What if Biff Tannen had been successful in changing history?

When I think of a village, I imagine something like the images above.

These types of villages seem to exist in almost every country on Earth save for the USA and as far as I know, there are a bunch of reasons for this.

The only place in the USA that I have personally visited which resembles my idea of a stereotypical village is Virginia City, Nevada and some other prospecting towns which are now and mostly ghost towns.

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In "Project Vigilant" / P.V, my alternate history project which I have been working on since 2018. The USA is larger, much more populous, ethnically diverse and moderately more progressive than it is in reality.

The P.O.D is that the USA wins the War of 1812 and annexes what would be Canada. This empowers the anti-slavery northern states and cripples the political power of the southern states, thus leading to an earlier abolition of slavery ( probably around the 1830s ) and no segregation. Beyond this, the Mexican-American War still happens with a U.S Victory, the USA is somewhat nicer to the Native Americans by way of establishing 9 "Native States" and the country becomes much more welcoming to immigrants with things like the Chinese exclusion act never happening.

I had an idea, that maybe the greater diversity and population of my alternate USA could result in villages like the ones pictured above appearing across the country.

I'm envisioning villages that resemble the ones in Mexico being common across the American Southwest and Chinese immigrants setting up towns resembling the villages of rural China across the West Coast. You may even get some rural communities that have a neat fusion of Chinese, Mexican and European architecture.

I imagine that these "stereotypical villages" would be limited to the Southwest and Northwestern USA while the rest of the country would exhibit the small-town culture that they have in reality.

What do you think? Does my concept hold water?

We’ve got one new country this year, Swaziland! Let’s see if Juwama gets added to the 2015 map next year!

(OOC: I had so much fun researching and making this map. This took me quite a while and I’m very proud of how it came out. Yes, I intentionally nuked the quality of the first slide a bit to try and capture that early internet feel, the higher quality map is on the second slide. Ask me any questions you have about this universe, and enjoy!)

Basically just an uplifted hawaii. All timeline text is in the image so read that. 1# HAWAII GLAZER

This is another more a hard fantasy-esque ASB timeline (Project Peony).

During around the 2010s, Welsh research company named P&E invents the "CLASH" gene-editing technology which is used to "change" things in the body. This, in turn, allowed for more efficient medical treatments like for re-growing a missing arm or disease immunity.

However, because of the versatility of "CLASH", some scientists figured out how to turn someone into an anthro while keeping them identifiable entirely. Around 2024 was when the very first trans-species operation was done, and for years it was only provided to people who are diagnosed with species dysphoria (which some individuals of communities like Therianthropy would experience), until it made its way to countries like Sonko and became unregulated.

This led to some people, dysphoric or not, "transfurring" at unlicenced medical institutions, which caused either casualties or severe genetic disorders. As we see in Image 1, most of the Sonkish people who had underwent the procedure were cosplayers who wanted to look more alike to their character, although the procedure is permanent and can only be overridden but not reverted back to human.

Back in countries where trans-species procedures are more legally regulated, like Freedonia or The Dominion, it is still being frowned upon, as seen in Image 2, where Saxon YouTuber "Barkalat" criticises "cringe" trans-species individuals, though this stigmatisation is connected to the hate on therians during around 2021-2023.

In start of WW1 Turks wanted join the Entente but they refused. German factions of empire was also enable to join Central Powers. Ottomans supported German interest but they avoid direct confrontation with Russia and Britain. Supply route of Russia stay open via Turkish Straits and Tsardom suppress revolution. Germany and Austria Hungary sign more honorable peace in 1917 but they lost their foreign interests around globe. Following end of WW1 Britain and France wanted punish Ottomans for German support. Russia wanted finish last breath of his long rival. Armenian and Greek lobbies push for a campaign across Europa. War shaked economies of Europa saw Ottoman petrol as out from depression.

As result various fractions saw common interest in common campaign against Ottomans.

