The challenge for round 138 was...
Voting will end on Monday January 18th 2016
[FONT="]Originally Posted by Entry no. 1
[/FONT] [FONT="]The city of Annaba, also known as Balad Al Unnâb (City of Jujubes) has a vivid and deep history, and is known as a center of Algerian culture and pride. But the seeds of independence and Islamic love were only planted during the French occupation of Algeria. During this time the people of Annaba hated the fact that their country was occupied by anther country, one that viewed them as only savages living in the sand. Figures like Abdelkader and Saladin Ayyubi were praised in the city, and as a result the people of the city had developed their own style of Algerian culture and a way to show it in the face of their enemy. Through religious ceremonies, mainly with the reflectful event of Ramadan.
The people of Annaba would openly talk about God and his greatness in front of the French and would pray and fast in full sight of them, and they knew that their couldn't react to them for two reasons. One, the Algerians all over the country would rise up in arms, and two the other powers of the world would see these and possibly condemn them. And the Annabaians made sure that the world would know, housing an English and Swiss delegate and spokesperson within the city.
By the time of the Algerian war on independence the Annabains had enough legitimacy and support to become their own nation, with a proud history behind them and the belief in the in one true God, they would die for their city, and for a free Algeria. And so they made a pact with National Liberation Front (which they disliked due to claims of Authoritarianism, and secular belief similar to that of the Kemalists of Turkey.), we will side with you during the war as an independent ally, but by war's end we will be our own nation in the city of Annaba. The NLF agreed and they did exactly that, by war's end in 1962 both Algeria and Annaba were free and independent. Annaba did well for itself in the following years, of course it was a bit rough starting off and there was an almost successful coup, but Annaba has stood together against the storm, and came out stronger than ever.
Annaba now is an extremely unique place, but what makes it special is the national attention towards the Islamic event of Ramadan, all people in the country look towards this event with great joy and anticipation. If there is one thing that dominates the mind of all Annabains, it's Ramadan. The flag of Annaba consist of a tricolor of red, blue and yellow, which make up the colours of the Seal of the city. The flag also contains the wreath that's found in the seal of the city, and in the middle of the flag there is the crescent and and it's star. A symbol of both Ramadan and Islam.
The red stands for the pride of the city and the blood of the martyrs that had fought for both the city and Algeria. The blue stands for the sea surrounding the city and also stands for the people's resilience against the challenges that the changing times bring. The yellow stands for the sand/land around Annaba and the proud history that the city has left. The two jujubes wreaths stand for the peace and equality found in the city and shows the fruit that is used to break the fast at Iftar along with dates, water and soup. The crescent moon and the star is used to symbolizes both the religion that the city follows (Islam) and the national event of Ramadan that the people of Annaba are all to pleased to participate in.
[/FONT]
Originally Posted by Entry no. 2
Flag of the Martian Empire of Santa and his Helpers
It all started when Santa Claus, the embodiment of joy and merriment in the world, was forced to make an impassioned plea to the United Nations in front of the entire world. Global warming, he proclaimed, not only threatened the future of the world, but it more immediately impacted his ability to keep his operations functional. As the ice caps melted, the foundations on which his enterprise were built became more and more tenuous, and it was only a matter of time before he was forced to pack up shop and end the Christmas tradition of gift-giving altogether.
None of it made a difference in the end, despite an enthusiastic endorsement from Coca-Cola (thanks to Santa's connections in polar bear circles), and no action continued to be taken on climate change. Santa, utterly fed up, declared his intention to go on strike, resolving to cease delivery unless weak-kneed politicians grew a spine and stood up to the anti-science crowd to try and make a difference. Nations of the world called his bluff, believing that he would never go through with his threat.
Suffice to say, they were wrong.
On Christmas Day of that year, the children of the world woke up to find not a single present from Santa under their trees, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Desperate to dodge any and all blame (as they are wont to do), politicians of the world united in their condemnation of Santa, demanding he deliver the presents their kids were entitled to. Santa continued to refuse, relations continued to deteriorate, and in the end, at the behest of crying children everywhere, the nations of the world declared their intent to invade the North Pole and take what they saw as rightfully theirs.
