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COOKIE! 
Congratulations for being accepted, hope you'll enjoy it!
And about General Grubby, what's in a name? What's in being Dutch?
Congratulations for being accepted, hope you'll enjoy it!
And about General Grubby, what's in a name?
What's in being Dutch? 
Congrats!
Though how Franciscan is that university? The type we have here, founded by franciscans and nowadays just another university, or an actual one run by franciscans?
Though how Franciscan is that university? The type we have here, founded by franciscans and nowadays just another university, or an actual one run by franciscans?
ColossusCrusher: Bravely Bold Sir Robin ...
English Patriot: Yep ! Going to work on them now !
rcduggan: Thank you !
Grubnessul: Being Dutch seems to be IN this year XD
Avernite: Pretty conservative . I made sure to do my research about the fidelity of prospective universities . In fact , one of the reasons why I wanted to transfer away from the University of California is because of the rampant secularism going on here .
JimboIX: Thank you , sir !
English Patriot: Yep ! Going to work on them now !
rcduggan: Thank you !
Grubnessul: Being Dutch seems to be IN this year XD
Avernite: Pretty conservative . I made sure to do my research about the fidelity of prospective universities . In fact , one of the reasons why I wanted to transfer away from the University of California is because of the rampant secularism going on here .
JimboIX: Thank you , sir !
Inter-Season Bonus Time Part I : Behind the Scenes at the Studio !
Alright folks , in celebration of getting accepted into my new university , I've decided to let you all have a sneak peek at the behind the scenes work we have here at Timelines . Today we're going to go through some discussion on various inspirations for characters and just generally fleshing out some of the rationale and fun we've been having behind the scenes . This is only part I of my planned bonuses for the end of this inter-season showcase . The second part I will actually be writing a bonus CHAPTER which will help use segue into Season II . There will also be surprise bonuses later on which I won't give away ! So let's get started . This is a bit of an informal tour of what goes on behind the scenes , so let's head in !
So as you all know I've already put up separate bonuses on various characters and I've made two bonuses specifically on Sweet who many of you know is my favourite undead player in the Warcraft III pro-gamer circuit . Too bad he's not doing so well these days . A lot of the fans out there , however , have a soft spot for General Schenkhuizen of our story . I've mentioned this before but he too has been inspired by a professional WC3 player :
Manuel Schenkhuizen who goes by the name of 4k.Grubby is one of the best orc players in the world . 4k stands for Four Kings which I referenced by noting that Grubby served Four Kings in his career (Spain , England , Bohemia , and one other that was not named [most likely France]) . He's also Dutch , and that will gain some importance in the bonus chapter I'll be writing in the next couple of days .
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The Japanese characters sympathetic to Spain have similarly been inspired (at least by name) by several individuals . The Akanishi family name is actually taken from Akanishi Jin whom I saw in the Japanese comedy/drama series Gokusen 2 . Interestingly , the code name Matsujun (Akanishi Matsumoto Jun as you recall was the name of the boy) is taken from a famous young actor by the same name (sans Akanishi) :
Interestly , Matsumoto starred in Gokusen 1 but otherwise is not related to the Akanishi name . There is a deeper meaning to why I chose Akanishi in particular and for those out there who might already be picking up on where I'm going with it might understand my sinister intentions . But don't tell ! Let it be a surprise for everyone else ! The Future Matsujun carries the name of Ichihara Hayato Akanishi . Ichihara Hayato is also a famous young actor in Japan:
He's a bit younger than Matsumoto but that was intentional in my unfolding plan about the characters . As a sneak peek for you fans , the Matsujun of the 1580s will be 'growing up' and we'll get to see him again in the next generation ! As for the 2008 Matsujun , now you know what he should look like .
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It's not just real individuals where inspiration has come from and inside jokes are made . Actually for many of you (Panzerkardinal , Karasuman) , you'll recognize Zio and Le Cheik as being from somewhere .
