Reds! Official Fanfiction Thread (Part Two)
- Thread starter Miss Teri
- Start date
To clarify on my question of Soviet Union - Chinese - Indian living standards, is mostly to see perhaps how they are analogous
With the Soviet Union - does the standard of living reach anything in the OTL modern EU, and how does it vary from Soviet Republic to Soviet republic? I've heard that while more socially conservative than Reds! America, it is still more progressive socially than any state in OTL
How would "Reds!" China compare say, with PRC or Tawain in terms of standard of living, and say, if you want to add more, political rights. I've read that some Soviet parties are against "Amero Chinese domination" so I would assume by modern day they are American influenced in the Political sphere and it seems Reds! Wang Jingwei avoided the chaos of Maoist China. I was initially skeptical of its economy reaching heights without Dengist reforms, yet I changed my mind when I realized the true economic industrial power of TTL Comiterm - that makes socialist planning feasible - as well as the development of the "Cybersyn" type of economic planning - and there won't be the problem of isolation until 1972.
Curiosity from India stems from the fact that unlike OTL - it going to be the main "factory" of the capitalist bloc given China is NOT Dengist TTL. China OTL today is moving from textile manufacturing into more advanced industries, is India heading that way as well?
The reason I want to know more about the Congo/Nigeria, is one my interest in African history, also I learnt in the cold war they fought a war, something requiring highly mechanized forces for it to occur in the 20th, unfortunately both OTL states being only capable of fighting brushfire wars, this would mean considerably more advanced states. Also reportedly according to the Miraheze they are the regional powers.
@Libertad @Durabys
Sorry to ping but you seem to understand the lore well if I recall correctly.
Side note: A funny fact is my Filipina friend saw the Philippines in the timeline I showed her, and she's a catholic conservative, so she didn't like how her region became communist and neopaganism grew, though she warmed up when learning it is still conservative for a comiterm state and religious freedom is still big there, it was really neopaganism that freaked her out, she warmed up further when realizing both philippines are very rich in Reds!
With the Soviet Union - does the standard of living reach anything in the OTL modern EU, and how does it vary from Soviet Republic to Soviet republic? I've heard that while more socially conservative than Reds! America, it is still more progressive socially than any state in OTL
How would "Reds!" China compare say, with PRC or Tawain in terms of standard of living, and say, if you want to add more, political rights. I've read that some Soviet parties are against "Amero Chinese domination" so I would assume by modern day they are American influenced in the Political sphere and it seems Reds! Wang Jingwei avoided the chaos of Maoist China. I was initially skeptical of its economy reaching heights without Dengist reforms, yet I changed my mind when I realized the true economic industrial power of TTL Comiterm - that makes socialist planning feasible - as well as the development of the "Cybersyn" type of economic planning - and there won't be the problem of isolation until 1972.
Curiosity from India stems from the fact that unlike OTL - it going to be the main "factory" of the capitalist bloc given China is NOT Dengist TTL. China OTL today is moving from textile manufacturing into more advanced industries, is India heading that way as well?
The reason I want to know more about the Congo/Nigeria, is one my interest in African history, also I learnt in the cold war they fought a war, something requiring highly mechanized forces for it to occur in the 20th, unfortunately both OTL states being only capable of fighting brushfire wars, this would mean considerably more advanced states. Also reportedly according to the Miraheze they are the regional powers.
@Libertad @Durabys
Sorry to ping but you seem to understand the lore well if I recall correctly.
Side note: A funny fact is my Filipina friend saw the Philippines in the timeline I showed her, and she's a catholic conservative, so she didn't like how her region became communist and neopaganism grew, though she warmed up when learning it is still conservative for a comiterm state and religious freedom is still big there, it was really neopaganism that freaked her out, she warmed up further when realizing both philippines are very rich in Reds!
International Lunar Station, and there were manned Mars missions. Not sure about a base there, though.
