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* {{WebOriginal/Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire}}
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* {{WebOriginal/Zhirinovsky's {{Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire}}
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* WebOriginal/Zhirinovsky'sRussianEmpire{{WebOriginal/Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire}}
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* BerserkButton: The entire forum has a (memetic) tendency to get riled when people start talking about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion Operation Sealion]] (Hitler's plan to invade Britain) because discussion has long since been played out and there [[http://gateway.alternatehistory.com/essays/Sealion.html is a universal consensus]] that the plan was [[http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/world-war-ii/3106/Question-Why-do-people-think-Operation-Sealion-was-impossible so badly conceived]] that its success was essentially impossible.
** Over at the Chat sections, God help you if you a.) mention "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/teh_evol_muslims#muslim-immigrant_caliphate TEH EVOL MUSLIMS WILL TAKE OVER DA WORLD]]" and/or b.) troll extremist or ConspiracyTheorist drivel.
** Over at the Chat sections, God help you if you a.) mention "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/teh_evol_muslims#muslim-immigrant_caliphate TEH EVOL MUSLIMS WILL TAKE OVER DA WORLD]]" and/or b.) troll extremist or ConspiracyTheorist drivel.
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* BerserkButton: BerserkButton:
** The entire forum has a (memetic) tendency to get riled when people start talking about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion Operation Sealion]] (Hitler's plan to invade Britain) because discussion has long since been played out and there [[http://gateway.alternatehistory.com/essays/Sealion.html is a universal consensus]] that the plan was [[http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/world-war-ii/3106/Question-Why-do-people-think-Operation-Sealion-was-impossible so badly conceived]] that its success was essentially impossible.
** Over at the Chat sections, God help you if youa.) '''a.)''' mention "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/teh_evol_muslims#muslim-immigrant_caliphate TEH EVOL MUSLIMS WILL TAKE OVER DA WORLD]]" and/or b.) '''b.)''' troll extremist or ConspiracyTheorist drivel.
** The entire forum has a (memetic) tendency to get riled when people start talking about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion Operation Sealion]] (Hitler's plan to invade Britain) because discussion has long since been played out and there [[http://gateway.alternatehistory.com/essays/Sealion.html is a universal consensus]] that the plan was [[http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/world-war-ii/3106/Question-Why-do-people-think-Operation-Sealion-was-impossible so badly conceived]] that its success was essentially impossible.
** Over at the Chat sections, God help you if you
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** Invoking the CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkey stereotype has also become hated as well.
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** Invoking the CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkey CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys stereotype has also become hated as well.
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They have also created their own version of this very wiki, titled (of course) [[http://ahtropes.wikia.com/wiki/AH%20Tropes%20Wiki?wiki-welcome=1# AH Tropes]]. It's currently in its infancy, so WikiMagic is necessary.
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* TheWikiRule : [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/start A pretty informative place if you want to get into understanding and writing alternate history.]]
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* TheWikiRule : :
** [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/start A pretty informative place if you want to get into understanding and writing alternate history.]]]] Created in 2006. While it had a bit of a structural and content hiatus at the end of the last decade, it's been undergoing regular updating and improvements since roughly the autumn of 2011.
** There's also the newer and currently less developed [[http://ahtropes.wikia.com/wiki/AH_Tropes_Wiki AH Tropes Wiki]], started by a small group of AH.com enthusiasts.
** [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/start A pretty informative place if you want to get into understanding and writing alternate history.
** There's also the newer and currently less developed [[http://ahtropes.wikia.com/wiki/AH_Tropes_Wiki AH Tropes Wiki]], started by a small group of AH.com enthusiasts.
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As a disclaimer, however, much of the content, including the Future History, ASB and Off Topic sections, on the forum is accessible only to logged-on members. The main logic behind it (according to the moderators) is so that it would encourage people to sign up for the more "serious" discussion threads, with the rest available afterwards (with a Writers' Block section sensibly restricted for copyright reasons).
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As a disclaimer, however, much of the content, including the Future History, ASB and Off Topic sections, on the forum is accessible only to logged-on logged in members. The main logic behind it (according to the moderators) is so that it would encourage people to sign up for the more "serious" discussion threads, with the rest available afterwards (with a Writers' Block section sensibly restricted for copyright reasons).
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* AnAlternateHistoryOfTheNetherlands
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* StarTrekUnionLiterature/StarTrekUnion
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* {{419Scam}}: Often references due to similar scams being attempted by spambots invading the forum occasionally. The name 'Charles Akawele' for an archetypal Nigerian spammer is a RunningGag.
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* {{419Scam}}: FourOneNineScam: Often references due to similar scams being attempted by spambots invading the forum occasionally. The name 'Charles Akawele' for an archetypal Nigerian spammer is a RunningGag.
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* Tropers/CaoCao[[note]]As Hendryk[[/note]]
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* 419Scam: Often references due to similar scams being attempted by spambots invading the forum occasionally. The name 'Charles Akawele' for an archetypal Nigerian spammer is a RunningGag.
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* 419Scam: {{419Scam}}: Often references due to similar scams being attempted by spambots invading the forum occasionally. The name 'Charles Akawele' for an archetypal Nigerian spammer is a RunningGag.
