Least favorite alt-history story?

[xsampa]

I read that TL years ago and for a time corresponded with rvbomally a fair bit. If memory serves, the chain of logic is not "black people getting rights -> space dystopia."

Rather his emphasis is on the fact that in order to achieve radical reconstruction the US government must use the Army to a much greater extent than it did in OTL. This leads to the military having a much larger role in American politics, eventually becoming something akin to a Latin American military junta. It is this much more authoritarian country that becomes a world power by that universe’s version of the Cold War.

I’m certain the more knowledgeable could poke holes in that logic, and there’s a fair argument that it’s problematic, but I never got the impression it was a deliberately racist screed.

Also, the issue with the US gaining so many colonies was that it was never in the US’ interest to do so

 

[xsampa]

Also, the issue with the US gaining so many colonies was that it was never in the US’ interest to do so

TTL’s US is a culturist entity that seeks to forcibly Christianize and Civilize hundreds of millions natives in its African and Asian colonies and is mentioned to deport millions of Japanese to the Amazon, Mexicans to Canada etc.

Also all the directors' surnames are either AngloAmerican or German even though Italian and PolishAmericans are 8% of the population, never mind forcibly assimilated Africans or Asians from the not-colonies and it is mentioned the Philippines was the most loyal/assimilated colony

 

[Indicus]

I read that TL years ago and for a time corresponded with rvbomally a fair bit. If memory serves, the chain of logic is not "black people getting rights -> space dystopia."

Rather his emphasis is on the fact that in order to achieve radical reconstruction the US government must use the Army to a much greater extent than it did in OTL. This leads to the military having a much larger role in American politics, eventually becoming something akin to a Latin American military junta. It is this much more authoritarian country that becomes a world power by that universe’s version of the Cold War.

I’m certain the more knowledgeable could poke holes in that logic, and there’s a fair argument that it’s problematic, but I never got the impression it was a deliberately racist screed.

Putting it like that, it sounds like he was trying to be edgy.

 

[xsampa]

Tripartite Alliance Earth may require a butterfly genocide but at least it was though out and avoided pointless stereotypes and cliches even though it was written in the early 2000s

 

[Walpurgisnacht]

I do still enjoy some of the scenarios from the Oneshot Thread, but in retrospect the recurring theme of "ooga booga ebil new states that want to kill everyone because they all subscribe to ideologies that in real life would barely convince a drunk Trotskyite" both gets old real fast and have pretty unfortunate implications, given that the implication seems to be that all revolutions are pure evil and end in doom.

A lot of rvbomally's stuff makes sense when you realise that his vision of the platonic ideal of worldbuilding is Warhammer 40,000.

 

[xsampa]

I do still enjoy some of the scenarios from the Oneshot Thread, but in retrospect the recurring theme of "ooga booga ebil new states that want to kill everyone because they all subscribe to ideologies that in real life would barely convince a drunk Trotskyite" both gets old real fast and have pretty unfortunate implications, given that the implication seems to be that all revolutions are pure evil and end in doom.

A lot of rvbomally's stuff makes sense when you realise that his vision of the platonic ideal of worldbuilding is Warhammer 40,000.

Also his obsession with continuing colonialism/ exiled govts in Africa/ white settler populations is kind of annoying







Also his persistent use of *Communism as a enemy ideology even with PODs long predating 1900

 

[theev]

Also his obsession with continuing colonialism/ exiled govts in Africa/ white settler populations is kind of annoying
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It's also worth mentioning that his Timeline-15 'Ideal World' feels adjacent to boog shit

 

[xsampa]

It's also worth mentioning that his Timeline-15 'Ideal World' feels adjacent to boog shit

Has anyone mentioned his "Emperor of China"

 

[varyar]

I think the point has perhaps been made here?

 

[xsampa]

I think the point has perhaps been made here?

point taken

 

[xsampa]

Ok

 

[xsampa]

Also the “realistic” redo of Ad Astra Per Aspera that I shall not name due to being even cringier than the inspiration

 

[xsampa]

This seems relatively one of rvbomally’s better maps, due to ernak pushing him on it: https://www.deviantart.com/rvbomally/art/Perpetuated-in-Righteousness-762297134

 

[Matt]

This seems relatively one of rvbomally’s better maps, due to ernak pushing him on it: https://www.deviantart.com/rvbomally/art/Perpetuated-in-Righteousness-762297134

Looks like a B_Munro “throw whatever idea - bad, good, goofy or otherwise - comes to me at a wall and see what sticks” kind of map to me. Boring, but not godawful.

 

[Aznavour]

Maps done on paint that are 80% expository wall-of-text are my least favorite kind of map and AH, incidentally.

 

[Coiler]

Maps done on paint that are 80% expository wall-of-text are my least favorite kind of map and AH, incidentally.

For me, stuff like that and tons of wikiboxes/stock photos feels like a shortcut, for lack of a better word.

 

[Matt]

For me, stuff like that and tons of wikiboxes/stock photos feels like a shortcut, for lack of a better word.

It might be a fun idea to just make an entire AH world out of a wiki, like you’re making a wiki from that world instead of posting “American election outcomes but my preferred candidate won instead of the actual person who won” over and over again with little or no context.

 

[Japhy]

It might be a fun idea to just make an entire AH world out of a wiki, like you’re making a wiki from that world instead of posting “American election outcomes but my preferred candidate won instead of the actual person who won” over and over again with little or no context.

In that regard wikibox timelines really are the Corbis Timeline of a later day.

 

[Charles EP M.]

Maps done on paint that are 80% expository wall-of-text are my least favorite kind of map and AH, incidentally.

I keep reading them cos I like on principle "ah cool lots of colourful detail and information", but end up glazing over halfway through the small type. The text should really go in the DA image description

 

[Indicus]

Wikibox timelines can be done well, but it requires understanding that wikiboxes are nothing more than fancy tables to put data into, and that the real substance comes in the descriptions.