Santa (who at this point had become utterly disillusioned with the attitudes of both child and adult alike), in response, decided to leave the planet altogether. Using his paramystical powers to bend space and time, he transported his entire operation (sleigh, elves, reindeer, workshop and all) across the interplanetary void and to the planet of Mars, a cold world of ice, desert and green-skinned nomadic Martians. However, the sheer effort of transporting such a mass across such a distance utterly crippled Santa, rendering him immobile and necessitating his being placed in a massive life-support chair, to keep him alive while his health and powers replenished themselves.
However, the elves (who were basically in charge now) were forced to confront a more immediate problem; the Martians had learned of this fantastic new technologically- and magically-advanced fortress, word had spread quickly about the goodies within, and they were as eager to get their hands on them as the nations of Earth were. Out of options, the elves were forced to take up arms against the Martians, driving them back and shifting the workshop of Santa to a new paradigm; that of the construction of military technology to defend their territory.
Today, the Empire of Santa and his Helpers holds sway over the vast majority of the planet Mars. Evergreen conifers have spread out of control over the Martian surface, having turned out to be an invasive species, dying a substantial part of the planet green. Santa's workshop has bloated into a gargantuan monstrosity of science and mysticism; endlessly churning out weapons, ammunition and other such items in order to keep the Martians in line. Elves mounted on armoured polar bears, supplemented by giant mecha-Krampuses (Krampi?) and reindeer-and-sleigh air support, patrol the deserts, raiding settlements and confiscating any prohibited items (like weapons for instance; as the elves put it: “You don't need to hunt to survive anymore; Santa will provide.”).
The elves are also building hegemony and their arsenal for another reason; they are not sure whether they and Earth will ever see contact again. Perhaps Santa, when he recovers, will want to return to Earth and pay them back for driving him off to begin with, or maybe Earth is working on a means to get to Mars and get back the presents of multiple Christmases that they are still relentlessly pursuing. Either way, the elves are hedging their bets.
Originally Posted by Entry no. 3
Benevolent Slovak Provisional Republic of St. Nicholas
You know Alien Space Bats, those rascals... They're constantly up to no good and mischief. One fateful early Advent, a group of ASBs decided to pick on the contemporary Slovak Republic. Their ASB ways wrecked havoc on the country, creating fear, confusion and insanity in what was to be a quiet and calm beginning to the upcoming festive season. It seemed only a miracle could help save the country from the oppression of the ASBs... And sure enough, the pre-Christmas miracle everyone was hoping for eventually arrived. If ASBs are wrecking up your country and military might, diplomatic measures or even desperate superscience can't help... Who ya gonna call ? That's right... Good old St. Nick !
St. Nicholas showed up in his magical sleigh pulled by dashing snow-white steeds, assisted by his sidekicks and helpers, an angel and a devil. The trio, but St. Nick in particular, made quick work of the ASB intruders, giving them what for and banishing them back into the ASB dimension. However, all was not well right away. Slovakia had been rather trashed and abused by the whimsically insane ideas and pastimes of the ASBs and needed at least a few months or years to rebuild. Parts of the country's leadership and elites had also been previously kidnapped by the ASBs, many of them still trapped in other timelines and awaiting eventual rescue. Given the complicated and chaotic situation in the country during the ASB defeat aftermath, St. Nicholas agreed to stay and help for a while. His efforts bore fruit in the form of a proposal to create a "provisional Slovak republic of benevolence and generosity", in order to ease the transition of the country from its crisis state back to normality - hopefully in time for Christmas, of course (by either Gregorian or Julian calendar reckoning) !
Sure enough, the plan succeeded. While the provisional republic founded by St. Nicholas was only short-lived and was replaced by the normal Slovak Republic again after mid January of the following year, this short-lived state remained fondly remembered in the memories of many a Slovak citizen. A particularly fond memory was one of the central provisional policies: "Lots of presents, generosity, love for thy fellow man, and merry-making and hoopla... But less complicated politics, people want to take their minds off that right now !"
During the brief existence of the provisional republic, the secondary anthem adopted by the citizens out of gratitude was the classic St. Nicholas' Day carol Mikulášku, dobrý strýčku.
Last edited:
