Section 7: Tips for AU's, Slash, and Crossovers

Alternate Universe (AU for short) stories are basically "what if this happened instead of this?". Like... what if the Jellicles were the evil tribe? Or... what would a Pollicle tribe (or pack) be like? There really isn't much to these fics, and they tend to be rather unoriginal (Jellicle High fics are a good example... DON'T write one!). The only thing I can say is to try and keep your characters in-character, even if it is an evil Munkustrap; he'll still have a sense of honor and will be brave. Even a good Macavity will likely make snide remarks and prefer to trick others into doing his work for him. Another example of an AU is a universal thing. Like... what if they lived in medieval times? Again, watch your characterization. Also, research the time era thoroughly so that you can build a realistic culture and setting.

Slash fics are stories about male/male or female/female pairings. Basically, stories about gays and/or lesbians. And why not have them? There is a great internal debate in the Cats fandom whether or not these types of fanfics should be considered believable. After all, in reality cats are very much straight, due to pheremones and instincts. But the "lesson" of The Addressing of Cats is that cats are more human than we think. So... do we go with realism and say its not possible? Or do we decide to let our Jellicle friends be gay and lesbian? The choice is yours, but do not "bash" or "flame" another author for theirs. If you come across a slash fic and don't care for them, just don't read it. You and the author will both be much happier.
Part of the allure and challenge of writing slash is that both lovers are equal; there are no dominant and submissive characters. Therefore, an author must use the actual characterization of the toms or the queens and have them play off each other in order to determine dominance.

Tips for writing slash:

- Keep all toms acting like toms and all queens acting like queens. It's all too common for amateur slash writers to make one of the pair act more like the opposite sex. In tom slash, it's usually the younger, smaller tom who acts like a queen. For queen slash, it's usually the bigger of the two who acts more like a tom. One of the biggest challenges in writing slash is to keep both lovers acting like they should.
- One of the most written about pairings is Tugger/Misto. While this is a good place to start, try thinking up some more creative pairs! 
- If one person is turning gay/lesbian, make it believable

Crossovers are a cross between one fandom and another. Such as... Cats and Harry Potter. Or... Cats and Star Wars. Even Cats and any other musical. DO NOT EVER just have characters from one fandom reenact what happens in another. Cats characters doing Grease/Singing in the Rain/whatever is not cool. It's unoriginal and boring. Even if you change the dialogue a little. DO NOT DO IT! Instead, try and find a reason for the characters to be in that fandom. For example, in a Harry Potter fic you could have the Jellicles be a magical creature, or humans cursed by Voldemort. It takes a lot of creativity to pull a crossover off, so put your thinking cap on if you're going to attempt it!