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* 419Scam: Often references due to similar scams being attempted by spambots invading the forum occasionally. The name 'Charles Akawele' for an archetypal Nigerian spammer is a RunningGag.
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!! AH.com is the TropeNamer of :
* AlternateHistoryWank: There are specific versions for individual countries ("Ameriwank", "Britwank", "Naziwank", "Sovietwank", "Byzantowank" etc.). Over-the-top wanks (usually parodic by their very nature) are commonly referred to as "Alternate History Bukkake".
* SpaceFillingEmpire : [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/space_filling_empire Coined by board member Imajin]] after getting upset about how all too many AlternateHistory maps adhere to the lazy solution of AllNationsAreSuperpowers.
----
* AlternateHistoryWank: There are specific versions for individual countries ("Ameriwank", "Britwank", "Naziwank", "Sovietwank", "Byzantowank" etc.). Over-the-top wanks (usually parodic by their very nature) are commonly referred to as "Alternate History Bukkake".
* SpaceFillingEmpire : [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/space_filling_empire Coined by board member Imajin]] after getting upset about how all too many AlternateHistory maps adhere to the lazy solution of AllNationsAreSuperpowers.
----
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No Circular Links.
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!!Works from AlternateHistoryDotCom referenced here:
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!!Works from AlternateHistoryDotCom this website referenced here:here:
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* EverythingsBetterWithPlushies: Several years ago, AlternateHistoryDotCom started the "[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=36615 Sealion World Tour]]". This joke project is still on-going in 2011. The members send a plush sealion named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Sealion]] from one member to another, who'll take pictures and post them on the forum. Sealion has been to four continents so far and has last been seen in Brazil. The reason they used a sealion ? It's an ironic mascot of the site, referencing a surprisingly popular yet horribly implausible AH scenario. Read the BerserkButton entry above.
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* EverythingsBetterWithPlushies: Several years ago, AlternateHistoryDotCom the site started the "[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=36615 Sealion World Tour]]". This joke project is still on-going in 2011. The members send a plush sealion named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Sealion]] from one member to another, who'll take pictures and post them on the forum. Sealion has been to four continents so far and has last been seen in Brazil. The reason they used a sealion ? It's an ironic mascot of the site, referencing a surprisingly popular yet horribly implausible AH scenario. Read the BerserkButton entry above.
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Commonly abbreviated to AH.com, currently the internet's largest AlternateHistory [[CaptainObvious site]] since the collapse of [[{{USENET}} Soc.history.what-if]]. Revolves around a discussion forum that has been in existence since 2000 and in its current form since 2004. Has produced a great deal of AH fiction output; a full list of timelines with links can be found [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/timelines/timelines_and_scenarios here]] on [[TheWikiRule the site's wiki]].
AH.com has also produced some AH, science fiction and fantasy stories in the form of prose, which can be found [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/stories/general_index_of_stories here]].
However, the forum's Off Topic section is also notable for having developed its own subculture over the years, filled with [[RunningGag Running Gags]] and MemeticMutation. All of this has found its expression in ''AHDotComTheSeries'', a satirical comedy-cum-drama (DependingOnTheWriter) series parodying both common AlternateHistory settings and tropes, and more generically the futuristic sci-fi setting of the titular crosstime ship. The crew and most of the guest cast is made up of fictionalized forms of the Board's own members. If it can be categorized as a SelfInsertFic, we can only conclude that most AH.commers are raving sadomasochists, given what usually happens to the crew.
In addition to the main Series, there have been several other similar productions, such as ''Luaky Commer'' and ''AH.com Wars'' (parodies of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' and ''StarWars'' starring the characters from the Series), the SpinOff ''AH Dot Com The Next Generation'', and others.
As a disclaimer, however, much of the content, including the Future History, ASB and Off Topic sections, on the forum is accessible only to logged-on members. The main logic behind it (according to the moderators) is so that it would encourage people to sign up for the more "serious" discussion threads, with the rest available afterwards (with a Writers' Block section sensibly restricted for copyright reasons).
It also has a [[PlayByPostGame Shared Worlds]] section divided up into Shared Worlds, Large Games and Sandbox.
They have also created their own version of this very wiki, titled (of course) [[http://ahtropes.wikia.com/wiki/AH%20Tropes%20Wiki?wiki-welcome=1# AH Tropes]]. It's currently in its infancy, so WikiMagic is necessary.
