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| alternate_history:ah_slang_and_acronyms [2018/05/29 09:10] – max_sinister | alternate_history:ah_slang_and_acronyms [2023/09/30 20:44] (current) – [2. Lesser Used Acronyms] fixed TABAE link max_sinister |
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| **[[pods:pods|PoD]]**\\ | **[[pods:pods|PoD]]**\\ |
| **P**oint **o**f **d**ivergence or points of divergence. A point in which an ATL branches out from OTL, creating an alternate history.\\ | **P**oint **o**f **D**ivergence or points of divergence. A point in which an ATL branches out from OTL, creating an alternate history.\\ |
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| **[[ASB]]**\\ | **[[ASB]]**\\ |
| **A**lien **S**pace **B**ats. A plot-device creature capable of [[ISOT]]ing (see below) anything up to whole planets, to allow time travel and teleportation, to create and destroy life, make everyone change sex and give them the arms of a bear, and so on. Used as an explanation for scenarios which are magical or otherwise unlikely. By AH.com Convention, this category also includes WIs within fictional universes, such as Star Wars.\\ | **A**lien **S**pace **B**ats. A plot-device creature capable of [[ISOT]]ing (see below) anything up to whole <del>planets</del> galaxies, to allow time travel and teleportation, to create and destroy life, make everyone change sex and give them the arms of a bear, and so on. Used as an explanation for scenarios which are magical or otherwise unlikely. By AH.com Convention, this category also includes WIs within fictional universes, such as [[offtopic:Star Wars]].\\ |
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| **[[ISOT]]**\\ | **[[ISOT]]**\\ |
| Derived from the name of the novel //Island **I**n the **S**ea **o**f **T**ime//, written by [[alternate history:S. M. Stirling]]. On AH.com, "ISOT" is used as both a //verb// (magically transporting an area of Earth through time) and a //noun// (the name for a timeline that involves an ISOT, or a reference to the event). Strictly speaking, the term "ISOT" should only be applied when it concerns a large area (such as a country or island), but AH.commers have taken to using it in lieu of the 'time travel' or 'teleportation to the past' concepts in general (e. g. as in the phrase "I'll ISOT myself to the year 1914").\\ | Derived from the name of the novel //Island **I**n the **S**ea **o**f **T**ime//, written by [[S. M. Stirling]]. On AH.com, "ISOT" is used as both a //verb// (magically transporting an area of Earth through time) and a //noun// (the name for a timeline that involves an ISOT, or a reference to the event). Strictly speaking, the term "ISOT" should only be applied when it concerns a large area (such as a country or island), but AH.commers have taken to using it in lieu of the 'time travel' or 'teleportation to the past' concepts in general (e.g. as in the phrase "I'll ISOT myself to the year 1914").\\ |
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| **[[AH Challenge|AHC]]**\\ | **[[AH Challenge|AHC]]**\\ |
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| **PC**\\ | **PC**\\ |
| "**P**lausibility **C**heck", a close relative of the WI and AHC style of discussion thread. As its name implies, it isn't purely about spitballing "What If?" ideas, but focuses rather on discussing the plausibility of a //potential// what if idea (e.g. "PC: Can the modern Kingdom of Norway found overseas colonies in the Pacific with a POD after 1920?"). | "**P**lausibility **C**heck", a close relative of the WI and AHC style of discussion thread. As its name implies, it isn't purely about spitballing "What If?" ideas, but focuses rather on discussing the plausibility of a //potential// what if idea (e.g. "PC: Can the modern Kingdom of Norway found overseas colonies in the Pacific with a PoD after 1920?"). |
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| **FH**\\ | **FH**\\ |
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| **DBWI**\\ | **DBWI**\\ |
| [[alternate_history:Double Blind What If]]\\ | [[Double Blind What If]]\\ |
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| **FBWI**\\ | **FBWI**\\ |
| [[alternate_history:Types of What If|Future Blind What If]], derived by analogy from DBWI. Appearing in the Future History subform, FBWIs generally consist of roleplaying and never actually ask "What If?".\\ | [[Types of What If|Future Blind What If]], derived by analogy from DBWI. Appearing in the Future History subforum, FBWIs generally consist of roleplaying and never actually ask "What If?".\\ |
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| **CS**\\ | **CS**\\ |
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| **SI**\\ | **SI**\\ |
