Top PIcks: Alternate Universes that made 2016 a little better:
I am a canon girl. Everything I write, for some reason lodged deep into my head, must conform to canon. I was like that when I write XFiles, I was like that when I wrote TNG, I was like that when I wrote Potterverse and I’m like that with Star Wars. When older stories got canon-balled by the Disney reboot, I was quick to mark that down. And when newer stories get tossed into the Alternate Universe by developments in the books or comics, I get all annoyed for a minute and then either “fix” them or label them with the moment they became AU and then ask forgiveness.
But 2016 has been the year of the AU for me. I have read and enjoyed more AU stories this year than any other in my life. I don’t know whether it’s just that I occasionally need to live in a GFFA wherein Han Solo was not murdered by his own son, or if it’s just that DRL in 2016 has been such a dumpster fire that alternate universes suddenly look better.
Either way, here are some top picks for Alternate Universes that have made 2016 more bearable:
Favorite expansive AU: Goes to Sue Zahn’s Kismet-verse. Sue has been writing this near-canon AU for YEARS and in 2016 she teamed up with erindarroch to add to its stories. Every story in this wide and wonderful (and happy) universe works together and is a wonderful could-be-canon. It’s a fantastic place to start if you’re an AU newbie (like I was when I found these stories). Both authors have crafted a fully-realized, well-written, beautifully crafted world and a series of stories that are absolutely worth your time.
Favorite Legends-verse-adjacent AU: Goes to @KnightedRogue ’s Mighty Things. This story, a post-ROTJ, reads-like-Legends AU has Han and Leia Solo working for New Republic Intelligence. Everyone is who they should be and where they should be in the Legends-verse, except our heroes, who are working in an all new world of intrigue and subterfuge. It’s a fantastic story and has all of the elements that made Legends so much fun to read back in its heyday. @KnightedRogue has a collection of fantastic stories in the “NRI-verse” and otherwise, all of which are clever, tidy, and eloquent.
Favorite ST-era AU: Goes to the “We Rise, We Fall, We Break” AU by CodeNameTargeter. The two stories in this universe: “The Enemy Ahead” and “Scattered to the Winds” find us in a version of the Sequel Era in which Ben Solo never turned dark and is working for his mother. General Hux has defected from the First Order and joins the cast as a no-longer-evil although wholly recognizable version of himself. There’s romance afoot when the Jedi Solo and the ginger General lock eyes in this fully fleshed-out world. CodeNameTargeter has also littered the stories with easter eggs that will leave Legends fan squealing with delight at seeing old friends. There’s occasionally adult content, but it never veers fully into NSFW territory.
Favorite Post-ROTJ AU: Identity by @madame.alexandra. This version of what came next after the Episode VI credits rolled looks neither like Legends nor canon, and I couldn’t care less. Madame.Alexandra has created a version of the GFFA that’s both believable and enjoyable– which can be a hard balance to strike. This story has moments of pure joy and moments of grit and realism. She deals with the politics of royalty in a democracy, and the struggle to find oneself in a new world order. While focused on the OT leads, favorite characters from the PT and Legends make appearances. The story sings with excellent pacing and wonderful characterization. This work is a masterpiece and I hear stirrings that this AU may be expanded upon in the future. Identity occasionally crosses the line into being NSFW and contains a few mentions of torture and psychological instability, but is never truly graphic in its depictions.
And Now, For Something Completely Different: New Hope, Indiana by Cicatrick. You’ve probably read this one already. It seems like everyone on the internet has. But if you haven’t: imagine the OT characters we know and love transplanted through time and space into an Indiana town in the 1950’s. That’s what you get with this story. The characters, their reactions, and their respective outlooks ring completely true as they face life in middle America in the middle of the 20th century. It’s unexpected and fantastic, a definite must for AU lovers and a great start for those just beginning to wander away from the GFFA in search of new adventures starring our favorites.
I have never been fond of AU storied prior to this year, but I'm very fond of all of these. Enjoy!
