Flag of the Union of Sovereign Republics

This is the flag of the Union of Sovereign Republics. It comes from a world where the government of the Soviet Union discovered the plot by hardline Communist Party members to stage a coup. The leaders of the planned coup were arrested, and this meant that the New Union Treaty was signed into law. The Soviet Union reorganized itself into the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics. The first wave of reforms were somewhat modest, but they allowed for capitalism, and investments from foreign businesses, to make inroads to the USSR. This provided a much needed shot in the arm to the Soviet economy. This led to a weakening of the independence movements among the constituent republics of the USSR.

Economic reforms soon lead to political reforms. Genuine opposition parties were allowed to run starting in the late 1990s. This led to a weakening of the Supreme Soviet, and by the mid 2000s, the USSR had transitioned into a full democracy. Its name officially changed to the Union of Sovereign Republic to better reflect this new nature. Thus, the Cold War came to a somewhat anticlimactic end.

The Union of Sovereign Republics emphasizes devolution of powers. The national government handles matters of international diplomacy and national defense. Meanwhile, the constituent republics are given considerable leeway. They can declare their own official languages, establish their own educational systems, establish their own legislative assemblies, and pass their own internal laws. The national constitution also holds all constituent republics to be equal, and protects the rights of minority groups. The USR is working towards redressing the grievances the Soviet Union committed against non-Russian ethnic groups.

Relations between the USR and the USA are fairly friendly and cordial. The two nations have increasingly collaborated over the years. For example, they collaborated on a joint manned mission to the Moon in 2015. Surprisingly, there’s even talk have having the USR join NATO. However, that’s on hold at the moment.

China has not fared well in the 21st Century. The Chinese economy is in shambles. Western businesses never really invested in China. Most international production facilities are instead located in the USR and India. China is plagued by political unrest, and government crackdowns are increasingly common. China relied on Russia to keep America in check. However, the increasing closeness of the USR to America has sent Chinese leaders into a panic. The USR and USA are watching China with increased wariness, particularly after China’s invasion of Vietnam in 2019.

Time will tell what becomes of this. For now, however, the Union of Sovereign Republic enjoys economic prosperity and a high standard of living. For the first time in a long while, things are looking up for the peoples of Russia and Central Asia.

The blue doesn’t have any official meaning. Though, some take it to mean that the same blue sky is shared by all members of the Union of Sovereign Republics. It also contrasts with the red of the old Soviet flag. The eight bent poles represent the equality of all the constituent republics of the USR. The white is to offset the blue, and make the flag look a bit less like the old Soviet flag.

Comic Review: Siege Town

I have been ask to review audio dramas many times. I’ve also been asked to review audiobooks on a few occasions. Today, however, we are breaking new ground. This is the first time someone has asked me to review their comic book. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. We’re taking a look at Siege Town. 

Siege Town take place in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. We follow two brothers named Robert and Charles. They are from America and…well, actually, we never find out why exactly they’re in the Soviet Union. Anyway, they’re traveling across Russia on their motorcycles, and they’ve recently stopped in a rural town. They’ve decided to stay at an inn run by an incredibly creepy man named Igor. He isn’t exactly popular with the townsfolk. In fact, the townsfolk have decided they’ve had enough of Igor, and they’re out for blood. Charles and Robert are about to find themselves in the middle of a major siege.

I was approached to review Siege Town by Ben Ruffett. He is attempting to found his own comics publishing house called Witching Hour Comics. He raised the funds for Siege Town over on Kickstarter. Currently, you can only receive a copy of Siege Town by being a backer to the Kickstarter, but Ben hopes to change that soon. Ben has seen me share my comic book reviews over on Reddit, and asked if I’d be willing to review Siege Town. I said yes, and he shipped me a copy. It was the first time I’d receive a package from a foreign country, in this case Canada. So, that was kind of exciting. He did address it to Arthur Drakoni, which is my Reddit username. Caused some minor confusion when my parents found the package while I was at work. That was my fault. I should have clarified who it should be addressed to.

