Playing with Mirrors

Well comrades, this is where I leave you again for a while. I hope it won't be a long break, but I'm going to go back to the drawing board and outline the next four years. I have a few broad-strokes ideas, and of course there are certain events that are kinda locked and loaded by this point.

I'm going to get all my necessary content in order and outline it, check it twice, hopefully make sure I don't miss anything, and at least get an idea of the *form* each post will take. When I took this project up again last fall I had at least one section of pretty much every post written out in draft form, and I'd like to hit that benchmark again before I start posting. I promise the gap will be as short as I can make it, but it's probably going to be at least a couple of months. I've got plans for a little writing retreat in late April that I'm really looking forward to.

And you know, there's something you can all do to help me. What do you want to see written about from 1985 through to the 1988 elections (or beyond, really)? Any areas of the world or policy developments you're curious about?

Also hopefully I won't be completely quiet during that time. I do hope to get you a fuller picture of how the election went down, maybe with a table of state results. But if I flake on that promise, it's certainly because I'm in the groove on the writing side of things, which is all to the good.

Hope you understand, and thanks for reading!
 
And you know, there's something you can all do to help me. What do you want to see written about from 1985 through to the 1988 elections (or beyond, really)? Any areas of the world or policy developments you're curious about?

As much as I said to enjoy your time away from posting to the forum, if you're actually asking I would like to see what's happening in the UK, but you've got a lot range, China starts to reform, Gorbachev's coming to power, Europe starts to pull together as the EEC and that's just off the top of my head. It all depends how tightly you're going to hold that butterfly net. Whatever it is, I'm looking forward to you writing about it.
 
So it is Missouri that put Anderson over the top.

Ya, it had a reputation as a swing state at the time, and I think this particular three-party split would enhance that side of Missouri. Still a big labor component, a couple of educated/diverse cities, and some potentially populist ag communities for the Dems. Healthy "middle-America" and moderate religious voters for the GOP. And plenty of conservatives as well.
 
As much as I said to enjoy your time away from posting to the forum, if you're actually asking I would like to see what's happening in the UK, but you've got a lot range, China starts to reform, Gorbachev's coming to power, Europe starts to pull together as the EEC and that's just off the top of my head. It all depends how tightly you're going to hold that butterfly net. Whatever it is, I'm looking forward to you writing about it.

Exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for! Can’t promise on all but then again, yeah, that’s all pretty likely to come up!
 
Excellent work so far. I'm guessing there'll be some sort of anti-Electoral College movement ITTL, and I'm sure Anderson would be in full support of that.
 
Look, this is much less harsh than the original post-credit scene, where Al was erased from existence by the Infinity Gauntlet.

In that case, there's an opening...

EXTRY! EXTRY! News vendor falls victim to galactic depopulation scheme! Dustpan-and-broom manufacturers post record profits! Buckley decries Thanos's "half-measures"! EXTRY!
 
Well congratulations, you got yourself an outright president. Now what's the next step of your master plan?
Crashing this FPTP democracy—with no surviving confidence or supply!
Excellent work so far. I'm guessing there'll be some sort of anti-Electoral College movement ITTL, and I'm sure Anderson would be in full support of that.

Electoral reform just jumped to number one on the agenda. There are a number of ways to proceed and a number of different factions (even within the parties) who might end up working at cross-purposes to each other. No spoilers (since, tbh, I haven't decided entirely myself what's going to happen), but how does the phrase go? A camel is a horse designed by committee? Expect something like that.
 
My Fellow AH-mericans,

Just writing in with what is probably an expected confirmation that things are taking longer than I'd dare to dream. My shit's ganging aft agley all over the place and I haven't found as much quality time to get my thoughts in order as I'd hoped. I now have at least a full outline of all posts to be included in the next section, and a rough content outline for each post. But in terms of actual, um, words, I've got about three pages of stuff that I'd only be willing to include if I had better content to buttress it. So, in the words of the most hated men in modern letters, George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss: it's gonna take as long as it takes.

I'm getting ready to move cities soon, possibly countries soon after that, and likely changing careers. Couldn't really say for sure! Moving without a job lined up, but it's god-damn happening, full steam ahead! I figure if I can't find anything, I own several Hawaiian shirts already, and those folks at Trader Joe's always look so happy...

But I'm not giving up on this project, and I hope when I return you'll be there to see it. Always here for questions, if there's any part of the timeline you want to explore.

In the meantime, have a great rest of June, an even better July, and an at-least-on-par-with-that August (I never put much faith in Augusts, personally).

- YMHOS​
 
So, in the words of the most hated men in modern letters, George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss: it's gonna take as long as it takes.

No worries, Expat, all the best with the life changes and take all the time you need!

[Settles in with a book to read during the wait.]

[Realises the book is A Song of Ice and Fire.]

[Weeps bitterly]
 
No worries, Expat, all the best with the life changes and take all the time you need!

[Settles in with a book to read during the wait.]

[Realises the book is A Song of Ice and Fire.]

[Weeps bitterly]
Very much this. (At least mine is Fire and Blood so it's kind of done. As much as any GRRM joint is.)
 
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