The King in Yellow and Other Stories: A President Lovecraft Weird Fiction Timeline in Several Acts

[Ekg]

Love it !
Perhaps not the most grounded TL but still very fun
I feel like the World state birth is own thorn in the side with the Ireland stuff, not the wisest move with the humanitarian crisis of the post War ( the previous american holdings of the empire gonna be a problem for this US)
Speaking of Ireland, how religion plays in the previous empire or now in the kingdom ? Since french catholicism and british anglicanism don't go well OTL, especially in the emerald isle...
No cold war in sight after this clash ?
The european spring finally happenned ! Is there any sympathies for the old regime among French or British population, or is everybody happy to shed away this period ?
Also perhaps the World state can use the Roerich banner peace ?
(Edit: forgot you already have a flag for the World State)
Sorry for the avalanche of question, I just enjoy the TL

 

[Born in the USSA]

Love it !
Perhaps not the most grounded TL but still very fun

I'm glad!

I feel like the World state birth is own thorn in the side with the Ireland stuff, not the wisest move with the humanitarian crisis of the post War ( the previous american holdings of the empire gonna be a problem for this US)

Ireland is far less a threat than the alarmists in the new world order assume, it's large and densely populated but it's essentially quarantined in the same manner as OTL Cuba, only with every superpower on the same page. It's a lesson they took from Huxley, since exile is seen as a far more effective punishment than a fleeting execution. As for the new Pact holdings, it'll be a long time until they're back to their peak but the US fully intends for them to eventually be reconstructed and either granted independence or absorbed into neighboring allies who would take them. The only one the US intends to keep is the new Territory of Belize.

Speaking of Ireland, how religion plays in the previous empire or now in the kingdom ? Since french catholicism and british anglicanism don't go well OTL, especially in the emerald isle...

They didn't play well in OTL, but a more generous attitude toward concessions to keep the Irish on-side and a long alliance with the more thoroughly (than OTL) Catholic French have largely settled all that. Recall that the UK had a Catholic PM during the Second Clash, after all. The modern Ireland has a wide variety of (mostly Christian) denominations, and although there were initial tensions it was mainly over the issue of space for the refugees rather than their religion.

No cold war in sight after this clash ?

Not on the immediate horizon, no, the necessary collaboration of the rebuilding and the structure of the new World State alliance structure tend incentivize peace. They also have a series of other large projects that I'll deal with in The Emerald Tablet.

The european spring finally happenned ! Is there any sympathies for the old regime among French or British population, or is everybody happy to shed away this period ?

The republican movement was always bigger than OTL but there are quite a few recent converts in the wake of the Front's consolidation period and the reveal of the true scope of the Panopticon and the Third Clash more generally. Most of those too low on the totem pole for the guillotine but too set in their ways to accept republican or communard rule pulled up stakes for Ireland.

Also perhaps the World state can use the Roerich banner peace ?
(Edit: forgot you already have a flag for the World State)

How did I not know about the Roerich Pact 😱

Sorry for the avalanche of question, I just enjoy the TL

No worries! I'm always happy to have engagement on my crazy ideas 😂

 

[adamnemo42]

Wow! That was something. I mean, we knew the Empire has gone off the deep end but they really went far there. I like how they had somewhat more reasonable expectations for their war goals than the OTL Axis, while still being completely unreasonably insane. Also, the fact that in Arthurian legend Mordred's actions lead to the downfall of Camelot and MORDRED leads to the downfall of the Empire. Very fitting, although I question why they chose that codename to start with.