Sorry for my annoying questions this map clarified them
I'd say the China and Soviet questions - Soviets in terms of rough comparison may approach "nordic levels" in over all comfort of life, helped by the technocratic planning methods and technology, while China likely somewhere between OTL South Korea and Tawain but more economic equality.
I'd say the China and Soviet questions - Soviets in terms of rough comparison may approach "nordic levels" in over all comfort of life, helped by the technocratic planning methods and technology, while China likely somewhere between OTL South Korea and Tawain but more economic equality.
Bookmark1995
Banned
I know India TTL is basically like OTL Japan: an Asian tiger that amassed wealth and influence in a short amount of time.
I am curious as well regarding the map's maker and origin.
There are quite A LOT of important minutiae there that are not quite accurate, to be honest. The overall picture is more or less spot on (if you are going to look at it writ large) but the details are not so perfect.
I don't know how much spoiler material leaked out through this map's creation but... there are lot of things that I cannot say.
Canada's fall in '79 has always been the biggest Cold War spoiler.... so far.
@Johnharry , do not know that you are a kababayan. The Philippine lore has been largely a product of mine and of rajavlitra in Discord, whose account I forgot the name of here in AH. The more or less established Cold War division of the Philippines has been more or less a compromise between @Illuminatus Primus "Soviet Philippines" of old (which is also my wish-fulfillment) with Red Star Rising's proposal of an overthrow of a Red Philippine government in the 1980s... that I and rajavlitra sought to partially rectify, taking into account realistic and possible consequences of the impact of rise of a U.S. socialist movement on America's Far Eastern outpost in early 20th century as well as things like the Sakdalista uprising and the Huk rebellion of OTL, if brought to a greater scale. It just doesn't make sense to us that the rise of the WPA in Reds! wouldn't have an impact of the Philippines, so we sought to sort of give it life and do a little world-building for our side of the world. It also allowed other contributors to the lore to fleshen out other parts of the Reds! lore relating to Asia, so it's awesome. It's all kind of interconnected, as it should be.
There are quite A LOT of important minutiae there that are not quite accurate, to be honest. The overall picture is more or less spot on (if you are going to look at it writ large) but the details are not so perfect.
I don't know how much spoiler material leaked out through this map's creation but... there are lot of things that I cannot say.
Canada's fall in '79 has always been the biggest Cold War spoiler.... so far.
@Johnharry , do not know that you are a kababayan. The Philippine lore has been largely a product of mine and of rajavlitra in Discord, whose account I forgot the name of here in AH. The more or less established Cold War division of the Philippines has been more or less a compromise between @Illuminatus Primus "Soviet Philippines" of old (which is also my wish-fulfillment) with Red Star Rising's proposal of an overthrow of a Red Philippine government in the 1980s... that I and rajavlitra sought to partially rectify, taking into account realistic and possible consequences of the impact of rise of a U.S. socialist movement on America's Far Eastern outpost in early 20th century as well as things like the Sakdalista uprising and the Huk rebellion of OTL, if brought to a greater scale. It just doesn't make sense to us that the rise of the WPA in Reds! wouldn't have an impact of the Philippines, so we sought to sort of give it life and do a little world-building for our side of the world. It also allowed other contributors to the lore to fleshen out other parts of the Reds! lore relating to Asia, so it's awesome. It's all kind of interconnected, as it should be.
Yeah I love the Philippine lore ttl and my friends was a traditional catholic from Manila so...go figure.
What notable errors exist there, I assume the descriptions?
Is India mostly correct in being sort of analogous to otl Chinese economy, or is there other errors in Africa/Asia, what is more accurate?
I would assume being the largest capitalist economy India far more developed than otl?