| **S**elf-**I**nsert, the term used for [[alternate_history:isot#types_of_isot_scenarios|a particular type]] of the "personal ISOT" scenario. | **S**elf-**I**nsert, the term used for [[isot#types_of_isot_scenarios|a particular type]] of the "personal ISOT" scenario. |
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| **HOI**\\ | **HOI**\\ |
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| **TL-191**\\ | **TL-191**\\ |
| The timeline of the **//[[alternate history:Southern Victory]]//** book series (written by [[alternate history:Harry Turtledove]]), referring to its POD centered on Robert E. Lee's Special Order 191 (failed in OTL, succesful in the ATL of the series).\\ | The timeline of the **//[[alternate history:Southern Victory]]//** book series (written by [[alternate history:Harry Turtledove]]), referring to its POD centered on Robert E. Lee's Special Order 191 (failed in OTL, successful in the ATL of the series).\\ |
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| **DoD**\\ | **DoD**\\ |
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| **TABAE**\\ | **TABAE**\\ |
| **//[[offtopic:Complete Works of Thande#There'll Always Be An England]]//**, a story by [[offtopic:Thande]]\\ | **//[[stories:There'll Always Be An England]]//**, a story by [[offtopic:Thande]]\\ |
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| **HYW**\\ | **HYW**\\ |
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| **[[alternate history:Wank]]**\\ | **[[alternate history:Wank]]**\\ |
| AH where one nation is distinctly preferred, more than would be a.) understandable, b.) realistic and/or c.) tasteful. Typical nationwanks: USA conquers both American continents. Russia conquers Eurasia. Japan creates its Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. The [[alternate history:British Empire]]/[[alternate history:Ottoman Empire]]/Austria-Hungary/Roman Empire/Napoleon's Empire lives until today and becomes yet even stronger. Germany wins WWI or WWII. Etc. There are also non-national forms of Wank, such as "[[alternate history:german techwank|techwank]]", in which the side with the superior technology ([[alternate history: maxs first law|especially in ISOTs from the future]]) //ALWAYS// wins, and we're expected to cheer. For even more outrageous scenarios, [[offtopic:Doctor What]] and [[offtopic: David Bar Elias]] coined the term "nation-bukkake".\\ | AH where one nation is distinctly preferred, more than would be a.) understandable, b.) realistic and/or c.) tasteful. Typical nationwanks: USA conquers both American continents. Russia conquers Eurasia. Japan creates its Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. The [[alternate history:British Empire]]/[[alternate history:Ottoman Empire]]/Austria-Hungary/Roman Empire/Napoleon's Empire lives until today and becomes yet even stronger. Germany wins WWI or WWII. Etc. There are also non-national forms of Wank, such as "[[alternate history:german techwank|techwank]]", in which the side with the superior technology ([[alternate history:max s first law|especially in ISOTs from the future]]) //ALWAYS// wins, and we're expected to cheer. For even more outrageous scenarios, [[offtopic:Doctor What]] and [[offtopic: David Bar Elias]] coined the term "nation-bukkake".\\ |
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| **Allohistorical**\\ | **Allohistorical**\\ |
| **[[pods:Pulling a Meiji]]**\\ | **[[pods:Pulling a Meiji]]**\\ |
| Refers to when a country (usually a non-western Asian or African one) undergoes a process similar to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_period|Meiji Period]] of [[alternate history:OTL]], in which it industrializes and modernizes rapidly, to the point where it becomes a (usually) Westernized and European-style power (as was the case with OTL [[offtopic:Japan]]). A rarer subtype is "Pulling a Siam", used to describe a country that modernises to the point it holds its own against the West and avoids being colonised, but can't project power and isn't accepted as an equal by the West as Japan was.\\ | Refers to when a country (usually a non-western Asian or African one) undergoes a process similar to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_period|Meiji Period]] of [[alternate history:OTL]], in which it industrializes and modernizes rapidly, to the point where it becomes a (usually) Westernized and European-style power (as was the case with OTL [[offtopic:Japan]]). A rarer subtype is "Pulling a Siam", used to describe a country that modernises to the point it holds its own against the West and avoids being colonised, but can't project power and isn't accepted as an equal by the West as Japan was.\\ |
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| **Wacky Hijinks** (or "hijinx")\\ | |
