Posted under Tags
BUR #61675 has been rejected.
create alias alternate_timeline -> alternate_universe
create alias alternate_history -> alternate_universe
The definition of the alternate universe tag (prior to my recent edit) states that it applies to alternate timelines and not just parallel universes.
Correct, but the problem with your recent edit was that you were redefining the tag to include canon alternate timelines, which it doesn't. This BUR is fine though.
Though I feel like there's value in having alternate history as a subset. It's a specific thing that a lot of people interested in the fandom concept of an AU aren't interested in, since it's based more in changes to real world history.
Confetto said in forum #451521:
Though I feel like there's value in having alternate history as a subset. It's a specific thing that a lot of people interested in the fandom concept of an AU aren't interested in, since it's based more in changes to real world history.
If you look at how the tag was used prior to being nuked though, that's not universally how it was interpreted, given stuff like post #1192606 and even post #1640503. I cannot trust that the tag would be used for real world history as opposed to fictional history, especially since fictional alternate history is also a popular space. alternatehistory.com literally has a "Fandom AH" section that's user-exclusive.
Damian0358 said in forum #451564:
If you look at how the tag was used prior to being nuked though, that's not universally how it was interpreted, given stuff like post #1192606 and even post #1640503. I cannot trust that the tag would be used for real world history as opposed to fictional history, especially since fictional alternate history is also a popular space. alternatehistory.com literally has a "Fandom AH" section that's user-exclusive.
Maybe naming it "alternate real world history" could help?
Confetto said in forum #451572:
Maybe naming it "alternate real world history" could help?
I think the nature of alternate history as a genre of fiction would entail it being titled "real world alternate history" instead. The question to ask beyond titling, however, is how widespread it is beyond specific copyrights.
Hearts of Iron as a tag is basically majority alternate history, due to being the home of popular alt-history mods such as Kaiserreich, The New Order: Last Days of Europe (which I have an extremely obscure tie to), and The Fire Rises. The last use of the alternate history tag was on one such mod, and all non-HoI or fandom uses were basically on the works of Darun Khanchanusthiti, which... I dunno, seems to be more like a Youjo Senki/Strike Witches-esque situation? Like, according to post #1334334 it's still Germany, but we have alt-Hitler instead in post #1148216.
So, what are we constituting as real world alternate history for Danbooru here? Does Youjo Senki's Empire count? Does Code Geass count? Does Wolfenstein count? Do any of those HoI mods count? Or do we avoid copyright-specific alternate history altogether like alternate universe's rule? That could make things more difficult, given the very wiki-editing conflict with Otreku you had, induced by the fact that alternate history fans generally like having all the relevant stuff together?
And this isn't even getting into what are we constituting as alternate history if we do have a tag. Like, how subtle of a change does it have to be for it to count as alternate history? Using earlier-mentioned Kaiserreich as an example, we have post #3908085, depicting an Ottoman uniform that isn't radically different from what they had during WW1 despite it being about two decades since. Would a post depicting a recent loser of a major election as the victory count for the tag?
Updated by Damian0358
The problem I'm seeing here is that alternate history is moreso a genre than anything else, and not one with a notable "aesthetic" you could tag unlike fantasy or science fiction. I feel like if you asked ten different people what they imagine with alternate history, you get ten different answers. And that's not getting into the franchises that actually are alternate history already...What defines alternate history indeed.
I like the idea of a subset of alternate universe specifically for deviations from canon, a la "what if X lives?" sort of thing however. This is called "canon divergence" in modern internet slang. It could also free up alternate history from potential misuse if we want to keep alternate history around.
The bulk update request #61675 (forum #451520) has been rejected by @evazion.
