Weekly Flag Challenge: Discussion & Entries

[viperhawkz]

Originally Posted by Martinus Paduei

Sandwiched between Flemish Kanada and the Swedish Empire's New World Provinces to the south and west, the Federation began as a marriage of convenience. After Neu Kurland's declaration of independence, following the Izhorian conquest of the Duchy in 1690, the merchants of Manahata, New Mitau (OTL Boston), Jakobsburg (OTL Camden, New Jersey) and the smaller settlements in between did not want to see their prosperous land and hard-won autonomy lost to the resurgent Swedes, or be crushed by the Flemish Inquisition. The Haudinsaunie, with whom they already had a strong trading relationship, offered a source of raw military strength.

On the part of the Haudinsaunie, they had by and large been able to fight off the Scots and Spanish, and later the Swedes and Flemish, but at a dreadful cost in lives. The wise among them could see that sooner or later, they would be swallowed like a rabbit by a snake. By bringing these Kurlanders in as brothers, they hoped to gain the knowledge and an ongoing source of the weapons they needed to face the other European nations as equals, and since the Kurlanders were comparatively small in number, they hoped to do so without being overwhelmed.

Over the next three centuries, the two peoples grew ever closer, with the shared problems and opportunities of the new nation drawing them together. The close and long lasting military relationship (termed the "Unholy Pact" by the Flemings) which the Federation cultivated with the Moroccans, who after their decisive defeat of the French fleet in the Battle of the Tortugas have been the dominant force in the Caribbean for more than 200 years, had more than a little to do with their success as well.

Today, the population of nearly thirty million (spread across what would in OTL be Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, the southern third of New Hampshire and the southern half of Vermont, New York State less the northern half of the Adirondacks--and the eastern third of Long Island which was ceded to Morocco, New Jersey, the northern third of Pennsylvania, the northern portion of Ohio, and the southeastern part of Michigan) is somewhat more European than Aboriginal, but about half of the citizens have all or some Aboriginal ancestry. Along with German, Common Haudinsaunie is one of the two official languages of the Federation, the only Aboriginal language to have this distinction east of the Continental Divide and north of the Equator.

Please pardon my very limited artistic skills. I hope that the design will make up for it. The flag is based upon the "Hiawatha Belt", a symbol of the Iroquois League, presently used by the OTL Iroquois tribes as a flag, and one of the merchant flags used by the Duchy of Courland, which featured a crab on a red background. The symbolism of the crab, which has a hard shell and claws which can give a nasty pinch to an attacker, is an added benefit.

Flemish, Swedish, Kurlander, Scottish, Spanish, and Moroccan colonies in N. America? Is this history based on an EU3 game?

[Martinus Paduei]

No, its an alternate history based on the challenge. "The Old World is in a shambles", after all, and no specific POD is mentioned. If it is in a shambles, why not a larger, more modern, more engaged Morocco, which is closer geographically to the Caribbean than many OTL European colonizers there? Besides (taking ATL Flemish for OTL Dutch, which I am), in OTL all of the others attempted to colonize in North America, or elsewhere in the Americas (Courland had Tobago, and Scotland had Darien), so with a mixed up, messed up Europe, why couldn't they be more successful in the northeastern corner of the Western Hemisphere, which is closer geographically? In any case, those paragraphs weren't meant to be a detailed and historically rigorous TL, but rather a vague background to give some flavor to the flag.

[The Professor]

I'm slightly extending the meaning of New World here

The Flag of the Martian Sufis

Away from the control of their governments the Arab scientists in the Martian Colonies adopt a form of "Techno-Sufism".
When Mars gains its independence following the Climate Crisis on Earth these "Sufist Rebels" form a federation.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by The Professor

I'm slightly extending the meaning of New World here

The Flag of the Martian Sufis

Haha, that's not exactly what I meant but I'll allow it. It's my fault I wasn't more specific.

[The Professor]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Haha, that's not exactly what I meant but I'll allow it. It's my fault I wasn't more specific.

Yay thanks! And I'll see if I can stretch it further under your original definition while still being a Martian New World

Was weirdly the first thing that came to mind...

