to engage in modern AUs where any of the fódlan nobles (barring like... ingrid or maaaaybe constance) are working retail/service jobs w/out a very good reason
(obligatory of COURSE modern aus do not have to be to your personal taste that's fine to each their own i just feel like i've been seeing a lot of people suggest they are a lower form of au somehow and i just totally disagree w that)
yknow immediately after i posted that i was like actually i think straight up canon 16th century cahara would wear a crop top. so maybe not the best example but my point stands
Ok but to be serious I think it's interesting to pick the characters up out of a world where their lives are often in danger and everything is very fraught and immediate and dump them in a world that is Not That. How are their personalities the same? Different? It's fun!
Pulling characters from their environment and examining them in one you’re used to is great literary analysis. Strip them down to the brass tacks and find their core personality
felix being forced to ask someone for a ride to the mall is literally THE philosophical question of its time (ingrid death trap pickup truck, sylvain middle-aged crisis dick wagging sportscar, dimitri driving rodrigue's minivan)
fnsbsjsksksk the minivan is so clearly the best option because that way they can all pile in and make a day of it. felix can pout about it if he wants but how else is he getting to hot topic
this is so cutie but also HELP...... I was thinking adult timeskip felix which makes this SO funny. doesn't matter how old, felix always gets to sit shotgun with dimitri driving and dimitri lets him choose the music :)
Some folks have a weird aversion to AUs in general, which couldn’t be me. Taking someone out of their canon and seeing how that influences the character is interesting. And yes, we need to give Dimitri a flip phone!
yeah like! i understand that taking some characters out of their setting can feel like you’re taking away most of what makes them Them, but i think it’s a fascinating exercise in characterization!! like really distill dimitri down to his essence and explore how he would text with a t9 keyboard
It definitely is trickier with some characters and settings, but is a great exercise in characterization, like you said. You learn the fundamentals of the character. Dimitri might not be royalty anymore but one thing you grasp pretty quickly is how impactful the death of his dad is in any universe
yeah exactly!!!! in fully fleshed-out aus it is fun to think of what kind of modern circumstances could put him (and the rest of the f4) in a similar kind of emotional place that they’re in in canon. but also sometimes i just enjoy it for the vibes i can’t lie
(Dimitri listening to All Things Considered from your fic lives in my head rent free. I bet he donates to public radio during every fundraising drive. I bet he and Felix are drowning in public media tote bags)
my most popular fic my a huge margin is the only modern AU I've ever finished 😭. something about the 3H cast really compels me to give them cell phones in a way other FEs don't.
i think modern aus are okay as long as it's not usamerican. like it can be set in literally anywhere else in our irl world even if the canon setting isn't that but not usamerican. i will read lysithea living in bangalore tokyo thessaloniki but if she's in san francisco or nyc i'm out
like i do prefer modern versions of the canon world but if it has to be set in our world. at least get them out of the united states put them in warsaw or something idc
I feel like you need to have a good sense of the character to plonk them down in a completely different time and place, even if it is a lighthearted piece. I love a good modern AU!!
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AND DIMITRI IS JUST A BOOMER WHO PUT HIS FUCKING WORD SIZE TO THE MAX LMFAO
preferably the crop top that one character wore in school of rock
(Dimitri listening to All Things Considered from your fic lives in my head rent free. I bet he donates to public radio during every fundraising drive. I bet he and Felix are drowning in public media tote bags)