----
!!Works from AlternateHistoryDotCom referenced here:
[[index]]
* AHDotComEternals
* AHDotComTheSeries
* AHWorldCup
* AdAstraPerAspera
* Literature/AllAlongTheWatchtower
* AGiantSuckingSound
* AnAgeOfMiracles
* AngloAmericanNaziWar
* AWorldOfLaughterAWorldOfTears
* BritishImperialismOfThe19thCentury
* TheBritwankEmpire
* ACentralEast
* Literature/ChaosTimeline
* TheCreepyTeenYears
* DamselsAndDirigibles
* DecadesOfDarkness
* DyingADream
* DystopicReturnOfMagic
* {{Englishman}}
* FightAndBeRight
* Literature/FearLoathingAndGumboOnTheCampaignTrailSeventyTwo
* Roleplay/{{FISOT}} map games
* ForTheSakeOfAShower
* Literature/TheFountainheadFilibusterTalesFromObjectivistKatanga
* Literature/ForAllTheMarbles
* GorbachevMkII
* GreenAntarctica
* AGreaterBritain
* HerDiamondHeart
* HogwartsExposedTimeline
* HoldingOutForAHeroGustavStresemannSurvives
* LandsOfRedAndGold
* LookToTheWest
* AMorePersonalUnion
* TheNavatlacasHeirsToHernanAndMontezuma
* NoMansLandTalesFromTheWeirdWars
* NoSpanishCivilWarIn1936
* Literature/NowBloomsTheTudorRose
* OnTheShouldersOfGiants
* ProtectAndSurviveATimeline
* RedDawnPlus20
* Literature/{{Reds}}
* ReimaginedEnterprise
* TheRoadToWillaCatherLanding (including its SpinOff Land of Confusion)
* StarTrekANewBeginning
* SuperpowerEmpireChina1912
* SwarmOnTheSomme
* Literature/ThatWackyRedhead
* TwoLuckyPrinces
* UnionAndLiberty
* UnitedStatesOfAmeriwank
* UseYourLoaf
* ViveLaFrancewank
* WeimarWorld
* Literature/WellMeetAgain
* YugoslaviaAndNothingOfValueWasLost
[[/index]]
Note that many of these timelines and scenarios (whether fully finished or not) are quite grand examples of ArchivePanic. You have been warned...
----
!!AH.commers who are also tropers include:
* Tropers/AnalyticalEngine
* Askelion
* Tropers/{{Brainbin}}
* Canonier
* Tropers/CaoCao[[note]]As Hendryk[[/note]]
* Tropers/CJMiller [[note]]As CJ Miller[[/note]]
* Tropers/CrackersNCheese
* Cryolemon [[note]]As Lemon Flavoured[[/note]]
* Tropers/CounterBlitzkrieg [[note]]As counterblitzkrieg[[/note]]
* Tropers/DrNodelescu
* Dr. Strangelove
* Tropers/FenrirAngerboda
* Geekhis Khan
* Tropers/{{Kinkajou}}[[note]]As [=SavoyTruffle=][[/note]]
* Tropers/{{Marr965}}
* Tropers/MaxSinister
* Medicus
* Tropers/{{Milarqui}}
* Tropers/{{Moogi}}
* Tropers/NothingNow
* [=OKH=] 1946
* PaulieRomanov
* Tropers/Razgriz2K9
* rvbomally
* The Sandman
* Tropers/SantosLHalper[[note]]As [[Webcomic/FrederickTheGreat President Lenin]][[/note]]
* Tropers/{{Thande}}
* Turtler
* Tropers/VulcanTrekkie45
* Wilcoxchar
* yourtowndrunk
* Tropers/ZemplinTemplar[[note]]As [=Petike=][[/note]]
* Zacoftheaxes
----
!! AH.com is the TropeNamer of :
* AlternateHistoryWank: There are specific versions for individual countries ("Ameriwank", "Britwank", "Naziwank", "Sovietwank", "Byzantowank" etc.). Over-the-top wanks (usually parodic by their very nature) are commonly referred to as "Alternate History Bukkake".
* SpaceFillingEmpire : [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/space_filling_empire Coined by board member Imajin]] after getting upset about how all too many AlternateHistory maps adhere to the lazy solution of AllNationsAreSuperpowers.
----
!!Tropes used in AH.com culture include:
* AlienSpaceBats: The TropeNamer is soc.history.what-if, of which AH.com is a [[SpiritualSuccessor spiritual descendant]].
* AmericanCivilWar: One of the most (over)used counterfactual settings.
* ArgentinaIsNaziland: Averted. The board has long deemed this an overblown cliché, whether in AH works or real life (the idea of Nazi emigrees setting up a Fourth Reich in South America is ridiculed in particular).
* AsYouKnow: This overly obvious mode of infodump [[DefiedTrope tends to be frowned upon]] by the AH community as bad form, but can't always be avoided.
* BanOnPolitics: Averted. UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics was a recurring topic of heated debates, though by mid-2009 it had tended to be superseded by same-sex marriage and especially universal health care.
* BerserkButton: The entire forum has a (memetic) tendency to get riled when people start talking about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion Operation Sealion]] (Hitler's plan to invade Britain) because discussion has long since been played out and there [[http://gateway.alternatehistory.com/essays/Sealion.html is a universal consensus]] that the plan was [[http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/world-war-ii/3106/Question-Why-do-people-think-Operation-Sealion-was-impossible so badly conceived]] that its success was essentially impossible.
** Over at the Chat sections, God help you if you a.) mention "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/teh_evol_muslims#muslim-immigrant_caliphate TEH EVOL MUSLIMS WILL TAKE OVER DA WORLD]]" and/or b.) troll extremist or ConspiracyTheorist drivel.
** Kindly avoid making ''Creator/MontyPython'' references. Yes, everyone ''[[OverusedRunningGag does]]'' expect the Spanish Inquisition by now.
