The term/acronym "AU"

So, during the Period Fic TRS discussion the question came up whether we need a definition page for the acronym, which means "a type of story, where you take an existing story and change something about it, commonly the setting".

We currently have Alternate Universe which apparently doesn't cover this, and Alternate Universe Fic which is limited to fanfiction (Magical Girl AU apparently isn't)

I don't understand the question. AU stands for Alternate Universe, and that page opens with the definition.

On a side note, it would be nice if we could decide whether it's AU or A.U. and stick with one across the board (my vote is for AU).

The question is whether we need a definition page. Alternate Universe isn't that page, as the "This trope is not to be confused with the following:" list notes.

Isn't the other meaning covered by Alternate Universe Fic, or do we not want the AU page to be fanfic-specific? The concern I have is that while Alternate Universe claims that "Alternate Universe Fic" is "the same idea but for fanfics", it's not; Alternate Universe Fic definitely uses the other AU definition that would be covered by the def-only page.

The issue is that Alternate Universe has two definitions in the first place, so however we combat this problem, we need to make sure we don't muddle things up even more.

I think we can just make Parallel Universe the name for Alternate Universe instead of just a redirect and expand Alternate Universe Fic to cover works besides fanfics.

Part of why I think the current article does cover the concept is one of the lists (specific variations) and the following quote:

Well, I'd disagree. What Septimus is talking about is a story genre that isn't necessary set in a literal alternate universe, but is instead referred to as being an AU because things are different. The type of AU being referred to in that sentence is still the "there's canonically other realities and the story exists in a multiverse" type of AU.

A story genre that isn't X, but is called X? That needs a more detailed breakdown before I understand the distinction being made. I could try guessing, but I don't want to misrepresent the argument being presented to me (which is why I felt a dedicated thread was needed in the first place).

Basically, there are two different meanings to Alternate Universe / AU.

One is covered by the current Alternate Universe trope page, wherein there's a literal multiverse in the story.

The other is partially covered by Alternate Universe Fic, which despite what the Alternate Universe page claims, is not just that same concept but for fanfic. It's actually about people removing or altering aspects of canon to get a new setting or continuity, and writing a fic in that new setting. (For instance, a fanfic where all the characters are teenagers attending school is a High School AU). That's what this version of AU means, and it's the definition Septimus wants to make a definition page for. In this version, while people essentially want to just pretend that these stories exist as an actual alternate reality of the canon story, that doesn't mean that such a "multiverse" is actually, canonically real.

Edited by WarJay77 on Dec 14th 2022 at 2:12:19 PM

What does "literal multiverse" mean? You haven't defined it. How do I distinguish that from a "figurative multiverse"?

Literal multiverse means that there are actual alternate realities within the work that the characters can travel to, contact, learn about, merge with, destroy, etc.

The "figurative multiverse" meaning is just people creating stories in a different setting or with different circumstances, and claiming it's part of an alternate reality to inform people that what they're about to read takes place in a different canon.

• A world physically connected to the main one with sci-fi rules. In the same continuity/work.
• A derivative work that modifies the setting.

Edited by Amonimus on Dec 14th 2022 at 10:17:17 PM

The sentences that I quoted do not refer to this definition. It goes on to cite the Gundam franchise, which has alternate canon storylines with no method for the characters to travel to, contact, learn about, merge with, destroy, etc.

Okay. Is the setting at least treated as an actual multiverse where all of these realities exist concurrently, or is it more of the "figurative AU" thing? My definition was probably too narrow, but the point I'm trying to make is that what Alternate Universe seems to cover is the idea of the canonical concept of the story existing in a multiverse, while "AU" is more of just a writing experiment.

I believe that it is intended as the "figurative" version. I also understand why you'd believe that the page currently describes only The Multiverse, given the blurb about Alternate Continuity and especially the image.

The page is inconsistent, and getting all of these articles using the same consistent definition is going to take some work (essentially what we usually do for the Trope Relationship thread, but with many more articles with similar/duplicate meanings).

I'll make a wick check for Alternate Universe in the meantime.

Gonna need... woof, 94 wicks. Well, I'll start later.

Edited by WarJay77 on Dec 14th 2022 at 2:39:30 PM

There are a lot of real world terms that the site has adopted to be a trope, but in reality is much broader/narrow than how we use it. Outside of TV Tropes Alternate Universe and Alternate Timeline are pretty much interchangeable in reference to different segments of a broader franchise, but the Multiverse is a more concrete narrative trope that works independent of knowing the broader franchise.

In fanfiction circles, calling something an AU is alerting people that it is explicitly not the same events, characterization and setting of the original work, ranging from a Self-Insert who had been hanging around the entire time to just taking names and making up an entirely different genre story.

A lot of different corners of the internet have acronyms that mean entirely different things. Star Trek is the only one I'm aware of that made the series acronyms an official part of the peripheral material, ie TOS and TNG.

Edited by EmeraldSource on Dec 14th 2022 at 11:43:24 AM

I'll be working in Sandbox.Alternate Wick Check. Pitch in if you want.

Alternate Universe Fic makes a brief reference to Elseworld, calling itself a fan counterpart for one category, and Alternate Universe lists Elseworld as a subtrope.

30 wicks into the wick check, most of the usage fits the "literal multiverse" idea but I've found a few for the "figurative multiverse" folder and there are a bunch that just don't give enough info to know either way. But we have 65 left so we'll see how things shake out.

FWIW, I am mostly looking for a definition-only page of the term "AU", since I've seen it used many times without any explanation.

That's partially what I was trying to get at, outside sources don't always use terms the exact same way we define the trope. AU means Alternate Universe, it's just that our page is not comprehensive.

In a slightly different conversation I've also been under the impression we discourage acronyms as trope pages, though that might just be in my head from long ago. AU in broader terms also means Astronomical Unit, the distance from Earth to the sun. DPS is both a video game calculation and printer setting. WOW has too many to list.

Aye, but I don't want to have a trope under the name AU, but a Definition-Only Page for the term. Similar to het. And not a redirect, because it is less accessible and will just be cutlisted.

My main concern is that people will ultimately get Alternate Universe and AU mixed up.

Alternate Universe in its current form is mainly concerned with "multiple in-universe worlds", also a trope and a term definition are two distinctly different things.