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IN DARK TERRITORY (1995) (The Jovian)
In Dark Territory (1995) [1]
Directed by: John McTiernan
Produced by: Steven Seagal and Steve Perry
Written by: Matt Reeves and Richard Hatem
Cast:
Michael Ironside as Andrew Delacroix
Eric Bogosian as Tycho Danailov
Steven Seagal as Marcus Penn
Michelle Hurd as Bobbie Zachs
Michael Shanks as Charles Delacroix
Plot:
Andrew Delacroix (Michael Ironside) is a former Canadian soldier going back to Vancouver for the funeral of his twin brother Jacques via a train from Chicago with his nephew Charles (Michael Shanks). The two's relationship is strained by Andrew and Jacques' political disagreements (Andrew was opposed to the Red Turn while Jacques supported the move towards communism) resulting in them not talking to each other for years and leaving Charles with the impression that Andrew didn't love Jacques. As the train approaches the Canadian Rockies it is boarded by an Anarcho-Communist militia led by Yugoslavian-American computer scientist Tikhomir "Tycho" Danailov (Eric Bogosian) and former WFRA Spec Ops soldier Marcus Penn (Steven Seagal). Tycho was formerly employed by the UASR government as one of the designers of Grazer One, a secret satellite weapon deployed by the WFRAF in secret even from the Congress of Soviets, capable of striking anywhere in the world with its mass accelerator cannon. He tortures two government analysts on the train for the control codes of Grazer One and then takes control of the satellite away from the WFRAF by remote hacking several radio telescopes along the Rocky Mountains to transmit his control signal into orbit, his goal being to use it to incite a war between the Third Communist International and the Alliance of Free States, having come to see UASR's current CLP/SEU coalition government as too soft on the capitalist bloc. Penn and his men secure the train and take much of the passengers and staff hostage except for Andrew who climbs outside the train to avoid capture and train porter Roberta "Bobbie" Zachs (Michelle Hurd) who hides among the luggage. The two meet up and plan to retake control of the train by taking out the militia members one by one.
Andrew is captured by Tycho's men attempting to rescue Charles and Tycho recognizes him as a member of a bourgeois Canadian dynasty only for Andrew to rebuke him by saying that his family fortune was all but completely spent by the Red Turn (hence Jacques' support for communism). Tycho then lets Andrew watch as he uses Grazer One to destroy a secret Rhodesian nuclear research facility as a test in preparation for a direct strike on the FBU's nuclear capabilities. Once he cripples the ability of the FBU to effectively attack the Comintern with their nuclear weapons he'll give the UASR government an ultimatum, declare war on the AFS or Tycho will use Grazer One to destroy the White House and the Capitol Building killing the Central Executive Committee and the Congress of Soviets as well as thousands of innocent people in the process. Andrew protests on the grounds that a war with the AFS could result in millions of deaths to which Tycho responds by saying "a small price to pay to ensure the safety of the revolution." He orders Penn to shoot Andrew as a bourgeois counter-revolutionary only to be rescued by Bobbie causing a distraction and Andrew escapes with the CD containing the targeting codes for Grazer One. Meanwhile Charles manages to sneak out of the hostage train cart and after meeting up with Bobbie and Andrew uses his technical skills to restore power to the train's phone and sends a message to the WFRAF HQ informing them of Tycho's plan who order an air strike on the train. However Tycho gives Andrew and Bobbie an ultimatum, surrender with the CD or, with the train having switched tracks, the train will eventually collide with an incoming fuel tanker due to entering "dark territory" where there is no way to contact the train. Andrew and Tycho talk over the train's PA system and Tycho accuses Andrew of being a counter-revolutionary, insisting that otherwise he would be going along with his plan to facilitate a global revolution. Andrew responds by saying that what the Red Turn has proven is that capitalism will slowly collapse in on itself if given enough time but Tycho's unconvinced. Andrew and Bobby separate the train car holding the hostages from the rest of the train but Charles is captured and Andrew surrenders the CD to ensure his safety only for Penn to double-cross him and shoot Andrew. Tycho then uses Grazer One to destroy the WFRAF stealth bombers just before they can bomb the train.