It was pretty awesome seeing the Pact and Comintern working together, and of course at the end both of them and the Indians dominated AfD working together towards a true new world order without war. How likely that is to last we'll have to see if course, but that they've gotten this far is something for them to be proud of. It's also great to see a united Germany once more. And a firmly Marxist-Trigonist one at that. Plus I am seriously glad Communist Belgium lives again. It really made me sad when they were taken over after the Second Clash. Being a country that had peacefully and democratically become communist was so awesome. Kind of fitting in a way for them to come about once more in the wake of the Third Clash. I also love former colonies gaining dominion over their colonizing nation. Like Estado Novo and Portugal or India and what remains of the Empire. I'm assuming the Celtic League is Alliance aligned to make it a nice even three split in home territory. With that in mind how is the new AfD under India? We have a generally good idea of how the three power blocks worked pre-Clash, but how does it work now post-Clash under India? The ideologies of the other two blocks are pretty clear, but India's was always a little fuzzier to me and I am truly curious what they've become and how they distinguish themselves from the other two "legs" of the global triumvirate powers. Similarly I like how mention of refugees from Kumari Kandam hints at how dire things had actually gotten there, although I was/am hoping for more in depth look at the country and what it became as an objectivist nation. It might be my own politics coming through there, but I think Objectivism is a horrific philosophy that would only lead to a nightmaric dystopia if pit into actual practice, and I always take a perverse delight in seeing it explored in fiction. And I'm very interested to see the King in Yellow flavor of that particular nightmare.

Uzumaki of the East Sea is fantastic to see. It will be really interesting to see what they become in the future. I'm certain all the other powers are interested in seeing how things work out with the AI in particular. As you said, not a true Union of Egoists, but as close as they're going to get. I honestly kinda think a true Union of Egoists is impossible, but something like this is probably as workable a version as anyone is likely to get in real life. I also hope Korean culture still exists in some form after so long under Japanese rule. Maybe now it can experience some kind of Renaissance.

Finally we'll really have to see about Ireland. Even if it's not as bad as some worry, that's an entire island of people living with the last remnants of die hard OTL fascists. Plus it's ostracized by the entire world. That doesn't seem like it will lead anywhere good long-term. North Korea springs to mind. Hopefully the world powers can start to mellow out towards them with a couple decades of distance and try reaching out to them and trying to repair the damage, if it's not too late by then.

Seriously this is an awesome timeline! It's not the most realistic obviously, but it's fun and crazy while not feeling completely beyond the realm of the possible. It's one of those timelines that reminds me of how fun alternate history can be and why I love it. I'm looking forward to that epilogue and seeing what sort of crazy stuff the future has for this timeline, as well as the addendum you have planned, plus any future addenda you may decide to add in the future. It's been so much fun and I can't thank you enough.

 

[Born in the USSA]

Wow! That was something. I mean, we knew the Empire has gone off the deep end but they really went far there. I like how they had somewhat more reasonable expectations for their war goals than the OTL Axis, while still being completely unreasonably insane. Also, the fact that in Arthurian legend Mordred's actions lead to the downfall of Camelot and MORDRED leads to the downfall of the Empire. Very fitting, although I question why they chose that codename to start with.

MORDRED was chosen to maintain the Arthurian theme, specifically because it was the only such program that was completely classified at every level. No one expected Mordred to be referenced for exactly the reason you mentioned, so international observers were caught completely off guard.

It was pretty awesome seeing the Pact and Comintern working together, and of course at the end both of them and the Indians dominated AfD working together towards a true new world order without war. How likely that is to last we'll have to see if course, but that they've gotten this far is something for them to be proud of. It's also great to see a united Germany once more. And a firmly Marxist-Trigonist one at that. Plus I am seriously glad Communist Belgium lives again. It really made me sad when they were taken over after the Second Clash. Being a country that had peacefully and democratically become communist was so awesome. Kind of fitting in a way for them to come about once more in the wake of the Third Clash. I also love former colonies gaining dominion over their colonizing nation. Like Estado Novo and Portugal or India and what remains of the Empire. I'm assuming the Celtic League is Alliance aligned to make it a nice even three split in home territory. With that in mind how is the new AfD under India? We have a generally good idea of how the three power blocks worked pre-Clash, but how does it work now post-Clash under India? The ideologies of the other two blocks are pretty clear, but India's was always a little fuzzier to me and I am truly curious what they've become and how they distinguish themselves from the other two "legs" of the global triumvirate powers.

India's model has been particularly instructive for the post-colonial AfD members, to the point where their support (and the fact that the nations in question had the same parties operating in each to begin with) has seen the Dominions of "Insert Direction" Africa conglomerate into a new multicultural pluralistic nation called the African Union. The roadmap to postcolonial success is one of their main appeals, though they largely stake out a middle ground between the still very different systems of the Pact and the Comintern, making them appealing to the European AfD members who feel (rightly or wrongly) caught in a vice between the two.