So, the first thing that strikes me about Siege Town is that, physically speaking, it is a very constructed. Holding it in my hands, it felt like I was flipping through something produced by a professional comic book company. The pages are glossy and strong, the cover is slick and shiny, the binding holds well. It even has the smell that you get from a professional comic book. Ben and his team clearly put a lot of effort into making sure their comic met the physical standards of a professional publisher.

The same goes for the artwork. It is all drawn and colored very well. Andrey Portilla did the drawing, and Cristian Ramirez handled the coloring. The artwork is very evocative of Vertigo during the heyday of series like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, or the various horror titles Vertigo published. Wasn’t really into the horror side of Vertigo myself, but I know enough to recognize the influence.

So, there’s a lot of care put into the artwork and physical presentation of Siege Town. I just wish the writing and plot had received the same level of attention. The plot, when you get down to it, is really just there to set-up the fight scenes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very well drawn fight scenes, but I would have preferred if the plot had a bit more meat to it. The other issue I had is that the plot introduces a lot of potentially interesting elements, and promptly does nothing with them. 

For example, Robert and Charles are traveling through the Soviet Union during the 1950s. That was the height of the Cold War, and most Americans couldn’t just waltz into Russia to have a look around. So, what brings Robert and Charles to Russia? What are they looking to accomplish? Beats me, as the comic never provides any answers. In fact, the unusual setting never really factors into the plot. You could set the story in rural America during the same time period, and nothing would change.

On an unrelated note, the beginning of the comic makes a list of all the various peoples who have invaded Russia over the years. You get the usual suspects; Napoleon, Hitler, the Mongols…and the Russian Empire. Yeah, apparently, the Russian Empire invaded Russia. It would seem that the script could have used a tad more proofreading.

It is also established early on that Igor has a collection of killer ants. This is set up as thought it is going to playing a major role in a big climatic scene. However, the most that happens is that it breaks open, the ants bite one of the villagers, whop quickly brushes them off, and that’s it. On that note, I feel that Igor’s characterization was a bit rushed. Everything about him practically screams serial killer at the top of its lungs. Frankly, what were Robert and Charles expecting when they decided to spend the night? It might have worked better if he started off more innocuous, but then gradually revealed his true colors. This would also add to the sense of rising tension as the villagers close in, and make their motives a bit more mysterious.

Now, I didn’t hate Siege Town. I’d been going through a stretch where I hadn’t read a comic book for a bit, and it was nice to be back in the saddle. I was reminded of all the reasons I love comic books as a medium. There’s certainly an audience for comics that put heavy emphasis on action scenes. There’s certainly a lot of people who enjoy the Hellsing manga. That having been said, I am not part of that audience. If you are, however, then perhaps you might want to look into Siege Town.

The last few pages of the comic make mention of some upcoming comics from Witching Hour Comics. They both kind of sound like the same plot as Siege Town, but in different settings. The one that is set on a Moonbase sounds promising, but I’m concerned about the execution. Especially since the other one is about a bunch of Vietnam veterans in a small town in America. I certainly hope my critique about Siege Town’s setting doesn’t turn out to be prophetic.

So, that was Siege Town from Witching Hour Comics. It looks like a professional comic, down to the smell. It has artwork evocative of Vertigo. The story, however, leaves something to be desired.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

Flag of the Russo-American Alliance

This is the flag of the Russo-American Alliance.  It comes from a world where World War II dragged on for long than it did in our world, before ending in a stalemate.  The Allies and Axis signed an armistice, but officially, the war never ended.  For the next few decades there was an uneasy peace as the major and minor powers improved their technology in apprehension for the war heating up again.  One development was the beginnings of colonizing the Solar System.  The other major way this world differs from ours is that the Solar System is teaming with habitable worlds, much like it is depicted in science fiction from the 50s and 60s.  

