The Catherverse is an universe created by Chipperback
. It is a three-thread timeline on AlternateHistory.com set in an alternate 2015 world, centred around North American affairs. The countries most focused on is the Great Plains United Republic, the Industrial Republic of North America and the Confederate States of America. However, other nations such as the Republic of Greater California, the Republic of Quebec, the Hawaiian Pacific Commonwealth and non-North American nations get attention too.
The timeline is presented like it is live, with updates focusing on the here and now, only as a timeline.
The three threads are...
The Road to Willa Cather Landing: The first thread, focusing on the GPUR and everything west of the Mississippi, up to and including Australia-New Zealand.
Land of Confusion: The second thread, focusing on Europe, Africa, Asia and the North-American lands north of the CSA and east of the Mississippi. Focuses on the Industrial Republic of North America.
Winter of Discontent: The third thread, focusing on the Confederate States of America, its' internal matters and foreign diplomacy, primarily with the Soviet Union and the CSA's southern neighbors in Latin America.
Planned Mid-North American War TL: A planned look at the events of the 1950s and in particular the Mid-North American War between the Confederate States and the Great Plains United Republic.
Tropes:
- The Alliance: Free North America, opposing the CSA and its' evils. Also sometimes the IRNA...
- Attack of the Political Ad: Political ads in the GPUR's 2012 election was shown for all parties.
- Audience Participation: Very much so, with collaborators welcome.
- Balkanize Me: Very much so in the case of North America.
- Big Applesauce: Averted with the collapse of the USA ensuring New York City has competition, especially in California.
- Bread and Circuses: How the CSA managed to hold its regime up. Took a hit with the banning of wrestling.
- Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Libertarianism is called Galtism in ATL.
- The Chains of Commanding: John Lewis, after 50 years of resistance, still can't not cry over the death of his soldiers.
- Chummy Commies: The CSA terrorist groups adopt socialist ideology and mannerism, right down to using terms like "brother" and "comrade".
- Collateral Angst: Several media outlets after the Gare du Nord bombing. The coverage focused not on the numerous dead or injured or the intended target, Abigail Anderson, but Abigail's best friend, Taylor Swift.
- Commie Land: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, albeit smaller than in its heyday.
- The Cover Changes the Meaning:
- Subverted. Numerous songs are written very differently, including "Okie From Muskogee".
- Simultaneously played straight (in-universe) by "Our God is an Awesome God." The official version in the CSA invokes divine retribution on the CSA's enemies — but the other version sung by dissidents invokes divine retribution on the CSA...
- Deep South: The new Confederate States of America, a racist, quasi-theocratic dictatorship masquerading as a democracy.
- Defector from Decadence: Several, from Bill Clinton to Tim Tebow.
- Different World, Different Movies: The Simpsons are non-existent. However, Bart and Lisa are around, but radically different, as they were "born" in the future in order to fight aliens! The Californian anime Team Bart-Liz was very popular in the 90s and is coming back in a few years.
- Divided States of America: And Canada as well.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: The twists in the Confederacy's story in Winter of Discontent often invokes this trope.
- Dystopia: The Confederate States of America. Black Confederate people still live under Jim Crow. And even if you are born white, you can still be drafted in the army and forced to fight in places as far away as the Philippines, and Confederate secret police can burn your civil rights and lock you up arbitrarily.
- Eagleland: Mainly found in the Industrial Republic of North America, the main "heir" to the old USA.
- Enemy Mine: The CSA and their major ally...the USSR.
- Establishing Series Moment: The world overview in Willa Cather Landing that started the whole thing.
- Everything Is Big in Texas: Even Texas itself, as it has merged with Louisiana!
- Fallen States of America: Twisted, with the USA itself falling, but most countries emerging from it doing fairly well.
- Fictional Political Party: Plenty! From left to right, following the ideological spectrum.
- IRNA: Workers' Union, Constitutional Democrats, Industrial Republicans, Galtists.
- GPUR: Great Spirit Community, Democratic Socialists, Lease Lobby, Progressive-Farmer-Labor, Progressive Conservatives, Plains Action.
- UCNE: Freeman-First Coalition, SLP-Green Alliance, Liberal Democrats, Minutemen, Conservatives, Galtist-NEI Alliance.
- Quebec: Quebec Solidaire, Labor-Liberals, Parti Quebecois, AUSQ, ADQ, Conservatives, Front National.
- HPC: Polynesian Greens, Pacific Labor, Union of Centrists, Hawaiian Conservatives.
- RGC: Democratic Socialists, Tomorrow, Democrats, Coalition for California, Conservatives.
- LSR: Greens-Socialist Unity-IMP coalition, Radical Liberals, LA National, Democrats, Conservatives, Sam Houston-TX First coalition.
- Football Fight Song: Plenty of this for football and other sports, most notably racing's socialist Internationale 500
- Graceful Loser: JC Watts is incredibly magnanimous toward Paul Wellstone, even inviting him and the other challengers to international summits.
- Hypocrite: The CSA leadership has hypocrite written all over it. They have oppressed their population (black and white) and have menaced the North American successor nations while claiming themselves to be a holy, peaceful nation. In its early days, despite claiming to resist federal tyranny, when Huey Long's Louisiana decided to form a union with Texas, the CSA wouldn't have it, and tried to bring Louisiana back under their heel.
- Long Game: Could be applied to the CS Resistance.
- Morality Pet: Martin Luther King, and other OTL Civil Rights Leaders, were exiled to Fidel Castro's Cuba. Their influence ended up changing him for the better, to point where Cuba in the present day is more democratic than the CSA.
- Oppressive States of America: This happened to the CSA, which has turned in a dictatorship in democratic clothes.
- Our Presidents Are Different: The last president of the USA was Franklin D. Roosevelt. His assassination in 1935 is the start of this timeline. Since then, there have been a lot of Presidents leading the splinter states and even some Prime Ministers.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Both Superstorm Sandy and George McGovern's death were incorporated into the story.
- Real Soon Now: The apparent present status of The Mid-North American War TL
- Red Scare: Twisted. Most of the world fears the CSA and the far-right instead of the far-left.
- The Remnant: The Soviet Union and the Industrial Republic of North America could be considered this.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: The Black Fist and other anti-CS government resistance does not shy away from violence.
- Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: Numerous examples. At least two female politicians have different spouses. (Incidentally, both of them basketball players.) Condoleeza Rice is married to Grant Hill, while the former Hillary Rodham is married to Pat Riley.
- Rigged Contest: Ultimately the CSA election of 1977 turned out to be this, and every election since.
- State Sec: The CSA has one of their own, which is feared by the people.
- The Theocracy: The Confederate States due to the strong moralistic streak and lack of division between church and state. The Mormon Republic of Utah is a more benevolent version.
- Trilogy: It is a story in three parts, just not divided chronologically!
- War Arc: The planned Mid-North American War TL is expected to be this.
- War Hawk: Presidents Strom Thurmond (CSA) and Donald Rumsfeld (IRNA) were this.
