Because if you put the characters in completely different settings with different back stories, the characters might share some basic traits with their "counterparts" (biology influence) but mostly you're bound to get some very different people. So unless their alternate experiences somehow closely mirror the original, you end up writing about a different person, even if he has the same face and genetics.
The fartherst that I ever ventured off the canon storyline was in my Cospiracies series, when Mozzie got adopted by a good, loving family at age twelve and it changed things for everyone. (Who is Mozzie if he's not a criminal mastermind? And what events would shape him closer to the person we know?)
The way I see it, you can make these characters take a different turn on one of those numerous crossroads; or you can have them take the same journey but tweak it a little, either by putting them in a different settings (different time) or by introducing another element (e.g., a wing!fic that closely follows canon). But if you change things too much, the people become somebody different, and then it's just original fiction with characters who wear the same faces and appearances.
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Because if you put the characters in completely different settings with different back stories, the characters might share some basic traits with their "counterparts" (biology influence) but mostly you're bound to get some very different people. So unless their alternate experiences somehow closely mirror the original, you end up writing about a different person, even if he has the same face and genetics.
The fartherst that I ever ventured off the canon storyline was in my Cospiracies series, when Mozzie got adopted by a good, loving family at age twelve and it changed things for everyone. (Who is Mozzie if he's not a criminal mastermind? And what events would shape him closer to the person we know?)
The way I see it, you can make these characters take a different turn on one of those numerous crossroads; or you can have them take the same journey but tweak it a little, either by putting them in a different settings (different time) or by introducing another element (e.g., a wing!fic that closely follows canon). But if you change things too much, the people become somebody different, and then it's just original fiction with characters who wear the same faces and appearances.
(Sorry for the long comment :D )