Differences from OTL (The Fork in Time)

Thou Wee, Wee German(ic)/Þeedish/Þeodisclander Lairdie! Even þough þis article is still part of The Fork in Time, it noƿ requires a doƿnright major reƿork because of TTL's new dynamics. You are ƿelcome to comment on þē talk page.

The following The Fork in Time page is under construction. Please do not edit or alter this article in any way while this template is active. All unauthorized edits may be reverted on the admin's discretion. Propose any changes to the talk page.

This sub-page lists some differences between TTL and OTL, both major and minor.

Major

NOTE: I do NOT advocate for the discrimination or stereotyping of anyone in any way or form.

• The current world is much more polycentric than IOTL, which means more great powers everywhere instead of one or two world superpowers a la Differently. This also means that these nations have different rivalries, dynamics, and quirks throughout history:
  • As relations between England/Britain and France gradually cool down after the Napoleonic Wars ITTL, the former's main rival throughout history instead becomes almost nobody other than... Italy. This also cooled down over time, though.
  • Instead of Ukraine and/or the United States, Russia's rival throughout a huge chunk of its history was Siberia, although their relations eventually cooled down after the Russian Revolution of 1917.
  • Dithmarschen, Münster, and even Elba are all independent nations ITTL.
• Starting from the 16th century onwards, colonialism becomes more peaceful and less genocidal, as do relations with the world's Indigenous peoples. As a result, there is little to no impetus for Europeans and North Americans alike to begin such events as OTL's 'Manifest Destiny', 'Scramble for Africa', or the infamous 'Long Walk of the Navajo', and the northeastern half of Minnesota is generally as far as the United States of America, which is majority Indigenous American ITTL, gets until the [TBD event in TBD year]. This means that:
  • Despite the occasional yet devastating and often accidental plagues started by European settlers and Indigenous peoples initially, both populations largely recover by c. 1800 due to faster and somewhat hurried medical advancements, long before future colonists can fully exploit the situation.
  • Alaska is sold to Canada (a constitutional monarchy which peacefully declared independence in 1701 ITTL) in 1867, becoming the largest Canadian province (although Nunavut remains the largest Canadian territory ITTL, its size still larger than Alaska's) as a result.
  • The groups sometimes considered "dominant" and "subjugated" IOTL are instead considered "equal" ITTL due to the mostly positive effects of various events.
  • Indigenous languages are far more common than IOTL, being spoken by millions (if not billions) of speakers worldwide, with many of them not even going extinct at all. This includes (but is not limited to) examples like:
    • !Kung: 77,000 to nearly 450 million speakers
    • ǃXóõ/Taa: 2,500 to nearly 400 million speakers
    • Cherokee: ~2,100 to about 350 million speakers
    • Cree: 96,000 to nearly 400 million speakers
    • Crow: 4,160 to nearly 250 million speakers
    • Gutnish: ~2,000-5,000 to about 60,000 speakers as of May 2014
    • Guugu Yimithirr: 810 to nearly 700 million speakers
    • Navajo: 170,000 to nearly 275 million speakers
    • Pintupi: 271 to about 600 million speakers
    • Powhatan: Still spoken today with about 400 million speakers
    • Walmajarri: 291 to about 550 million speakers
    • Zulu: 16 million to over 1 billion speakers
  • Interracial marriage is much less suppressed than IOTL, allowing for larger family trees. In fact, the derogatory term 'miscegenation' from OTL is never coined ITTL due to more peaceful and stable intercultural interactions as well as increased stability and faster technological advancements.
  • Most films from OTL considered especially 'discriminatory' either do not exist or are significantly altered. As the world's Indigenous peoples engage more peacefully with European settlers starting from the 16th century, they and their cultures largely unite long before the film industry can fully exploit the situation despite occasional and often accidental diseases.
  • The Confederate States, which like the United States was majority Indigenous American ITTL, was also much smaller than IOTL, and its attitude towards slavery is somewhat less aggressive. This causes:
    • The American Civil War to end sooner and have the Great Migration after it be 'reversed' in a way inspired by Grant Shot at Ford's Theater.
    • The 1915 film 'The Birth of a Nation' to be released as an anti-racist sound epic drama in color due to the faster societal and technological advancements ITTL.

The BASIC layout of an antique Commodore 64 from 1889. (Credit goes to Nathan1123 for this image!)