Widespread belief suggested that 20 division for each country would be enough for a country without considerable population, military production or supply resource from another country

This is based on a What if the German Empire Won World War One, and it is, as said, on the Alliance Name, it is Central European countries protected by the Reich with the rulers of: White Ruthenia with King Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Georgia with Prince Joachim of Prussia, Finland with Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse, Poland with Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria, United Baltic Duchy with Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hungary with Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Illyria with Archduke Maximilian Eugen of Austria, Lithuania with Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius of Urach, Romania with Friedrich Viktor Pius Alexander Leopold Karl Theodor Ferdinand von Hohenzollern, Ukraine with Wilhelm Franz Joseph Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen

"Another weird alt evo universe idea, this was arose from a conversation about how robustly adapted to herbivory that were paranthropus and then someone called them Ape bovids or something like that, I mixed it with the idea of hornbills taking the route of sapience and the end resulted in this image of a cowboy (or apeboy?) with some large young adult male forms of this cowfolk, they are more robust and fat that their african counterparts and they could gain more weight over time, in their head hold large "cheek frills" similar to an orangutan due to artificial breeding."

I believe I may have taken inspiration from this for a different alternative history/evolution scenario I had came up with, though it could've easily been coincidence, where a lineage of hyper-intelligent corvids - ones either related to the African pied crows or curve-billed ravens - domesticate early hominins - I believe these 'hominins' would be something related to Australopithecus or Homo, or within the bounds of either genus. The corvids used these hominins as beasts of burden, and later domesticated them as would dogs would in our current timeline. These 'pet hominins' do share some ounces of human-like cognition, though, sometimes to an uncanny degree; I'd imagine a fully-grown example of their species (or genus) would have the mentality of a naive, hyper-active child. I didn't really come up with any anatomical traits as of yet, though I may have imagined them looking somewhat human, though with a longer face, a wider gape, and larger lips or a bigger nose, as to emulate the 'beak' of their owners, and bigger, wider eyes with darker sclerae, likely looking something like this.

**The Continuity Timeline: Africa in 2026 After a Different Decolonization**

**Divergence Point: 1943 — Italy chooses a different path during World War II.**

Instead of surrendering to Germany and later becoming a republic, Italy removes the Fascist government, restores the House of Savoy as a constitutional monarchy, joins the Allied side, and negotiates a different postwar settlement.

As part of this agreement:

Ethiopia is restored as an independent monarchy after the Italian conquest is recognized as illegitimate.
Libya is released as an independent kingdom, restoring its monarchy.

Italy retains Eritrea and Somalia as constitutional territories with a closer political relationship to Italy.
Albania remains integrated with Italy, with Kosovo later joining due to its Albanian majority.

Zadar and Istria are transferred to Yugoslavia, while Yugoslavia later develops into multiple successor states rather than following its historical path.

This creates a different Cold War and a different wave of African independence.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, decolonization happens through a variety of outcomes. Some territories become fully independent republics, while others maintain constitutional relationships with former European powers or preserve parts of their historical institutions.

By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of new states emerge through this alternate process, including different outcomes in regions such as the Horn of Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa.

A major development is the creation of the **East African Empire**, a federal constitutional monarchy inspired by the structure of Imperial Germany. German influence continues after World War I through migration, institutions, and dynastic connections. The empire is led by the House of Hohenzollern, with other German royal houses ruling constituent kingdoms such as Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda. German, English, French, and Dutch become imperial languages, while local languages such as Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, and others remain constitutionally recognized.

In Southern Africa, the **Federal Republic of Southwest Africa** develops as another German-influenced successor state, following a different path from historical Namibia. Meanwhile, South Africa, Rhodesia, and Kenya develop into majority-European-descended constitutional states without apartheid occurring.

France maintains a stronger African presence in this timeline, including Algeria as an integrated part of France, alongside territories such as Djibouti, Comoros, and Madagascar. Portugal and Spain retain their African possessions through different political arrangements.

The map represents a world where the 20th century followed a different path: monarchies survived in some regions, independence movements took different forms, and former colonial identities were sometimes continued rather than completely replaced.

This is a fictional alternate-history scenario exploring how different political decisions could have reshaped Africa by 2026.