Similarly I like how mention of refugees from Kumari Kandam hints at how dire things had actually gotten there, although I was/am hoping for more in depth look at the country and what it became as an objectivist nation. It might be my own politics coming through there, but I think Objectivism is a horrific philosophy that would only lead to a nightmaric dystopia if pit into actual practice, and I always take a perverse delight in seeing it explored in fiction. And I'm very interested to see the King in Yellow flavor of that particular nightmare.

I couldn't figure out a way to make it fit organically, but I might be able to squeeze something in in the Brazen Bull addendum and maybe give them a bit more depth in the epilogue as well 🤔

Uzumaki of the East Sea is fantastic to see. It will be really interesting to see what they become in the future. I'm certain all the other powers are interested in seeing how things work out with the AI in particular. As you said, not a true Union of Egoists, but as close as they're going to get. I honestly kinda think a true Union of Egoists is impossible, but something like this is probably as workable a version as anyone is likely to get in real life.

It's sort of like Free China in Separated at Birth, in that the fact that the revolutionaries only won with the help of an influx of other groups meant that they had to accept half a loaf even if they got way more of their program than they had any right to expect, hence the fact that democracy still exists at the local level and there's still an authority, albeit a theoretically neutral and unintrusive one, and a national military force in the form of the Commoner's Free Navy.

I also hope Korean culture still exists in some form after so long under Japanese rule. Maybe now it can experience some kind of Renaissance.

Japan never made an effort to completely suppress Korean culture (taking a lesson from Britain's wildly successful Irish experiment TTL), but the abolition of all forms of censorship will certainly see an upswing in things the Empire did have a problem with for whatever reason.

Finally we'll really have to see about Ireland. Even if it's not as bad as some worry, that's an entire island of people living with the last remnants of die hard OTL fascists. Plus it's ostracized by the entire world. That doesn't seem like it will lead anywhere good long-term. North Korea springs to mind. Hopefully the world powers can start to mellow out towards them with a couple decades of distance and try reaching out to them and trying to repair the damage, if it's not too late by then.

The difference between Ireland and Korea is that Ireland lacks any possible superpower patron to back them, so any attempt to rearm would see them crushed. Also, despite the fact there's a royal family there are so many royals in exile on the island from so many different countries the nation's upper class is too fractured to actually marshal its resources and population behind a single revanchist project.

Seriously this is an awesome timeline! It's not the most realistic obviously, but it's fun and crazy while not feeling completely beyond the realm of the possible. It's one of those timelines that reminds me of how fun alternate history can be and why I love it. I'm looking forward to that epilogue and seeing what sort of crazy stuff the future has for this timeline, as well as the addendum you have planned, plus any future addenda you may decide to add in the future. It's been so much fun and I can't thank you enough.

I'm glad people can have fun with TLs that can play it fast and loose and still be interesting!

 

[adamnemo42]

The difference between Ireland and Korea is that Ireland lacks any possible superpower patron to back them, so any attempt to rearm would see them crushed. Also, despite the fact there's a royal family there are so many royals in exile on the island from so many different countries the nation's upper class is too fractured to actually marshal the its resources and population behind a single revanchist project.

Oh I never thought that they were ever going to be anywhere close to the potential threat North Korea is, as you said they have no allies to support them even a little. I was instead thinking about how isolated and oppressive North Korea is with its citizens. That's the main concern I would have. An entire country completely cut off from the rest of the world and developing this aggressive "us vs them" mentality towards literally everyone else and keeping the populace ignorant and oppressed by telling the it's justified and their nation is actually the greatest in the world and everywhere else is worse.

That many royals from all over sure is going to be interesting going forward. By the way does that include the Ottomans? It would be very interesting if things between protestant and catholic are good in Ireland but now you've got tension with the muslims. Also, how many monarchies are actually left in the world now?

Finally, just how aware and active in MORDRED and the rest of the Third Clash was the Empress? Was she telling the truth, or did she lie and should have really been tried for war crimes?

 

[Born in the USSA]

Oh I never thought that they were ever going to be anywhere close to the potential threat North Korea is, as you said they have no allies to support them even a little. I was instead thinking about how isolated and oppressive North Korea is with its citizens. That's the main concern I would have. An entire country completely cut off from the rest of the world and developing this aggressive "us vs them" mentality towards literally everyone else and keeping the populace ignorant and oppressed by telling the it's justified and their nation is actually the greatest in the world and everywhere else is worse.