[Vexacus]

Originally Posted by jkarr

FORMATION OF THE GREATER KOREAN REPUBLIC
Years 2012-2022


2012: Kim Jong-Un becomes leader of North Korea, announcing the creation of a new weapons program to expand North Koreas “defenses” against any aggressor, causing major power outages all along the east and north, as well as creating a even more repressive regime than his father.
2013: Massive environmental damage along its eastern cost line due to a failed nuclear test lead to the deaths of thousands and the failing of the crops in the north. The UN imposes harsher restrictions on trade with the North Korean regime, with China finally suspended any monetary aid or trade to North Korea. Over the next few months millions starve in the streets due to failed crops across the nation, leading to mass rioting amongst the civilian and even military populace. South Korea, aided by the US and Japan begins send troops along its northern most border, fearing a attack by Kim Jong-Un in order to stave off North Koreas collapse.
2014: Rioting finally reaches Pyongyang , after Kim Jong-Un sold much of the remaining grain into Russia, to gain more money for his assault on South Korea, perceiving the buildup of troops along the DMZ as a act of aggression, and attacking now would “unify ay dissenters back into the glorious regime“. As thousands storm the streets, tired of Kim’s actions, clashing with Kim supporters, usually violently, Kim orders the military to fire upon both sides to restore order. Much of the military, tired, underpaid and starving in many places themselves, finally rebel, joining the rebelling citizenry against Kim’s loyalists, resulting in Kim and much of his families capture as they storm his palatial residence.
Military leaders form a Military Junta, and some of their first acts is to reestablish trade relations with UN members, the deformation of the Juche system, releasing many dissenters from prison or hard labor, and to bring back talks with South Korea on first the end of the DMZ, and later reunification and rebuilding of their country.
2015: Over the next year the Military Junta, led by General Chang-Uk , opened the country to foreign aid, became disarming their stockpiles according the UN sanctions and the physiological rebuilding of their nations people, aided by South Korea. Kim Jong-Un is put on trial, along with over family members and party politicians (with the exception of Kim Jong-Nam and Kim Sul-Song , who fled the country prior to Pyongyang’s fall). Also, in a joint conference between Chang-Uk and Eun Wang (first female president of South Korea), they announce, following the next year, the creation of the National Unification Council, a cooperative government between the two nations , represented by both leaders, and other members, in order to smooth unification between the countries, whilst aiding the reconstruction of the North in order to avoid a economic crash when they unify.
2016: The Nation Unification Council becomes the united governing body of the Korean peninsula, but still retaining equal representation in the UN. Thousands of North-South Korean families are reunited during this process, whilst South Korea aid in the construction of new infrastructure and agrarian processes into the North. Most of the Kim family have received life sentencing, whilst the remaining members (Nam and Song) are arrested in Luxemburg, sent back to the Korean peninsula, and forced to giver over their fathers secret holdings to help reconstruction, are stripped of their citizenship and deported to China, before disappearing from records all together.
2017-2019: Half the DMZ by now has being removed, enabling large influxes of transported goods and people to enter the North and South. New rail lines are established, booming influx of food and other produce to the North. Environmental campaigners however have pointed out the damage being done to endangered species living in the former DMZ zones, where many had recuperated their losses due to low human presence. The NUC establish most of the DMZ as a nature reserve, whilst “contained” lines are used for transport and tunnels dug for rail lines in order to both keep animal populations up, and , in the long run, boom tourism to the areas, and Pyongyang becomes a nominee for the 2026 Olympics.
Rampant unemployment however causes some concern, as many Northern military servicemen have being made redundant. However, the NUC established the “post military economic program“, giving former military work whilst studying, or entry into the tourist industry. Also, the NUC realized they now had a native military force with the remaining militaries of both nations, and asked the US to begin withdrawing now they had their own protective forces, a idea the US readily agreed too due to budget restraints.
2020-2021: The NUC holds its first trial election between all citizens off the Korean peninsula, whilst the last US forces leave the peninsula, with the exception of those applying for “nationalization” in Korea, due to both having families there, and the economic breakdown of the dollar in the global economy, resulting in the US losing international power. Also the NUC holds its first conference with its immediate neighbors, to deal with growing tension between China-Taiwan, the military situation in Japan now the US are withdrawing there, and the question of Tibetan independence.
They also unveil that by first formal election in 2022 (a month after both the Military junta of the North and Presidential Republic of the South formally dissolve, with the NUC acting as transitional goverment until the election day), they will formally unify the Korean peninsula back into a single nation, named “The Greater Korean Republic“, establishing Seoul as its national capital (Pyongyang becoming a Special City), and held a contest design for the new flag, expressing it to represent the united Korean people, as well as both the history of the peninsula and its future.
2022, March 1: The formal establishment of the Greater Korean Republic.