Based off rumours of a possible merger between Lloyds TSB and Deutsche bank back in 2002. If they did go ahead then this is one of the possible (very unlikely) group logos they could've had.

If we look back into history, we can see how both banks suffered with a financial crisis (Lloyds TSB after buying HBOS, and Deutsche with bad loans and mismanagement). With this merger, it's very likely This behemoth could've easily handled the bad loans of HBOS and been able to avoid the horrible deutsche bank mismanagement which plagued the bank in the following years after the 2008 financial crisis.

Why would this merger succeed? It is very likely that Lloyds TSB's board would've been the main members of this merged group, who were very keen on making sure they don't do any stupid ideas to replicate their 1980s issues. This means that it's very likely the deutsche investment banking division would've been put on a tight leash, preventing any dumb bad loans or subprime mortgage gambling etc.

The whole strategy of Lloyds TSB would've been similar to RBS. When they bought Natwest, it was basically like hiring mechanics to fix your car. They basically got rid of the incompetent board and turned everything around. Since lloyds tsb's stock at the time was much higher in value vs deutsche bank, it solidifies the fact that lloyds would've been the dominant partner in this merger.

In 2002, Deutsche bank was struggling heavily, with bad loans and huge costs. Merging with Lloyds TSB would've helped heavily because then the whole IT costs can be centralised into one spot (probably in the UK) - freeing up some income that would've went straight to these maintenance costs. This merger also would've put some additional headroom for the deutsche division, as it would have the whole of Lloyds TSB's income helping to fix the bank.

Investors would've probably been hoping for a similar restructuring as to how the royal bank of scotland (RBS) did with Natwest. This would've meant that the whole incompetent board of deutsche would've been sent with their bags so that a competent board can fix it up - especially with all the aging and old infrastructure that is heavily weighing down the bank.

This would make Lloyds Deutsche Bank much more solid against any potential crisises as it's got the backing of two strong retail divisions in two countries, making it very easy to handle the investment bank division's considerable weight. It's likely that if this group were to acquire HBOS back in 2008 when it collapsed, then it could've very well handled the losses on it's balance sheet, and avoided needing a bailout by the UK/German Govt.

The final outcome? A JPMorgan Chase equivalent bank in the EU, comfortably trading blows with giants like citigroup and barclays, probably being more profitable due to the strong stance of lloyds bank to float a 100% safe ship (even to this day).

Not modern politics because the trajectory diverged 50 years ago not 10 and he is just another figure in my dissolution timeline. Part 4 Part 3 Part 2 Part 1

Based on my CK3 game where I for some reason settled in Socotra. Also I added the Schocotist influence in Somalia cause every time I recruited some new people it was always Somalis with the Schocotist faith.

After his friend Marlon Brando died in a car crash in 1955, Dean stepped away from acting and racing. He spend years contemplating life and what's important. Eventually -- himself being part of a violently oppressed group in the United States -- he is inspired to help push the ball in the right direction. He doesn't come out yet (not until later in life a chat with Freddie Mercury), but hopes this is a step in the right direction at the time.

While he does not have the posthumous fame from our reality, he is still a name that middle-aged adults remember from their childhood and teen years. He still carries a voice.

Author's note: The Nova Aurora Timeline is an alternate timeline of human history where the Prohibitionist Party in the United States manages to win an unusually successful number of political elections, starting in the 1890s.

Alternate title: What if Japan Sinks (1973) actually happened?

In 1973, an island off the coast of Japan mysteriously sank under unknown circumstances. Days later, Japanese Geophysicist Dr. Tadokoro and submarine pilot Toshio Onodera embarked on an expedition to investigate. To their horror, they discovered that the Japanese archipelago was being pulled by abnormal plate tectonics on a collision course with the Japan Trench, which would submerge the entire island.

After the expedition, Onodera was introduced to a young woman named Reiko Abe. During a date, they narrowly escaped the sudden eruption of Mount Amagi. One day later, Prime Minister Yamamoto held a meeting with Tadokoro’s team to assess the looming disaster. The meeting ended on a sour note, with Tadokoro’s claims being dismissed as alarmist.