There's World State inspectors on the ground investigating any incidents of that sort, so the narrative pushed by the Irish government is fairly mellow, thankfully.

That many royals from all over sure is going to be interesting going forward. By the way does that include the Ottomans?

The Ottomans are in exile in Cyprus.

It would be very interesting if things between protestant and catholic are good in Ireland but now you've got tension with the muslims.

There's quite a few immigrants from the OTO in Ireland, though since all the different groups are commiserating over their shared loss of the Clash there aren't many sectarian tensions, though there are occasionally sporadic instances loudly denounced by the government.

Also, how many monarchies are actually left in the world now?

Ireland, Cyprus and the Second Atlantean Empire. Plus the Papal State, depending on how you define that sort of thing.

Finally, just how aware and active in MORDRED and the rest of the Third Clash was the Empress? Was she telling the truth, or did she lie and should have really been tried for war crimes?

I'm keeping it deliberately ambiguous. On the one hand she made a solid case for her innocence, but on the other Mosley was almost certainly the father of her only child sooooooooooo...

 

[Born in the USSA]

Also for an idea of the flag for the UES take this one as a base:

This popped into my head earlier today, but I had to wait to get home to do it:

The Anarchic Sea
Although anarchism, almost by definition, does not have one overriding symbol or colour, the one which has been used the most by its adherents since the mid 19th century is the symbol of dark blue waves under a light blue sky. Its origin is disputed, with some claiming it was first designed by an early anarchist group from the west coast of France, inspired by the chaos of the Bay of Biscay, whilst others claim that it originated in either Poland or Prussia, inspired by storms on the Baltic coasts. Regardless of the exact origin, it is universally acknowledged that the chaos of the sea, which cannot be tamed by any human intervention or government dictat, is a perfect analogy for anarchism. Critics who point out that putting light blue and dark blue together violates the normal rules of flag making generally receive a response similar to "dude, that's the whole point"...

and add the taegeuk from this one (except the swirl is black instead of dark blue):

 

[adamnemo42]

Here's the best I could do making the flag on my phone.

 

[Born in the USSA]

Here's the best I could do making the flag on my phone.View attachment 771202

Nice! Here's to @FriendlyGhost for the base flag!

 

[adamnemo42]

I'm keeping it deliberately ambiguous. On the one hand she made a solid case for her innocence, but on the other Mosley was almost certainly the father of her only child sooooooooooo...

My own personal theory now is that she wasn't directly involved with any of it, but she was very aware of what was happening and said nothing. Quite probably from a combination of true belief and the fact that Mosely was a dangerous man who would let nothing stand in his way for the greater glory of the Empire.

The only one the US intends to keep is the new Territory of Belize.

If ITTL Belize is anything like it's OTl counterpart then it is an ecologically beautiful territory that is very concerned about it's environment considering ecological tourism brings it a pretty penny. Considering that it's probably going to lean heavily Populist. So they could potentially be brought in as a state to balance out Ophir in the future. Of course while that would balance out with senators it's unlikely to balance out with representatives. So that's probably a no go.

The Oriental Treaty Organization is the largest political faction formally outside the three superpowers.

I just realized, but especially considering it's commonly shortened to OTO in this timeline, is this a reference to the Ordo Templi Orientis?

 

[Born in the USSA]

My own personal theory now is that she wasn't directly involved with any of it, but she was very aware of what was happening and said nothing. Quite probably from a combination of true belief and the fact that Mosely was a dangerous man who would let nothing stand in his way for the greater glory of the Empire.

My lips are sealed 😂

If ITTL Belize is anything like it's OTl counterpart then it is an ecologically beautiful territory that is very concerned about it's environment considering ecological tourism brings it a pretty penny. Considering that it's probably going to lean heavily Populist. So they could potentially be brought in as a state to balance out Ophir in the future. Of course while that would balance out with senators it's unlikely to balance out with representatives. So that's probably a no go.