/SNIP

This flag is so kuul, the brif TL with it should be expanded into a full TL

[Vexacus]

So, IS this thread dead?

[Esteban]

No, it's not dead, so I'm giving this a bump. Flag Challenge 63 can be found here. The Challenge ends in 2 hours. Since we only have 2 entries I propose that we extend it for another week. Please let me know if people have any opinions.

If I don't get any feedback I'll just extend it.

[Cazaril]

I'd support an extension, since I'm working on an entry now...

[Kuld von Reyn]

I am also working on something. Since both Cazaril and I are working on entries, how about extending the deadline to the end of the month rather than for a whole new week? Four, or even just three entries, should be enough for a poll, I think.

Also, don't these challenge usually follow eastern standard time for the deadlines? I thought there was still quite a lot of time left.

[The Professor]

Originally Posted by Kuld von Reyn

I am also working on something. Since both Cazaril and I are working on entries, how about extending the deadline to the end of the month rather than for a whole new week? Four, or even just three entries, should be enough for a poll, I think.

Also, don't these challenge usually follow eastern standard time for the deadlines? I thought there was still quite a lot of time left.

The end of the month sounds reasonable to me and 3/4 entries would be enough (increases my vote share )

There's no set out time standard for deadlines.
Some of us use GMT as that's what we're used to and most people are aware of it .

[Kuld von Reyn]

Here's my entry should you chose to accept it.

It can be viewed more easily on deviantART.

GREAT HESPERIAN COMMONWEALTH
"As kingdom after kingdom of the Old World fell to the expansionist Hussite Movement, eager to spread its heretical teachings throughout Europe, many of the staunchly Catholic inhabitants of the Polish-Lithuanian colonies of Hesperia* looked with worry upon the instability of their ancestral homeland. Their king seemed unwilling to openly oppose the Hussites, and many nobles even supported them. When the King later embraced Hussiteism himself, and attempted to enforce it throughout his domains, the colonies decided that enough was enough.

They declared themselves independent from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was unable to do a whole lot about it due to the religious wars which raged in Europe, and elected a member of the exiled House of Habsburg to rule them. This not only united the former colonial territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with those of the Habsburg further south, but also united most of the eastern half of Hesperia under one crown.

This new state called itself the "Great Hesperian Commonwealth", and soon became a beacon of Catholicism in a world where the Hussism and Lollardism dominated."

*In a world where the continent wasn't named after a sailor.

[The Professor]

Originally Posted by Kuld von Reyn

Here's my entry should you chose to accept it.

It can be viewed more easily on deviantART.

GREAT HESPERIAN COMMONWEALTH
"As kingdom after kingdom of the Old World fell to the expansionist Hussite Movement, eager to spread its heretical teachings throughout Europe, many of the staunchly Catholic inhabitants of the Polish-Lithuanian colonies of Hesperia* looked with worry upon the instability of their ancestral homeland. Their king seemed unwilling to openly oppose the Hussites, and many nobles even supported them. When the King later embraced Hussiteism himself, and attempted to enforce it throughout his domains, the colonies decided that enough was enough.

They declared themselves independent from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was unable to do a whole lot about it due to the religious wars which raged in Europe, and elected a member of the exiled House of Habsburg to rule them. This not only united the former colonial territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with those of the Habsburg further south, but also united most of the eastern half of Hesperia under one crown.