** Invoking the CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkey stereotype has also become hated as well.
* BrainBleach / ScreamingAtSquick: AH.com's version is to scream and call for "THE FORKS! THE FORKS!"
* TheBritishEmpire: Another popular theme for scenarios (which usually portray it in a positive and sympathetic light - though there is also quite a few deliberate {{deconstruction}}s of this sentiment.)
* {{Eagleland}}: When "Ameriwank" scenarios come up, generally their authors have flavour #1 in mind and everyone else is pointedly reminded of flavour #2.
* ElSpanishO: A RunningGag on the site, started by member Thermopylae, who refers to map updates to his timelines as "El Mappo!", and later used by the Heterosexual Reconquista.
* EverythingsBetterWithPlushies: Several years ago, AlternateHistoryDotCom started the "[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=36615 Sealion World Tour]]". This joke project is still on-going in 2011. The members send a plush sealion named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Sealion]] from one member to another, who'll take pictures and post them on the forum. Sealion has been to four continents so far and has last been seen in Brazil. The reason they used a sealion ? It's an ironic mascot of the site, referencing a surprisingly popular yet horribly implausible AH scenario. Read the BerserkButton entry above.
** It gets better when you find out the person who is supposed to receive said stuffed animal in the end is nicknamed on the forum..."[[AccidentalPun The Overlord]]".
* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: Naturally, alternate popculture is a frequent feature of many of the board's AH stories and projects. Pages compiling some discussions on these topics can be found [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/pods/popular_culture here]] and [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/alternate_history_media here]].
* FakeMovieRealTrailer: [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=25815 This thread.]]
* FanSequel and FixFic: Many published works of alternate history have received this experimental treatment over the years in various scenarios posted on the board. These unofficial re-imaginings and continuations are usually of high quality. ''HerDiamondHeart'' is one of the re-imaginings of Creator/SMStirling's ''ThePeshawarLancers''. ''DecadesOfDarkness'' was explicitly created as as an attempt to make a realistic timeline with an evil empire in the vein of TheDraka, making it an InspiredBy re-imagining of sorts. There's even an unofficial continuation of HarryTurtledove's {{Timeline-191}} series.
* FollowTheLeader: The premise of board member Big Tex's scenario ''The United States of [[AlternateHistoryWank Ameriwank]]'' is that a stranger from the future came to the Colonial America before the AmericanRevolution intending to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong [[GivingRadioToTheRomans by giving]] George Washington an AppliedPhlebotinum to help America unite the world in the end. A lot of posters ended up creating stories on similar premise where a stranger from the future to do similar thing except with different nations instead of America. This phenomenon is known as the "[[TheVerse Strangerverse]]" and has received several {{spinoff}}s (with the Brits, French, etc.), [[SharedUniverse all connected by the same basic premise]].
* ForWantOfANail: Great care is usually taken by writers of counterfactual timelines in the choice of the point of divergence.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Did you know that atom bombs are a hoax perpetrated by Jewish tribalist uncles who sit inside nuclear reactors rubbing vaseline into potatoes ? Apparently, one (in)famous banned troll [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/eleven11 virulently believed in this]]. It became a minor [[MemeticMutation meme]] on the site after his banning.
** Other bits of famous AH.com troll logic include the idea that graffiting on pavements will cause gay couples to jump off bridges, and something to do with public trees on private land (or possibly private trees on public land). See [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/memetic_mutation here]] for more details.
** Also, [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=58931 this thread]], ''which is the stuff of legends''. A ridiculously implausible Polish AlternateHistoryWank combined with several staggering examples of ArtisticLicenseHistory. And the troll responsible wasn't even Polish !
* MadMathematician: Zyzzyva.
* MassTeleportation: Quite common in scenarios involving AlienSpaceBats. The local term is [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/isot ISOT]], a verbed abbreviation derived from the initials of Creator/SMStirling's novel ''IslandInTheSeaOfTime''. (E.g. "I'll ISOT myself/country XY/person XY to the year...").
* MiddleEasternCoalition: Routinely spoofed and skewed. Popular joke names include "the Randomid Caliphate", "Implausiblid Caliphate" and "The Obligatory Supercaliphate".
* MisplacedNationalism: Occurs a lot in the Chat threads.
* NetworkDecay: Periodically people will rant about the decline of the "History" Channel.
* NoNameGiven: The Sealion World Tour (see above) featured a stuffed toy sealion called... Sealion, because nobody could think of a suitable name. He was eventually dubbed "Silas" by the Brazilians, a PunnyName that only works in Portuguese.
* PatrioticFervour: Parodied, occasionally played straight.
* PlayByPostGame: The [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/shared_worlds/shared_worlds Shared Worlds section]] contains a variety of them (map games, AH RPGs, etc.). A good deal of them become complex stories or universes given enough time.
* {{Podcast}}: [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/ah.com_podcast The AH.com Podcast]].
* RunningGag : In addition to using some mainstream internet memes, AH.com has [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/running_jokes its own set]].
** There are also [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/alternate_history_cliches various related memes]] about the most common {{Cliche Storm}}s seen in timelines (especially those of newbie authors preferring AlternateHistoryWank).
** At one point, there was a tendency to give really sadistic CrapsackWorld scenarios the "[[http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/7161/vladtepesaward.jpg Vlad Tepes Award]]" (aka Vlad Dracula, Vlad the Impaler). That name alone explains itself. Due to increasing overuse, [[DiscreditedMeme this meme is now frowned upon]].
** "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/that_damned_kazakh_border If I see that damned Kazakh border one more time...]]"
** The aforementioned "[[{{Demonization}} Eeebiiiil Muslim]] MiddleEasternCoalition". A variant is the "Boat People's Caliphate", a mocking name for a hypothetical Indonesia-led alliance of south Asian Muslim countries (a staple of the already cliché scenario "random near future war between Indonesia and Australia").
** Another notable running gag is that all the German members on the forum actually constitute a HiveMind - despite their constant political arguments, which are held to be only an elaborate cover.
** ''Someone'' is bound to bring up the infamous "[[CulturalPosturing China need not democracy]], [[TranslationTrainWreck need not throwing banana]]" [[{{Narm}} statement]] by pro-RedChina {{troll}} "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/kahing kahing]]" every time there's a thread on said country.
*** {{Troll}}s in general are often regarded as [[FountainOfMemes a rich and treasured source of memes]] among AH.commers.
* ScrapbookStory: Many of the best works on the site.
* SeriousBusiness:
** The Universal Colour Scheme (UCS) for alternate history maps. Resulting in a feud over a proposed revision to UCS. The Change: Moving Non-Communist Russia from a Gold-tone to a Green, but then, it was DecidedByOneVote (well, two votes - 183 to 181), so obviously lots of people argued.
** The more recent "[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pony]] [[InternetBackdraft Wars]]" ended after several members were banned, several more had their posting privileges temporarily revoked, and a moderator being demoted. People still are hesitant to discuss it today.
* ShownTheirWork : Because of their love for the genre, the members of the board try to do this as much as possible - even when writing deliberately silly and RuleOfFun scenarios and timelines.
* SingleIssueWonk: A lot of the banned trolls fall into this category.
* SillyReasonForWar: While some of the on-board disputes so far had an amount of seriousness to them, [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/ah.com_conflicts they've been mostly jocular in nature]].
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Nobody can ever agree on how to spell Colonel Gaddafi's name.
* TestosteronePoisoning: At one point a beard-growing contest was held, with the winner being given the title of "'''Ultimate AH.com Macho Manly MountainMan In The Height Of His Manliness'''".
* TheWikiRule : [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/start A pretty informative place if you want to get into understanding and writing alternate history.]]
* TheOtherWiki: Wikipedia has a (not entirely undeserved) reputation on the forum for being subject to bias by nationalist administrators: running gags and {{Flanderisation}} focus on Poles and Armenians, but there are plenty from many other countries as well. All this material was used in the ''AHDotComTheSeries'' two-parter "Citation Needed".
** Hence why its nicknames include "Polonopedia" and "[[UnusualDysphemism The Armenian Genocide]]", or simply The Genocide.
** There's also an increased awareness of Wiki/TVTropes on the forum as well. Though some see it as overflowing with {{Anime}} and HoYay.
* TropeDecay: In the past few years, the overuse of the term AlienSpaceBats to mean "anything that seems implausible or not very probable to this board member" had lead to the erosion of its original meaning. Many senior AH.commers (but newer ones as well) disliked this trend because it had started bordering on complete {{Natter}}. They had campaigned to bring the term and acronym back to its roots and stop its overuse as a derogatory shorthand. It seems to have worked, since the overuse/misuse has largely been reversed and had pretty much gradually vanished as a problem during the 2012-2013 season.
* UnknownRival: Alternia.
* WorthyOpponent: Othertimelines.com, before it went down at least.
* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: Generally seen as a codeword for "[[MST3KMantra this timeline shouldn't be taken entirely seriously]]." They've been sporked as a cliche, but everyone still admits that [[RuleOfCool they're too cool]] ''[[RuleOfCool not]]'' [[RuleOfCool to put in somewhere]].
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AH.com has also produced some AH, science fiction and fantasy stories in the form of prose, which can be found [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/stories/general_index_of_stories here]].
However, the forum's Off Topic section is also notable for having developed its own subculture over the years, filled with [[RunningGag Running Gags]] and MemeticMutation. All of this has found its expression in ''AHDotComTheSeries'', a satirical comedy-cum-drama (DependingOnTheWriter) series parodying both common AlternateHistory settings and tropes, and more generically the futuristic sci-fi setting of the titular crosstime ship. The crew and most of the guest cast is made up of fictionalized forms of the Board's own members. If it can be categorized as a SelfInsertFic, we can only conclude that most AH.commers are raving sadomasochists, given what usually happens to the crew.
In addition to the main Series, there have been several other similar productions, such as ''Luaky Commer'' and ''AH.com Wars'' (parodies of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' and ''StarWars'' starring the characters from the Series), the SpinOff ''AH Dot Com The Next Generation'', and others.
As a disclaimer, however, much of the content, including the Future History, ASB and Off Topic sections, on the forum is accessible only to logged-on members. The main logic behind it (according to the moderators) is so that it would encourage people to sign up for the more "serious" discussion threads, with the rest available afterwards (with a Writers' Block section sensibly restricted for copyright reasons).