With only ten minutes to go before Grazer One fires on the FBU nuclear missile base in Newfoundland, a wounded Andrew and Bobbie manage to fight their way to Tycho's makeshift command center at the front of the train eventually overcoming Penn in a brutal hand-to-hand fight that leaves Andrew's leg crippled but Penn knocked unconscious. With less than a minute to go Bobbie distracts Tycho and Charles breaks free and attacks him. At the very last moment Bobbie manages to shut down Tycho's system with Charles' instructions, allowing the WFRAF to trigger the satellite's self-destruct mechanism and prevent the FBU base from being destroyed, averting the war. Bobbie and Charles then escape from the train with an unconscious Andrew just before it collides with the fuel tanker, killing Penn, and the local people's militia arrive on the scene and apprehend Tycho as he tries to get away.
With the crisis resolved, Andrew and Charles continue on to Vancouver and visit Jacques' grave, affirming to themselves that even though they were raised as capitalists, they are now committed to the revolution. Meanwhile Bobby is now a member of Chicago's people's defense militia and Tycho is imprisoned in a rehabilitation center for his mental instability.
Background:
The film was conceived during the start of the Long Detente and the ascent of the CLP/SEU coalition government. Its mandate of peaceful coexistence with the AFS proved controversial among many proletarian internationalists as they were adamant in their desire to strike while the iron is hot and push for more confrontation with the capitalist world while the FBU was still weakened by the 80s economic crisis. In this culture clash was the film conceived with the two opposing viewpoints being showcased in the form of the characters of Andrew and Tycho. Tycho being the Liberation Communist Party avatar, pushing for war with the AFS at any cost even directly quoting Liberation politician George Bush's infamous "small price to pay" quote while Andrew represents the Ereist viewpoint of just letting capitalism collapse in on itself on its own using himself and Canada's Red Turn as an example. In the end the film takes the side of the Ereists believing that war is best avoided with the villain's plan to incite war being foiled, which angered Liberation considerably, with the party issuing a condemnation of the film as pro-government propaganda.
Production:
The film was originally conceived by producer Steven Seagal as an anti-war film and originally planned to star in the role as Andrew Delacroix but felt he was wrong for the part and that a Canadian actor would better capture the part, with Michael Ironside cast in the role. The script was written by Richard Hatem and Matt Reeves but much of the dialogue was collaboratively improvised by the cast and director, including Penn's character being also a professional cook ("Nobody beats me in the kitchen.") and several improvised back and forths between Andrew and Bobbie designed to establish an odd couple-like double act.
Director John McTiernan was adamant about making sure the villains had depth and motivation resulting in several instances where he had to rein in Eric Bogosian's "cartoon character" performance as Tycho and get him to deliver a more somber performance, eventually reaching a compromise where Tycho's manic persona in the film's first and second acts was a coping mechanism to keep himself on task regardless of the morally reprehensible things he's committing a facade that breaks down by the film's climax.
The film's action scenes were an especial challenge to film due to the cramped corridors of the train restricting cinematography but director of photography Michael Goi was able to add as much variety to the shots as possible, almost destroying the train set in the process due to his shots requiring pieces of it to be cut out to make room for the cameras.
Reception:
The film would be decently received by critics and moviegoers with the direction, action scenes and Ironside and Bogosian's performances being praised in particular. Newcomer actor Michael Shanks would also be singled out as a rising star due to his performance. The script however was criticized as too simplistic and basic, Seagal's performance as Marcus Penn would likewise be criticized as too flat and one-note, further contributing to the actor/producer's decision to abandon acting altogether in favor of being a producer and/or stunt coordinator on future productions. The film as a whole would be remembered mostly as one of several 90s Steven Seagal-produced action films, disposable entertainment with just enough depth to stick in the memory but nothing too remarkable.
