Catalog of the Weird Parallels

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

I once saw them use a HUGE marionette as the bear. It was at least eight foot at the shoulder.

That fits. I think there's probably been some that had a bear statue on wheels, being pulled on a rope (possibly even by the actor portraying Antigonus, if they aren't taking it too seriously).

Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 might be sort of right about them possibly using a real bear at our Globe Theatre, but not one from the bear-baiting pits, as those were really not tame. There's an article that suggests that a cute little polar bear cub might have been used, as two were available at the time (and the article suggests other options, some of which have indeed been used).

Then there's the weird parallel where the players are upright, sapient bears, and the stage direction is 'Exeunt, persue'd by a Human...'

[patchwork]

The original had not merely a bear, but a baby polar bear, according to current reconstructions. In 1609 Jonas Poole brought two polar bear cubs to London from Greenland, and they were housed and cared for in the beargarden place that was literally next door to the Globe. It's also why Ben Jonson wrote a chariot pulled by bears into his Oberon court masque in 1611. There were two young polar bears in London whose owners were happy to rent them out to make some money in spectacles. Which is, er, how lots and lots of entertainment fads worked before the advent of CGI (and still do to a more limited extent).

[David Johnston2]

Collision: Collision experienced the mother of all reality quakes. As a result a weird science Nazi Germany from 1939 is currently invading an Austria ruled by Franz Joseph in 1853, Russia is an irradiated wasteland, London is inhabited by anthropomorphic dogs with English accents who think the year is 1897 and Boston has been split in half as part of it has been replaced by a fictional superhero city in the 1960s, while the other half is the same fictional superhero city in a cyberpunk 21st century. Literally thousands of different realities smooshed together into one patchwork reality.

[AlexanderHowl]

Traveller-1

In Traveller-1, Traveller appeared in the sky around 1,000 years ago and, since it was visible day and night, was seen as evidence of the end of the apocalypse. Traveller is a mana star, an M8 red dwarf that produces mana as well as electromagnetic energy from its fusion processes, and it became gravitational bound to Sol during a close approach 1,000 years ago that placed it in a circular orbit 300 AU from Sol. While it has its own planets, its primary impact was that it bathed the Earth with mana, allowing for the development of magic by the inhabitants of the Earth.

While Traveller did not cause the apocalypse, the current year is 1535 AD, and the magical practitioners of the Earth understand the influence of Traveler on their Realm Magic. When it appears in the sky, mana levels are high. When it is not in the sky, mana levels are low. When it is rising and setting, mana levels are normal.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Traveller-1

In Traveller-1, Traveller appeared in the sky around 1,000 years ago and, since it was visible day and night, was seen as evidence of the end of the apocalypse. Traveller is a mana star, an M8 red dwarf that produces mana as well as electromagnetic energy from its fusion processes, and it became gravitational bound to Sol during a close approach 1,000 years ago that placed it in a circular orbit 300 AU from Sol. While it has its own planets, its primary impact was that it bathed the Earth with mana, allowing for the development of magic by the inhabitants of the Earth.

While Traveller did not cause the apocalypse, the current year is 1535 AD, and the magical practitioners of the Earth understand the influence of Traveler on their Realm Magic. When it appears in the sky, mana levels are high. When it is not in the sky, mana levels are low. When it is rising and setting, mana levels are normal.

Not a reality I find all that weird, although admittedly there's no thread for fantasy and weird science worlds that just aren't that strange.

[Flyndaran]

Could be an interesting skerry where the star's effects are radically different in each reality. One where it causes basic mana, another superscience, and another where it induces enhancement or destruction of an extant supernatural creature.
But I agree that it isn't quite what I'd consider truly weird in Gurps context.

Weird would be if it looked like a giant eye or open mouth instead of a star.

[AlexanderHowl]

An alien star that emits mana as well as light is not considered weird? I am not quite sure that I know what definition of weird we are using if that is considered normal. A world where society is based around musicals or 80s TV shows is practically mundane compared to a world where an alien star shines mana down onto the Earth. The former is just an amusing anthropological quirk, the latter is a fundamental change to the rules governing physics.

[Flyndaran]

Supernatural is not weird in Gurps where loads, if not most, settings have magic.
Weird is entirely subjective though.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

An alien star that emits mana as well as light is not considered weird?

Not particularly. Mana is present in most of the universes to one degree or another. It's why the Cabal is a thing.

[PTTG]

I'll allow it.

One fun effect may be to switch it around; Mana has complicated flow dynamics, so as Traveler is rising and setting, the mana level is at its highest. This has the narrative effect that timing might be really critical: cast a spell just minutes too late and Traveler is already below the horizon.

I wonder, what happens when Traveler is eclipsed by the sun?