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pitya

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Posts: 591
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AUs
on: April 16, 2006 09:26

I just had a question that I'm rather confused about--when writing Tolkien fanfiction, is it Alternate Universe when something happens that could have happened, but Tolkien did not mention it? For instance, I have a series of vignettes about the Ship-Burning based on Tolkien's original idea (Amras dies, burns in the ship), and in one of the chapters Caranthir actually kills Amras on the ship beforehand, but no one discovers the body before the ship is burned. What is considered Alternate Universe and what is the fanfiction author's liberty?

LadyBrooke

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Posts: 618
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RE: AUs
on: August 01, 2006 07:09

I don't think it would be alternate universe just a viewpoint taht wasn't explored. After all Tolkien did write the books more as histories or translations of books from Middle Earth. I think an AU is more something strictly disproved by the books (Borimir lives) as opposed to something that just wasn't mentioned a detail that doesn't change anything that happens in the book. In you plot Character 1 still ends up dead just we know have details about how he dies. He dies before the ship is burned but the ship is still burned and his body. Hence it doesn't change anything from the books.

Sorry if all i did was confuse you more. :blush: It makes sense to me what i just wrote but people are always teeling me I make things complicated and diffucult to understand.

Rulea

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Posts: 738
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RE: AUs
on: November 17, 2006 05:01

Alternate Universe... isn't that when people from the present can come into Tolkien's world? That's how I see it.

NierielRaina

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RE: AUs
on: November 25, 2006 09:30

AU in Tolkien's world is specifically something that changes a known fact in canon, the LOTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion... many consider the HoME canon as well but some of it contradicts itself. So if you are just writing details that Tolkien did not mention, then it would be considered canon and not AU as long as the other details in your story follow canon. If that makes sense.

People from the modern world going to Middle Earth is beyond AU for me and is nonsense and not worth reading IMHO. There should be a point as to what you are changing to make a story AU. Know what you are changing and how that will change the story overall... eg. If Boromir lives, how does that change what happens with the broken Fellowship, the War of the Ring, and Frodo?

Hope that helps!
NiRi

Rulea

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Posts: 738
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RE: AUs
on: December 10, 2006 05:54

Thank you for explaining, know I understand!