Watch Elias snipe him from half a continent away for no reason other than his childhood war trauma, causing chaos in Eastern Europe.
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On the one hand that was a very messy protest from FLM, but on the other that ALM guy's arguments comes off as an over generalization against the French and a dismal of their struggle against centuries of systemic discrimination.
The debacle with Schulz really did a number on the CB didn't it. We're seeing some rifts within the party develop here, I wonder how the CB will handle it or if they can?
An equalist government in Livonia huh. Surely they aren't that equalist if they're willing to keep the monarchy and work within the meritocratic system. This new chancellor seems like a nice fella. At least they're dealing with the Palluists and nationalists.
ASEAN and the EF have done a good job brining peace to their respective regions if these Olympics are anything to go by. Good job on the Mexicans beating the Romans there, a sports rivalry is much more constructive and friendly than centuries of war and bloodshed. Besides, I always thought it was a tad unfair how the Romans always seem to win the Olympics according to prior lore discussions, it’s about time other countries are allowed to shine.
And so Anders and Diana are still struggling with the challenges of the post Sentinel world. Hope they come out of this okay, lest hope the cursed "Idealists seldom end well" line doesn't have to apply to them.
I guessing you won't be doing any summaries for Augustin/Discovery or Strange New Worlds, but do you have any ideas on how different those shows would be from OTL, specifically or in general?
The debacle with Schulz really did a number on the CB didn't it. We're seeing some rifts within the party develop here, I wonder how the CB will handle it or if they can?
An equalist government in Livonia huh. Surely they aren't that equalist if they're willing to keep the monarchy and work within the meritocratic system. This new chancellor seems like a nice fella. At least they're dealing with the Palluists and nationalists.
ASEAN and the EF have done a good job brining peace to their respective regions if these Olympics are anything to go by. Good job on the Mexicans beating the Romans there, a sports rivalry is much more constructive and friendly than centuries of war and bloodshed. Besides, I always thought it was a tad unfair how the Romans always seem to win the Olympics according to prior lore discussions, it’s about time other countries are allowed to shine.
And so Anders and Diana are still struggling with the challenges of the post Sentinel world. Hope they come out of this okay, lest hope the cursed "Idealists seldom end well" line doesn't have to apply to them.
Well Anders is technically right, all the X-Division were born in the late 60s/early 70s, which would make them Gen-X. Alex definitely gives off Gen Z energy here, especially with that phrase.
I guessing you won't be doing any summaries for Augustin/Discovery or Strange New Worlds, but do you have any ideas on how different those shows would be from OTL, specifically or in general?
Knowing what he did to Gertrude's would be assassin, I wouldn't be surprised if he ever does do something like that,, espically if he holds any grudges against Equalists for childhood traumas as you said.Watch Elias snipe him from half a continent away for no reason other than his childhood war trauma, causing chaos in Eastern Europe.
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The ALM guy’s words were also taken almost word for word from stuff my dad told me about the real life BLM, so sadly such sentiments are also prevalent here.On the one hand that was a very messy protest from FLM, but on the other that ALM guy's arguments comes off as an over generalization against the French and a dismal of their struggle against centuries of systemic discrimination.
The debacle with Schulz really did a number on the CB didn't it. We're seeing some rifts within the party develop here, I wonder how the CB will handle it or if they can?
An equalist government in Livonia huh. Surely they aren't that equalist if they're willing to keep the monarchy and work within the meritocratic system. This new chancellor seems like a nice fella. At least they're dealing with the Palluists and nationalists.
ASEAN and the EF have done a good job brining peace to their respective regions if these Olympics are anything to go by. Good job on the Mexicans beating the Romans there, a sports rivalry is much more constructive and friendly than centuries of war and bloodshed. Besides, I always thought it was a tad unfair how the Romans always seem to win the Olympics according to prior lore discussions, it’s about time other countries are allowed to shine.
And so Anders and Diana are still struggling with the challenges of the post Sentinel world. Hope they come out of this okay, lest hope the cursed "Idealists seldom end well" line doesn't have to apply to them.
Well Anders is technically right, all the X-Division were born in the late 60s/early 70s, which would make them Gen-X. Alex definitely gives off Gen Z energy here, especially with that phrase.
I guessing you won't be doing any summaries for Augustin/Discovery or Strange New Worlds, but do you have any ideas on how different those shows would be from OTL, specifically or in general?
Knowing what he did to Gertrude's would be assassin, I wouldn't be surprised if he ever does do something like that,, espically if he holds any grudges against Equalists for childhood traumas as you said.
CB will be entering its wilderness years, but there’s still time for Elias and Thierry to turn things around. And there’s always the chance that the CMU and SPR’s eternal rivalry will leave an opening for them...
In-game their party ideology is actually equalist but they did nothing against the monarchy while they were in power, so I wrote them here as having rejected revolution and Soviet ideals.
The Romans almost always winning every Olympics is like the US winning almost every Olympics in real life, but now I wanted to show the Eimericans and Southeast Asians are major contenders as well.
Anders and Diana will have their own issues to deal with over this next decade.
I wrote this part maybe when the boomer memes were at their peak to show how Alex is definitely Gen Z. Coincidentally, it was about the same time in-universe.
