The Problem of Unicorn Epicycles

[robkelk]

And, on the flip side, the author's explicit reason for making all of those changes is the idea that the canon setting of Beware of Chicken doesn't really support the sort of story he wants to tell. My issues with this reasoning aside, if that's the case... why bother sticking to the setting at all?

Which is a pretty big issue with a lot of fanfic that I've read, pre-Y2K, post-pandemic, and times in between. If you aren't going to create your own setting, then pick a setting that matches the story that you want to tell. You might still tell a "crap" story, but at least you won't be fighting with the setting while doing so.

I keep coming back to Isekai by Moonlight because it's the fic I know the best right now, on account of I'm still writing it. I could have set it in any number of "magical teens" settings with an appropriate title change, but I didn't because those other settings were wrong for the story that I want to tell. Clear Card Captor Isekai would have been too cheerful for my desired story, even considering the presence of Yuna D. Kaito. Puella Magi Isekai Magica would have been too dark, despite how much I like Homura. Harry Potter and the Isekai Student would have been a horrid mess, no matter how many lines I gave Hermione. But Sailor Moon was, to quote Goldilocks, just right.

The setting is as important as the plot and the characters. Don't hobble yourself with a mismatch.