Colonization of the Solar System got a major boost when the war finally started up again.  By this point, both the Allies and the Axis had developed atomic bombs.  Both sides were more than willing to use their nuclear weapon, along with other new weapons such as remote controlled asteroids.  As a result, Earth's environment was completely devastated.  Numerous cities were destroyed, massive crop failure occurred due to nuclear winter, and overall it was not a good time to be living on Earth.

The nations of the Earth, or at least, the ones with space programs, engaged in a mass evacuation attempt.  New alliances were forged and cultures were intermingled.  By the 21st century Earth remains a backwater planet just beginning to show signs of recovery from the nuclear war.  Meanwhile, Mars and Venus shine as bastion of culture and freedom, and are locked in a bitter war against the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. 

The war continued even into space, but for now at least, things are at an uneasy truce.  The Allies laid claim to the Inner Planets, while the Axis were pushed to the Outer Planets.  The astroid belt was claimed by neutral nations, such as Switzerland, and become something of a neutral zone between the two.  Recently, the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt have been designated as neutral zones as well. 

The Russo-American Alliance started off as a coalition the United States, the Soviet Union, the British Empire and the French Empire.  However, Britain and France took quite a beating during the thermonuclear war.  As a result, America and Russia came to dominate the alliance both culturally and in terms of political clout.  The official language of the Alliance is Runglish, a combination of Russian and English, with a few bits of French thrown in.  Venusian Runglish is more similar to Russian, while Martian Runglish is more similar to English.  

The blending of Russian and American culture is most evident with the design of the flag.  The flag is a combination of the American and Soviet flags. 

Flag of the Russian Philippines

Okay, I've got another classic flag of mine that is home on my blog at long last.  It first appeared on Alternate History Weekly Update, so without further ado, here is it:

This is the flag of the Petrines, also known as the Russian Philippines. It comes from a world where Russia built up their navy early on. This meant Russia could devote more effort and focus on their colonies in the Americas. Besides further colonizing Alaska, they also colonized what would have been British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California, though not without objections from the Spanish.

Eventually, after a chance discovery of gold, the Russians and Spanish went to war over California. It was ultimately decided that Russia would pull out of California, but in exchange would take some other Spanish land; with the Spanish offering the Philippines. As a result the Russian Philippines was born.

The Russians encouraged people from many different nations to help settle their new colony both to provide labor and to prevent the former Spanish colonists (such as they were) from taking over. This would, over the years, lead to a blending of native cultures, colonial settlers and slaves from Russia's African outposts have the archipelago a unique culture like nothing before it. However, they never forgot that it was Mother Russia to whom they all, even if indirectly, were linked.

Book Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

It has occurred to me that I haven’t really reviewed anything recently where I outright hated something or didn’t have at least a little something nice to say. That ends with this post. I’m about to review a book that is by far one of the worst books I’ve read in quite some time. The book is Shadow and Bone, book one of the Grisha trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo.

The story is set in a fantasy version of 18th Century Russia known as Ravka. It follows an orphan girl named Alina Starkov. While traveling across the Unsea, a realm of darkness that divides Ravka in half, she discovers that she has the ability to summon light. Before long Alina is whisked away to train with a group powerful wizards known as Grisha. However, it isn’t long before Alina finds herself in the middle of a tangled web of intrigue that could determine the future of Ravka.

Let me start off by saying that it is very rarely that I find myself the lone voice of dissent in a sea of praise. Indeed, this book has received several glowing reviews, including from other fantasy authors such as Cynda Williams Chima and Rick Riordan. I initially found out about this book when Rick gave it a recommendation in his list of books he’d recently read. The cover had such a nice design and the map was, well, how about if I show you?

  

I mean, just look at that map! It’s made by the same artist who did the illustrations for Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series. At that point I was pretty much sold, but looks can be deceiving, as I found out the hard way. There were many times I wanted to quit the book, but I was determined to make it all the way through in hopes that there might be some redeeming diamond in the rough. Alas, there was none, but let’s look at this book in more detail.

