Alternative universe (fan fiction)

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An alternative universe (also known as alternate universe) is a type or form of fan fiction (fanfic) in which canonical facts of setting or characterization in the universe being explored or written about are deliberately changed.

[edit] Introduction

Commonly abbreviated AU, stories of this type are usually what-ifs, where possibilities arising from different circumstances, decisions, etc., are explored. Unlike regular fan fiction which remains generally within the boundaries of the canon set out by the author, alternative universe fiction writers like to explore different possibilities if pivotal changes were made to characters' history, motivations or environment.

In addition, the author also gets a built-in audience for their story, many of the fans of that universe, which they would not get if they wrote it as an original story instead of fan fiction. Certain of the best fan fiction writers who aspire to be published authors can perhaps take advantage of this in the opposite direction, having a built-in audience for books they might publish, namely, the readers of their fan fiction.

[edit] Types of Alternative Universe Fiction

Authors and readers of AU fanfic enjoy the fiction for a diverse number of reasons, but there are several shared impetus that exist regardless of fandom type:

• Exploration of which facets of the characters we know were and are determined by their environments. An example of this is the Daria fanfic, "The Art of Seeing",^[1] an AU story exploring what might be different if Jane were blind
• Stories written when the author was unhappy with the direction taken by the original source. An extensive example of this is "The Gargoyles Saga" fan fiction series, which ignores all but one of the episodes of Gargoyles' third and final season^[2]
• Stories called Fix-its or denial-fics. Stories in this category of AU follow the established canon, before veering away at a crucial moment (similar in concept to many entries in Marvel Comics' What If series), and are commonly called divergences.^{[citation needed]}
• Contextual Reassignment - taking the characters from a series, and placing them in a different time/place/situation. An example of this is "Living with Danger"-the first of the 4 Dangerverse fics named after the title character- by Anne Walsh, the first story in a Harry Potter AU series in which Remus Lupin and two original characters kidnap two-year-old Harry Potter, break Sirius Black out of Azkaban, and jointly raise Harry, Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy in a far more loving family than either Harry or Draco would otherwise have had.^[3]
• Familiar Contextual Reassignment - taking the characters from a series, and placing them in a setting more familiar to the author. This type of context shift is one of the main sources of 'high school fic', where all the characters, be they anime characters or lithe adventuresses, are written going to high school.^{[citation needed]}
• Swapping the characters with the actors who play them. The actors may find themselves actually in the fictional universe, or the fictional characters may find themselves in our real universe, or the story may feature both sides of the swap. This type of AU has appeared in mainstream publication as well, in Star Trek short stories from the early 1970s in which the actors from the Desilu set were swapped with the 'real life' Starfleet officers via the transporter. ("Visit To A Weird Planet"^[4] "Visit To A Weird Planet, Revisited"^[5]). These were fanfics that eventually were published in official Star Trek books. This is a trope that has been used in other places, such as Galaxy Quest.

Alternative universes arise inadvertedly in fan fiction when the source material is released in a serial form, such as a multi-season television series or a book series, so that fan works are written before further canon arrives. For instance, much Harry Potter fan fiction in the nearly three years between the publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was written as "continuation" fan fiction, but became AU as soon as the new canonical material appeared.

[edit] Changing Canon

In Alternative Universe stories, characters' known motivations may vary considerably from their decisions in the canonical universe. The author of an alternative universe story thus can use the same characters, but send them down different paths for a different plot.

On occasions, a fan fiction writer will create a character that is supposed to be there from the beginning and does not exist in the actual story that inspired it. 'Danger' Granger in Anne Walsh's Harry Potter AU series is an example of this.^[6]

[edit] AU Controversies

Many fanfic readers and authors dislike AUs because some AU writers disregard everything from the canon of official work by or approved of by the author. However, some authors specifically write AU fiction instead of textbook fanfic in order to explore those very issues. One story that caused some controversy by taking the characters wildly out of their milieu was "Simple and Clean" by Ethelfraed, a Yu-Gi-Oh! story that sets the characters in Normandy in 1066.^[7] Another type of AU that authors and readers have problems with involve the storyline of a well-known movie or video game, played out by original characters or by characters from another series.^{[citation needed]} Finally, some people have theorized that because AU authors are radically changing the story as it is, they are more prone to adding a Mary Sue wish-fulfillment character.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] AU in original fiction

Alternative universes are also used in original fiction works themselves, such as in the webcomic El Goonish Shive, where it is an integral part of the storyline, and has spurred works of fan fiction in these and other alternate universes. The webcomic Sluggy Freelance had an alternate universe storyline^[8] which, while not integral, was revisited for another storyline.^[9] Another example of an original fiction story taking place in an alternate universe is Red Son, a Superman graphic novel in which Superman landed in the USSR instead of the USA.

In the many Gundam anime series, there are six major timelines that are independent of one another (though there is some debate about the fifth timeline), and some fan circles (especially in North America) refer to the timelines created after the original Universal Century as "Alternate Universes". However, this does not truly fit the standard definition of AU, as the timelines share neither characters nor locations (aside from the solar system itself). Tenchi Muyo! and El-Hazard utilize the more traditional alternative universe concept, each beginning with an OVA series and followed by a TV series that utilizes many of the same characters and locations, but with alterations made to both (some minor and some drastic).

The Star Wars: Infinities comic book series explores alternate universe fiction in a "what if" style, diverging from the story of the original Star Wars trilogy movies at crucial moments, with a major impact on the evolving story.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Parallel Universe
• Divergent Timeline
• Uberfic