Councilman Zio was a very tough boss in one of my favourite RPGs of all time "Phantasy Star IV" and I wanted to honour him by featuring him in Timelines . Part of the reason why I chose to do so was because back in the day , my best friend (Panzerkardinal) and I used to roleplay and Zio was one of his characters he would roleplay . The way I structured Zio , as many have speculated , was sort of an antithesis of the Panzerkardinal . Dark colours and brooding . There are several reasons for this . One is that I wanted to show , as an inside joke , a struggle of identities of my best friend as he is both exemplified in the Panzerkardinal and caricatured in Zio . Secondly , Zio rejects the traditional aspect of the information about the Timepiece and rejects the Keys of Rome ; a symbolic meaning that was obviously weaved into the story . The fact that he was a former University professor should also shed some light on the kind of personality I tried to inject into Zio . You may also notice that he (or the flesh puppet version of him) makes several mentions to the "Black Parade" and "my chemical romance" . Always portrayed as a negative force , i think that this is all too obvious a message for me to even insult any of your intelligences to mention . If you don't know what those two terms are , then I suggest you look them up . I also thought with Zio wearing all black and looking like a young trent reznor he would fit the role of exmplifying that sub-culture .
Zio is not the only PSIV character I adopted into the story . Raypard Le Cheik is an alliteration of Reipard La Shiec aka Lassic aka Lashiec . He was a villain in PS I and PSIV :
In PSIV , he had several attacks but his most powerful were the ... yep you might have guessed it "Anothergate" and "Thunder Halberd" . He was the second of the Councilmen but we have yet to meet the Third Councilman and ancestor/predecessor of Marcus !! Something to look forward to in Season II
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I wanted to end our tour with an EXCLUSIVE once in a lifetime look at the real life TOM .
Tom's a relatively good friend of mine . He really is a Protestant and he lives on the East Coast (he'll soon be my neighbor ... well just in the next state from me) . The Tom presented in the story is not exactly a replica of the Tom that I know , however . For example , the real Tom would not be as dimwitted or socially awkward as the Tom in the story . He also did not have any dalliance with Marcus or anything of that sort . So just wanted to clear that up XD . Why did I choose Tom ? Well first , there was a seed in my brain about Tom's Protestantism that is going to play a major role in Timelines in the future and so I wanted to make sure that was in play . Secondly , Tom acts as a surrogate for the audience (or at least tries to) in all the confusion going on . His role will be expanded upon better once the mystery picks up and the audience requires added reinforcement in order to make sure we don't lose track . Although the Real Tom doesn't play Europa or dabbles in historical empire building , he was one of the best Armoured Core players before he retired and he used to be one of my clanmates back in the Starcraft hayday along with Panzerkardinal .
Well that's the tour . I did want to make a note . I know it seemed like a sausage fest tour of the characters , but as it is most of the female characters .. well . We've already seen Nia in a previous behind the scenes special . Isabella , I actually asked someone to do a rendition of her but it hasn't been finished yet . She had no particular inspiration anyway ; just an original character . As for Lara though . Well let me explain . There was an exchange student from Spain who came to my high school when I was still there . I was totally infatuated with her but she hated my guts . It's a long story , but either way I hadn't asked her for permission to post her picture (I had asked Tom and I own those pictures of Nia's actress since I directed and produced that movie) so I couldn't post any images of Lara's inspiration . So that's about it ! I hope you all tune in for my bonus chapter coming up ; especially for all those who made bonus chapters for me there's something special in there for you all ! I hope you all liked this behind the scenes peek and let us know what you guys think !
And here I was thinking grubnessul was the inspiration for Grubby, just as Panzerkardinal is for the panzerkardinal
Interesting sneak peek, though Tom looks a bit older than I had imagined
Interesting sneak peek, though Tom looks a bit older than I had imagined
ALERT! Monty Python based Humour ahead!
Bravely bold Sir Robin rode forth from Camelot
He was not afraid to die, oh, brave Sir Robin
He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin
He was not in the least bit scared to be smashed into a pulp
Or to have his eyes gouged out, and his elbows broken
To have his kneecaps split, and his body burned away
And his limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Sir Robin
His head bashed in, and his heart cut out,
And his liver removed, and his bowels unplugged,
And his nostrils raped, and his bottom burned off,
And his penis split-
Sorry 'bout that.
