Sliding Scale of Alternate History Plausibility: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted
VisualWikitext
m (Mass update links)
Line 12: Line 12:
* '''Type IV - Utterly Implausible AH:''' These are works that are so Soft that they melt. Works that are so implausible as to be effectively impossible and so Soft as to prove impossible to take seriously. Works where research was so poor or ill-considered, [[Author Filibuster|author politics so prevalent]], Butterflies so ignored, details (logistics, politics, etc.) so overlooked, often purposefully, that there's no way anyone with even a passing familiarity with the history can take it seriously. Infamously implausible scenarios like Operation Sealion <ref>[[Nazi Germany]]'s plan to invade Britain during [[World War II]], which has been shown by the members of [[Alternate History Dot Com]] (where it's become a [[Memetic Mutation]] because of this) to be one of the worst military plans ever conceived -- it would have been a catastrophic defeat for Germany that would have effectively destroyed the Wehrmacht and allowed the Allies to win up to a year earlier.</ref> are often placed here, as are utterly implausible technology jumps, such as Aztecs developing breech loading rifles in 1420. Over-the-top totally ludicrous [[Alternate History Wank|Alternate History Wanks]] are usually put here. Obviously a lot of YMMV here. One good "rule of thumb" is if a PoD necessary to make the outcome plausibly happen is so far in the past that Butterflies would totally negate the very events that created the setting (such as a PoD to give Hitler the fleet he needed to invade the UK would need to be before WWI, probably negating the rise of Nazism), then it may be a Type IV. ''Note:'' These works are often defined as [[Alien Space Bats]]; in fact the original term "[[Alien Space Bats]]" was coined to refer to these type of implausible works!
* '''Type IV - Utterly Implausible AH:''' These are works that are so Soft that they melt. Works that are so implausible as to be effectively impossible and so Soft as to prove impossible to take seriously. Works where research was so poor or ill-considered, [[Author Filibuster|author politics so prevalent]], Butterflies so ignored, details (logistics, politics, etc.) so overlooked, often purposefully, that there's no way anyone with even a passing familiarity with the history can take it seriously. Infamously implausible scenarios like Operation Sealion <ref>[[Nazi Germany]]'s plan to invade Britain during [[World War II]], which has been shown by the members of [[Alternate History Dot Com]] (where it's become a [[Memetic Mutation]] because of this) to be one of the worst military plans ever conceived -- it would have been a catastrophic defeat for Germany that would have effectively destroyed the Wehrmacht and allowed the Allies to win up to a year earlier.</ref> are often placed here, as are utterly implausible technology jumps, such as Aztecs developing breech loading rifles in 1420. Over-the-top totally ludicrous [[Alternate History Wank|Alternate History Wanks]] are usually put here. Obviously a lot of YMMV here. One good "rule of thumb" is if a PoD necessary to make the outcome plausibly happen is so far in the past that Butterflies would totally negate the very events that created the setting (such as a PoD to give Hitler the fleet he needed to invade the UK would need to be before WWI, probably negating the rise of Nazism), then it may be a Type IV. ''Note:'' These works are often defined as [[Alien Space Bats]]; in fact the original term "[[Alien Space Bats]]" was coined to refer to these type of implausible works!


* '''Type X - [[Alien Space Bats]] and Fantastical AH:''' In contrast with Type IV, these works are '''deliberately''' designed as pure fantasy, typically following the [[Rule of Cool]]. Some sort of [[Applied Phlebotinum]] or [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]] or [[Negative Space Wedgie]] or [[A Wizard Did It|blatant magic]] causes a PoD that completely changes everything. [[What If]] [[World War|aliens invade Earth during World War II]]? What if time traveling modern Cherokee give assault rifles to their distant ancestors in 1820? What if the modern island of Manhattan was [[Mass Teleportation|time-ported]] to the Mediterranean in Roman times? A sub-type of this rewrites actual history in fantastic terms: what if George Washington's army used nature magic to fight necromantic redcoats? Ironically, many Type X works can become very "Hard" following an initial fantastical PoD, diligently using historical research and Butterflies to see what would logically happen if the Cherokees really did have Kalashnikov assault rifles in 1820. Type X works can be "steered" or "unsteered". '''Note to Tropers:''' when posting examples please make a note on how "Hard" the work is after the initial PoD if the PoD is the ASB element; for example "after the [[Negative Space Wedgie]] moves Manhattan, the rest of the work follows a more Type II or even Type I level of plausibility".
