Which TL do you want?

[Thucydides]

Normally I don't really like these threads, but I seriously can't decide. Both of these are Cold War timelines, but I'm not going to describe them. Instead, I'm going to have a narrative vignette, from the same day, in the most populous city in America. And you can try and figure out the POD from there.

Neither will be written entirely in narrative, though both will have a little, one more than the other though. No More Strong Men will have less.

~

Heard in Dreams, Spoken in Nightmares

December 19th, 1981

Snow had come early, again, it had been for the last twenty years or so. The Mayor was shoveling snow on State Street to raise morale. The trucks were out, but gas was as scarce as ever and it was too valuable to use on work that could be done by manpower.

After digging for a while he left, encouraging the men and women still working on clearing the streets as he got into his ski-equipped vehicle. The snow was three feet high. Cars were not an option.

He walked into City Hall a few minutes later, travel was fast without cars on the road. A guard greeted him, he was armed with an assault rifle, it was unfortunate that such precautions were necessary.

He had been called to an immediate emergency meeting, the snow had disrupted food distribution points. Someone was proposing cutting rations, the Mayor didn’t want to, that was too extreme.

“We only have enough food for four more days without a new shipment, which isn’t coming.”

“We have not had to cut rations since my father did in ‘72”

“It’s the only way, the people may not like it, but it’s for their own good”

“Do you want me to stay in as mayor? This is a democracy, actions matter, this will cost votes”

“With all due respect Mr. Mayor, this isn’t a democracy anymore”


~


No More Strong Men

December 19th, 1981

I hate this. It’s such a useless institution, the only useful things it’s done have been done after it failed. It failed while my father was here, I’m sure someone will bring that up.

Such were the Prime Minister’s thoughts about the UN, pulling into the driveway in his Rolls Royce he tried not to look unhappy. He was doing something that opposing had gotten him elected. A young Korean man greeted the Prime Minister, the man spoke no English, odd for him to be working at the UN.

He was further greeted by his own representative at the UN, who looked solemn, one had to be in these troubled times. The man asked the Prime Minister whether he still wanted to give the speech himself, the Prime Minister responded with a mere nod.

A Ghanaian man came to show them the way in. Thankfully he could speak English.

“Hello, Mr. Dixon”

“Watch you mouth, that’s Mr. Prime Minister to you” Replied the representative.

“Excuse me, Mr. Prime Minister right this way”

They walked down a long hallway, the Prime Minister noted the Forth Committee. Trusteeship and Decolonization, it didn’t look like the room was used that much.

Finally they arrived at their destination, the Ghanaian man stayed outside as the two of them walked in. The buzz of activity stopped as he walked into the room, the Secretary General called for decorum. After giving a brief introduction he yielded the floor to the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister approached the podium, sighed, and began to speak.

“Delegates, the United Kingdom, after due deliberation on the matter. Has decided to release the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, as a sovereign, independent state. The United Kingdom has come to this decision after long talks both domestically, and with the people of Kenya, who we feel are ready for their own, democratic government. We will be working in concert with the Kenyan people to provide the infrastructure that is necessary to maintain a stable nation. Delegates, the United Kingdom is committed to the cause of self-determination, but realizes that it must be reached practically and is hoping that eventually more colonies will meet our release requirements. Thank you.”

The Prime Minister left the room without looking back.

[Cathcon1]

I'm not sure which I prefer, but both seem interesting! I think I'll vote for the first one though. I'm not that into international events though the second one would obviously be interesting as well.

[Cathcon1]

You said "the most populous city". In different timelines, that could be different cities, so I'm guessing that the first one, Heard in Dreams, Spoken in Nightmares, takes place in Chicago with "my father" being Daley and the current mayor being his son or something.

[Thucydides]

Originally Posted by Cathcon1

You said "the most populous city". In different timelines, that could be different cities, so I'm guessing that the first one, Heard in Dreams, Spoken in Nightmares, takes place in Chicago with "my father" being Daley and the current mayor being his son or something.

Indeed! And by the way the second one does not take place entirely at the UN, that scene is just the way that I thought I could best showcase the changes in the world. If you can figure out the POD from that seen I'll be quite impressed.

But I will give you a hint, both of the people who meet the Prime Minister (The Korean and the Ghanaian) would have been very important in OTL.

[Cathcon1]

Originally Posted by Checkmate113

Indeed! And by the way the second one does not take place entirely at the UN, that scene is just the way that I thought I could best showcase the changes in the world. If you can figure out the POD from that seen I'll be quite impressed.

But I will give you a hint, both of the people who meet the Prime Minister (The Korean and the Ghanaian) would have been very important in OTL.

I know for a fact that I can't guess the individual POD's. However, I can guess some generalities...
HDSN: Some sort of nuclear disaster, most likely war, causes the US to become basically a statist country with a lot less land. Most likely (guessing) the East Coast has been wiped out but we have from the Mid-West to the Great Plains.
NMSM: Something causes the UN to have to colonize pieces of the world. I'm guessing some sort of weird new world order type thing.

At least I got the Daley guess right.

[The Doctor]

The first one I can see kinda whats going on, but the second one I do not understand.

So I vote, the first one.

[RomanNumeralII]

Originally Posted by The Doctor

The first one I can see kinda whats going on, but the second one I do not understand.

So I vote, the first one.

I felt the same way, so I too voted for the first option. Sounds almost like a nuclear winter thing going on

[Thucydides]

So I guess I'll just explain the second one.

The second one is the US backing the British and French during the Suez Crisis, this causes slower decolonization, butterflies the Soviet Union into collapsing sooner, and has a more interventionist USA. In OTL Kenya was released in 1961.

[President_Gore]

Let me guess, the Korean and the Ghanian are Ban Ki-Moon and Kofi Annan?

[Thucydides]

Originally Posted by President_Gore

Let me guess, the Korean and the Ghanian are Ban Ki-Moon and Kofi Annan?

Yup. Good thinking.

[Leistungsfähiger Amerikan]

Originally Posted by The Doctor

The first one I can see kinda whats going on, but the second one I do not understand.

So I vote, the first one.

Both are good, but this is my feeling as well(I voted before I read the explanation!).