Blue Skies in Camelot (Continued): An Alternate 80s and Beyond
- Thread starter President_Lincoln
- Start date
Hopefully the differences include Morse having a family. Have you watched it?
Both updates were great Mr President. As a fan of Halloween I really enjoyed reading the differences in TTL. The US Canada relationship was also good to read about as well as Udall's trust busting.
Hmmmm, interesting sets of updates. Will be looking forward to all that, especially the Falklands conflict (to see if any particular butterflies have affected it, namely TTL's British defense policy and all the defense reviews have affected the British forces, or if the Argentine forces have more forces and equipment, courtesy of the Romney and Bush administrations), and what others countries will get focus in this foreign affairs, as well as 1982 pop culture, where I'm sure that a certain Extra-Terrestrial will make audiences cry everywhere....Thanks!Glad you enjoyed.
There will definitely be an update on the US economy, coming soon. I believe that the current schedule of updates is as follows:
1. Soviet Politics
2. President Kennedy's big domestic policy push for 1982 - a comprehensive crime control/justice reform bill
3. The Falklands Conflict
4. The personal computing revolution
5. More domestic US politics (including the economy)
6. More foreign affairs (including a potential crisis)
7. The 1982 Midterm Elections
8. 1982 Pop Culture
9. Blue Skies at the movies in 1982
Question, will you maybe mention Somalia and it's leader, Siad Barre? Because in OTL, due to the Ethiopian monarchy falling and being replaced with the Derg, lead to the Ogaden War, and thus after Somalia's defeat, Siad Barre severed ties with his formerly close allies, the Soviets, due to them supporting the Ethiopians. So I imagine that right now, Siad Barre is still a Soviet ally at this time, and seeking to obtain the Ogaden region, but maybe instead of invading, he sends more support and backing to the Western Somali Liberation Front?
Oh, and even though we're still years away, @President_Lincoln, have you ever thought of TTL's equivalent of Forrest Gump?
Either way, intrigued at what's going to be happening in Moscow, and good luck with the next chapter!
Last edited:
All excellent questions.
I don't have an update in the current pipeline that would make for a convenient place to cover Somalia, so allow me to briefly answer those questions here. Your imagining is correct. Barre is still a Soviet ally, with Imperial Ethiopia still allied to the West. Barre is still seeking to acquire the Ogaden region and is, to that end, supporting the Western Somali Liberation Front. Whether he will be successful in his ambitions will be addressed in a future Africa update.
I have thought a little about Forrest Gump, actually! I feel like there will be a lot of interesting parallels but unique happenings, given the butterflies at play here.
Oh wow Forrest Gump I imagine would be different from what it was IOTL. I'm guessing instead of Vietnam Forrest will serve in Cambodia? I'm kinda hoping that he actually gets to marry Jenny.
Xman1287
Banned
Understandable man but we should see a different take on it but remember Ramis was originally brought onto the project to help make it more easier to film considering Aykroyd’s first script would’ve been $300,000,000 to make but I think we should see how GhostSmashers would’ve played out if you like Ramis could be part of one of the other ghostbuster teams fighting for the same clients is on the goodside because they were considering four actors Christopher Walken Christopher Lloyd Jeff Goldblum and possibly if he didn’t play Venkman Michael Keaton before Ramis felt compelled to play Spengler as he felt he was the best choice but we should see how a different actor in the role of does as Egon for me it’s Goldblum we should how Aykroyd’s first script goes in this reality given John Belushi lives past 1982
While I still stand by my belief of the movie being SNL/ SCTV alum heavy, I kind of agree. Butterflies would change for a lot, not just in the ways we wish hard for. Something that I had a philosophical disagreement with in another TL about the sports results being the exact same as OTL, despite MASSIVE PODs in other areas.
From my prediction about Forrest Gump ITTL, he's still going to school after her mother makes out with the principal, then meets Jenny for the first time in the school bus, interact with Elvis Presley during his stay at their family inn in Greenbow, Alabama and show him how that dance originate and became his signature style later, and Forrest finally broke his leg braces after beginning to run fast towards their home.
Then in the 60's ITTL, he's still going to be an iconic college football player that later became part of the All-American Football League and meet President JFK in The White House. With JFK survive ITTL, Gump will not yet going to serve in Vietnam like IOTL (or both with Cambodia ITTL) until later between 1969-1970 ITTL and discharged by 1975 ITTL. Throughout the decade ITTL, Forrest would still be graduated from college, then likely joined and became part of different causes of the decade from Civil Rights Movement, Second-Wave Feminism, Hippie Movement, Woodstock Music Festival, and New Frontier Democrats. He could meet and interact with Martin Luther King, Marilyn Monroe, VP Terry Sanford, and RFK. Forrest and Jenny will meet again on these occasions that I've mentioned like in Washington D.C. IOTL, including the Black Panther Party. Forrest and Jenny would vote for JFK in 1964 ITTL and became Democrats after he won the election.