Now, you mentioned the Starcraft HEYDAY!!!
I still play it...even if I have to wait 3-5 minutes for Battle.net to load up...
If the lyrics are inappropriate please tell me and I will remove them.
Bravely bold Sir Robin rode forth from Camelot
He was not afraid to die, oh, brave Sir Robin
He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin
He was not in the least bit scared to be smashed into a pulp
Or to have his eyes gouged out, and his elbows broken
To have his kneecaps split, and his body burned away
And his limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Sir Robin
His head bashed in, and his heart cut out,
And his liver removed, and his bowels unplugged,
And his nostrils raped, and his bottom burned off,
And his penis split-
Sorry 'bout that.
Now, you mentioned the Starcraft HEYDAY!!!
I still play it...even if I have to wait 3-5 minutes for Battle.net to load up...
If the lyrics are inappropriate please tell me and I will remove them.
So did I :wacko:Avernite said:And here I was thinking grubnessul was the inspiration for Grubby, just as Panzerkardinal is for the panzerkardinal
Me and my Ego
Still, two Dutchman on the forum, both thinking the same about two Dutch Grubbies, almost seems like a prophecy
Cool update tho.
*now continues to hume Bravely Bold Sir Robin the rest of the day*
Avernite: Haha ; gosh you silly guys . And real life Tom is about my age so he's older than he's portrayed in the story . ^^ Forgot to mention that .
ColossusCrusher: Gosh , I haven't played SC in a while ever since the announcement of SC II came out . What a great game !
Grubnessul: XD Well you still have the graffiti in the Hong Kong airport !! XD
ColossusCrusher: Gosh , I haven't played SC in a while ever since the announcement of SC II came out . What a great game !
Grubnessul: XD Well you still have the graffiti in the Hong Kong airport !! XD
BONUS: PORTRAIT OF THE PANZERKARDINAL
According to our vote , the newest commission our dear friend Thistle has done for us is for everyone's favourite Cardinal , Cardinal-Duke James DeWitt ! Thistle's style in this portrait evoked great surprise in me when I received the final copy . It exemplifies in its colouration and posture the strength of the Cardinal while accentuating the unique pain and suffering that has so marked the prelate's life . The signature red armour displayed in a permeating yet diffused redness , I believe , speaks of the way reality and especially the reality in the Cardinal's life has been marked with pain , suffering , and battle . The illumination of the cross displays the only shining and uncorruptable bastion of the Cardinal's armour-- his faith . A warrior prelate who is overburdened by the worries of the world but remaining strong despite the pressures !
If you guys don't know who Thistle is , he was also the artist who did the portrait of Antonio . He's currently a team member (arguably leader , really) for the manga group Limedust which will be releasing such comics as Midori Nightmare in the future . He studies Art History at Miami University in Ohio . Thistle does do commissions and usually portraits such as these go for about sixty dollars , thirty dollars for fine linework , and fifteen for just rough sketches . Luckily since we're friends , he gives me a bit of a discount for the portraits I've commissioned for Timelines ! I encourage you all to give him some patronage . You can contact him by following the deviant art link on the image !
Please do tell us what you all think !
Also , as a side note , English Patriot's interview will be up tomorrow or early tomorrow morning (I just had to ask him one more thing) so I hope you all enjoy the portrat in the meanwhile !
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I don't think my computer is going to support SCII, it's a 64 Mb video card, you see...
Nice portrait, by the way.
Nice portrait, by the way.
Great bonuses & portrait, The Panzerkardinal is a fierce looking guy! I'd want to be on his side in a fight, that's for sure.
<insert bad french accent>
Hmm...interessant...
</bad french accent>
It is not often an author reveals his inspiration for characters. I enjoyed this update the most of any of your bonuses. One of the reasons I keep coming back to your work, besides the 'wicked' plot-line (more on that later), is the plethora of 'out-there' characters. It reminds me of my college days when I used to play sc (I still do by the way), Japanese RPGs, and hang-out with the anime crowd. Unfortunately, we haven't kept in touch since then...but in a small way, this story helps cure that need I have for this kind of story.