We’ll start with the characters, and specifically with the protagonist Alina Starkov. Ms. Starkov is, without any competition, one of the most annoying characters I have encountered in some time. The book is told from her point of view, and very much to the book’s detriment because of this. Alina frequently whines about how unworthy she is, and how she isn’t pretty even though everyone tells her otherwise, and how she’s doesn’t deserve the affections of her many suitors. By frequently I of course mean pretty much every other thing she says is whiny and incredibly irritating. Let’s see here, a character who has great power, is incredibly beautiful, loved by everyone and yet has a severe inferiority complex. I know it isn't good to casually toss around the term Mary Sue, but Alina feels like a poorly written self-insert fanfiction character. Also, in proper Russian her name ought to have been Starkova, but that’s hardly the only Russian language error in this book.

Now, some of you might think I’m being a bit harsh here. I mean Alina has had a somewhat rough life before the Grisha showed up. Well let’s compare Alina to some more positive heroines such as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Amy Martin from Across the Universe. All three of these fine ladies have gone through considerable hardships in their lives, and they do take time out to deal with their feelings of doubt and sadness. However, what sets them apart from Alina is that they don’t wallow in their doubt and sadness nor do they allow it to define who they are.

Now let’s talk about the other characters. We’ve got Mal, whom Alina is constantly swooning over and is a childhood friend. His primary personality trait is being Alina’s perfect boyfriend and…well, that’s basically all there is to him. The other significant man in Alina’s life is The Darkling, the shadowy leader of the Grisha. I can best describe him as a more bluntly abusive version of Edward Cullen from Twilight. He’s dark, dangerous and slightly rape-y, but Alina is oh so attracted to him. For that matter, thought this book is often billed as Harry Potter in 18th Century Russia, it’s really much more like Twilight in 18th Century Russia.

There were plenty of minor characters throughout the book. Most notably were the workers at the palace of the Grisha. They all have magical abilities, but not enough to earn a place among the Grisha. On the whole I find them to be much more interesting than the main characters, and I often found myself wondering why this book wasn’t about them. I should point out that there is an audio version of this book narrated by Lauren Fortgang. She tries her best with the narration, she really does, but unfortunately it just isn’t enough to save this book its terrible writing. I actually kind-of wish I’d bought the physical book just so I could have something to throw against the wall in frustration.

Now let’s talk about the worldbuilding. Ravka is very much a serial numbers filed off version of 18th Century Russia. Now, I’m not opposed to fantasy cultures being based recognizably on real world counterparts, but there should be at least some difference. For example, the primary religion of Ravka is based around the worship of saints and angels, rather like the Russian Orthodox Church. The citizens of Ravka wear kaftans and drink tea from samovars, and there’s a scene where a character gets drunk on kvass…which is known as children’s beer due to its low alcohol level. Even the geography parallels real world Russia. To the north we have Scandinavian sounding Fierda, to the south we have Chinese analog Shu Han and to the west we have the frozen wilderness of Tsibeya as the Siberia stand-in. Also, apparently Shu Han eats their Grisha while Fierda burn theirs. Yeah, the one Asian-esque nation is full of cannibals. Again, let’s look at someone who did it better. Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon is set in a world model off of the Middle East during the Golden Age of Islam, but it isn’t an exact carbon copy of that time and place, and there are enough difference to keep things interesting, unlike with this book

Everything about Throne of the Crsecent Moon was informed by Medival Arabain histroy and culture. By contrast, Shadow and Bone feels like a generic fantasy novel that tacks on a Russian setting as window dressing. I was promised a Russian-inspired fantasy adventure, and it feels like false advertising. I'd be willing to forgive all of this if the writing was better, and the characters were actually likable. 