No, I won’t be working on Discovery, Picard, or SNW. SNW isn’t out yet so I don’t know what to do, and the other two shows are so surrounded by controversy and blind hatred (even though I liked them overall) I don’t want to touch them. But as for ideas, I did have a brief blurb about how Augustin focuses on the viewpoints of characters on the Augustin, Shenzhou, and a Klingon ship during a war between the Confederation and the Klingons, so I guess it would focus on the characters of Michael Burnham, Philippa Georgiou, and Voq. Again, the Augustin is crewed by the morally gray captain Lorca who spurs the crew to research a revolutionary spore drive that will make warp travel obsolete. Georgiou and her crew represent a traditional Star Trek crew, trying to solve things diplomatically. Voq, an outcast orphan, tries to navigate the ruthless intrigue onboard his ship, ultimately gaining the favor of its captain, the charismatic populist and war hawk T’kuvma, who has united the previously warring Klingon clans into a single empire. By the end of Season 1, Voq takes over his ship, the Shenzhou is disabled and its crew temporarily transfers over to Augustin, Georgiou captures T’kuvma and convinces him to agree to a ceasefire, and Michael mutinies against an increasingly unhinged Lorca. In Season 2, we see the inner politics of both the Klingons and the Confederation through Voq, whom T’Kuvma names as his successor, and Georgiou, who needs to convince Starfleet that the ceasefire will hold. The Metternich, captained by Christopher Pike, is sent to meet the Augustin to discuss seven mysterious signals that have appeared around the galaxy. The Augustin uses its spore drive to travel to each of the signal locations in a timely manner. Michael uncovers a conspiracy in which a rogue AI from the future, created from Starfleet’s computers, travels back to her time to ensure its own creation, and the signals are from another time traveler warning her about this. To prevent this, the Augustin uses the time traveler’s equipment to go forward in time with the data needed for the AI’s creation, removing itself and the spore drive from that point in the timeline and erasing the AI from history. Season 3 has the Augustin travel into the 31st century as a result of this, finding the Confederation has collapsed because of the Burn, an incident a hundred years ago where all dilithium exploded. Making contact with the remains of the Confederation, Michael and the crew are tasked with finding out the reason for the Burn and using the spore drive to reach other former member worlds.
(For the record, Michael is still female.)
Star Trek Bauer is a character focused show based on Captain Bauer’s life post retirement. After the events of The Last Verdict, Bauer leads a relief mission to Romulus, which is being threatened by an unexpected supernova. But due to Starfleet’s previous animosity against the Romulans, funding for the mission is suddenly withdrawn. Romulus is destroyed, and although Bauer saves some Romulans, billions more are killed. In protest, he resigns from Starfleet. Several years later, he is called up by some of the Romulans he saved to help negotiate a settlement between the different post-calamity factions that have arisen. Along the way, he recruits a new crew and meets some of his old crew members. Season 2 has Bauer tackling the issue of sentient AI rights, meeting the Doctor from Pioneer, who has become a hologram rights activist, and Hugh, a former Borg drone Bauer freed who is now a voice for other ex-Borg and their rights.
These are all of the ideas I have.
There’s a lot of things Elias can still surprise us with...
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In a Deep Fried Pickle
Constantinople - July 5, 2020, 12:00 PM
Alex heard the story about the Himmler’s chain. His dad told him it had once been called HHH, short for Himmler’s Chicken Master Race or something like that. Because the name increasingly became associated with Angeloi propaganda, the chain starting going by HHH, then 3H or H3, SBC at one point in the ‘90s, and finally just Himmler’s. At least it became easier to remember. They were now in a Himmler’s to get lunch. They got to the front of the line fairly quickly.
“We’ll have some of the fried chicken,” Diana said.
“Coming right up,” the cashier said.
She paid for the chicken and took a receipt. They took a seat near the cashier, who Alex noted was pretty young. He wore a collared shirt and a cross necklace more conspicuous than the one Aunt Angie wore occasionally.
“So, excited for senior year?” Anders said.
“It’s only July,” Alex said, “Still have two months of summer left.”
“You haven’t shared much about high school,” Diana said, “How was it?”
“Fine,” Alex said, “Nothing to say.”
“At least his grades are fine,” Anders said.
“Not good enough if he really wants to go to a good school,” Diana said.
“You push him too hard, Di,” Anders said.
“You don’t push him hard enough!” Diana said.
“Excuse me?” Anders said. “I already have enough on my plate, Di, okay, so forgive me if I don’t push our son enough on top of that!”
“You have enough on your plate, Anders?” Diana said. “I’m the Director, okay? I have a family to support, much more than you, and I also have a national agency to run smoothly so it can protect this country!”
“Maybe you should do a better job of it then!” Anders said.
“Maybe if you didn’t trust goddamn Pavel to help break into Watzmann Mountain, maybe 11/9 wouldn’t have happened and Wilhelm Karl wouldn’t be Kaiser!” Diana said.
“And if you had actually killed him before then, maybe both our moms would still be alive!” Anders said.
Diana glared at him.
“You did not just say I’m responsible for my mom’s death!” Diana said.
“Wait, no, I didn’t mean that!” Anders stammered, suddenly changing his tone.
Heads started turning.
“Uh, Mom, Dad?” Alex said. “Why don’t we talk about this later, okay?”
Diana and Anders quietly stared at each other for another moment.
“You know, he’s right,” Anders said, “We’re here to eat lunch. Which reminds me…”
He went to the counter to pick up their food.
“Your dad…” Diana said. “He’s really stressed out these last few weeks.”
“I know,” Alex said.
“I don’t think you know, Alex,” Diana said, “First he helped break the story on the Mongol bots, then his colleague was hit with those allegations, then she filed a defamation suit, and finally there was the bomb scare. I hope you don’t have to put up with that when you’re our age.”
“I don’t think I will,” Alex said.
“What makes you so sure?” Diana said.
“Things will get better,” Alex said, “People are good at heart. Isn’t that what Grandmother used to say?”
Diana sighed. She looked down, her face heavy with...regret?
“I suppose you’re right,” Diana said, “I hope you’re right. My mother did write it when she was your age, and in an even worse situation. But I can’t shake the feeling that something really, really bad will...”
At that moment, the doors swung open, and several men and women in Olympic tracksuits walked in. The patrons cheered and clapped for the athletes, newly returned from their victories in Seoul.
“I’m sorry, could you wait a moment?” the cashier told Anders.
Anders humphed in annoyance but obliged. The cashier smiled at the athletes and beckoned them to come over.
“Welcome!” he said. “Himmler’s is proud to serve real-Roman heroes! Congratulations on your achievements in Seoul! We’d like to offer you lunch and a gift, all on the house!”
The athletes cheered and high-fived each other. The cashier shouted at the cooks, who whipped up several servings of fried chicken in under a minute.
“Are you serious?!” Anders said. “Why did we have to wait five minutes then?!”
“Calm down, sir,” the cashier said, “This is a momentous occasion.”
He handed the tubs of fried chicken to the athletes, who eagerly wolfed them down.
“Himmler’s always makes the best!” one of the athletes said.
“Just as I remembered!” another added.
“They don’t have anything like this in Korea!” a third said.
“Glad you’re enjoying them!” the cashier said.