* '''Type X - [[Alien Space Bats]] and Fantastical AH:''' In contrast with Type IV, these works are '''deliberately''' designed as pure fantasy, typically following the [[Rule of Cool]]. Some sort of [[Applied Phlebotinum]] or [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]] or [[Negative Space Wedgie]] or [[A Wizard Did It|blatant magic]] causes a PoD that completely changes everything. [[What If]] [[Worldwar (Literature)|aliens invade Earth during World War II]]? What if time traveling modern Cherokee give assault rifles to their distant ancestors in 1820? What if the modern island of Manhattan was [[Mass Teleportation|time-ported]] to the Mediterranean in Roman times? A sub-type of this rewrites actual history in fantastic terms: what if George Washington's army used nature magic to fight necromantic redcoats? Ironically, many Type X works can become very "Hard" following an initial fantastical PoD, diligently using historical research and Butterflies to see what would logically happen if the Cherokees really did have Kalashnikov assault rifles in 1820. Type X works can be "steered" or "unsteered". '''Note to Tropers:''' when posting examples please make a note on how "Hard" the work is after the initial PoD if the PoD is the ASB element; for example "after the [[Negative Space Wedgie]] moves Manhattan, the rest of the work follows a more Type II or even Type I level of plausibility".


Needless to say, the line between the different Types is [[Your Mileage May Vary|highly subjective]], often depending on an individual's personal interpretations or what historical theory he/she believes. Where history is vague (such as Prehistory) pure creative writing or blatant [[Ass Pull|Ass Pulls]] might be used. The perception of Type II vs. Type III vs. Type IV in particular can be very much in the eye of the beholder. Furthermore, perceived extreme cases of implausibility in a Type III can lead to cries of ASB ("and what magical fairy gave the Japanese the cargo ships they would have needed to invade Hawaii ?")
Needless to say, the line between the different Types is [[Your Mileage May Vary|highly subjective]], often depending on an individual's personal interpretations or what historical theory he/she believes. Where history is vague (such as Prehistory) pure creative writing or blatant [[Ass Pull|Ass Pulls]] might be used. The perception of Type II vs. Type III vs. Type IV in particular can be very much in the eye of the beholder. Furthermore, perceived extreme cases of implausibility in a Type III can lead to cries of ASB ("and what magical fairy gave the Japanese the cargo ships they would have needed to invade Hawaii ?")
Line 76: Line 76:
* ''[[The Guns of the South]]'' by [[Harry Turtledove|Guess Who]]: Time traveling South African Neo-Nazis bring Robert E. Lee's army AK-47 assault rifles. Only a stand-alone book (so it's hard to predict long-term trends), but seems to go Type I after the PoD.
* ''[[The Guns of the South]]'' by [[Harry Turtledove|Guess Who]]: Time traveling South African Neo-Nazis bring Robert E. Lee's army AK-47 assault rifles. Only a stand-alone book (so it's hard to predict long-term trends), but seems to go Type I after the PoD.
* S.M. Stirling's ''[[Island in The Sea of Time]]'' series, wherein the contemporary island of Nantucket is [[Mass Teleportation|time-ported]] back to the Bronze Age. Somewhat Soft after the PoD (Type II) as like most of Stirling's work it follows [[Rule of Cool]].
* S.M. Stirling's ''[[Island in The Sea of Time]]'' series, wherein the contemporary island of Nantucket is [[Mass Teleportation|time-ported]] back to the Bronze Age. Somewhat Soft after the PoD (Type II) as like most of Stirling's work it follows [[Rule of Cool]].
* Eric Flint's ''[[Sixteen Thirty Two|Ring Of Fire]]'' series where a West Virginia coal town is [[Mass Teleportation|time-and-space-ported]] to Germany in the middle of the 30 Years War. Very meticulously Hard after the PoD (Type I).
* Eric Flint's ''[[1632|Ring Of Fire]]'' series where a West Virginia coal town is [[Mass Teleportation|time-and-space-ported]] to Germany in the middle of the 30 Years War. Very meticulously Hard after the PoD (Type I).
* [[Heirs of Alexandria]] by [[Mercedes Lackey]], [[Eric Flint]], and [[Dave Freer]], but due to the large scale of the change, introducing magic, and how long ago it happened, probably a type II (Hard/Soft Alternate History) when the series start, mainly due to good research.
* [[Heirs of Alexandria]] by [[Mercedes Lackey]], [[Eric Flint]], and [[Dave Freer]], but due to the large scale of the change, introducing magic, and how long ago it happened, probably a type II (Hard/Soft Alternate History) when the series start, mainly due to good research.
* ''[[The Tales of Alvin Maker]]'' by [[Orson Scott Card]]: A retelling of the story of Mormonism founder Joseph Smith in a North America [[Mirror Universe]] where magic is real.
* ''[[The Tales of Alvin Maker]]'' by [[Orson Scott Card]]: A retelling of the story of Mormonism founder Joseph Smith in a North America [[Mirror Universe]] where magic is real.
Line 82: Line 82:
* ''[[Temeraire]]'' is the Napoleonic Wars... {{smallcaps|with dragons}}! Otherwise a Type II: The society is still reminiscent of the equivalent time period and technologies are much the same, though there are some significant political deviations. (The Incas were never conquered because they ''also'' had dragons, for instance).
* ''[[Temeraire]]'' is the Napoleonic Wars... {{smallcaps|with dragons}}! Otherwise a Type II: The society is still reminiscent of the equivalent time period and technologies are much the same, though there are some significant political deviations. (The Incas were never conquered because they ''also'' had dragons, for instance).
