I'm okay if an AH story has an ASB premise.
If the author literally begins the story by portraying an alien space bat re-arranging reality, however, I'm done right there.
I liked it in the Sodor story @Geordie wrote.
I'm okay if an AH story has an ASB premise.
If the author literally begins the story by portraying an alien space bat re-arranging reality, however, I'm done right there.
Thank you. I need to get back on that.I liked it in the Sodor story @Geordie wrote.
Thank you. I need to get back on that.
For me, it rather depends on how it's done. Mine was probably a bit twee for some tastes, but I think a lot of my writing tends towards the twee.
I'm okay if an AH story has an ASB premise.
If the author literally begins the story by portraying an alien space bat re-arranging reality, however, I'm done right there.
They can strain credulity, but if I think they're theoretically plausible outcomes of nature or human behaviour, I can suspend disbelief or roll with the scenario. I might not, but I can.A literal "ASB rearranging reality" sounds like a combination of laziness and "look I'm meta! Lol! Reference!"
However, what do you think of in-universe justifications for the AH premise, including obviously blatant ones? (Rice and Salt's convenient Europe-only wipeout, The Seventh Carrier's haywire satellites destroying non-propeller planes to make WW2 ones viable again, Larry Bond's Cauldron and Red Alert 2 having a super-effective counterforce strike enable a conventional WW3?)
So I guess maybe where I'm going with this is that I'll accept reality-bending within the story, or I'll accept it outside the story, but the stereotypical ASB is both and it makes me cringe.
However, what do you think of in-universe justifications for the AH premise, including obviously blatant ones?
However, what do you think of in-universe justifications for the AH premise, including obviously blatant ones? (Rice and Salt's convenient Europe-only wipeout, The Seventh Carrier's haywire satellites destroying non-propeller planes to make WW2 ones viable again, Larry Bond's Cauldron and Red Alert 2 having a super-effective counterforce strike enable a conventional WW3?)
I've read AH where the POD is a long defeated zombie invasion which tore up the 19th century imperial powers and created a new political outcome.
you can't just casually toss this out and not tag me mate
title pls
Followed closely by the Iraqis avoiding the Coalition flanking maneuver in the Gulf War by simply stationing troops along the entire border.
All for the blatant ones when the AH you want to do is mega A. I've not read Peshawar Lancers and not sure I'd like it, but if you want to do a 19th century adventure story AH with implausible stuff, why not say "fuckoff great meteor hits Earth and lots of Brits move to India"?
Justifications in general, usually in favour for that AH thrill of "it could have happened". The specifics would be the issue, I.e. is it too implausible when the story isn't meant to be, doesn't have a sensible link, is clearly axe-grinding ("how great things would be if Ghostbusters 2016 never happened") and can't justify it by the story being good
Ah no, the term "alien space bat" is never used. It just happens to feature bat people from outer space in a prominent role.I find it hard to believe that a term so specific and so connected with alternate history to be chosen by coincidence.
A literal "ASB rearranging reality" sounds like a combination of laziness and "look I'm meta! Lol! Reference!"
There should be a plausible How Governments Fail anthology on a plausible scenario where an uncolonized OTL country becomes colonized due to government failure
Might be misremembering a few things but a couple of years ago on the wiki box thread (not the current one and most probably not the previous one) made a wiki box of an OTL NBA player who is black and portrayed him as a slave who is forced to partake in some Kentucky derby type event and the information portrayed him as some type of animal. Apparently it was so bad Calbear had to step in. I’m on my phone now so I can’t link to the whole conversation but maybe there is somewhere here who remembers this and can