It also has a [[PlayByPostGame Shared Worlds]] section divided up into Shared Worlds, Large Games and Sandbox.
They have also created their own version of this very wiki, titled (of course) [[http://ahtropes.wikia.com/wiki/AH%20Tropes%20Wiki?wiki-welcome=1# AH Tropes]]. It's currently in its infancy, so WikiMagic is necessary.
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!!Works from AlternateHistoryDotCom referenced here:
[[index]]
* AHDotComEternals
* AHDotComTheSeries
* AHWorldCup
* AdAstraPerAspera
* Literature/AllAlongTheWatchtower
* AGiantSuckingSound
* AnAgeOfMiracles
* AngloAmericanNaziWar
* AWorldOfLaughterAWorldOfTears
* BritishImperialismOfThe19thCentury
* TheBritwankEmpire
* ACentralEast
* Literature/ChaosTimeline
* TheCreepyTeenYears
* DamselsAndDirigibles
* DecadesOfDarkness
* DyingADream
* DystopicReturnOfMagic
* {{Englishman}}
* FightAndBeRight
* Literature/FearLoathingAndGumboOnTheCampaignTrailSeventyTwo
* Roleplay/{{FISOT}} map games
* ForTheSakeOfAShower
* Literature/TheFountainheadFilibusterTalesFromObjectivistKatanga
* Literature/ForAllTheMarbles
* GorbachevMkII
* GreenAntarctica
* AGreaterBritain
* HerDiamondHeart
* HogwartsExposedTimeline
* HoldingOutForAHeroGustavStresemannSurvives
* LandsOfRedAndGold
* LookToTheWest
* AMorePersonalUnion
* TheNavatlacasHeirsToHernanAndMontezuma
* NoMansLandTalesFromTheWeirdWars
* NoSpanishCivilWarIn1936
* Literature/NowBloomsTheTudorRose
* OnTheShouldersOfGiants
* ProtectAndSurviveATimeline
* RedDawnPlus20
* Literature/{{Reds}}
* ReimaginedEnterprise
* TheRoadToWillaCatherLanding (including its SpinOff Land of Confusion)
* StarTrekANewBeginning
* SuperpowerEmpireChina1912
* SwarmOnTheSomme
* Literature/ThatWackyRedhead
* TwoLuckyPrinces
* UnionAndLiberty
* UnitedStatesOfAmeriwank
* UseYourLoaf
* ViveLaFrancewank
* WeimarWorld
* Literature/WellMeetAgain
* YugoslaviaAndNothingOfValueWasLost
[[/index]]
Note that many of these timelines and scenarios (whether fully finished or not) are quite grand examples of ArchivePanic. You have been warned...
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!!AH.commers who are also tropers include:
* Tropers/AnalyticalEngine
* Askelion
* Tropers/{{Brainbin}}
* Canonier
* Tropers/CaoCao[[note]]As Hendryk[[/note]]
* Tropers/CJMiller [[note]]As CJ Miller[[/note]]
* Tropers/CrackersNCheese
* Cryolemon [[note]]As Lemon Flavoured[[/note]]
* Tropers/CounterBlitzkrieg [[note]]As counterblitzkrieg[[/note]]
* Tropers/DrNodelescu
* Dr. Strangelove
* Tropers/FenrirAngerboda
* Geekhis Khan
* Tropers/{{Kinkajou}}[[note]]As [=SavoyTruffle=][[/note]]
* Tropers/{{Marr965}}
* Tropers/MaxSinister
* Medicus
* Tropers/{{Milarqui}}
* Tropers/{{Moogi}}
* Tropers/NothingNow
* [=OKH=] 1946
* PaulieRomanov
* Tropers/Razgriz2K9
* rvbomally
* The Sandman
* Tropers/SantosLHalper[[note]]As [[Webcomic/FrederickTheGreat President Lenin]][[/note]]
* Tropers/{{Thande}}
* Turtler
* Tropers/VulcanTrekkie45
* Wilcoxchar
* yourtowndrunk
* Tropers/ZemplinTemplar[[note]]As [=Petike=][[/note]]
* Zacoftheaxes
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!! AH.com is the TropeNamer of :
* AlternateHistoryWank: There are specific versions for individual countries ("Ameriwank", "Britwank", "Naziwank", "Sovietwank", "Byzantowank" etc.). Over-the-top wanks (usually parodic by their very nature) are commonly referred to as "Alternate History Bukkake".
* SpaceFillingEmpire : [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/space_filling_empire Coined by board member Imajin]] after getting upset about how all too many AlternateHistory maps adhere to the lazy solution of AllNationsAreSuperpowers.
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!!Tropes used in AH.com culture include:
* AlienSpaceBats: The TropeNamer is soc.history.what-if, of which AH.com is a [[SpiritualSuccessor spiritual descendant]].
* AmericanCivilWar: One of the most (over)used counterfactual settings.
* ArgentinaIsNaziland: Averted. The board has long deemed this an overblown cliché, whether in AH works or real life (the idea of Nazi emigrees setting up a Fourth Reich in South America is ridiculed in particular).