This new state called itself the "Great Hesperian Commonwealth", and soon became a beacon of Catholicism in a world where the Hussiteism and Lollardism dominated."

*In a world where the continent wasn't named after a sailor.

Intriguing.
Tho I should point out that "Hussiteism" should be "Hussism"

And I won't even mention the sailor/mapmaker/mountain-range name controversy

[Cazaril]

When Leif Eriksson discovered the vast and fertile expanses of Vinland in the early 11th century, his fellow Norse were somewhat dubious. The land was filled with strange-looking people who liked to paint their faces and shove porcupine quills through their noses, and there was no trace of the fabled wild vineyards. However, the first settlements on what came to be called the isle of Vilhjálmursland turned out to be highly successful, and drew more and more Norsemen to the New World. The natives were overawed by the metal-working techniques of the colonists, and happily traded food and other goods in return for iron tools and weapons.

There soon sprang up intense rivalries between native tribes; on one side were those who embraced the hairy white-faced men from across the sea, and on the other were those who feared and hated the newcomers. However, the aid of the Vikings proved to be a considerable asset, and a powerful nation arose in north-eastern Vinland.

Time and partnership helped to meld the two societies. Norse culture spread up and down the coast of Vinland, carried both by raiders and merchants. They also brought back to Vinland with them cultural elements of far-away peoples, plying the Great Rivers that flow into the warm Southern Sea.

The kingdom centered around Vilhjálmursland eventually came to be known simply as "Northland", to distinguish it from colonies that had sprung up farther south along the coast. Partially separated from their Scandinavian homeland, the Norðlanders developed a culture very distinct from that of their forebearers, as it borrowed heavily from the native cultures that it had encountered.

The following is the warbanner of the King of Norðland. It depicts the commonly-venerated war god Wodikin, a one-eyed raven whose wingbeats are the sound of thunder, and whose twin tomahawks never miss their target and leave a trail of lightning in their wake.

[Esteban]

Ok the deadline has been extended to about 7 1/2 hrs from now at:

5:59am GMT Tuesday 31
12:59pm EST Monday 30
9:59pm PST Monday 30

[Esteban]

The Challenge is now over and the Voting Thread is up.
May the best flag win.

[Martinus Paduei]

Shouldn't that be "The War-Banner of Norþland". Anyway, that is a very nice flag.

[Cazaril]

Originally Posted by Martinus Paduei

Shouldn't that be "The War-Banner of Norþland". Anyway, that is a very nice flag.

I must admit, my grasp of Old Norse is... er... tenuous. I pulled it from the first English-Norse dictionary to show up in a Google search.

[The Professor]

Originally Posted by Martinus Paduei

Shouldn't that be "The War-Banner of Norþland". Anyway, that is a very nice flag.

Originally Posted by Cazaril

I must admit, my grasp of Old Norse is... er... tenuous. I pulled it from the first English-Norse dictionary to show up in a Google search.

Norðr = North in Norse, so dropping the "r" inflection is normal.
ð > þ would depend on whether the Norse dialect there undergoes devoicing.
Since it is the environment of "l" which is usually voiced I would suggest ð remains.

[Cazaril]

The new challenge is up!

Flag Challenge #64: Shiver Me Timbers!

The skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger is an instantly recognizable symbol; it calls to mind scenes of cutlass-wielding buccaneers buckling swash on the salt-scoured decks of their sailing ships. However, the centuries have not been kind to this icon of piracy. It has been modified, parodied, and been generally overused. It's played out.

Your challenge is to create a different Jolly Roger, a flag that a ship can fly to identify itself as a pirate vessel. The pirates in question do not necessarily have to be Caribbean buccaneers of the 17th-18th century; as examples, ancient trireme-based pirates, Chinese pirates, Barbary pirates, and even space pirates are okay, so long as they have a distinct "pirate culture" surrounding them. And no internet pirate jokes.

Of course, all real-world designs are off-limits (such as these ones). Be wild, be creative, and don't catch scurvy!

CHALLENGE ENDS: Monday, February 13th, 10PM EST

POLL CLOSES: Monday, February 20th