He reached under the counter and took out several books. Diana looked around and saw news crews behind the athletes and the other patrons whipping out their phones.
“This was planned in advance,” she said, “This was a set up.”
The cashier handed out the books to each athlete. But their smiles soon vanished.
“Please enjoy those free copies of Living a Moral and Green Life, by Gertrude Anhorn,” the cashier said, “In it, you will find helpful advice from the greatest writer of our time on how to live a good Christian life while fighting climate change.”
“I’m Muslim,” one of the athletes said.
“It’s pretty secular,” the cashier said, “Doesn’t require you to be Christian.”
“Uh…” a female athlete said. “Nothing against the environmentalist part, that’s good…but this chapter called ‘Focus on the Family’, is it…saying what I think it is? Why does it assume I’m a man and make some…really bad assumptions about women and marriage?”
“Uh...that’s the author’s problem...” the cashier said.
“What does this have to do with the Olympics?” a third athlete said.
“I…I don’t know,” the cashier said, “You’ll have to ask my managers. They were the ones who arranged this with—”
“Then why are you giving them to us?” the Muslim athlete said. “Especially since not all of us are Christian? Or male? Or straight? Or even religious?”
The patrons murmured to each other. Alex looked at the news crews. Their directors were motioning at their necks, urging the crews to stop recording. But the cameras continued rolling.
“They’re on the house…” the cashier said. “Free stuff. And don’t you want to learn how to save the environment?”
“But not like this!” the female athlete said.
“Frak this,” the Muslim athlete said, tossing his book in the trash, “I’m out.”
“Yeah,” the others agreed.
They all tossed their books in the trash and stormed out. Anders, still waiting by the counter with his arms crossed, looked back at the cashier.
“Now can we have our chicken?” he asked.
“We used up a lot of our ingredients to serve them,” the cashier said, “So could you please wait another five minutes?”
Anders almost screamed in anguish.
Anhorn residence, Berlin - 1:00 PM
“Breaking news…it was a hot day today for Himmler’s, and not just of the deep-fried kind,” the reporter said, “A visit by Roman Olympics gold medalists to a Himmler’s restaurant in Constantinople erupted into controversy when management handed out, in addition to the expected free fried chicken, several copies of Living a Moral and Green Life by bestselling author Gertrude Anhorn. Videos of the Olympians’ public rejection of the books, which they tossed in the trash as they stormed out after berating a cashier, quickly went viral since the incident happened an hour ago, sparking a national conversation about the role of Christian values and religion in Roman society. The accomplished author Gertrude Anhorn, known for her environmental activism, had been criticized following the publication of Living a Moral and Green Life, which critics say present a reductionist and even medieval look on male morality, the role of women, and the institution of marriage.”
Elias turned off the TV.
“Why do I always have to do this?” he muttered. “Turning off TV sets every time there’s a goddamn story about us. What the frak did you write?!”
While Elias stormed around the living room in a rage, shaking his fists, Gertrude calmly sat on the couch, cool and collected.
“The truth,” she said, “What the world needed to hear, not what they want to hear. The truth can be hard to learn sometimes, but it must be done. I saw Anders Humboldt was at that Himmler’s when the incident went down. He would understand why I wrote what I did. He himself helped break the Sentinel story when nobody wanted to hear it.”
“Yes, I understand, my dear,” Elias said, “But look at the firestorm you caused! Everybody loves those Olympians. They won medals for this country. But nobody cares about a random veteran from Königsberg and his author wife, until those Olympians toss out that author’s books. Now everyone’s calling you some uber-zealot.”
“Nothing could be farther from the truth,” Gertrude said, “And Humboldt created an even bigger firestorm when he leaked the Sentinel files.”
“Well, they certainly don’t believe that,” Elias said.
“I regret nothing,” Gertrude said, “The media exaggerates everything I say. Remember when all those students mobbed every single one of my college speeches? Remember when one of them shot me?”
“I remember that, and I have no desire to see it repeated,” Elias said, “So it is important that we maintain our image so people don’t hate us, okay?”
“For the record, it was Himmler’s fault for giving out those books,” Gertrude said, “I did not tell them to give out the books, nor did I want them to. Give me the phone, Elias. No, I’ll call them up myself.”
She took out her phone and dialed a number.
“I’m going to call up IBC and tell them I did not organize this, that Himmler’s acted alone,” Gertrude said, “Their CEO is a family friend of Emilio Vandenburg and will soon be announcing a partnership with the Shepherds’ Brotherhood to deliver hot meals to homeless and poor populations in the western provinces. On top of that, he had also announced plans to cut back on environmental waste and transition to using fully recyclable and reusable materials. He was just overeager to promote my work, and I had no say in it.”
“Damn you Emilio, not again,” Elias said, “Wait, did the CEO really do that?”
“No, but once I’m done with the IBC, he’ll have no choice but to do it,” Gertrude said.
“That’s good,” Elias said, “I’ll work on it from the political side. This is going to screw us over in the Reichsrat examinations.”
“Even if 2021 is lost, you’ll still have 2022,” Gertrude said, “And besides the main prize is 2025 so don’t worry.”
“You’re right, my dear,” Elias said, “You’re right.”
“This is the IBC public line, how may I help you?” the phone said.
“This is Gertrude Anhorn, I’d like to make a statement about the recent Himmler’s controversy,” Gertrude said, “Can you connect me with someone important?”
Elias picked up his phone.
“Hey, Josiah,” he said, “You heard what just went down at the Himmler’s? What, you liked that book yourself? Well, regardless, I need you to talk to Emilio. Again, for frak’s sake. Yes, I am just as annoyed as you are.”
Perhaps Emilio was more trouble than he was worth. He need to find new allies who wouldn't screw up like this.
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Well, it turns out that making a book for straight white German men doesn't work in a society and nation that is made up of more people than straight white German men.
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Ah, the fresh breath of progressive thoughts, and by the way is there some reason why only the Hohenzollerns can see their dead relatives and ancestors?
I'm intentionally leaving the force ghosts stuff ambiguous as
Nice touch with the Himmler fast food chain make a reappearance here. Good job on remembering the different names his fast food chains has had over the years, gives it more interesting lore rather than it just being a joke.