* AsYouKnow: This overly obvious mode of infodump [[DefiedTrope tends to be frowned upon]] by the AH community as bad form, but can't always be avoided.
* BanOnPolitics: Averted. UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics was a recurring topic of heated debates, though by mid-2009 it had tended to be superseded by same-sex marriage and especially universal health care.
* BerserkButton: The entire forum has a (memetic) tendency to get riled when people start talking about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion Operation Sealion]] (Hitler's plan to invade Britain) because discussion has long since been played out and there [[http://gateway.alternatehistory.com/essays/Sealion.html is a universal consensus]] that the plan was [[http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/world-war-ii/3106/Question-Why-do-people-think-Operation-Sealion-was-impossible so badly conceived]] that its success was essentially impossible.
** Over at the Chat sections, God help you if you a.) mention "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/teh_evol_muslims#muslim-immigrant_caliphate TEH EVOL MUSLIMS WILL TAKE OVER DA WORLD]]" and/or b.) troll extremist or ConspiracyTheorist drivel.
** Kindly avoid making ''Creator/MontyPython'' references. Yes, everyone ''[[OverusedRunningGag does]]'' expect the Spanish Inquisition by now.
** Invoking the CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkey stereotype has also become hated as well.
* BrainBleach / ScreamingAtSquick: AH.com's version is to scream and call for "THE FORKS! THE FORKS!"
* TheBritishEmpire: Another popular theme for scenarios (which usually portray it in a positive and sympathetic light - though there is also quite a few deliberate {{deconstruction}}s of this sentiment.)
* {{Eagleland}}: When "Ameriwank" scenarios come up, generally their authors have flavour #1 in mind and everyone else is pointedly reminded of flavour #2.
* ElSpanishO: A RunningGag on the site, started by member Thermopylae, who refers to map updates to his timelines as "El Mappo!", and later used by the Heterosexual Reconquista.
* EverythingsBetterWithPlushies: Several years ago, AlternateHistoryDotCom started the "[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=36615 Sealion World Tour]]". This joke project is still on-going in 2011. The members send a plush sealion named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Sealion]] from one member to another, who'll take pictures and post them on the forum. Sealion has been to four continents so far and has last been seen in Brazil. The reason they used a sealion ? It's an ironic mascot of the site, referencing a surprisingly popular yet horribly implausible AH scenario. Read the BerserkButton entry above.
** It gets better when you find out the person who is supposed to receive said stuffed animal in the end is nicknamed on the forum..."[[AccidentalPun The Overlord]]".
* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: Naturally, alternate popculture is a frequent feature of many of the board's AH stories and projects. Pages compiling some discussions on these topics can be found [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/pods/popular_culture here]] and [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/alternate_history_media here]].
* FakeMovieRealTrailer: [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=25815 This thread.]]
* FanSequel and FixFic: Many published works of alternate history have received this experimental treatment over the years in various scenarios posted on the board. These unofficial re-imaginings and continuations are usually of high quality. ''HerDiamondHeart'' is one of the re-imaginings of Creator/SMStirling's ''ThePeshawarLancers''. ''DecadesOfDarkness'' was explicitly created as as an attempt to make a realistic timeline with an evil empire in the vein of TheDraka, making it an InspiredBy re-imagining of sorts. There's even an unofficial continuation of HarryTurtledove's {{Timeline-191}} series.
* FollowTheLeader: The premise of board member Big Tex's scenario ''The United States of [[AlternateHistoryWank Ameriwank]]'' is that a stranger from the future came to the Colonial America before the AmericanRevolution intending to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong [[GivingRadioToTheRomans by giving]] George Washington an AppliedPhlebotinum to help America unite the world in the end. A lot of posters ended up creating stories on similar premise where a stranger from the future to do similar thing except with different nations instead of America. This phenomenon is known as the "[[TheVerse Strangerverse]]" and has received several {{spinoff}}s (with the Brits, French, etc.), [[SharedUniverse all connected by the same basic premise]].
* ForWantOfANail: Great care is usually taken by writers of counterfactual timelines in the choice of the point of divergence.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Did you know that atom bombs are a hoax perpetrated by Jewish tribalist uncles who sit inside nuclear reactors rubbing vaseline into potatoes ? Apparently, one (in)famous banned troll [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/eleven11 virulently believed in this]]. It became a minor [[MemeticMutation meme]] on the site after his banning.
** Other bits of famous AH.com troll logic include the idea that graffiting on pavements will cause gay couples to jump off bridges, and something to do with public trees on private land (or possibly private trees on public land). See [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/memetic_mutation here]] for more details.
** Also, [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=58931 this thread]], ''which is the stuff of legends''. A ridiculously implausible Polish AlternateHistoryWank combined with several staggering examples of ArtisticLicenseHistory. And the troll responsible wasn't even Polish !
* MadMathematician: Zyzzyva.
* MassTeleportation: Quite common in scenarios involving AlienSpaceBats. The local term is [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/isot ISOT]], a verbed abbreviation derived from the initials of Creator/SMStirling's novel ''IslandInTheSeaOfTime''. (E.g. "I'll ISOT myself/country XY/person XY to the year...").
