# Introducing something new - AR Stories



## Observer (Mar 9, 2007)

The idea of parallel universes to our own is nothing new. Star Trek fans know this, as do other science fiction buffs. Fairy tale fanciers know of similar tales of witches, gnomes, genies and other guardians of mystic portals which occasionally allow us glimpses and even passage between such universes and our own.

Over the past few years this genre has melded elsewhere with authors of size related fiction to produce some very unique stories. They like to call their sub-genre "Alternate Reality" tales. Recently we acquired reposting rights from some masters of such fiction. 

This weekend we introduce two series of such stories. The efforts of such wordsmiths truly appeal to, as they used to say in radio, "the theatre of the mind." They are characterized by being a mixture of magic and enough realism that the thought arises "this could have happened - and what if it had?" 

Hopefully others find these stories as enjoyable as I have.

All this got started a month ago with this thread - AR XIV: Fat Celebrities - Without Their Fame - by Matt L. - which raised the question "Nice tale, but what about I-XIII?"

For starters we begin with:

AR I -Lynn's Story, by Matt L. 

Another Necklace I, by Greinskyn​
Thoughts and comments (as well as other contributions of this type) will be appreciated.


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## Forgotten_Futures (Mar 20, 2007)

Meh. Someone needs to post feedback on this...

I'm all for an "Alternate Reality" subcategory, but I think a distinction needs to be made.

By definition, pretty much anything that gets submitted here is, technically, AR.

Bear with me. Most if not all works are based, to some degree, on reality as we know it. Earth, laws of physics, certain real world people. But each story has a fictional element to it, at least the ones not directly based on reality to the extent they are almost bibliographical.

That fictional element is kind of like taking the reality we know, and transplanting it into another, mirror reality, where most rules of reality are carbon copied, excepting the few the author needs to edit to make his/her story.

Like I said, I'm all for an AR sub-category. It just needs to make sure to distinguish stories that actively state they are AR, and the normal ones, which are technically AR by sheer virtue of existence.


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## Snorri Sturluson (Mar 21, 2007)

Perhaps I merely don't understand the details, but this sounds a lot like counterfactual/alternate histories (things like "what if the south won the Civil War" etc). If the category of "alternate reality" is to confusing, AH might work (not to be confused with the AHA).


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## Observer (Mar 23, 2007)

AR as I understand, akternate realities are similar to alternate history, but not identical. 

If I understand it correctly the concept is that the future is neither accidental or predesignated. There are infinite numbers of options, which we as mortals arrange by the decisions of ourselves and others into a present reality. But it is possible for those of skill (some would call them sorcerers for lack of understanding, while others would call them high functioning autistic visionaries) to rearrange the current order of options and thus alter our realities.

Such rearrangements, whether done by a mysterious necklace, a mystical mirror, flashes of light or similar means are "Alternate Realities" to what was experienced before.


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## Forgotten_Futures (Mar 26, 2007)

What exactly constitutes an "Alternate Reality" is highly subjective; the kind of thing that depends on who you're asking. I agree with Observer in the sense that reality is like a giant story unto itself. Each and every aspect of reality, living, non-living, sentient, or otherwise, has infinite number of paths it can take at any given moment, based on an infinite number of factors. That there are constantly entities leaving (dying) and entering (being born) reality as we know it means that there are an infinite number of entities that change reality an infinite number of times in every infinitesimally small period of their existence. By this understanding, an alternate reality is seen by those of us experiencing reality as it is forced to be, both by the actions of ourselves and others, as anything that could happen or could have happened but does not or did not. So the number of alternate realities is, therefore, infinite as well.

Some even argue that all possible realities exist at all times, and the only one the matters to us is the one we know as real. Spiritual encounters and dreams, for instance, are often blamed as the result of experiencing two or more streams of reality at once.

Digest that. I'll be around if anyone wants to discuss further =P


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