Ouch, that argument escalated quickly. Goes to show Anders and Diana still have a few issues they should work on before they focus on events around them. I’m still worried about the vision Diana got from the Worm showing X-Division meeting an untimely end.
Gertrude did drop the ball on that book, but Emilo does seem like more of an idiot show for in this update and the anti Schulz add. Gertrude comparing her actions to Anders is interesting, makes me curios about when and how X-Division and CB will meet and interact.
Out of curiosity, what would Norse people think of pop cultural depictions of Norse mythology, particularly media that takes creative liberties with the mythology like DC and Marvel? This question can apply to followers of other pagan religions here, like Greco-Roman Hellenism and the other post Pagan Resurgence religions.
Ouch, that argument escalated quickly. Goes to show Anders and Diana still have a few issues they should work on before they focus on events around them. I’m still worried about the vision Diana got from the Worm showing X-Division meeting an untimely end.
Gertrude did drop the ball on that book, but Emilo does seem like more of an idiot show for in this update and the anti Schulz add. Gertrude comparing her actions to Anders is interesting, makes me curios about when and how X-Division and CB will meet and interact.
Very interesting, I like these ideas. Since it’s a Star Trek parody, do you also have some ideas on how different Hohenzollernverse Orville would be from OTL as well?
Out of curiosity, what would Norse people think of pop cultural depictions of Norse mythology, particularly media that takes creative liberties with the mythology like DC and Marvel? This question can apply to followers of other pagan religions here, like Greco-Roman Hellenism and the other post Pagan Resurgence religions.
Yeah, I just love it when I can canonize jokes into actual lore. Seriously considering sneaking in a reference to the invincible Perm propaganda as a conspiracy theory somewhere.
They're not a perfect couple, but they at least try to understand each other.
Emilio is definitely throwing a wrench into Elias' plan, so Elias will have to improvise.
It'll probably be more serialized, especially once the Kaylon arc is introduced. And Season 2 would ideally focus less on romance and relationships as a main driver of the plot.
It really depends on the group. A few might call it heresy, while the majority would probably have no opinion or embrace it as cultural representation.
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Anders and Diana both went too far, but they're also both stressed out their minds so I'm not surprised. They're in need of a vacation and unlikely to actually get it.
I really like that the Olympians just had the natural reaction to Gertrude's book and she's deflecting to blame Himmler’s.
I really like that the Olympians just had the natural reaction to Gertrude's book and she's deflecting to blame Himmler’s.
Diana even more so, because of what she's seen.
Yet another screw up for CB, misunderstanding how people feel.
There are a couple conspiracy theories about mythical pan Eurasian empires like Hwan and Tartaria in real life, so I could see propaganda glorifying Perm/Saray as a great civilization on par with the Reich being like those. Plus we might even get some extra lore about Saray/Yavadi and the fourth crusade out of people talking about this conspiracy theory, through probably not to the scale of what the TV tropes writers have in mind.Yeah, I just love it when I can canonize jokes into actual lore. Seriously considering sneaking in a reference to the invincible Perm propaganda as a conspiracy theory somewhere.
It would probably be conspiracy theory promoted by the far right in Yavadi through.There's also the many in universe conspiracy theories surrounding Trotsky's death, which Molotov and Anders both referenced and the Lone Gunmen's name was originally going to reference. Anders even mentioned the idea of Trotsky faking his death to work at Himmlers at one point if I recall correctly, although he said that as a joke. Maybe those conspiracy theories would apply to Himmler restaurants in Mexico.
That's cool. Just thinking about what it would be like for a Norse faithful watching Marvel movies or an African Hellenic kid with ADHD reading Percy Jackson is an interesting thought exercise in fleshing out this world, reminds me of one of my favorite chapters in HOI3 where Alto and Engelbert talked about how the comics of the Hohenzollernverse and Annionaverse reflected the distinct yet similar cultures of the two universes. Neat to see these people would be overall happy about that kind of media representation, the Norse have gone a long way from their more war like appearances they had in previous parts of this AAR.
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You know, the imagery of seeing Himmler's face on the KFC (or HHH in this case) logo and seeing it on every city in the Reich as well as across the world is just hilariously awesome and a bit disturbing. Reminds me of that one Walt Disney logo edit someone made for this thread and replaced the name with Hitler's. I wonder if Himmler retired as a Colonel here. Would love to see what's his backstory here if you got any notes on that.
And I agree on the most of the Norse embracing the modern cultural representation of their pantheon. They had one hell of a character development.
CB is gonna be running damage control yet again after that incident. And it seems Anders and Diana are dealing with a couple crisis. Hope they can get pass that at least. Also now that Diana's vision was brought up, it's kinda worrying especially now that Willhelm Karl is the Kaiser
I do have a plan for the Yavdian far right, so I might sneak in a reference there.There are a couple conspiracy theories about mythical pan Eurasian empires like Hwan and Tartaria in real life, so I could see propaganda glorifying Perm/Saray as a great civilization on par with the Reich being like those. Plus we might even get some extra lore about Saray/Yavadi and the fourth crusade out of people talking about this conspiracy theory, through probably not to the scale of what the TV tropes writers have in mind.
Perhaps. Though we have long moved on from Trotsky, so I might not reference that for some time.
They’ve been tempered by a century of division and realized they could achieve more without fighting.
I haven’t written anything at this point, sorry.
And to think at the start of all this I had to invade Denmark once every couple decades...
It definitely is stressing her out.
Staying Strong
The Chancellery, Berlin - December 10, 2020, 1:00 AM
Heinrich and the other generals saluted to Merkel as she entered the room. Then they quietly took their seats.
“What happened at one in the morning?” Merkel groggily said.
“Well, the Yavdian situation is deteriorating,” Heinrich said, “Also the Nepal one. You are aware of the coup by the Paulluist Rastriya Prajantantra Party four months ago, right?”
“Yes,” Merkel said, “The king and his family are now staying at the hotel down the street, paid for with taxpayer marks I’d rather spend elsewhere.”
“Well, it gets worse,” Heinrich said.
“Please get to the point,” Merkel said, “I have a Reichsrat examination to worry about, and I’d hate to lose sleep.”