What really irks me about this book is how it failed to utilize a potentially interesting premise. I’ve seen interviews with Leigh Bardugo she’ll talk about all the little details she planned out for the book, like how the magic of the Grisha’s is really more like a science. Unfortunately, it seems Ms. Bardugo forgot to include these details in the book. Based on everything she’s said in these interviews it’s clear that Leigh has both potential and passion as a writer, but I feel she significantly dialed it all back and severely dumbed this book down. Now, some of you might suggest that the series gets better with future books. The reason that doesn’t hold is that you must capture the reader’s attention and interest by the end of the first book. If you fail to do so then we have a problem and they aren’t going to pick up any more books from the series.

Also, there’s the issue if the book’s moral. It’s revealed that Alina could have gotten into Grisha school way earlier, but she’s been intentionally suppressing her powers to stay with Mal. Combined with her total obsession with Mal, despite him having the personality of a wet cardboard box, this put a really bad taste in my mouth. It felt like the moral of the story was something along the lines of “Throw away your talents, and anything that makes you special or unique, to get your man because that’s what’s really important in life.” That is an absolutely horrible message to be sending to teenage girls, and one I sincerely hope Ms. Barugo didn’t intend to send.

Yet despite the numerous flaws with this novel it’s received a nearly ceaseless shower of praise. Professional authors call this book original and refer to its main character as strong and even as a role model. I find myself wondering if these other reviewers were reading a different book than I was. There’s even talk of a potential movie adaption to be produced by one of the producers of the Harry Potter movies. If this does come to pass I very much hope that considerable liberties are taken with the source material. Don’t ask me how any of this can possibly be; your guess is as good as mine.

In summary, and to paraphrase the late Rodger Ebert, I hated, hated, hated, absolutely hated this book. I hated almost everything about it. Hey, if nothing else I’ve proved that I know how to write a negative review. Don’t bother wasting your time with this stinker.

Well, that about does it for this review. I’ll return next time, perhaps with something a bit more positive

Napoleon in Afghanistan: A Twilight Histories Map

My latest map based on the Twilight Histories episode Napoleon in Afghanistan.  It's set in the mid-19th century where among other things...



Napoleon was far more successful than he was in our world.  One of his biggest successes was his victory against the Russians.  Napoleon chased Czar Alexander and his forces across Central Asia for quite some time.  Eventually, the French army faced off against the forces of Britain and Russia in the Khyber Pass of Afghanistan.  It was a tough and gurgling battle, but ultimately the French prevails and dealt a crippling blow to the British by capturing India.  Unfortunately, Napoleon didn't get to enjoy his success for long as he contracted cancer and was dead by his mid-sixties.  Still, despite his early death, Napoleon managed to create a French Empire stretching from Portugal to Indochina.

While Napoleon was busy building his empire the United States was going through considerable turmoil.  The Embargo Act was never repealed and New England seceded from the Union.  Soon the United States found itself in a war against New England and Britain.  All went well at first, but then Thomas Jefferson was assassinated.  James Madison severely mishandled the war and caused New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to join New England.  By the end of the war New England was recognized as a sovereign nation and the area that would have been the states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin Indiana and Ohio had become part of British North America.

Napoleon never wasted troops in Haiti and was able to retain Louisiana.  In recent times Louisiana has been granted a higher degree of personal autonomy, akin to the British Dominion system, as a bit of a trial run of giving other regions of the French Empire more autonomy.  Louisiana has a highly cosmopolitan culture with its citizens comes from across the French Empire.  New Orleans is very much the finical and cultural heart of Louisiana, and occupies a position not too dissimilar to New York during our world's 19th century.  There is a movement within western Louisiana to breakaway and become its own separate dominion.  Time will tell what becomes of this.