| A gallows humour euphemism for "colonial oppression", and more specifically "actual colonial oppression" as opposed to fantasies invented by twelfth-generation immigrants. Example: "The idea that Britain deliberately let Ireland suffer during the potato famine is ludicrous, but there is no denying that English and British people did get up to Wacky Hijinks there over the years". A modern equivalent to describe suspected war crimes is "[state] is doing naughty things to [group of people]"\\ | |
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| **[[shared worlds:Mosaic Earth]]**\\ | **[[shared worlds:Mosaic Earth]]**\\ |
| Mostly attributed with the ISOT, whereas a "Swiss Cheesed" Earth has many nations from different TL's and/or with a single nation of that said Earth left behind. It is the staple/mainstay of the Shared Earth Forum and has a history stemming from the First Mosaic Earth game on the Old Board. To date it is either on it's 20th or 22nd incarnation, depending on who one is asking, and if one has even kept up with the numbering.\\ | Mostly attributed with the ISOT, whereas a "Swiss Cheesed" Earth has many nations from different TL's and/or with a single nation of that said Earth left behind. It is the staple/mainstay of the Shared Earth Forum and has a history stemming from the First Mosaic Earth game on the Old Board. To date it is either on its 20th or 22nd incarnation, depending on who one is asking, and if one has even kept up with the numbering.\\ |
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| **Munroification**\\ | **Munroification**\\ |
| "Munrofied" and "Munroification" describe a style of map that is famously used by [[offtopic:B_Munro]]. Used in the sense of "oh, I'll post it when I've fully Munroified the map" or "a Munrofied map of mine..." | "Munrofied" and "Munroification" describe a style of map that is famously used by [[offtopic:B_Munro]]. Used in the sense of "oh, I'll post it when I've fully Munroified the map" or "a Munrofied map of mine..." |
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| | **Wacky Hijinks** (or "hijinx")\\ |
| | A gallows humour euphemism for "colonial oppression", and more specifically "actual colonial oppression" as opposed to fantasies invented by twelfth-generation immigrants. Example: "The idea that Britain deliberately let Ireland suffer during the potato famine is ludicrous, but there is no denying that English and British people did get up to Wacky Hijinks there over the years". A modern equivalent to describe suspected war crimes is "[state] is doing naughty things to [group of people]"\\ |
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| **[[offtopic:Wehraboo]]**\\ | **[[offtopic:Wehraboo]]**\\ |
| Basically, an inexperienced AH fan who is a disproportionate loony fan of [[third reich|Nazi Germany]], and particularly its military (the Wehrmacht). Though it's not a definite rule, there is a predictable overlap between many of these types of AH fans and nazi apologists. Which, unsurprisingly, leads to many Wehraboos [[offtopic:hall of infamy|getting banned]] once they express their true opinions. | Basically, an inexperienced AH fan who is a disproportionate loony fan of [[third reich|nazi Germany]], and particularly its military (the Wehrmacht). Though it's not a definite rule, there is a predictable overlap between many of these types of AH fans and nazi apologists. Which, unsurprisingly, leads to many Wehraboos [[offtopic:hall of infamy|getting banned]] once they express their true opinions. |
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| **Ban/Banning**\\ | **Ban/Banning**\\ |
| A permanent banning of an AH.com member for bad conduct and bad behaviour. After it is issued, the banned member is excluded permanently from logging in and posting on the forums. Bans are issued for serious offences against AH.com's Rules and Guidelines and for members who repeatedly refuse to change their bad conduct on the forums. As a general rule of thumb, the more kicks a member receives, the higher the possibility that he or she will be permanently banned from the site if they keep up their bad behaviour or keep breaking the rules. Circumventing both kicks and bans by creating a [[offtopic:sockpuppet]] is never tolerated. It earns the person in question a permanent ban. Occassionally, in cases where a ban was carried out for a more minor offence and the banned person apologises profusely to the admin and others, the ban [[offtopic:roster of the repentant|might be reverted]]. However, this is the only second chance a forum member gets. Relapsing into breaking the rules and bad behaviour will earn the member a permanent ban, with no more appeals available. Very serious banning offences (e.g. supporting racism, abuse, genocide, violence, real-world harm on others, etc.) will never receive a repeal by the admin, only the more minor offences (e.g. being rude, insulting) will. No one is entitled to have his/her permanent ban repealed, it's entirely up to the admin's decision. For more information on Rules and Guidelines, please see [[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/forum-rules-and-guidelines.173163/|here]].