“Please, Chancellor, this is important,” Heinrich said, “The success of the Paulluists in Nepal have emboldened Paulluists across Eurasia. Just half an hour ago, a referendum in Yavdi against the monarchy passed. We believe it was rigged by the Paulluists, who have already announced a new Uralic Republic, also known as Greater Perm, and the exile of the Tsar-Khagan. They believe the medieval Kingdom of Perm, a predecessor to Saray and Yavdi, was the most powerful empire of its time, even defeating Friedrich the Glorious at one point and thus proving it is superior to the Reich. Crazy, but enough people believed it to pull off the coup.”
“Great, so do I have to spend more taxpayers’ marks on him and his family too?” Merkel said.
“You may need to set aside a third room,” Heinrich said, “We are monitoring a similar situation in South Japan where a Paulluist government is consolidating power, like in Penglai.”
“Oh for crying out loud,” Merkel said, “The Shiba family just loves to get itself overthrown, doesn’t it? If anything happens, they’ll be paying for a room on their own. I’m only going to provide security. And please tell me they don't have their own 'invincible predecessor who effortlessly defeated the two Friedrichs and two Saints so they are the true masters of the universe' conspiracy theories.”
“We are concerned Zhao may use these incidents to increase his global clout,” Heinrich said, “Build up an international alliance of nationalists to spread illiberalism and authoritarianism against the Schengen and Tianxia blocs.”
“How ironic,” Merkel said, “Why aren’t we worried about Penglai then? Surely if all roads lead back to Zhao, we should focus on him. Cut off the head and all that.”
“We really can’t do anything against Zhao,” Heinrich said, “He’s technically done nothing wrong or illegal to warrant sanctions. We’re keeping a close eye on him just in case.”
“What are our options?” Merkel said.
“I strongly advise against military intervention in the affected regions,” Heinrich said, “Yavdi and Nepal are not the same as North Eimerica, especially with the sweeping changes in the last two months. We risk destabilizing the regions further if we send in troops. The Paulluists can play the victim card and rally the people against us, and we’d only strengthen them and weaken our global reputation. In the case of Yavdi, we'd only make the Perm propaganda a reality.”
“So then what?” Merkel said.
“I recommend sanctions,” Heinrich said, “The Paulluists are unrecognized and rogue regimes with a disregard for the rule of law, unlike Zhao who can hide his disregard behind recognition. They must be put in place once we get UN authorization.”
“So be it,” Merkel said, “Contact Vienna and get the authorization. If that’s it, I’m going to go back to sleep. I’m goddamn tired.”
The other generals got up to leave.
“Chancellor, with all due respect, what’s gotten into you?” Heinrich said.
“I’m goddamn tired,” Merkel said, “Forgive me if I’m a little harsh or dismissive, but I’ve been overwhelmed with everything lately. Things everywhere are so crazy I don’t know what I should address first. The world’s going mad, I feel.”
“I understand that feeling,” Heinrich said, “I’m doing everything I can to save it.”
Merkel dragged him out of the room and shut the door.
“By throwing me under the bus, Megas Domestikos,” she said, “I know what you and the Kaiser and Elias Anhorn are plotting.”
“I’m not plotting anything with the Kaiser!” Heinrich protested. “All I do is brief him as I am required to do by law. And I barely know Anhorn! He’s not even a politician. What would we even plot?”
“And yet every course of action you take seems to be against me,” Merkel said.
“Chancellor, with all due respect, my loyalty and duty as Megas Domestikos is to the country, not to any individual,” Heinrich said, “Even above the Kaiser if need be. You really don’t understand what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to keep them in line. That’s what the late Kaiser Otto told me before he died.”
“You talked with him about this?” Merkel said.
“Promise me this doesn’t leave the room?” Heinrich said.
“Of course,” Merkel said.
“Look, Wilhelm Karl has dangerous tendencies,” Heinrich said, “I already have my suspicions about his possible involvement in certain past…incidents.”
“You don’t mean…” Merkel said.
“I do, and I hate that I do,” Heinrich said, “You have any idea the chaos that would ensue if those rumors even spread, let alone are confirmed? I'm trying my best to keep things under control, but I'm just Megas Domestikos, okay? There's only so much I can do. All I want is to fulfill Otto's last wishes and keep this country together. So forgive me if I’m being dismissive now, Chancellor, but I’m not your enemy here. In fact, I’m trying to save your career. You’re not helping out.”
Merkel sighed.
“Alright, I apologize,” she said, “All I want is to sleep.”
“Well, I think the briefing’s over then,” Heinrich said, “Go get some sleep. We can go over details in the morning.”
“Alright,” Merkel said, walking away.
Diana’s office, Karl Adalbert Schulz Athanatoi Headquarters (former Bureau of Security and Intelligence headquarters), Berlin - 9:00 AM
“According to an unnamed source in the chancellery, the chancellor was reported to have said ‘I’m goddamn tired’ at a past-midnight briefing late last night,” the reporter said, “This has set off all sorts of speculation that she may not seek another term in 2025, along with calls from opposition leaders to resign, some even going as far as to call her medically unfit for office. This comes on the heels of the disbanding of the Athanatoi’s war crimes unit, which was spearheaded by the Merkel administration. The unit, which has its roots in Director Anne Frank’s efforts to hunt Angeloi hiding in Neurhomania after World War II, has had a hand in many high-profile prosecutions, including the trials of Valentin Varennikov, Dmitry Yazov, and Ocuil Zolin.”
Theresa patiently sat in front of Diana’s desk as she typed on her computer. A picture of herself with Anders and Alex sat next to it. A bookshelf holding biographies of 20th century politicians sat behind her, under a portrait of her mother.
“So you heard the news,” Diana said, not looking at Theresa, “Shame, isn’t it?”
“First time I heard,” Theresa said, “Everyone’s talking about the troops finally coming home after the Treaty of Unity. Also, something about Mayapan possibly postponing its accession talks to the Eimerican Federation in light of potential bankruptcy.”
“Yeah, creating a new trans-continental federation tends to do that,” Diana said, “So, you just here for a chat?”
“Yeah,” Theresa said, “I wanted to check up on my old friend. Off the record, obviously.”
“Thanks for catching me this Thursday,” Diana said, “This week’s been really busy. We’ve been working hard the last two months updating our intelligence to accommodate the huge changes sweeping the continent, and then the CMU out of nowhere disbands the war crimes unit without consulting me first. All this while I’m still investigating alleged war crimes committed by Roman troops at Parral and Huaxtepec a couple years ago.”