[1] OTL's Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
Directed by: John McTiernan
Produced by: Steven Seagal and Steve Perry
Written by: Matt Reeves and Richard Hatem
Cast:
Michael Ironside as Andrew Delacroix
Eric Bogosian as Tycho Danailov
Steven Seagal as Marcus Penn
Michelle Hurd as Bobbie Zachs
Michael Shanks as Charles Delacroix
Plot:
Andrew Delacroix (Michael Ironside) is a former Canadian soldier going back to Vancouver for the funeral of his twin brother Jacques via a train from Chicago with his nephew Charles (Michael Shanks). The two's relationship is strained by Andrew and Jacques' political disagreements (Andrew was opposed to the Red Turn while Jacques supported the move towards communism) resulting in them not talking to each other for years and leaving Charles with the impression that Andrew didn't love Jacques. As the train approaches the Canadian Rockies it is boarded by an Anarcho-Communist militia led by Yugoslavian-American computer scientist Tikhomir "Tycho" Danailov (Eric Bogosian) and former WFRA Spec Ops soldier Marcus Penn (Steven Seagal). Tycho was formerly employed by the UASR government as one of the designers of Grazer One, a secret satellite weapon deployed by the WFRAF in secret even from the Congress of Soviets, capable of striking anywhere in the world with its mass accelerator cannon. He tortures two government analysts on the train for the control codes of Grazer One and then takes control of the satellite away from the WFRAF by remote hacking several radio telescopes along the Rocky Mountains to transmit his control signal into orbit, his goal being to use it to incite a war between the Third Communist International and the Alliance of Free States, having come to see UASR's current CLP/SEU coalition government as too soft on the capitalist bloc. Penn and his men secure the train and take much of the passengers and staff hostage except for Andrew who climbs outside the train to avoid capture and train porter Roberta "Bobbie" Zachs (Michelle Hurd) who hides among the luggage. The two meet up and plan to retake control of the train by taking out the militia members one by one.
Andrew is captured by Tycho's men attempting to rescue Charles and Tycho recognizes him as a member of a bourgeois Canadian dynasty only for Andrew to rebuke him by saying that his family fortune was all but completely spent by the Red Turn (hence Jacques' support for communism). Tycho then lets Andrew watch as he uses Grazer One to destroy a secret Rhodesian nuclear research facility as a test in preparation for a direct strike on the FBU's nuclear capabilities. Once he cripples the ability of the FBU to effectively attack the Comintern with their nuclear weapons he'll give the UASR government an ultimatum, declare war on the AFS or Tycho will use Grazer One to destroy the White House and the Capitol Building killing the Central Executive Committee and the Congress of Soviets as well as thousands of innocent people in the process. Andrew protests on the grounds that a war with the AFS could result in millions of deaths to which Tycho responds by saying "a small price to pay to ensure the safety of the revolution." He orders Penn to shoot Andrew as a bourgeois counter-revolutionary only to be rescued by Bobbie causing a distraction and Andrew escapes with the CD containing the targeting codes for Grazer One. Meanwhile Charles manages to sneak out of the hostage train cart and after meeting up with Bobbie and Andrew uses his technical skills to restore power to the train's phone and sends a message to the WFRAF HQ informing them of Tycho's plan who order an air strike on the train. However Tycho gives Andrew and Bobbie an ultimatum, surrender with the CD or, with the train having switched tracks, the train will eventually collide with an incoming fuel tanker due to entering "dark territory" where there is no way to contact the train. Andrew and Tycho talk over the train's PA system and Tycho accuses Andrew of being a counter-revolutionary, insisting that otherwise he would be going along with his plan to facilitate a global revolution. Andrew responds by saying that what the Red Turn has proven is that capitalism will slowly collapse in on itself if given enough time but Tycho's unconvinced. Andrew and Bobby separate the train car holding the hostages from the rest of the train but Charles is captured and Andrew surrenders the CD to ensure his safety only for Penn to double-cross him and shoot Andrew. Tycho then uses Grazer One to destroy the WFRAF stealth bombers just before they can bomb the train.
