Alternative Universe
From Fan History Wiki
Alternative Universe is a piece of fan fiction that diverges from established canon history. This divergence changes the history of the rest of the events in canon. This type of piece may be labeled AU.
An example of an Alternative Universe concept is placing the Ronin Warriors in a universe where they live on a space colony. Another example from the Harry Potter fandom is a story in which Lily and James Pottter had never died.
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[edit] Historical Definitions
The following definition dates to December 1999 in the Sentinel fandom:
- A/U -- Alternate Universe (a story radically different from show canon) [1]
The following definition dates to January 2001 and the site Bad Fanfic! No Biscuit!:
- Alternate Universe. Often used in fanfic to describe a story that departs from canon. For instance, a story where Darth Maul doesn't die at the end of "The Phantom Menace", or a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" story where Kendra is attending college with Buffy, etc.[2]
The following definition dates to February 2003 in the Lord of the Rings fandom:
- A/U: "Alternate Universe." Meaning, the story takes place in an alternative version of the fictional universe. For example, a "What if Boromir didn't die?" fiction would be an A/U. [3]
The following definition dates to May 2003 in the Combat! and Nash Bridges fandoms:
- alternate universe:
- Imagine a universe slightly different from ours... All fictional settings and the variants thereof are said to take place in alternate universes, as if they're actually real but can't be seen or reached except by the imagination -- or by crossovers. ;) Sometimes this term is shortened to AU or A/U in other fandoms; however, the concept is universal. [I personally don't find anything wrong with alternate universe. Often, it's a way to fix those things the writers did that made the show "jump the shark". In other words, it's a way to fix what went wrong with the show.] [4]
The following definition dates to August 2003 in the Gundam Wing fandom:
- AU: Alternate Universe. The characters are placed in a situation impossible in the series' universe.[5]
The following definition dates to May 2004 in the Harry Potter, Horatio Hornblower and Pirates of the Caribbean fandoms:
- precise definitions vary. Basically, an AU is a “what if?” fic, in which the author speculates on what would happen if certain events happened differently than described in the canon. A common example is an AU in which a character who dies in canon is portrayed as still alive (with no explanation)-—the opposite of a Deathfic. As well, some consider stories to be AU in which the author ingeniously invents a way to explain how a character who is assumed dead in canon was really alive and faking it all along—it depends on how you look at it: if you think that because it isn’t implicitly mentioned in the canon that the character is really, really, definitely dead, that it means there’s a chance they aren’t, then you might not consider those stories to be AU. However, if you think that because something wasn’t specifically mentioned in the canon, then it couldn’t have happened, you’ll probably think those stories are AU.[6]
The following definition is from cmshaw out of the X-Files, Sentinel, Highlander fandom. It dates from May 2005:
- AU, header. Also A/U, alternate universe. Fanfic in which the story universe is radically altered from the canon show universe. Variant: 'uber' (Xena fandom only).[7]
The following definition dates to October 2005 on MediaMiner.Org by fanilia:
- Alternate Universe: Taking the characters from the original setting of their world, and placing them into one that works a little differently. Cardcaptor Sakura and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle along with Bubble Gum Crisis and Bubble Gum Crisis 2040 are examples of alternate universe as while the characters are mostly the same, their worlds are not.[8]
The following definition dates to December 2005 in the Harry Potter fandom:
- Alternate Universe also Alternative Universe or AU - A story in which facts deliberately deviate from the way they occur in canon. A fic in which Harry was sorted into Slytherin, or in which the Potters didn't die on Halloween, or where Neville, not Harry, was the "Boy Who Lived" would be defined as an AU.[9]
The following definition dates to December 5, 2005 in the Thunder Cats fandom:
- Alternate Universe (AU): Term used to warn readers that a story is going to stray much from the original canon, usually with some kind of major 'what if' scenario as the main plot line. Eg: What if the ThunderCats landed on the original planet they were headed for instead of Third Earth? What if Jaga never died during the journey? What if Lion-O never aged in stasis?[10]
The following definition dates to April 15, 2006 in the Angel fandom:
- AU - This means alternate universe. This can be literal Alternate Universes shown in Canon, as in the world shown in Buffy's "Dopplegangland" and "The Wish" and Angel's "Birthday" and the Pylea Trilogy, or it can mean AU in the sense that a writer is taking a canon episode and tweaking it. So basically AU doesn't always mean far from canon, but it can mean way outside of canon too. Confused yet? Just remember that sometimes you have to suspend belief and let your backbone slip, it can lead to fun if you're willing to give it a try. [11]
The following definition is was written by Jane Leavell and updated in June 2006:
- AU or A/U: Alternate Universe. Although technically ALL fanfiction is AU, since it isn't canon, the term is reserved for stories that lift parts of the show out and put them in a totally different setting. For instance, if THE HIGHLANDER killed off Richie Ryan and continued for several seasons without him, and you object, you might write an A/U where Richie DIDN'T die and the succeeding seasons never took place. Perhaps you want to create a version of STAR TREK in which there was never a Dr. McCoy and Britney Spears was the ship's doctor--don't expect me to read it--or you want Buffy (the vampire slayer) to be a vampire and Angel (the vampire with a soul) to be a vampire slayer. These are alternate universe stories. Non-AU fanfiction tries to carry on within the limits of the actual show--perhaps showing scenes inbetween the aired events, or creating a story that could be an episode of the show without confusing anyone too much.[12]
The following definition dates to November 2006 in the Harry Potter fandom:
- AU
- Stands for Alternate Universe. AU fics do not follow canon directives; a common example of AU fic in Potterverse is writing about any given wizard as if he or she were a Muggle. [13]
The following definition dates to December 2006 and is used on GAFF:
- AU: Alternate Universe. A well-done AU fic can be a joy to behold, often based on a challenging "what-if" question. Unfortunately AU is more often used as a form of canon rape, or as an excuse for plain lazy writing. [14]
The following definition was provided in the July/August 2008 edition of the Literary Review of Canada:
- AU (alternative universe, where the characters are displaced into an entirely new fantasy setting) [15]
[edit] History
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[edit] Examples
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[edit] External Links
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[edit] See also
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