“Do you know why they did it?” Theresa said.
“If I knew, I would be on the floor of the Reichstag already,” Diana said, “But I don’t. I suspect it came down from the Kaiser. I know he doesn’t like me. He’s not his dad.”
“You don’t have any proof,” Theresa said.
“I know,” Diana said, “And I know much better than to not have proof. How about you? Is life treating you well?”
Theresa looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Oh, right, the bomb scare and the bot smear campaign,” Diana said, “I should’ve remembered.”
“I fear it’s a growing trend,” Theresa said, “The country’s growing more polarized lately. Everybody’s being pulled to the extremes, and the center’s falling apart.”
“I can feel that,” Diana said, “The CMU’s no longer the party I remember. Kohl’s spinning in his grave.”
“He would’ve spun in his grave if he knew how his funeral was done,” Theresa said, “These sort of things are not healthy for Roman society. With polarization, the belief in your own truth has become stronger, and it doesn't matter if others say it's a lie. These are new times, and we journalists need to find ways to deal with this."
“We’ll handle it,” Diana said, “We’ve handled Sentinel before. We can certainly handle this.”
But after looking ahead, she had her doubts.
Frankfurt - December 24
Theodor and Elias sat on a bench in a public square, watching Christmas shoppers run around searching for last minute gifts.
“Ah, Christmas,” Theodor said, “I remember my first Christmas with Uncle Willy. My sister and I were still pretty young.”
“What did he get you?” Elias said.
“He got my sister a prototype drone he had in development at the time,” Theodor said, “She took it apart and built it back up with some added features. Probably the reason why she now wants to major in engineering. I'm happy for her, but she's like way too many girls these days. I mean, who's going to be in the kitchen or looking after the kids if they're all mechanics? Oh, as for me? I got…a copy of The Religious Genealogy of Western Economies by Josiah Burkard. Yeah…”
“One of Josiah’s books?” Elias said. “I know the man...and his writing style...”
“Don’t get me wrong, that book has been a huge inspiration for me as a businessman and as a Christian,” Theodor said, “But as a kid, I was expecting something…you know, what kids would expect.”
“I totally agree,” Elias said, “I also lost my parents to the equalists when I was young. All I had was my own sister. We barely celebrated Christmas because we didn’t have the money for ourselves, let alone others. Growing up in Königsberg in the '90s was tough. But no matter what happened every year, I saved up as much as I could for a present for Ellie, and the rest went towards her college tuition. I didn’t want Ellie to live the life I did. I toiled in the shadows so she could live in the light.”
“And that paid off, didn’t it?” Theodor said.
“Yes, it did,” Elias said, “I’m so proud of her. You feel that way with your sister too, right?”
“Oh, definitely,” Theodor said, “I hope she gets into a good school, despite my feelings on her career choice.”
“I mean, you just want to protect your sister, right?” Elias said, “Just like me.”
“Yeah,” Theodor said, “We both want to give them happy and productive lives.”
“Unfortunately, I failed,” Elias said, “Ellie’s dead now. But you…you still have a chance.”
“Yes, I do,” Theodor said, “And I intend to make the most of it.”
They continued watching the Christmas shoppers.
“They want to destroy all this, you know,” Theodor said.
“The equalists hate Christmas and all it stands for,” Elias said.
Theodor turned to him. “So you agree.”
“Of course,” Elias said, “The left absolutely hates Christmas and everything it stands for. It’s religious and capitalist and Roman.”
“Indeed,” Theodor said, “A holiday about the birth of our lord and savior, who will be the king of the Jews, which has been massively commercialized over the last hundred years and made synonymous with Roman culture. It’s everything they hate neatly wrapped up in one little Christmas present. No wonder they’ve been waging a war on Christmas for years. They've banned red and green colors this time of year. They're forcing everyone to say Happy Holidays, and they say Santa Claus should be cancelled. They say we shouldn't be celebrating Christ's birthday and what he stands for, because it's offensive to some snowflakes.”
“We ought to do something about this,” Elias said, “This much consumerism is immoral and deadly to ourselves and to the planet. While our moral cores rot, the planet burns from all of the garbage and waste produced.”
“I totally get you!” Theodor said. “We need to save Christmas. We need to save our country.”
“I have a plan for that,” Elias said, “There are many of us in CB who see the same way, although some have lost their way. Our planet is in danger, and so is our country, and so are our traditions. We are working on a plan to save all of them, and I think you can help us.”
“Now you’re talking!” Theodor said.
“So, are you in?” Elias said.
“Of course!” Theodor said, shaking Elias’ hand. “I’m a proud Roman capitalist and humble servant of God. It’s time we fought back against the left.”
“For our sisters’ sakes,” Elias said, "No, for YOUR sister’s sake.”
Anhorn residence - January 2, 2021, 5:00 PM
Theodor Tesla paced across the stage. The enraptured crowd listened intently to his words.
“What’s the most noticeable contributor to carbon emissions, I ask you?” he asked the audience. “The one you see every day. It’s your car. The internal combustion engine has revolutionized our lives since it was introduced 150 years ago, but it has also polluted our atmosphere and degraded our environment. It contributes to the global economy’s reliance on oil and gas. To that I say the internal combustion engine’s time has passed. It is time for it to pass into the dustbin of history and be replaced…with this.”
The curtains rose behind him, revealing a sleek car.
“Introducing the Tesla E4,” Theodor said, “The latest in our line of fully electric vehicles. Using our newly patented battery, the E4 has triple the range and twice the efficiency of the E3. It has a range of four hundred miles on a single charge, which will take not half a day but two hours! And even better, you will only need to charge once a week on average! We plan to begin rolling out the E4 next month, so get your orders in now!”
The video clip ended. Gertrude and Elias looked up from their phones.
“Theodor moves fast,” Gertrude said.
“He’s been on a roll for the last few months,” Elias said.
“I wonder how he comes up with all these great ideas and brings them to market so quickly,” Gertrude said, “We need to do the same with CB.”
“I suggest we bring him in as a consultant,” Elias said, “I already talked with him, and he’s open to helping our messaging on social media, legally of course. At least he wouldn’t be as trigger happy as Emilio.”