Honestly the best bet would be for the Populists to spin off a city state as a Federal District somehow 🤔 alternatively the Independence Party eventually accepts Belize in exchange for the Populists allowing NYC to become one to balance the Senate. Assuming there isn't a permanent bench of Rational Anarchists to skew the numbers, of course

I just realized, but especially considering it's commonly shortened to OTO in this timeline, is this a reference to the Ordo Templi Orientis?

Yep, I thought it would be funny

 

[Born in the USSA]

Aside from the fifty-two conventional States, American territory is divided into three categories: Federal Districts, Territories, and Mandates.

1. Federal Districts were defined by the Twenty-Fifth Amendment as legally distinct from States, though entitled to home rule, proportional representation in the House, and half the standard representation in the Senate.
   1. While the National Mall is under the jurisdiction of the Republican Guard*, the District of Columbia is functionally a city-state centered around Washington-Alexandria, with an elected city council based geographically and headed by a governor.
   2. The District of Ophir is made up of three Quarters** (Congaree, Suwannee and Yazoo), each of which has local government and is responsible to an elected unicameral legislature and governor.
   3. The District of Micronesia is structured similarly to nearby Polynesia, with a central government in Guam made up of an elected bicameral legislature and governor.
2. Territories are subject to direct oversight from Washington, though they have elected local governments, are able to vote for president, and are entitled only to one non-voting representative in the House each and no representation in the Senate.
   1. The Virgin Islands Territory (officially the Virgin Islands of the United States) is quite content with its place in the system, with no representation but also no real federal responsibilities.
   2. The Belize Territory (officially American Honduras) is subject to very strict election rules to disenfranchise remaining Vitalist elements but is allowed to vote in presidential elections as per the Howard Amendments and may eventually be part of a grand compromise once the regression period is over.
3. Mandates are condominiums established by the World State and jointly overseen by one or more other sovereign nations for an indefinite period of regression*** and reconstruction. They have no representation at all in Congress, their governments are subject to a formal or informal veto by the suzerains involved and direct oversight by an appointee of the same, and they will eventually be subject to a referendum for either independence or membership in one of the overseeing nations in question.
   1. The Mandate of Newfoundland is overseen by the United States and the Republic of Canada and it's most likely to eventually join the latter.
   2. The Mandate of the West Indies is overseen by the United States and the Caribbean Confederation and will eventually join the latter.
   3. Though formally under the jurisdiction of the AfD and not technically classified as Mandates, the new republics of Europe and the Middle East not directly absorbed into one of the other two blocs are overseen by a coalition of the Five Eyes, the Comintern, and the Indian and African Unions.

*A merger of the Capitol Police and the Secret Service combining their two portfolios. There's also quite a bit more pomp (think Nixon's attempt to get the Secret Service flashier uniforms OTL, only it succeeded).

**I know mathematically they're only thirds but it's adopted in the same sense as "French Quarter" and inspired by the smallest subdivision of the Oyo Empire.

***"Regression" is TTL's analogue of "denazification", since it implies the uprooting and removal of any Renewal Front-aligned elements.

 

[Born in the USSA]

Fair warning, by the time the epilogue rolls around there might be a version of the new US flag with 60 stars 😅

 

[Born in the USSA]

It's hilarious to me that with the shift in AfD hegemony from the Empire to India if I ever get around to making a faction map it'll almost entirely be shades of yellow, red and orange. The only real exceptions would be Ireland (blue), Cyprus (dark green) and the UES (black). I've also got two retcons: Ethiopia is still a monarchy and given the expanded role of the Rational Anarchist Legion I'll be editing the Black Legion to the Minutemen for reasons that will make sense when I do that Confederacy addendum. They still have the quasi-pirate theme because it's too cool to pass up.

 

[Born in the USSA]

I'll do an "Extra- Structure of the World State" post tomorrow if I have time to kind of lay out the basic layout of this quasi-UN, plus I added the next two presidents to the list post from earlier. Laird Barron is the last real person, with the rest fictional creations. I also have an idea for a constitutional reform pushed through under the next Populist 🤔

 

[Born in the USSA]

Anybody have good graphic design skills? I had a fever dream of a Fascist version of that famous Marxist-Leninist design that had Henry George, Beekman Winthrop, HP Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith on a yellow background in the same style and I lack the skills to make it a reality.

