Tales from Look to the West

Thande

Donor
OK, for those of you who weren't here when I first mooted the concept: the idea here is shamelessly ripped off of Hendryk's Tales from the Superpower Empire. Short stories set in the world of my timeline Look to the West, fleshing out settings and characters and having a jolly good rip-rollicking time in the process.

Anyone can offer to write one, although obviously you should have familiarity with the TL first. If you want to contribute, post in this thread and then PM me with the basic idea of your story so we can discuss it. I will function as editor here and post the finished stories as serials in the Writer's Forum, though obviously credited to the writer and linked to from this thread.

Story length should be roughly between 1,500 and 8,000 words, though that's just a ballpark.

I've already had a few offers and othyrsyde in particular is writing a very interesting tale. Don't be shy. I may also write a few myself.
 
Would there be room for in-universe pulp fiction? You know, cheaply done short stories, cliched yet exciting? Historically inaccurate, but in different ways then OTL? What about satirical and allegorical peaces, to illustrate the changing of philosophy and politics in timeline L?
 

Thande

Donor
Would there be room for in-universe pulp fiction? You know, cheaply done short stories, cliched yet exciting? Historically inaccurate, but in different ways then OTL? What about satirical and allegorical peaces, to illustrate the changing of philosophy and politics in timeline L?

That's a bit meta to start with. Maybe later, but at first I just want stuff recounting actual events in-timeline.
 

Thande

Donor
:DHey thanks for the shout out. I didn't think my story idea was that awesome.

Well, it's set in a relatively obscure area (from my perspective at least), and as we know, exploring obscure areas is what LTTW is all about.
 

Thande

Donor
Nugax is also intending to write a story, which we're currently discussing, and Ed Costello has said he may do.

(I don't intend to 'name and shame' people ;) it's just I want to reassure anyone hesitant about offering a story that this is an ongoing and active project, it's just that people are PMing me rather than posting in this thread)
 

Hendryk

Banned
Well, I'm honored that you sent me an invitation to contribute a story, but as the glacial pace of my own TL testifies, I hardly qualify as a prolific writer. Should inspiration strike I'll let you know, but it doesn't look likely at this point.
 
Remember that Tale I promised to have in one week a coupe of months ago?

It'll be ready this weekend.
 

Thande

Donor
Remember that Tale I promised to have in one week a coupe of months ago?

It'll be ready this weekend.

Good stuff!

Hendryk, it's nice just to have the interest - perhaps once we've got going you might want to contribute then.
 
As I've said, I'm interested in maybe writing a piece on South America, specifically Uruguay and/or Argentina.

Maybe I could write Sanchez's experience in Montevideo? Although that might end up being too spoileriffic for ya...
 

Thande

Donor
As I've said, I'm interested in maybe writing a piece on South America, specifically Uruguay and/or Argentina.

Maybe I could write Sanchez's experience in Montevideo? Although that might end up being too spoileriffic for ya...

No, that's definitely a possibility...we'd have to discuss events other than the ones I directly alluded to, though, because Montevideo is going to be very important in the near future.
 

maverick

Banned
If I find the time, I could do something about the Battle in Mexico, or the burning of Buenos Aires in the third and first Platean wars respectively.

Alternatively, I could do a short piece about Lisieaux's disappearance.
 

Thande

Donor
If I find the time, I could do something about the Battle in Mexico, or the burning of Buenos Aires in the third and first Platean wars respectively.

Alternatively, I could do a short piece about Lisieaux's disappearance.

I like the first ideas (I'd particularly like Buenos Aires thanks to your local knowledge). I'd rather leave Lisieux's disappearance a mystery (unless you mean it'd be about someone obsessed with finding out the truth but never discovering it).
 
No, that's definitely a possibility...we'd have to discuss events other than the ones I directly alluded to, though, because Montevideo is going to be very important in the near future.

Okay, PM me details about what happened and I'll work my story around them.
 
I for one would love to read some stories on Latin America. I love how its developing in this TL, especially the UPSA.
 
I'd like to see something about, say, the constitutional conventions of the three American powers, including the final constitutions.
Also, as you said that discussion should now be here:
Early on, you said that Carolina would be the Macbeth of TTL. I'm guessing this means they'll go Societist?
And I have a theory on how the ENA falls apart: You've said you want three major American powers carving up the continent. In the 20th Century, the ENA loses a war to the ENS and/or UPSA, with some of the minor powers joining in too, and loses lots of territory, with central order breaking down. In Carolina the UPSA intervenes, and the far-right Societist Party wins the elections, which are probably rigged, but not neccessarily neccessarily,if you see what I mean.
 