\\ | A permanent banning of an AH.com member for bad conduct and bad behaviour. After it is issued, the banned member is excluded permanently from logging in and posting on the forums. Bans are issued for serious offences against AH.com's Rules and Guidelines and for members who repeatedly refuse to change their bad conduct on the forums. As a general rule of thumb, the more kicks a member receives, the higher the possibility that he or she will be permanently banned from the site if they keep up their bad behaviour or keep breaking the rules. Circumventing both kicks and bans by creating a [[offtopic:sockpuppet]] is never tolerated. It earns the person in question a permanent ban. Occasionally, in cases where a ban was carried out for a more minor offence and the banned person apologises profusely to the admin and others, the ban [[offtopic:roster of the repentant|might be reverted]]. However, this is the only second chance a forum member gets. Relapsing into breaking the rules and bad behaviour will earn the member a permanent ban, with no more appeals available. Very serious banning offenses (e.g. supporting racism, abuse, genocide, violence, real-world harm on others, etc.) will never receive a repeal by the admin, only the more minor offenses (e.g. being rude, insulting) will. No one is entitled to have his/her permanent ban repealed, it's entirely up to the admin's decision. For more information on Rules and Guidelines, please see [[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/forum-rules-and-guidelines.173163/|here]].\\ |
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| **[[offtopic:The Pond|Gone fishing]]**\\ | **[[offtopic:The Pond|Gone fishing]]**\\ |
| This is a poetic shorthand related to the [[offtopic:New Board]] administration. Short explanation: It's used when a board member is on vacation. Longer explanation: It is used when a board member is busy and wants to prevent himself from visiting the board instead of doing something more productive, so he asks the admin or moderators of the board to temporarily ban or kick him. Of course, since these are temporary and voluntary forms of banning, they are not considered as infractions against board policy by the member who requested them. Some AH.commers dislike this phenomennon, since there is no separate lable for these temporary bans - many members have repeatedly freaked out because they though another friend of their's from the board has been permanently banned. This has led to many members asking [[offtopic:Ian|Ian the Admin]] for a possible addition of an official "Gone Fishing" label. Eventually, a thread called "[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=267428|The Pond]]" was created to catalogue the board members who have gone fishing, in order to dispell any confusion over who was kicked/banned for real and who wasn't. As of May 2016, a "Gone Fishing" label for posts was finally introduced, rendering The Pond by and large obsolete.\\ | This is a poetic shorthand related to the [[offtopic:New Board]] administration. Short explanation: It's used when a board member is on vacation. Longer explanation: It is used when a board member is busy and wants to prevent himself from visiting the board instead of doing something more productive, so he asks the admin or moderators of the board to temporarily ban or kick him. Of course, since these are temporary and voluntary forms of banning, they are not considered as infractions against board policy by the member who requested them. Some AH.commers dislike this phenomenon, since there is no separate lable for these temporary bans - many members have repeatedly freaked out because they though another friend of their's from the board has been permanently banned. This has led to many members asking [[offtopic:Ian|Ian the Admin]] for a possible addition of an official "Gone Fishing" label. Eventually, a thread called "[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=267428|The Pond]]" was created to catalogue the board members who have gone fishing, in order to dispel any confusion over who was kicked/banned for real and who wasn't. As of May 2016, a "Gone Fishing" label for posts was finally introduced, rendering The Pond by and large obsolete.\\ |
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| **[[offtopic:New Board]]**\\ | **[[offtopic:New Board]]**\\ |