• Due to enforced and globalized university research, the unification and occasional independence of countries, a reformed but united Christendom arising in 1525, and far less violence against the world's Indigenous peoples happening throughout history, much of TTL's non-electronic (initially, at least) technology is roughly 60 years ahead of OTL's by the mid-19th century, and even before then got more advanced than OTL by the early to mid-16th century. This means filming is invented in 1837 instead of 1888, heavier than air flight is discovered in 1598 instead of 1903 (although early planes ITTL do resemble OTL's Wright Flyer from 1903, more modern plane forms like IOTL would not come until the mid-17th, late 17th or even 18th century ITTL depending on their origin nation), the Industrial Revolution starts c. 1715 and ends c. 1795, the 1910s is home to OTL's 1970s technology, nuclear weapons take a radically different turn, and so on. Thus, humanity today is far more technologically advanced ITTL despite the division of countries also taking place.
  • Additionally, in a way inspired by Stuff That Memes Are Made Of, all electronic technology from OTL is shifted to be exactly 100 years more advanced ITTL starting from the 1820s a la A Century Early. This means the internet rises in 1883 instead of 1983 and goes public in 1893 instead of 1993, Microsoft (which is founded in 1875 instead of 1975 ITTL)'s Windows 1.0 gets released in 1885 instead of 1985, the first true personal computer is introduced in 1874 instead of 1974, the smartphone is invented in 1892 instead of 1992, Wikipedia is founded in 1901 instead of 2001, memes (including Countryballs) take a radically different turn, and so on. For instance, instead of making memes about OTL's World War II, people would reference [TBD event that took place from the late 18th to early 19th century ITTL], [TBD event 2 that took place in the mid-17th century ITTL], or even the famed Italian settlement of New Humanity from 1590.
  • Also, most wars taking place in Europe such as the Thirty Years' War never happen ITTL for that reason combined with the effects of the famed Great Peace of 1600.
• The Age of Enlightenment is known as Age of the Enlightenment of the World ITTL, magnifying its impact a la OTL Doubled but also causing ideologies often considered 'revolutionary' IOTL to arise earlier, such as socialism.
• Certain countries unite earlier ITTL for various reasons, such as how:
  • Italy and Germany (except the independent Dithmarschen and Münster) respectively unite in the early 16th and 17th centuries instead of the mid-to-late 19th century due to faster societal and technological progress in addition to increased stability, permanently shaping the course of world history.
  • The United Kingdom is formed as the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1603 instead of 1707, leading to a more unified British history than IOTL and concluding a long series of wars fought by England and Scotland as independent kingdoms. However, the Jacobite risings still happened somewhat similarly to the ones IOTL, albeit in Africa instead of Europe and eventually forming a certain diarchy that still exists today ITTL.
• Starting from 1607, the English language's evolution takes a radically different turn due to more peaceful trade and cultural exchange, with some words being replaced partially or entirely by loanwords from other (usually Indigenous) languages. These changes have also applied to other languages before, with the Italian language doing so starting from 1590 and the Spanish language doing so by c. 1538, which the latter in fact began this linguistic trend contrary to popular belief.
• The Russian Revolution is less violent and more gradual ITTL due to the Great Peace of 1600 and a smaller World War I, leading to a powerful 'Soviet Russian Tsardom' that still exists today but is much smaller than Siberia land-wise, one of the last independent khanates still existing ITTL.
• The Belle Époque (English: The Beautiful Era), which started in 1780 ITTL after the end of the American Revolutionary War, becomes permanent even after World War I due to the aforementioned Great Peace of 1600. This is because wars taking place in Europe became much smaller and more limited following said peace treaty, with the two World Wars still happening but mainly taking place in different continents instead to not disrupt its lasting effect through history, or at least be less likely to. Ergo, the late modern and contemporary periods are both known as the Belle Époque ITTL, with the stability era (OTL: early modern period) generally defined as lasting until 1780 instead of 1800. However, the Belle Époque's 'colonial expansion' aspect is more peaceful and less genocidal ITTL due to the harmonious Italian expedition to New Humanity (Italian: Nova Umanità; OTL: Australia) that happened in 1590.
• There are many famous people whose lives are longer ITTL, with some still being alive today or unique to TTL for several reasons including faster societal and technological progressions. Conversely, some other famous people from OTL either died earlier or were never born at all ITTL, further altering the course of global history. Some famous people from OTL even follow different careers ITTL, if they still exist amidst the 'butterflies'.
  • Additionally, the world population is currently about 9.35 billion as of c. 2000 ITTL.
• Military history is significantly altered, with certain units lasting longer or disbanding (or at least fully going ceremonial) earlier (see Polish-Lithuanian-Galindian-Samogitian hussars and Tercio for example). Many wars also have different lengths and consequences as a result.
• The 27 Club is more globalized and stretches further into the past a la The American Empire: The Stars and Stripes, complete with a larger number of members. Some notable inclusions are TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, and TBD.
• In most of the world, copyright length is generally very short and the public domain is therefore way larger than IOTL. For example, several nations have instituted a 28-year-long copyright length with an optional renewal for another 28 years, thus making their general maximum copyright length 56 years.
• Due to an extended ancient Roman influence on early Christianity, any and all racist and anti-LGBTQIA2S+ messages in earlier versions of the Holy Bible are either significantly reworked or removed. Several forms and terms related to words about them are thus coined over either one or two millennia earlier than IOTL, thus leading to a very different linguistic trajectory overall.
• There are more socialist and communist countries than IOTL due to several factors, including these ideologies and most of their derivatives being invented as early as either the 18th century or the early 19th century.
• ITTL, early forms of the distinct letter "J" emerge as early as c. 600 BC(E), thus rendering it quite ancient. Its earliest forms used dots on both its capital and lowercase forms to clearly distinguish it from the letter "I", which was the predecessor to J both IOTL and ITTL. For example, an Old English speech featuring its more modern form ITTL could be: "Þæt wæs god cyning, and his jæmþs wæs eallum gebod."