In the 70's ITTL, I'm assuming that Forrest would be drafted to Cambodia ITTL and still meet Bubba and Dan like IOTL. He's still going to be awarded The Medal of Honor, this time by President Romney ITTL for saving the lives of his army troops that includes his late friend Bubba. While recovering from his injury, he became a professional ping-pong athlete and played in China during his visit there just like IOTL, meet with President Bush ITTL for being the leading athlete of the team, then interviewed by Dick Cavett with The Beatles ITTL on the show, and finally meeting Dan again in New York like IOTL. I don't know if you're going to involve him in The Manson Capture, The Hoover Affair, The Assassination of President Romney, Doe v. Bolton, and Equal Rights Amendment in this movie but I'll let you decide. After his military discharge, he's back home and start the shrimping business (known as The Bubba Gump Shrimp Corporation) that Bubba promised until Dan shows up that he made promise to him back in New York to help make this business and made them multimillionaires. Still, her mother dies from Cancer, invested early in Apple Computer IOTL (now Xerox ITTL) to help improved the town he's living, Jenny will arrived at his family inn, but I'm hoping that she finally accepts his marriage proposal earlier ITTL, Dan would show up to the occasion with his new metal legs and his wife, then having their son that we knew as Jr., spend the time as a family, until Jenny passed away in her sleep from AIDS, and buried her from the same tree that they became friends like IOTL. Or maybe she gets her treatment to battle AIDS now with President Udall passing the bill for Universal Healthcare Act for all Americans, then President RFK have announced to the nation for setting up funds and calling it as a public health crisis. She can be one of the survivors from the disease and later became an advocate for all who was diagnosed with AIDS beyond the 80's ITTL. I can also add that in retrospect, she also suffered PTSD from the abuse of her father because Mental Health isn't talked about in the nation's public consciousness during their time. Maybe she can finally get therapy and also became an advocate for the Mental Health in the 80's ITTL.
I think they're both support and vote for Udall in 1976 and RFK in 1980 with them being a major part of The Boomer Generation (born between 1946-1964) thanks to JFK ITTL being their president that they can relate, inspire, and support to with him alive ITTL. I proposed that Gump would be an advocate for the better treatment of the veterans who served in Cambodia ITTL, then maybe the leading figure of this movement. I don't know if you're still going to include the scene where he runs across the US like IOTL, but I'll also let you decide as well. This would likely happen in the 80's ITTL.
That's my prediction for the plot of this movie now that everything changes ITTL genius. The film is still going to be nominated and won all of them in The Academy Awards later in 1995. I'm also looking forward if they're going to do a sequel after that about what's going to happen with them throughout the 80's and the 90's ITTL, but was later scrapped after 9/11 happened IOTL. Without 9/11 ITTL, it's possible that they're going to make the sequel. The sequel novel is going to be a lot different ITTL Mr. President, and I'll be gladly to watch this movie version as well ITTL.
Last edited:
AeroTheZealousOne
Monthly Donor
I know I've been pretty silent on this thread in recent months, but pretty soon I'll more thoroughly catch up on everything and offer my thoughts and my insight. In the meantime I will say that the Pearson pennant used by Canada ITTL has absolutely grown on me in the last few years. From what little I've skimmed tonight, lovely stuff!
I love your predictions. Yeah hopefully Jenny is able to get treatment ITTL. It may take awhile but with RFK's backing and calling for more funding than ever ITTL, it could happen.
Welcome back genius, you've been silent since early January. Do you like some of the chapters that His Excellency here written about what happened in 1981 ITTL? Fell free to reply at your available time if you can. I've been meaning to ask you that the Spotify Playlist that you've made for this timeline is no longer available recently. Did you removed it or is it something else? I always listen to the playlist to feel what's it like living in the past until it was gone one day when I decided to listen again.
It's like I foresaw on what would the plot may be for this movie now that they're living and experiencing differently from 1962-Onwards ITTL. I'm assuming that they're going to be Democrats from the Southern US because they're from Alabama. With them being from The Boomer Generation (born between 1946-1964) and the Kennedys are in better place ITTL, there's no question that that they're going to vote for President RFK and Vice President Bentsen again in The 1984 US Presidential Election later ITTL.
AeroTheZealousOne
Monthly Donor
Yeah, life's been life this year. Been meaning to make it "my year" but it's already a quarter of the way gone. I can still salvage it, and I've loved what I read about 1981! Again, a more detailed reaction is forthcoming but I am quite pleased seeing the early 1980s take shape!
As for my playlist, a while back I decided I no longer wanted to be present on Facebook, and unfortunately for me I made the erroneous decision sometime in the 2010s to link my Spotify account to said Facebook. As such I went through my Spotify, complied a list of liked songs, and deleted that voluntarily just before deleting my Facebook. As for that I apologize profusely to any and all for this inconvenience as part of my general distancing from social media in recent times. All that being said, it's half-tempting to make a new account not directly linked to a social media platform partly for the express purpose of restoring the playlist, but don't get your hopes up. Also because Neil Young is back on Spotify.