* MiddleEasternCoalition: Routinely spoofed and skewed. Popular joke names include "the Randomid Caliphate", "Implausiblid Caliphate" and "The Obligatory Supercaliphate".
* MisplacedNationalism: Occurs a lot in the Chat threads.
* NetworkDecay: Periodically people will rant about the decline of the "History" Channel.
* NoNameGiven: The Sealion World Tour (see above) featured a stuffed toy sealion called... Sealion, because nobody could think of a suitable name. He was eventually dubbed "Silas" by the Brazilians, a PunnyName that only works in Portuguese.
* PatrioticFervour: Parodied, occasionally played straight.
* PlayByPostGame: The [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/shared_worlds/shared_worlds Shared Worlds section]] contains a variety of them (map games, AH RPGs, etc.). A good deal of them become complex stories or universes given enough time.
* {{Podcast}}: [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/ah.com_podcast The AH.com Podcast]].
* RunningGag : In addition to using some mainstream internet memes, AH.com has [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/running_jokes its own set]].
** There are also [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/alternate_history_cliches various related memes]] about the most common {{Cliche Storm}}s seen in timelines (especially those of newbie authors preferring AlternateHistoryWank).
** At one point, there was a tendency to give really sadistic CrapsackWorld scenarios the "[[http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/7161/vladtepesaward.jpg Vlad Tepes Award]]" (aka Vlad Dracula, Vlad the Impaler). That name alone explains itself. Due to increasing overuse, [[DiscreditedMeme this meme is now frowned upon]].
** "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/alternate_history/that_damned_kazakh_border If I see that damned Kazakh border one more time...]]"
** The aforementioned "[[{{Demonization}} Eeebiiiil Muslim]] MiddleEasternCoalition". A variant is the "Boat People's Caliphate", a mocking name for a hypothetical Indonesia-led alliance of south Asian Muslim countries (a staple of the already cliché scenario "random near future war between Indonesia and Australia").
** Another notable running gag is that all the German members on the forum actually constitute a HiveMind - despite their constant political arguments, which are held to be only an elaborate cover.
** ''Someone'' is bound to bring up the infamous "[[CulturalPosturing China need not democracy]], [[TranslationTrainWreck need not throwing banana]]" [[{{Narm}} statement]] by pro-RedChina {{troll}} "[[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/kahing kahing]]" every time there's a thread on said country.
*** {{Troll}}s in general are often regarded as [[FountainOfMemes a rich and treasured source of memes]] among AH.commers.
* ScrapbookStory: Many of the best works on the site.
* SeriousBusiness:
** The Universal Colour Scheme (UCS) for alternate history maps. Resulting in a feud over a proposed revision to UCS. The Change: Moving Non-Communist Russia from a Gold-tone to a Green, but then, it was DecidedByOneVote (well, two votes - 183 to 181), so obviously lots of people argued.
** The more recent "[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pony]] [[InternetBackdraft Wars]]" ended after several members were banned, several more had their posting privileges temporarily revoked, and a moderator being demoted. People still are hesitant to discuss it today.
* ShownTheirWork : Because of their love for the genre, the members of the board try to do this as much as possible - even when writing deliberately silly and RuleOfFun scenarios and timelines.
* SingleIssueWonk: A lot of the banned trolls fall into this category.
* SillyReasonForWar: While some of the on-board disputes so far had an amount of seriousness to them, [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/ah.com_conflicts they've been mostly jocular in nature]].
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Nobody can ever agree on how to spell Colonel Gaddafi's name.
* TestosteronePoisoning: At one point a beard-growing contest was held, with the winner being given the title of "'''Ultimate AH.com Macho Manly MountainMan In The Height Of His Manliness'''".
* TheWikiRule : [[http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/start A pretty informative place if you want to get into understanding and writing alternate history.]]
* TheOtherWiki: Wikipedia has a (not entirely undeserved) reputation on the forum for being subject to bias by nationalist administrators: running gags and {{Flanderisation}} focus on Poles and Armenians, but there are plenty from many other countries as well. All this material was used in the ''AHDotComTheSeries'' two-parter "Citation Needed".
** Hence why its nicknames include "Polonopedia" and "[[UnusualDysphemism The Armenian Genocide]]", or simply The Genocide.
** There's also an increased awareness of Wiki/TVTropes on the forum as well. Though some see it as overflowing with {{Anime}} and HoYay.
* TropeDecay: In the past few years, the overuse of the term AlienSpaceBats to mean "anything that seems implausible or not very probable to this board member" had lead to the erosion of its original meaning. Many senior AH.commers (but newer ones as well) disliked this trend because it had started bordering on complete {{Natter}}. They had campaigned to bring the term and acronym back to its roots and stop its overuse as a derogatory shorthand. It seems to have worked, since the overuse/misuse has largely been reversed and had pretty much gradually vanished as a problem during the 2012-2013 season.
* UnknownRival: Alternia.
* WorthyOpponent: Othertimelines.com, before it went down at least.
* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: Generally seen as a codeword for "[[MST3KMantra this timeline shouldn't be taken entirely seriously]]." They've been sporked as a cliche, but everyone still admits that [[RuleOfCool they're too cool]] ''[[RuleOfCool not]]'' [[RuleOfCool to put in somewhere]].
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