Following Russia's defeat by Napoleon many Russians, including the royal family, fled to Russia's possessions in North America.  Novorossiya has expanded to include much of the Pacific Northwest, and has opened its doors to many immigrants.  One of the most notable group of immigrants has been Mormons.  The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints originated in New England, but its members soon moved to Louisiana under the guidance of church founder Joseph Smith.  The Mormons sought to establish a nation of their own in sparsely populated upper Louisiana.  Unfortunately, it wasn't long before they found themselves in conflict with the French military in what would become known as the Deseret War.  Brigham Young, following Smith's death in the war, led the remaining Mormon's to southern Novorossiya.  The Russians allowed the Mormons to settle, but made it very clear they were not attempt anything like in Louisiana.  Novorossiya is culturally divided between a Russian Orthodox north and an Anglo Mormon south.

Latin America experienced several revolutions thanks to Napoleon.  Simon Bolivar received support from Napoleon and achieved his dream of a unified Republic of Gran Columbia.  Mexico is an empire that is ruled by a relative of Napoleon; on paper it's independent, but in practice it's very much a French puppet state.  The Portuguese royal family, as in our world, relocated to Brazil; Rio de Janeiro is the heart of the Brazilian Empire.  Argentina and Uruguay have fallen the British, eager for new lands following their losses to the French.  Chile has managed to maintain its independence thanks to its mountainous terrain.

Much of the Middle East is either under French control or French influence.  Oman has managed to maintain its independence by doing everything it can to suck up to the French.  Thanks to this tactic Oman has been able to begin establishing colonies in East Africa and is becoming something of a regional power.  There was a rebellion and uprising by Wahhabi Muslims against French influence in the region, but it we quickly suppressed.  Following the fall of the Ottoman Empire an Islamic Holy State was established around the region containing Mecca and Medina.  The French leave the Holy State mostly to its own devices, figuring that it's more trouble than it's worth.

The rapid expat ions of the French Empire gave China the motion it needed to being a modernization campaign.  The empire's cultural regulations were relaxed and non-Manchurians were allowed to practice their cultures more freely, which has led to an increase in the number of hanfu being made and purchased.  Industrialization programs are underway and China has even been able to negotiate for the purchase of several Philippine islands from France.  Meanwhile, Japan has opened itself up to the outside world and is also in the middle of its own industrialization.  The Japanese government has been reformed under a Meiji style restoration.  Korea is doing its best to prosper in the shade of its neighbors and is looking to start its own industrialization program.  Hawaii has managed to maintain its independence and is in the process of reforming its society along French lines.

The 19th century is without doubt a very French Century.  The French Empire reigns supreme and without challenge.  The British Empire has been thoroughly humbled and never quite became the great power that it did in our world.  For the most part the world has been relatively peaceful following Napoleon's wars of conquest.  Slavery has been phased out of most nation with the exception of the rump United States and Brazil, though the Brazilians are creating plans to do so.  Because of the size of the French Empire it is possible that Africa won't be colonized quite to the same extent as in our world.  Still, despite its success the French Empire is beginning to show strains and groan under its own weight.  It's possible that more regions will be granted greater autonomy like Louisiana.  Time will tell what will become of the world that Napoleon made. 

Red, White and Blue, But Mostly Red

A new maps I've created, because hey, it's been more than long enough. Among other things in this world:


The American Labor movement got strangled in its cradle. There were many reasons for this, but one of the biggest reasons was the assassination of Theodore Roosevelt shortly fairly early into his presidency. As a result progressive reforms never came about and class tents ion continued to strain. Things finally came to a head follow the 1929 stock market crash. Communist and socialist movements had been growing for years, and revolution soon engulfed the nation like wild fire. Eventually, the capitalist government was overthrown and the United States of America ceased to exist. From the ashes rose a new nation: the United American Workers Republic. The first few years of the new nation's existence with a tumultuous and trying time, but eventually law and order were reestablished. Reforms were put into places to make the lives of workers fairer and equality was guaranteed regardless of race, gender or (in time) sexuality.