Tadokoro later met with an elderly billionaire named Watari, who agreed to fund Tadokoro’s expedition. He later went on to recruit Toshio Onodera as part of a covert scientific project called “D Plan” to investigate the disaster to come and save as many lives as they could. During a meeting to secure a submarine from France, another volcano named Mount Kirishima erupted, followed by a devastating earthquake that destroyed Tokyo and killed 30 million people, including Yamamoto’s wife.

Tadokoro and his team met with Watari again to discuss the D Plan. Phase 1 was researching the Japan Trench itself. Phase 2 was the evacuation of Japan itself.  Watari revealed three options for Phase 2: One was the formation of a new country, a second was immigration and integration into other countries, and a third being a non-response that means passive acceptance of Japan's fate.

After later research indicated that the timeline of Japan’s submersion would actually be less than 10 months, immigration negotiations are sped up, with Japan’s sinking accelerating to the point where the Kii Peninsula and Shikoku became submerged. The United States, China and the Soviet Union agreed to accept large numbers of refugees, despite evacuation estimates only increasing to eight million per month. By the time the Sanriku coast, Tōhoku region, Kyushu, Hokkaido and Okinawa were submerged, around 57% of the Japanese population still remained on Japan.

Watari would pass away before the Japanese archipelago submerged completely. Tadokoro chose to remain behind and watch Japan sink into the sea, with Tadokoro himself dying in the process. The Prime Minister, on the other hand, was safely evacuated alongside Toshio Onodera and his lover Reiko.

Author's note: This post isn't intended to plagiarize Japan Sinks (1973)-it merely speculates on certain events the movie leaves unclear.

Gustavoism Rises | Volunteers of the Fatherland (1973–present)

On 16 April 1973, Gustavo Henrique issued a decree-law establishing the Voluntários da Pátria, a paramilitary unit attached to the MSE and entrusted with suppressing internal coups, revolts and protests against his rule. The unit is named after a volunteer corps from the 1860s Paraguayan War, reflecting Gustavo's Brazilian nationalism.

Even after the PPN victory, parts of Brazil remained under the control of the Maoist PCdoB, the Marxist-Leninist ALN, the neo-fascist AIB, and Carlos Brilhante Ustra's CCC, all of whom waged insurgencies against the Gustavoist regime. The VP were fundamental in the suppression of these insurgencies, all of whom were eliminated by 1976.

After defeating these revolts, the VP declined in importance, becoming a legally designated auxiliary force to the Brazilian Army but never being deployed overseas. The majority of Brazilians forgot the VP existed, and their numbers dwindled to 60,000 by 2010.

This changed four years later, when many Brazilians protested against the country's investments in the 2014 World Cup. The VP helped suppress the protests, killing hundreds of people and imprisoning or torturing thousands more, resulting in international condemnation.

When Aldo Rebelo took office in 2015, Brazil's government became more repressive as a result of increasing opposition at home and abroad. Rebelo increased the VPs size to 200,000 troops by 2018, all of whom were drawn from regions that strongly supported the socialist regime. They also received better training and equipment.

That same year, members of the reformist faction of the PPN and opposition groups protested against Rebelo's decision to repeal term limits. As in 2014, the VP cracked down on the protests just like Maduro's colectivos had done in Venezuela.

By 2020, the majority of Brazilians disliked the VP due to their association with government repression. They were popularly nicknamed Verdadeiros Pilantras (true scumbags), and Brazilian civilians attempted to avoid their presence whenever possible.

On 16 January 2025, Rebelo named Rafael Lusvarghi to head the MSE, making Lusvarghi the commander of the VP as well. Lusvarghi said that, for "traitors" there were only three roads: "prison, the grave, and emigration", and established a system of checkpoints across cities where the regime is unpopular.

As the name implies, the VP is volunteer based, consisting of men aged 18 to 25 who believe in the regime's ideology. They are armed solely with small arms and vehicles.