Pro-tip for breaking writer's block: try writing in a different style/format. Hence, why I've used a format I've seen before in the TLs "No Spanish Civil War" and "Smallest Possible Difference": ATL ah.com analogue!
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]From: [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]diverged-timestreams.int/planning/thread.dgw?=126954[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Meta-Mild: A Less Than Bitter Era[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]A STITCH IN THINE SAVES MINE[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]We've had a few good works lately that involve lessening the 'bitterness' of the Bitter Era. Some of them, like The Lord English's [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]And the train arrived on time[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] (about the Indian Revolution being nipped in the bud, for those of you who aren't familiar) are completed works. There have been quite a few general what-ifs, however, that have only been vaguely explored. What I propose is that our next dt.int collaboration be a merger of all these works into one metawork. Is there interest for this in the community?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]PAVLOV'S VET[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]It has my vote. Although we're probably going to need a definitive list before it's officially accepted.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]SO MANY BEES[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Aren't we gonna need the authors' permission for this? Seems a bit jerkish to just appropriate someone's ideas without giving them a chance to say no.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]A STITCH IN THINE SAVES MINE[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Don't worry Bees, people will definitely have the opportunity to veto inclusion into the metawork. Hopefully they'll be full participants in the collaboration as well. I used [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]And the train arrived on time[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] as an example because The Lord English has already agreed to help with this collaboration should it be approved.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]PRISONER'S WRIT[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]What's the criteria for what constitutes a 'less bitter' Bitter Era? Most of the one's I've seen on the forum revolve around stifling the rise of Communist governments, but some counter this (lest it become a Eutopia) with right-wing totalitarians instead. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Adeus camisas vermelhas! [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]¡[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Hola camisas negras![/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] comes to mind. So, is our definition of 'less bitter' going to be 'fewer Communist states and examine the effects thereof' or 'fewer totalitarian states and more democracy'?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]DIRTY DOZEN[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]While the 'more democracy' option seems to be in line with the “A Less Than Bitter Era” prompt, it smacks too much of a backwards what-if. A compilation of Communism-hindering divergences and an open-ended interpretation of ensuing events would be more in line with the ethos of previous collaborations.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]PAVLOV'S VET[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]P-Dubs, for those of us (hint: me) who don't know what happens in “[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Adeus camisas vermelhas! [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]¡[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Hola camisas negras![/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]”, can someone fill us/me in?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]PRISONER'S WRIT[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Pavlov's Vet: basically Brazil never goes red (hence the '[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Adeus camisas vermelhas![/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]'), but the fascistic Argentine Patriotic League launches their own bloody coup in instead (hence the '[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]¡[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Hola camisas negras![/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]'). Basically the work was an exercise in the Law of Unintended Consequences.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]CONSTABULARY CONSULTANT[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Seems pretty interesting. Am I correct in assuming that [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Five Races Under One Sun*[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] will be included in this metawork? Guaranteeing that East Asia doesn't go red (or at least initially, there's still LUC) seems like it would be an important part of this work.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]*Sun Yat-Sen doesn't die of cancer in 1925, and thus the Soviet Union doesn't launch its intervention into China, for those who haven't read the work.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]SO MANY BEES[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]While I'm familiar with most of the finished and ongoing works that might be included in this, I don't really follow the what-ifs that are just people testing the waters for an idea. Can Stitch or someone else give some suggestions as to these?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]A STITCH IN TIME SAVES MINE[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Well, there was a good discussion recently about Kun's Hungary floundering in the early twenties with less Russian assistance. We'll probably be using that one. Another one that comes to mind is a what-if centered around Sumatra and Java remaining a part of the Netherlands' SE Asian holdings.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Also, anyone have any strong leanings towards when the 'cut-off' date should be for this metaworks what-ifs? 1930 seems like a nice round year, but if someone thinks there's a good reason it should be earlier (or maybe later) please tell me.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]DIRTY DOZEN[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Actually, if we push it back a year to 1931, we can include a what-if about the Zeroth ICC. There was a work about it a while back, but the particular what-if in question was from later in the conflict. Anybody know a good potential what-if in '31?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]THE LORD ENGLISH[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]We can probably use an earlier what-if to avert the cycle of ICCs, so a clean and neat 1930 would work. We may not even need a specific what-if for the Spanish front, as LUC elsewhere could simply do the work for us.[/FONT]