In Russia, Czar Alexander II survived his assassination attempt and managed to bring democratic reforms to Russia. Czar Alexander also increased Russia's ties with its fellow Orthodox nation Ethiopia, and in time the royal families would go on to intermarry and unite the two nations. Thanks to Alexander's reforms Russia was set on a path toward becoming a great nation and never fell to communism.

America's fall to communism shocked more than a few nations in Europe, but all the same, they were more than happy to receive American support when World War II broke out. Following the war the world became dominated by three great powers: the United American Workers Republic, the Russian Empire and the Franco-British Union. Following the end of the war the British and French combined their empires and governments to form an stronger nation than they could be individually. America was the first nation to develop atomic bombs, but it wasn't long before Russia and the Franco-British developed their own bombs as well.

During the war America allowed millions of European Jews to temporarily settle in Alaska. As a result only two million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. What to do now is a bit of a hotly debated topic. Resettlement in Franco-British Palestine and Trans-Jordan has been suggested by some, but it isn't considered a serious option. More feasible options include accepting the settlements as their own state, incorporating the settlements into Alaska or turning the settlements into something akin to Native Reservations.

The United American Workers Republic had maintained good relationships with its Latin American and Caribbean neighbors since its founding. Said good relations also include funding more than a few socialist and communist movements. The nations of Latin America have seen quite a bit of prosperity, are all rather fond of their Tio Samuel and are among America's closest allies. Iran is also a close ally of America due to America's support of the 1954 Revolution. Thanks to the success of the revolution Iran is a successful secular social democracy that never fell to Islamic fundamentalism. Turkey has traditionally been Russia's ally, but lately it has been warming up to America. This is partially due to how, even though they claimed they'd give it back, Russia has been occupying Istanbul, or rather Constantinople, since the end of the war.

Following the war America reformed Japan along socialist lines. The imperial family abdicated the throne, and the Workers Republic of Japan was born. The Korean peninsula was divided America and Russia; America helped set up socialist government in the south, while Russia established a constitutional monarchy in the north. Russia also established a constitutional monarchy in Manchuria, and America established a socialist government on the island of Taiwan. Mainland China, despite Russia's best efforts, ultimately decided to become a representative democracy; though the two nations remain close allies.

Things also changed in Europe after the war. Germany and Italy were divided with the hopes of preventing another war, new nations were born and existing nations had their boarders redrawn. Russia, with the hope of preventing another world war, established an economic union of European nations. The founding members included Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Over the years Greece, Austria, South Italy, the Nordic Nations and even Turkey joined the Union of European Nations. The Franco-British established their own union, know as the Western European Alliance, to counter the UEN. The Alliance includes Spain, Portugal, North Italy, the Benelux nations and of course the Franco-British.

All three of the major powers have space programs and have gotten involved in a space race. America dominated the first half of the race launching the first satellite, animal, man, woman, person of color and eventually landing on the Moon. The second half, featuring atomic powered crafts constructed in orbit, was a bit more evenly matched. America still made it to Mars first, but it wasn't quite the landslide victory the Moon Race was. The next step is a mission to the Jovian Moons, with Europa being a prime candidate. However, finding a way to deal with Jupiter's radiation belts is proving a bit of an issue, but many are still convinced that solutions will be found.


Tensions between the three great powers are beginning to ease as of lately. America and Russia have historically been fairly liberal, and the Franco-British have started to loosen up as well. Speaking of the Franco-British, their empire is increasingly becoming more of a federation and citizens of all races are enjoying greater rights. Granted this is mostly as a means of preventing socialist uprisings, but everyone agrees it's a step in the right direction. America and its allies are frequently stereotyped as being communist, but in reality their a lot closer to democratic socialists. Korea has been peacefully reunited as a representative democracy. Germany and Italy remain divided, their halves beginning to develop destructive identities; however, this might not necessarily be a bad thing.

The three great powers still have something of a competition, but they've become frenemies rather than outright rivals. Even at their worst the competition was never really that bad. On the whole this world isn't exactly better or worse than ours, though it is rather different