*Best Wernstrom! Voice*Really enjoying this timeline, now that I've had time to look through it!
Though that being said, I'm never going to forgive you for calling the state that's clearly Iowa "Omaha" instead, despite having nearly the same borders as OTL Iowa. Absolutely disgusting. I refuse to believe you did so out of anything other than small-minded retaliation for my Iowa Supremacy on Stars and Stripes
That's the joke, this is meant to be entertaining. A mirrorverse anti-America would always have copious unrealistic things happen to it because that's the specific goal of the exercise.Quite frankly, I've read sundry supposedly "more realistic" Draka TLs for almost two decades now, and this one shares not only with Stirling himself, but practically all others of its genre copious amounts of handwavium intent on producing some sort of climactic struggle in which the readers seem meant to ogle over protagonists bloated to the point of concentrating villainry for cartoonish purposes.
An engorged Cape Colony acquired by Britain around 1780, no matter how many colonists one stuffs into it, has no chance of becoming a great power on even France's level by the mid 20th Century. Even your average ASB ISOT is far more realistic than anything posited along those lines.
Then what's to distinguish it from pure ASB? An enlarged slightly earlier than OTL British Cape Colony ought to be an interesting enough premise to pursue for its own sake rather than simply as yet another trope to squeeze into tired sado-masochistic fancies.That's the joke, this is meant to be entertaining. A mirrorverse anti-America would always have copious unrealistic things happen to it because that's the specific goal of the exercise.
By all means if you'd like to do a realistic British Cape Colony TL I'd give it a look, but sometimes I just like fun things for the sake of being fun, like this or What Madness is This? or things in that vein. As for S/M there's been no inkling of it in this TL so far, and Stirling was very clearly just inserting fetishes so I don't think comparing the two on that basis is warranted.Then what's to distinguish it from pure ASB? An enlarged slightly earlier than OTL British Cape Colony ought to be an interesting enough premise to pursue for its own sake rather than simply as yet another trope to squeeze into tired sado-masochistic fancies.
there are around 57 countries
Just found this TL.
Subscribed, Ephraim!
Really enjoying this timeline, now that I've had time to look through it!
Though that being said, I'm never going to forgive you for calling the state that's clearly Iowa "Omaha" instead, despite having nearly the same borders as OTL Iowa. Absolutely disgusting. I refuse to believe you did so out of anything other than small-minded retaliation for my Iowa Supremacy on Stars and Stripes
Quite frankly, I've read sundry supposedly "more realistic" Draka TLs for almost two decades now, and this one shares not only with Stirling himself, but practically all others of its genre copious amounts of handwavium intent on producing some sort of climactic struggle in which the readers seem meant to ogle over protagonists bloated to the point of concentrating villainry for cartoonish purposes.
An engorged Cape Colony acquired by Britain around 1780, no matter how many colonists one stuffs into it, has no chance of becoming a great power on even France's level by the mid 20th Century. Even your average ASB ISOT is far more realistic than anything posited along those lines.
Then what's to distinguish it from pure ASB? An enlarged slightly earlier than OTL British Cape Colony ought to be an interesting enough premise to pursue for its own sake rather than simply as yet another trope to squeeze into tired sado-masochistic fancies.
I will say that quite apart from what the Drakians themselves have gotten away with, this timeline is replete with space-filling empires. Not only America, but Japan, Russia and previously Britain when they essentially did all the OTL 19th century European colonial expansion all by themselves. Putting aside how unrealistic that is, it does serve as another reason Drakia sneaks up on people, simply because gigantic bloated empires are already the norm.
I mean I suppose it's possible that a country with a rock solid class and racial hierarchy, radical focus on "traditional" gender roles and extremely entrenched bunker mentality would cultivate by default a sexual culture extremely cognizant of power dynamics within relationships, although it would boil down to an incredibly unhealthy scenario where a small class basically runs roughshod over a large population of powerless social inferiors. Not unlike a far more extensive form of slaveowner depredations OTL combined with some over the top classist prima noctis thing, but not something that I think would add to the fun of the TL if gone into at length. I'm fine if it's never really focused on but just a constant background of disquiet to add to the Drakian bouquet, honestly.*
Excuse me, but I strongly suggest you re-read the timeline if that's the impression you got from it.
Oh it's gonna be a delightful fractal of proxy wars, rebellions and general insurrection, I can't wait.I've set myself the challenge of trying to loosely follow Stirling's habit of having the number of countries tend to go down as history progresses. It'll last... at least until decolonization.
I've set myself the challenge of trying to loosely follow Stirling's habit of having the number of countries tend to go down as history progresses. It'll last... at least until decolonization.
If you think this is so bad then write your own. Most of us are enjoying this TL.Quite frankly, I've read sundry supposedly "more realistic" Draka TLs for almost two decades now, and this one shares not only with Stirling himself, but practically all others of its genre copious amounts of handwavium intent on producing some sort of climactic struggle in which the readers seem meant to ogle over protagonists bloated to the point of concentrating villainry for cartoonish purposes.
An engorged Cape Colony acquired by Britain around 1780, no matter how many colonists one stuffs into it, has no chance of becoming a great power on even France's level by the mid 20th Century. Even your average ASB ISOT is far more realistic than anything posited along those lines.
If you think this is so bad then write your own. Most of us are enjoying this TL.
Nah.Be that as it may, "Let's see you do better" is a pretty shallow retort. Not least when they're arguing that the core concept is flawed.
there are around 57 countries
Be that as it may, "Let's see you do better" is a pretty shallow retort. Not least when they're arguing that the core concept is flawed.
Nah.