Umm....yeah...I lost track about half-way through season 1...then just kept plowing on cause sometime, somehow, it will make sense! I hope! And even though I've lost track of the overall plot...it is still entertaining...I keep storing bits of the story in my memory because I know that sometime during season 7 I'll figure it out and be like...DUDE! Awesome...
TheExecuter
Hmm...interessant...
</bad french accent>
It is not often an author reveals his inspiration for characters. I enjoyed this update the most of any of your bonuses. One of the reasons I keep coming back to your work, besides the 'wicked' plot-line (more on that later), is the plethora of 'out-there' characters. It reminds me of my college days when I used to play sc (I still do by the way), Japanese RPGs, and hang-out with the anime crowd. Unfortunately, we haven't kept in touch since then...but in a small way, this story helps cure that need I have for this kind of story.
canonized said:
Umm....yeah...I lost track about half-way through season 1...then just kept plowing on cause sometime, somehow, it will make sense! I hope! And even though I've lost track of the overall plot...it is still entertaining...I keep storing bits of the story in my memory because I know that sometime during season 7 I'll figure it out and be like...DUDE! Awesome...
TheExecuter
ColossusCrusher: Awww , SCII is going to be great ! You need to get a new computer asap !
JimboIX: Thanks ! speaking of bonuses , we need to talk on AIM asap , Jimbo to get back on track .
Fiftypence: Thank , you sir ! Glad you enjoyed them ! It's still not too late if you want to also be a guest author . If anyone out there wants to submit anything let me know ! This has been a great experience !
English Patriot: Yes indeed ! Thistle did a great job !
TheExecuter: Je suis d'accord ! Thank you for your support ! Feel free also to ask any questions about previous chapters . Many of the patrons here as well as myself would love to answer and/or speculate on anything from previous chapters !
JimboIX: Thanks ! speaking of bonuses , we need to talk on AIM asap , Jimbo to get back on track .
Fiftypence: Thank , you sir ! Glad you enjoyed them ! It's still not too late if you want to also be a guest author . If anyone out there wants to submit anything let me know ! This has been a great experience !
English Patriot: Yes indeed ! Thistle did a great job !
TheExecuter: Je suis d'accord ! Thank you for your support ! Feel free also to ask any questions about previous chapters . Many of the patrons here as well as myself would love to answer and/or speculate on anything from previous chapters !
You’ve Been Canonized!: English Patriot
Good evening and welcome everyone to this edition of You’ve Been Canonized! our weekly interview segment here on Timelines where we take a patron author and get to know more about them , about their thoughts on the AAR here , and about their current AAR or project ! If you’re new to the programme , I’m your host canonized author of Timelines: What if Spain Failed to Control the World? and today’s guest is our new friend English Patriot author of The Rebirth of England – Woodhouse Dynasty Part II ! Interview Questions , Starto !
Part I: Putting the Riot in Patriot
English Patriot and I discuss a little bit about himself .
canonized: First , I wanted to welcome you on our programme and thank you for honouring us with your participation ! Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us how long you've been on the boards and writing AARs ?
English Patriot: Thanks for having me! Well, my real name is Bevan I am of course an Englishman, Twenty years old and so on, I've been on the boards for about three years now, I've only been writing AAR's for about six months or so, I've wanted to for ages but always found it hard to begin with.
canonized: Ahh , a relatively new writer ! What would you say has been your greatest challenge so far ?
English Patriot: For me it was starting, there were and are still a lot of really good AAR's and I'd often think to myself, can I do something as good as that? Will it entertain people as well as the other AAR's. That and carrying on, I have a terrible memory sometimes, which means I may stop, put the AAR off for a while and then get worried about coming back to it, thankfully I've managed to so far!
canonized: Haha , well thankfully for us as well ! I’ve noticed from our talks earlier that you've placed many family names from your own tree into your works . This family connection ; why does it come to the forefront of your pieces ?