“Emilio finally apologized for the Himmler’s incident, and Joel and Sebastian have fallen into line,” Gertrude said.
“I hope he’s learned his lesson,” Elias said, “We can’t screw up like that again. The party cartel will take every opportunity to knock us down and keep us there. Everything we’ve worked for, everything we did for Ellie, is at stake here.”
“Which is why you’ve focused on the Brotherhood,” Gertrude said.
“I don’t always agree with Thierry, but he’s our best leader,” Elias said, “He’ll do well, if Emilio, Joel, and Sebastian don’t frak up again.”
“I’m sure they won’t,” Gertrude said.
“My dear, you should hire more security,” Elias said, "Or we should just call off the book tour. This whole idea wasn't good to begin with. Focus on the side project Theodor's been helping us with."
"I already am," Gertrude said, "Need I remind you I did most of the work? Theodor just got me some better tools. And now I found the pictures we're looking for."
"Of course, of course," Elias said, "Still, we should prioritize that. Maybe lie low on the books and tours."
"What, so Josiah can turn Living a Moral and Green Life into a collection of bills that will be inevitably shot down in committee?" Gertrude said.
"I'm just looking out for you, Gertrude," Elias said, "Your recent book caused far more controversy than usual. I'm only asking that you take a break and let things calm down. Focus on our new project."
"Okay, okay, after this tour, I'll take that break, fine," Gertrude said, "I have writer's block anyways."
"This tour doesn't look safe," Elias said, "You heard about the riots in Chishinau."
“I’m not going to be shot again, if you're worried about that,” Gertrude said.
“Can’t hurt to call up Argus,” Elias said, “I know some people who would be happy to contract as your bodyguards.”
“The riots are pretty small anyways,” Gertrude said, “Just a few angry kids. Argus has already deployed a few teams to get it under control. Crazy how there are so many riots these days, coming from both sides.”
“It’s so weird how the times have changed,” Elias said, “The CMU is slowly drifting from the party of Adenauer to the party of Maike Richter.”
“And the SPR, aided by actual neo-equalists in the PMS and the Livonian puppetmaster Valiulis, is slowly turning into the party of Valentin Varennikov,” Gertrude said, “Only more incompetent than Yazov.”
“Yet another example of how the party cartel has degenerated over the centuries,” Elias said, “We’re the reasonable ones, and yet they keep painting us as radicals. Meanwhile, Merkel is on track to become our longest serving chancellor ever, aside from Metternich. Have you heard they're calling her the Eternal Chancellor now?”
“That’s because of Emilio, Joel, and Sebastian,” Gertrude said.
“Which is another reason why I need them to shut up and do their jobs,” Elias said, “Otherwise we’ll never make progress again and fulfill Ellie's dream. Especially with what I have planned.”
“Then you have to return to the committee,” Gertrude said, “Work with Thierry again.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that now, while I’m in the middle of the Brotherhood plans,” Elias said,
“You’re backing down now?” Gertrude said. “Now, of all times? After all we’ve been through? After all we did for Ellie? We have to stay strong as she would've wanted. And the media’s not going to wait anyways. This is a war against stagnation, and we ourselves can’t afford to be stagnant too. We have to get back to work. Be a man, Elias.”
“You’re right,” Elias said, “This isn’t the time to be worried. I’ll drop by the committee as soon as I can. Theodor wants to help us with our big idea, so I'll tell the others about him.”
“That’s the Elias I know,” Gertrude said.
Hofstadter High School, Constantinople - June 16, 11:00 AM
The graduates tossed their caps in the air and cheered one last time, while their parents and teachers clapped. With the ceremonies over, Alex made his way to the bleachers, where Anders and Diana waited for him.
“Congrats, Alex,” Anders said.
“I’m proud of you,” Diana said.
“It went by so quickly, didn’t it?” Alex said.
“Yeah,” Anders said.
“Hey!” Angela said.
Angela and Alexandra walked over.
“Sorry we were late,” Angela said.
“Our plane was delayed,” Alexandra said.
“It’s okay,” Anders said, “We still have the house party.”
“How could I forget about it?” Angela said.
“We’ve got most of the family together to celebrate Alex’s day,” Diana said, “Too bad Olga couldn’t make it.”
“Aunt Olga?” Alex said. “We haven’t seen her in years.”
“Yeah, she’s busy with her new job,” Angela said, “We talked a few weeks ago, but she didn’t have much time.”
“That’s a shame,” Diana said, “She hasn’t returned my emails in a while.”
“Last I heard, she was handling the Yavdian situation,” Anders said, “So, how’s work treating you, Angie?”
“The usual,” Angela said.
While the other adults talked about work, Alexandra turned to Alex.
“Ready for college?” Alexandra said. “You start in September, right?”
“Yeah,” Alex said, “I move into the dorm in August.”
“Exciting,” Alexandra said, “I remember my freshman orientation.”
“How was it?” Alex said.
“Don’t worry too much,” Alexandra said, “It’s not as bad as you might think. You made it this far anyways, so you’ll be fine. And I’ll be there, in case you need someone to talk to.”
“I’m a little excited, to be honest,” Alex said, “It’ll be nice to see Strasburg again after so long.”
“Always good to see the world,” Alexandra said.
Alex looked back at the crowd of classmates and their parents. Manfred had already gone off with Joan and his other friends somewhere, never to be seen again, and he didn’t want to focus on Josh’s group. Sadness washed over him, mixing with his excitement. Alexandra picked up on his sudden discomfort and put her hand on his shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay, Alex,” Alexandra said, “We’re with you, every step of the way.”
Alex smiled and relaxed.
“We’re family,” Alexandra said, “We don’t leave each other behind.”
Brad Folger’s office, Reichstag Building - July 23, 5:00 PM
With the workday over, Brad began packing up his things. He saved the bill he was drafting and put away his laptop. He packed the intelligence files on the Chishinau riots into his briefcase and locked it. He checked his phone to see if his bus was on time. It was still bright outside, but it was going to be the middle of rush hour, which meant he wouldn’t get home for at least an hour. Good thing he didn’t have to stay late today. But just as he thought that, there was a quiet knock on the door.
“Who is it?” he said.
“Gertrude Anhorn, you know, Elias' husband?” Gertrude said.
