I absolutely adore the second type of AU and tend to default to that when I'm trying to explain why AU's can be fascinating and reveal all sorts of things about the characters.
I also really like fusion AUs, though, which frequently fall into the former category. (I think the Rurouni Kenshin side of Vathara's RK/Star Wars fusion falls into this category? Or Damkianna's AtLA/almost!Firefly fusion. Or one of the many, many BtVS fusions that I read before I started bookmarking.) If it's done right, it forces the author to look at what said author considers fundamental about the interactions, with other characters and with circumstances. Is Willow studying what ultimately becomes a dangerous source of power fundamental to what makes BtVS BtVS, or is it just the particular circumstances of Whedon's California? When the authors think about it, the results can be pretty impressive. The problem is that the plot can make an easy crutch if they don't want to.
*shrug* But then again, I don't actually consider myself character-driven. I tend to glom onto relationships (friendshippy, romantic, mentor-y, or even between person and something else, like Shuurei/Career), rather than individual characters. I might be coming from somewhere entirely different.
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I also really like fusion AUs, though, which frequently fall into the former category. (I think the Rurouni Kenshin side of Vathara's RK/Star Wars fusion falls into this category? Or Damkianna's AtLA/almost!Firefly fusion. Or one of the many, many BtVS fusions that I read before I started bookmarking.) If it's done right, it forces the author to look at what said author considers fundamental about the interactions, with other characters and with circumstances. Is Willow studying what ultimately becomes a dangerous source of power fundamental to what makes BtVS BtVS, or is it just the particular circumstances of Whedon's California? When the authors think about it, the results can be pretty impressive. The problem is that the plot can make an easy crutch if they don't want to.
*shrug* But then again, I don't actually consider myself character-driven. I tend to glom onto relationships (friendshippy, romantic, mentor-y, or even between person and something else, like Shuurei/Career), rather than individual characters. I might be coming from somewhere entirely different.