-Original design for reference

​

1. Henry George
2. Beekman Winthrop
3. HP Lovecraft
4. Clark Ashton Smith

 

[Born in the USSA]

Credit to @Kruglyasheo for this little number! It's probably more realistic than the Soviet-style one. In fact, I'm canonizing it, in-universe the style would receive a callback in the form of Lovecraft the Younger's campaign poster.

-"Forward for Fascism!", a stylized poster used during the first President Smith's presidential campaign. ​

 

[Born in the USSA]

Here's a random idea for Delta Green (or maybe it should be called The Golden Circle?), the King in Yellow treatment of the Hellsing manga/anime! Given that the Philippines is the cultural equivalent to Japan TTL it would be made there and would've been in English from the beginning.

Here's an idea I had awhile ago and just remembered: Hellsing mapped onto Pirate Utopia. Hellsing is a manga/anime in a world where Dracula really happened, the Hellsing family has him on a leash in the modern day, and undead Nazis burn London to the ground in the nineties. Pirate Utopia is a novella where the protagonist sets in motion a chain of events that causes Futurism to thrive, destroys the British Empire, butterflies Hitler and Mussolini and sets the stage for the Secret Service (under Harry Houdini and his agent HP Lovecraft) to bring Futurism to America under the banner of Black Jack Pershing. It wouldn't be the events of Hellsing imported to that world, but rather Hellsing as a lense for a modern Delta Green-style group combining the aesthetic of the Hellsing Organization and the undead Nazis. As such:

• The leader would be a descendant of Lovecraft (in Pirate Utopia he has a son and in Hellsing the group is led by a descendant of Van Helsing), silencing the supernatural behind the scenes at the behest of a much more autocratic and hereditary United States in the modern day.
• The Alucard/Dracula role would be fulfilled by the ghost/quantum superposition of Houdini, since in Pirate Utopia his group has experts studying the paranormal and nuclear weapons. He wouldn't be a vampire or anything, but quantum superpowers at the macro level would be cool, stuff like quantum tunnelling, teleportation and limited reality warping. The greatest magician of the modern age, indeed!
• The naive newcomer role would fall to a descendant of Robert E. Howard, fulfilling their ancestors' original Pirate Utopia partnership. I'm ambiguous on him being explicitly supernatural (like his vampirized Hellsing analogue) but having sci-fi gadgets could be fun given the focus on "scientific" occult research. Or maybe some sort of "Mr. Hyde" formula that can turn him into a Conan figure?
• The Round Table of hereditary elites secretly governing Britain in Hellsing would be replaced by MAJESTIC 12, of which Delta Green would be the occult branch.
• Instead of supernatural Nazis destroying London it would be supernatural Limeys destroying DC as revenge for twisting the knife during the collapse of the Empire. It would be interesting if all their top fighters were supernatural creatures enslaved during the height of the Empire 🤔 Maybe a rakshasa that gives Alucard demonic vampire vibes and the wholesale import of Incognito, an African vampire that only appears in the original anime?

What do you all think?

With this as the basic scenario, the work would be rooted in an in-universe alternate history where Leonard Wood wins the presidency in 1924, kickstarting a slightly different Fascist experiment eight years early and culminating in a Second Clash against the Entente instead of the Comintern. Maybe Wood picks Jack London as VP to unite all the progressive tendencies under one roof? Lovecraft would never become president, but as a consolation he and his family are basically the hereditary heads of a secret government agency so that's something. Aside from revanchist supernatural Brits the King in Yellow version would also have an analogue of Iscariot, though instead of a secret Catholic black ops unit they'd be Silver Legion domestic terrorists. I'll probably do a full treatment of it as an addendum at some point 🤔

 

[Born in the USSA]

To cleanse my pallette a bit I've been having tons of ideas about a miniseries over in the Flag Thread based on Green Antarctica I'm calling A Lighter Shade of Black. Since it's tangentially Lovecraftian I figured I'd mention it here!

 

[Born in the USSA]

In other news my appointment is over at the end of the month so keep an eye out for The Emerald Tablet sometime early November! American constitutional change, another Rational Anarchist experiment, global brotherhood, it's going to be a lot of fun! In the meantime I'm once again opening the floor for questions, they help keep me on my toes.