English Patriot: Well I am an absolutely enormous family man, I'm very proud of what I'm apart of, and for me it really ties me to the game, I find everything's a lot more important and exciting when its your descendants trying to hold on to your Empire
canonized: Was this what first attracted you to play CK and write in the CK portion of AARland ?
English Patriot: It definitely was, I love CK for the Roleplaying aspect, your countries become very personal, your King has a personality, as do their wives, their children, their courtiers, CK for me is a very lively game. And for me it begs to be made into an AAR, I even write them in my mind while I play it’s that natural!
canonized: What do you think of EUIII in comparison to your CK experience ?
English Patriot: EUIII for me requires a lot of work: although I love the game—for me—it doesn't have the dynastic edge that CK does; you feel almost detached from the game. With CK you had childhood experiences etc and the characters really grew. With EUIII, its monarch after monarch so you really have to work to make them different.
canonized: Your current writing style combines elements of historical biographical writing and gameplay . Why did you choose this avenue of expression in your work ?
English Patriot: For me it flowed easier, I wanted the piece to be a sort of Encyclopaedia Britannica, although I would very much like to do bits of it in a narrative style, I am thinking of doing little bonus parts, much like a merger of Timelines and JimboIX's House of Obertenghi
canonized: Oh that sounds interesting ! As a relatively new writer but a long time reader , what kind of advice could you give to anyone who might be interested in taking a stab at AARs ?
English Patriot: I would say: do it because the game needs to be shared, and just jump in there. I've always found it hard to begin, but once you do everything gets a lot easier and a lot more rewarding
Part II: Fan and Guest Author
Some thoughts on English Patriot’s guest authorship on Timelines and what he thinks of the piece.
canonized: You've only recently made yourself known as a reader on our thread , but you've been reading for a good while now ; how has your reading experience of Timelines been in general ?
English Patriot: Brilliant. It’s a very involving piece of work. The concept is very unique and I'm a big fan of alternative histories already so Timelines really interested me.
canonized: You've also been one of our guest authors to provide a bonus section for us recently ! We're very honoured to have had you ! What do you think made the Timelines storyline so accessible for you to participate in ?
English Patriot: The Honour is mine! I find there's a lot of space, like real history, even though you've given us the main stories to read there are still so many to write. Timelines feels like a big world, one you could really hide in, and the general setting is a very fertile one for imagination
canonized: As a strong family man as you mentioned , I can imagine that you have an appreciation for the continuing 'dynasties' so to speak between the past and present time frames of the story . How has the experience of seeing ancestors and descendents moving about the world in each chapter been for you ?
English Patriot: Very interesting, I love that part and the past and present concept was what first really interested me. It gives Timelines a real grounding; you could almost believe that Spain is ruling the world. Seeing the genes carry on through time and how families change over time is a very intriguing idea to me
canonized: Any particular gene set that caught your attention ?
English Patriot: Obviously watching De Witt family move from Cardinals to shady agents is fun to see, and of course the Lions of Meissen organisation, as a none-gene example
canonized: As mentioned earlier you participated in our inter-season showcase with your own Bonus offering ; what are your thoughts on the different bonuses we've had so far on Timelines ranging from movies to pictures to other narrative pieces such as yours ?
English Patriot: I think it’s a real tribute to both the participants and to you obviously that Timelines inspires people to create a range of different contributions that really expand the Timelines world. I'd really love to see it more in other AAR's, and maybe someday I could give it a shot in mine. It’s a real enjoyment to see different interpretations of Timelines.
canonized: Is there a part of the Timelines universe you feel as if you wished there was more spotlight on ?
English Patriot: I'd like to see more of the bigger picture and perhaps more high level diplomatic stuff, if you get my meaning, but as far as I'm concerned it would just be extra layers of icing on a very sweet cake!
canonized: Thank you ! So any guesses on what the Timepiece is , does or what its purpose might be ?