Discussion continuation! I loves me the speculation. Almost put this in the Hauptthread, but the Fehltritt just got isself averted. (Denglisch!)

Anyway:

Sounds logical to me. I think I remember something about those bloodier 20th century wars, but I can't remember for the life of me why.

I found the quotation in question, and added to it speculations on the future-past of Timeline L.

I was joking (slightly). In fact, this world is heading for massive wars in the 20th century precisely because the French didn't burn down a Spaniard's house ;)

Clearly he is referring to Pablo Sanchez. The other bit is that Pablo Sanchez doesn't hate the French and instead came out of the war thinking, "can't we all just be friends?" He will create an egalitarian, anti-nationalist ideology based on subsuming one's individuality to the good of humankind and Societal Unity (they capitalize that shit). Sachez was probably a likable fellow, but either he or his successors will too extensively radicalize the ideology, which will ignite war and cataclysm even more powerfully than that of the Jacobins, in part because it will not be extinguished by the Popular Wars--will it even exist until after the Popular Wars? I think so, since we're learning about Sanchez now, but the ideology will really come into its own in the 20th century.

Sovereigntist (this is the word I'm using for the dystopian Whigs and nationalists Churchill is corrupting, though I invented the term for an FH timeline I've got in my head) opposition to the Societist and its scary superstate, the Combine, will strengthen throughout the century. The Combine's flag is the one that the Brits all recognized as something nostalgic and rail-related. Included within the Sovereigntists are the Schmidtist nationalists under Angry Susano, and pretty much every monarchical state.

Societism will first emerge in the Americas from the ashes of the collapsing UPSA, perhaps with an uprising in Montevideo.

Soceitism will do a number on Carolina when the slaves get ahold of it.

The Sovereigntists will win the Popular Wars, but they will fail to eradicate Societism, which will make alarming gains in the late 1970s/80s. By 2015, they are in some sort of cold war/long war.

Though some of the members of the team may have been wounded, captured or killed, the whiggish, heroics of Captain Nuttall have saved the party from a wipe. The Thande institute will send in a rescue mission that will curse the original team for failing to give them any information about the present-day of this world, so they have no idea what to expect. Or, Thande Institute will reopen the portal just in time for a filmish escape. Or they're all dead. But History Shall March On.

So I've just spoiled the whole thing, right?

[...]

right?
 
Some speculation on Societism itself:

Obviously its anti-nationalistic. But it seems to go even deeper, deeper, maybe, than OTL Communism, to get rid of all perception of different races or ethnicities of humans, under the "taking away the catalysts for war" thing. So its anti-racist, but probably not going to be very nice to live in, either-the pure form of a Societist state would probably be some form of technocracy, run by the people who can run best according to the people who are running the state at the time.

Obvously, this is going to be corrupted, but I would still say that the Combine would be a better place to live than the OTL Eastern Bloc. Maybe there will even be an ancient Chinese-style oppurtunity for people to get in on governance. The military of the combine would also be interesting-the pure Societist state has no need for arms, of course, but do not the free people need some form of protection against the nationalistically blinded? I could definately see a USSR-stylr breakdown at the end of the Combine, with corruption overruning everything and the military growig to large and too powerful.

One more thing-since the Societists are all about a world state, what happens when they find that the only Societist states in the world are in South America and West Africa? Can you say ideological split!
 
I think perhaps the Popular Wars might be more influenced by Schmidtism inspired ultra-nationalism, with early Societism playing a role; but the ideology doesn't pick up until after the Popular Wars-like a harsh reaction from all the blood spilt again over nationalism. At least that's my interruption from the text.:confused:
 
I think perhaps the Popular Wars might be more influenced by Schmidtism inspired ultra-nationalism, with early Societism playing a role; but the ideology doesn't pick up until after the Popular Wars-like a harsh reaction from all the blood spilt again over nationalism. At least that's my interruption from the text.:confused:

I very much doubt that Societism will influence the Popular Wars anymore than Communism affected the 1848 Revolutions. I imagine the PW as a couple of massive uprisings against the ancien regime that failed to defend the people from the Jacobins.
 
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