Minor

• Certain famous inventions and media from OTL will go under slightly different names ITTL for various reasons. Some translations from one language to another will be altered as well.
• Video games as a whole will be pretty different ITTL.
• More coming soon!

Name Changes

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Due to a far more archaic and conservative-sounding Germanic language family (including the English/Ænglisc language) ITTL, runes remain in common usage and many names are different, especially place names like these:

• Albania becomes Albaneland
• Algeria becomes Algerland
• Austria-Hungary becomes Austreland-Hungary
• Bulgaria becomes Bulgarland
• Cornwall becomes Cornƿall
• Czechoslovakia becomes Czechoslovakland
• East Prussia becomes East Prussland
• England becomes Ænglaland
• France becomes Frankland
• Gagauzia becomes Gagauzland
• Hawaii becomes Haƿaii
• Italy becomes Italland
• Kalmykia becomes Kalmykland
• Kashubia becomes Kashubland
• Lakia (also the name of a nation in Parallelity of Parallelities) becomes Lakland
• London (England and the United Kingdom/Knitted Cyningdom's capital and largest city) becomes Lundenwic
• Lusatia becomes Lusatland
• North Macedonia becomes Norþ Macedonland
• Northern Cyprus becomes Norþern Cyprus
• Norway becomes Norƿay
• Novanglia (also the name of a nation in An Honorable Retelling) becomes Neƿ Ænglaland
• Nova Scotia (one of Canada's provinces both IOTL and ITTL) becomes Neƿ Scotland
• Polabia (also the name of a nation in Parallelity of Parallelities as well) becomes Polabland
• R(h)aetia becomes R(h)aetland
• Romania becomes Romangard
• Rromania (also the name of a nation in Parallelity of Parallelities as well) becomes Romaland
• Russia becomes Russland
• Samogitia (part of the Polish-Lithuanian-Galindian-Samogitlander Commonwealth ITTL) becomes Samogitland
• Serbia becomes Serbland
• Slovenia becomes Sloveneland
• Somalia becomes Somaliland
• South Sudan becomes Souþ Sudan
• Switzerland becomes Sƿitzerland
• The United Kingdom becomes the Knitted Cyningdom
• The United States becomes the Knitted Stāþas
• Transcarpathia becomes Transcarpaþia
• Tsezia (also the name of a nation in Parallelity of Parallelities as well) becomes Tsezland
• Wales becomes Ƿales
• West Prussia becomes Ƿest Prussland
• Yamalo-Nenetsia becomes Yamalo-Nenetsland
• Yotvingia (also the name of a nation in Parallelity of Parallelities as well) becomes Yotvingland
• Yugoslavia becomes Yugoslavland

Trends Investigated IOTL and ITTL From Earliest to Latest

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Inspired by Caroline Era's trend investigation (credit to everyone including that timeline for all that stuff)!

OTL Trend	TFiTTL Trend
The English language absorbs many Latinate and Romance loanwords but keeps some of its earlier Germanic roots after the Norman conquest of 1066	The English language stays predominantly Germanic-influenced after the conquest due to an ancient unified Germany/Germania/Þedeland/Þeodiscland starting strong purist movements alongside its neighbors, complete with limited but cordial borrowings from other languages and causing a significant linguistic gap between English and Norman French/Franklander that countless people attempt to bridge; OTL's English is thus called "Norman English" instead ITTL
Generally slow and gradual yet usually groundbreaking technological advancements	Same as IOTL until c. sometime in 1088 AD, when the University of Bologna enforces its ways and thus causes technology to advance more rapidly
Mexico was conquered by the Spanish Empire in 1521, although descendants of the Aztecs known as the Nahua still exist today	Mexico stays Aztec, although the Nahua aren't butterflied away as a result
The Winged Hussars as a military unit no longer exist today as of 1702/1776 AD, depending on one's perspective	The Winged Hussars as a military unit still exist today, albeit ceremonially and for parade purposes due to the rapidly-advancing technologies around them
YouTube is often considered one of the greatest internet websites of all time	YouTube is far more controversial and divisive for various reasons throughout its history
TBD	TBD
TBD	TBD
TBD	TBD
TBD	TBD
TBD	TBD