“I don’t remember scheduling a meeting with you, Frau Anhorn,” Brad said.
“It’ll be quick,” Gertrude said, “You don’t seem to have anything scheduled now.”
“I have a bus to catch,” Brad said, “Can we do this tomorrow?”
“We could,” Gertrude said, “After these photos I have are on Die Zeiten’s front page.”
Brad immediately opened the door. “What photos?”
“Oh, nothing important,” Gertrude said, “Just some light bribery and maybe treason, maybe even an illicit affair, that’s all there is.”
“I did no such thing,” Brad said.
Gertrude took out a photograph of him with a brunette.
“Still haven’t gotten over how Diana Frank was never into you, huh?” Gertrude said. “How she chose someone like Anders Humboldt over a man as accomplished as you? Maybe that’s why you took Maria’s money. She does look a lot like the Director, I can tell.”
“I…no…what…” Brad said. “First…Director Frank and I were only friends, nothing more. Second…I didn’t know Maria was…that.”
“None of that matters,” Gertrude said, “The media won’t care. The public won’t care. They’ll only see a careless senator seduced by a foreign national into cheating on his wife and giving state secrets to crazy Paulluists who believe Perm is the only country which has defeated the Reich.”
Brad sighed and bowed his head in defeat.
“What do you want?” he said.
“Oh, you already know what I want,” Gertrude said, “What my husband wants.”
---
We've hit the final milestone. First there was finishing the game itself, then it was writing past the present day, and now I've uploaded past the present day. Expect everything to be a lot more unscripted going forward.
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The right do love blaming the left for taking things out of context or turning the words against even though they have literally done it more obviously with the Merkal comments and the so-called "War on Christmas".
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You can see how the hard/far right here are masters of projection, blaming their opponents for everything they do so when they are inevitably accused of it, they can just say, as a certain LKR guy would say, "both sides are the same."
Damn, there's a lot to unpack here, Paullinist resurgence with Zhao being under suspicion for aiding, the new Tesla car, backroom politics and cajoling a senator. Merkel's fatigue being taking out of context.
Seems the world is slowly spiralling into madness as the year rolls by quickly. One good thing out of this is Alex finally graduating at least. Kid's getting ready for his next step in life.
By the way I love how that Greater Perm thing is canonized now. We can thank whoever edited that idea and wrote it on the Tv Tropes entry.
Seems the world is slowly spiralling into madness as the year rolls by quickly. One good thing out of this is Alex finally graduating at least. Kid's getting ready for his next step in life.
By the way I love how that Greater Perm thing is canonized now. We can thank whoever edited that idea and wrote it on the Tv Tropes entry.
Oof, I knew all those references to Paulluists in Yavadi, Nepal and Imperial Japan weren't going to end well. Not sure how willing the Japanese Paulluists would be to depose an Emperor who is very important to Japanese society, but who knows what they would do.
Ironically, the TV tropes page was updated to say Perm defeated Catholicism and the Papacy itself instead of the Reich last time I checked, which is more accurate but still kind of overhypes Perm just a bit . Then again, the few Chapters mentioning the fourth crusade did say the few thousands of crusaders that went, including the pope, died, probably froze to death I imagine. Still, great touch with the conspiracy theory there, it's a funny and referential piece of lore. Something tells me Perm will be the new "Wikto is Tito", only semi canonized this time.
Poor Merkel is having a tough time as Chancellor, especially with Wihelm and Elias working against her. Let's hope Henrich is genuine in what he says in protecting the Reich from Wilhelm, It would be what Otto would want.
The Anhorns have really become devoted disciples of Wihelm Karl haven't they. First there was all of Elias' plotting on Wilhelm's behalf, notably the smear campaign against Thersa and the terrorist attacks inspired it, and now we Gertrude blackmailing Brad. I won't lie, It kind of hurts seeing Elias spouting all that nonsense about a war on Christmas with Tesla, but to be fair he's done worse than that before and I didn't mind.
I agree with Theresa's comments about the dangers of Romans being so politically and culturally polarized. I hope for the best when it comes to the Reich's future, but Diana's visions still worries me, even if we don't know exactly what the Worm showed her.
Ironically, the TV tropes page was updated to say Perm defeated Catholicism and the Papacy itself instead of the Reich last time I checked, which is more accurate but still kind of overhypes Perm just a bit . Then again, the few Chapters mentioning the fourth crusade did say the few thousands of crusaders that went, including the pope, died, probably froze to death I imagine. Still, great touch with the conspiracy theory there, it's a funny and referential piece of lore.
Something tells me Perm will be the new "Wikto is Tito", only semi canonized this time.Poor Merkel is having a tough time as Chancellor, especially with Wihelm and Elias working against her. Let's hope Henrich is genuine in what he says in protecting the Reich from Wilhelm, It would be what Otto would want.
The Anhorns have really become devoted disciples of Wihelm Karl haven't they. First there was all of Elias' plotting on Wilhelm's behalf, notably the smear campaign against Thersa and the terrorist attacks inspired it, and now we Gertrude blackmailing Brad. I won't lie, It kind of hurts seeing Elias spouting all that nonsense about a war on Christmas with Tesla, but to be fair he's done worse than that before and I didn't mind.
I agree with Theresa's comments about the dangers of Romans being so politically and culturally polarized. I hope for the best when it comes to the Reich's future, but Diana's visions still worries me, even if we don't know exactly what the Worm showed her.
Weird to think how from this moment on, this AAR has left the modern day and is now in the future. I wonder if this now makes it an prediction of the future rather than an alternate history. Definitely excited to see how the rest of the 21st century will unfold now that the gameplay will be unscripted, I think this AAR will benefit from more emergent scenarios and storytelling in the future instead of the scripted narrative of prior gameplay.
What about the Ronald Wilson conspiracy theories you've previously mentioned, like him murdering Gorbachev to start WW3 (although people now would probably know about the Sentinel/Syndicate's role there and be aware of how Wilson's anti equalists foreign interventions shaped the leadup to WW3 before Gorbachev's death)? You previously said he'd be compared to Trotsky and Angelos in previous updates and discussions for various reasons, so maybe Alex's College class would be a good place to put a reference to Wilson and Trotsky conspiracy theories. Just an idea.
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