English Patriot: Ha! Not a clue, at least not a real one, perhaps the Timepiece would restore the world to our history, or to another, maybe it’s just a red herring and Spain is meant to rule the world!
Part III: The Same Dynasty; A New Face
English Patriot and I talk about his current continuation of his AAR megacampaign.
canonized: First thing one will notice if they begin to read your EUIII offering is that it's a megacampaign . We talked briefly earlier about your love for CK , but why did you choose to go down the megacampaign route and will you continue to Vicky and HOI2 also ?
English Patriot: I think what would be interesting to see is how the Woodhouse Dynasty changes to Crusader Kings of England to the Monarch of a United Constitutional Monarchy, if that! Who knows? Maybe they'll stay an absolute monarchy. But Vicky and HOI2 just bring yet more possibilities to confront, and that’s what I love about Paradox games.
canonized: If I recall correctly , you also did the modifications and conversion yourself . How was that experience ?
English Patriot: Oddly satisfying, when I converted my CK game, Hallstens converter wasn't finished, still isn't *nudge nudge* so I had to convert it myself. Then I wanted to make my England unique, we had the redcoats because of the overwhelming amount of red in our countries heraldry, but what if, like my Coat of Arms, the major colour was black? So I gave them black uniforms, I changed my shield to one that made more sense and at the same time more unique.
canonized: Biggest challenges in the game itself ?
English Patriot: For Crusader Kings, it was my vassals! Ingrates the lot of them! But oddly enough, fighting the first civil war was very enjoyable; it had a sort of Gotterdamerung feel about it. In EUIII, it was maintaining the Empire when the knowledge slowly dawned on me that we were the old man of Europe: our armies were huge, but behind on technology; our economy was unremarkable. And then it was a matter of keeping the young bucks down in Europe and supporting the ones you liked.
canonized: As it is right now in the story , you've signed the Neapolitan Act and released several vassals . One of the things that I really enjoyed from reading was the attention to the details of each in-game move to rationalize it . What kind of system do you have to address in-game events ?
English Patriot: First of all I take into account the monarchs stats, more diplomatic ones can afford to be more autocratic and sign things to their liking according to traits I give them. Others, like Empress Eleanor, will have the Senate or Parliament walk all over them. Often the Parliament is very Britain centric and quite hostile to Europe, whereas until lately the monarchy has been more continental
canonized: Well you've certainly done a great job in adapting the personalities to the statistics given and you've also illustrated innovative elements into your English lore such as the Anglican plutocratic movement (if I can call it that haha) . Where did you come up with interesting unique ideas such as this one ?
English Patriot: I'm not quite sure really, it just seemed to evolve out of the circumstances, at the time we were really making a lot of money through merchants and so on, and the middle class was really on the rise. However, England was still very aristocratic and continental; a lot of the Kings seemed more French than English, the Anglicans were a sort of Middle class backlash against the Old money as it were, and I like the sound of the Anglican plutocratic movement.
canonized: One of the aspects of your re-envisioned Britannia and Great Britain is its fidelity and protection of Catholicism . Although probably for practical reasons , the concern of religion was a real one especially in this age . Will the new Empire remain with the Faith or will the forces of history spawn the Church of England ?
English Patriot: For as far as I can see into the future I can safely say Britain will still be the Catholic Bulwark of Europe. The Papal Curia, last time I checked was stocked with only Britannic Cardinals and the Deus Volt! National Idea has stopped Protestantism in its tracks at the border. There is little reason to change as far as I can see.
canonized: And lastly , what AAR plans do you have for the future ?
English Patriot: Well, obviously I really want to see the Woodhouse dynasty right into the 1950's, but I'd also really like to try a narrative AAR. JimboIX's House of Obertenghi really brings the spirit of CK alive and I'd love to give it a shot
canonized: I think you'll do well in it if your bonus for us is any indication ! We thank you again , English Patriot for being on the programme and I’d like to thank our audience once again for tuning in this week for our interview segment ! Please keep supporting our wonderful authors out there ! Next week’s guest will be announced during the course of the week so please look out for that on the thread ! Have a good week , everyone !