I did something similar, honestly, with music playlists in taking me to times I never really lived in, or times that I'm partly nostalgic for on the basis that they are different! So I absolutely relate.
Last edited:
Time moves really fast now that we're both adults. We can't remain young forever, but we can be young at heart. I hate being an adult as everyone does here who's still finding and creating in their own way, but that's life as elders would say. And as we get older, we gain knowledge, strength, and wisdom along the way. With the timeline on its new decade, the world is in better place than IOTL.
I was feeling the exact same thing genius, we need to slow down for a minute, take time to rest, and live life to the fullest as we rely too much with technology over time. Social media is taking our time until you realize that it has already passed. I used to spend much time on Facebook until it became less in recent years. I used it to others like YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, and mostly here on Google. Spotify became my refuge to escape reality, my soundtrack of life, living in that time period when they made that music, or imagining a different world whenever you listen to music. I always look forward yearly to Spotify Wrapped since 2019, it was last year being my longest time that I've listened with 58,468 Minutes or 40 Days Straight. This is like the peak of my happiness because I always play music whenever I sleep, doing my exercise, or put it on replay every time. Now I understand your reason, so I accept your apology.
I always listen to the classics rather than the moderns or recents because I realized that I'm an old soul as well. There's a certain word for this called anemoia - the feeling of nostalgia for a time/place/thing that you have never known. Finally, there's another word that stuck with me and I'll leave it here for all of you to learn as well, it's called eramnesia - the realization of being born in the wrong time period and wishing to live in another.
Last edited:
Still use Facebook myself, mostly to keep in touch with authors I'm a fan of, and book genres, amog otherthings. Fan of 90's and 2000's music, and earlier, as I grew up in the 90's.
Speaking of social media, the development of them in TTL could be interesting. They may exist but have completely different names (ShareCircle, DataQuest, ChatLink, PicMingle, BuzzNest, etc.) or even be completely different.
I've been thinking about what direction superhero films could take in this TL (again) as it looks like DC will dominate the 80s with the Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman seeing theatrical releases by decade's end while Marvel either sits it out or is regulated to TV. I need someone to refresh my memory as if The Incredible Hulk ever made it air. It's worth noting that there was Doctor Strange television movie in the 80s that was meant to be a pilot for a series that never materialized. Just imagine if it got picked up for one season, though I have a hard time imagining that it would last that long given budget constraints of the medium.
Spider-Man is an obvious candidate and Cannon Group OTL did try some proof of concepts in the latter half of the 80s, but nothing materialized. It may enter production in the early 90s if James Cameron is not attached (apparently the reason my the project fell into production hell OTL is because Cameron refused to allow Menahem Golan a producer credit). X-Men is similarly primed to enter production if its TTL popularity matches OTL's. Captain America is doable as a period piece (just butterfly the OTL 1990 film) and I imagine Marvel under Kirby would want to see Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer films in development. Sad to say that I don't think Iron Man or Thor would be a priority unless Marvel's more popular properties gain traction.
On the DC side, given that Mr. President confirmed that there will be a Batman film at the end of the 1980s so there is the possibility that WB could convince Christopher Reeve to return to the Superman role one last time for a World's Finest film. Without the OTL experiences of Superman III and IV, he may be more open to it with the right script. Of their other characters, I could see The Flash being a period piece that could take place during WWII (with Jay Garrick) or the 1950s (Barry Allen), but Green Lantern and Aquaman would be unfeasible without serious compromises given technological constraints.
Spider-Man is an obvious candidate and Cannon Group OTL did try some proof of concepts in the latter half of the 80s, but nothing materialized. It may enter production in the early 90s if James Cameron is not attached (apparently the reason my the project fell into production hell OTL is because Cameron refused to allow Menahem Golan a producer credit). X-Men is similarly primed to enter production if its TTL popularity matches OTL's. Captain America is doable as a period piece (just butterfly the OTL 1990 film) and I imagine Marvel under Kirby would want to see Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer films in development. Sad to say that I don't think Iron Man or Thor would be a priority unless Marvel's more popular properties gain traction.
On the DC side, given that Mr. President confirmed that there will be a Batman film at the end of the 1980s so there is the possibility that WB could convince Christopher Reeve to return to the Superman role one last time for a World's Finest film. Without the OTL experiences of Superman III and IV, he may be more open to it with the right script. Of their other characters, I could see The Flash being a period piece that could take place during WWII (with Jay Garrick) or the 1950s (Barry Allen), but Green Lantern and Aquaman would be unfeasible without serious compromises given technological constraints.
Discord could have been called Wyvern, tumblr could have been called Bonfire, Current could have been a YouTube competitor instead of a last minute MSNBC competitor...