* The [[Ciem Webcomic Series]] postulates that Boonville, Indiana is overtaken by aliens who are obsessed with [[Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke|engineering]] [[Hybrid Monster|monsters]] [[Bio Punk|for political gain]]. It is attacked by the National Guard and the town of Gerosha is built in its place - so-named after [[Reality Subtext|a seashell with a letter "G" carved into it that was found on a beach in Florida]]. After that, the [[Feuding Families|growing feud]] between Gerosha's founding Flippo family and the Hebbleskin Crime Family results in more [[Biological Mashup|monsters]], more explosions, and even a radioactive [[MacGuffin]] or two. Since it aims to become a comic book film, it's very steered and [[They Just Didn't Care|doesn't seem to care]] about how hard or soft the AH is.
* The [[Ciem Webcomic Series]] postulates that Boonville, Indiana is overtaken by aliens who are obsessed with [[Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke|engineering]] [[Hybrid Monster|monsters]] [[Bio Punk|for political gain]]. It is attacked by the National Guard and the town of Gerosha is built in its place - so-named after [[Reality Subtext|a seashell with a letter "G" carved into it that was found on a beach in Florida]]. After that, the [[Feuding Families|growing feud]] between Gerosha's founding Flippo family and the Hebbleskin Crime Family results in more [[Biological Mashup|monsters]], more explosions, and even a radioactive [[MacGuffin]] or two. Since it aims to become a comic book film, it's very steered and [[They Just Didn't Care|doesn't seem to care]] about how hard or soft the AH is.
* ''[[Command and Conquer|Red Alert]]'' seems to be Type X-IV. It ''starts'' with [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]] building a [[Time Machine]] [[Hitlers Time Travel Exemption Act|and going back to kill Hitler]]. [[Dirty Communists]] led by [[Josef Stalin|Stalin]] invade Europe with [[Shock and Awe|Tesla coils]] and [[Tank Goodness|superheavy tanks]]. [[America Wins the War]] - but some thirty years later, we have a second Soviet invasion of USA... ''with [[Everythings Squishier With Cephalopods|giant battlesquids]], [[Weather Control Machine|Weather Control Machines]], tanks masquerading as trees, [[Frickin Laser Beams|Frickin Prismatic Beams]], [[Cloning Blues]], [[Teleporters and Transporters]], ''' [[Cool Airship|bomber blimps]], [[Mind Control|Mind-Controlling]] soldiers and psychic possession via telephone''''', all served with a side order of [[Large Ham|Ham]] and [[Camp|Cheese]]. And then, when it seemed it was over, [[Serial Escalation|Red Alert 3 comes-a-knockin'...]]
* ''[[Command and Conquer|Red Alert]]'' seems to be Type X-IV. It ''starts'' with [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]] building a [[Time Machine]] [[Hitler's Time Travel Exemption Act|and going back to kill Hitler]]. [[Dirty Communists]] led by [[Josef Stalin|Stalin]] invade Europe with [[Shock and Awe|Tesla coils]] and [[Tank Goodness|superheavy tanks]]. [[America Wins the War]] - but some thirty years later, we have a second Soviet invasion of USA... ''with [[Everything's Squishier With Cephalopods|giant battlesquids]], [[Weather Control Machine|Weather Control Machines]], tanks masquerading as trees, [[Frickin' Laser Beams|Frickin Prismatic Beams]], [[Cloning Blues]], [[Teleporters and Transporters]], ''' [[Cool Airship|bomber blimps]], [[Mind Control|Mind-Controlling]] soldiers and psychic possession via telephone''''', all served with a side order of [[Large Ham|Ham]] and [[Camp|Cheese]]. And then, when it seemed it was over, [[Serial Escalation|Red Alert 3 comes-a-knockin'...]]
* The ''[[West of Eden]]'' trilogy is probably an X-III, with the fantastic element being that the dinosaurs were never wiped out. Realistically speaking, the extinction of the dinosaurs is probably what allowed mammals to gain dominance and thus humans to come to be, but of course in that case the humans versus lizard-women plot couldn't happen.
* The ''[[West of Eden]]'' trilogy is probably an X-III, with the fantastic element being that the dinosaurs were never wiped out. Realistically speaking, the extinction of the dinosaurs is probably what allowed mammals to gain dominance and thus humans to come to be, but of course in that case the humans versus lizard-women plot couldn't happen.
* In John Birmingham's novel ''Without Warning'', a [[Colony Drop]] of a mysterious energy field called the Wave wipes out all human life in most of the continental United States and much of Canada, Mexico and Cuba in 2003 just before the invasion of Iraq but after that it's pretty much a Type I including Sadaam Hussein's reaction to "the Great Satan" gettiing it's legs chopped out from under it and what springs from that.
* In John Birmingham's novel ''Without Warning'', a [[Colony Drop]] of a mysterious energy field called the Wave wipes out all human life in most of the continental United States and much of Canada, Mexico and Cuba in 2003 just before the invasion of Iraq but after that it's pretty much a Type I including Sadaam Hussein's reaction to "the Great Satan" gettiing it's legs chopped out from under it and what springs from that.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Sliding_Scale_of_Alternate_History_Plausibility"