With only ten minutes to go before Grazer One fires on the FBU nuclear missile base in Newfoundland, a wounded Andrew and Bobbie manage to fight their way to Tycho's makeshift command center at the front of the train eventually overcoming Penn in a brutal hand-to-hand fight that leaves Andrew's leg crippled but Penn knocked unconscious. With less than a minute to go Bobbie distracts Tycho and Charles breaks free and attacks him. At the very last moment Bobbie manages to shut down Tycho's system with Charles' instructions, allowing the WFRAF to trigger the satellite's self-destruct mechanism and prevent the FBU base from being destroyed, averting the war. Bobbie and Charles then escape from the train with an unconscious Andrew just before it collides with the fuel tanker, killing Penn, and the local people's militia arrive on the scene and apprehend Tycho as he tries to get away.
With the crisis resolved, Andrew and Charles continue on to Vancouver and visit Jacques' grave, affirming to themselves that even though they were raised as capitalists, they are now committed to the revolution. Meanwhile Bobby is now a member of Chicago's people's defense militia and Tycho is imprisoned in a rehabilitation center for his mental instability.
Background:
The film was conceived during the start of the Long Detente and the ascent of the CLP/SEU coalition government. Its mandate of peaceful coexistence with the AFS proved controversial among many proletarian internationalists as they were adamant in their desire to strike while the iron is hot and push for more confrontation with the capitalist world while the FBU was still weakened by the 80s economic crisis. In this culture clash was the film conceived with the two opposing viewpoints being showcased in the form of the characters of Andrew and Tycho. Tycho being the Liberation Communist Party avatar, pushing for war with the AFS at any cost even directly quoting Liberation politician George Bush's infamous "small price to pay" quote while Andrew represents the Ereist viewpoint of just letting capitalism collapse in on itself on its own using himself and Canada's Red Turn as an example. In the end the film takes the side of the Ereists believing that war is best avoided with the villain's plan to incite war being foiled, which angered Liberation considerably, with the party issuing a condemnation of the film as pro-government propaganda.
Production:
The film was originally conceived by producer Steven Seagal as an anti-war film and originally planned to star in the role as Andrew Delacroix but felt he was wrong for the part and that a Canadian actor would better capture the part, with Michael Ironside cast in the role. The script was written by Richard Hatem and Matt Reeves but much of the dialogue was collaboratively improvised by the cast and director, including Penn's character being also a professional cook ("Nobody beats me in the kitchen.") and several improvised back and forths between Andrew and Bobbie designed to establish an odd couple-like double act.
Director John McTiernan was adamant about making sure the villains had depth and motivation resulting in several instances where he had to rein in Eric Bogosian's "cartoon character" performance as Tycho and get him to deliver a more somber performance, eventually reaching a compromise where Tycho's manic persona in the film's first and second acts was a coping mechanism to keep himself on task regardless of the morally reprehensible things he's committing a facade that breaks down by the film's climax.
The film's action scenes were an especial challenge to film due to the cramped corridors of the train restricting cinematography but director of photography Michael Goi was able to add as much variety to the shots as possible, almost destroying the train set in the process due to his shots requiring pieces of it to be cut out to make room for the cameras.
Reception:
The film would be decently received by critics and moviegoers with the direction, action scenes and Ironside and Bogosian's performances being praised in particular. Newcomer actor Michael Shanks would also be singled out as a rising star due to his performance. The script however was criticized as too simplistic and basic, Seagal's performance as Marcus Penn would likewise be criticized as too flat and one-note, further contributing to the actor/producer's decision to abandon acting altogether in favor of being a producer and/or stunt coordinator on future productions. The film as a whole would be remembered mostly as one of several 90s Steven Seagal-produced action films, disposable entertainment with just enough depth to stick in the memory but nothing too remarkable.
[1] OTL's Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
I'm sorry, but this just breaks SoD. Even in TTL I have trouble believing that Steven Seagal could set aside his ego and not demand to be the hero and the center of attention at all times, especially if he's producing the damn thing.
I'm sorry, but this just breaks SoD. Even in TTL I have trouble believing that Steven Seagal could set aside his ego and not demand to be the hero and the center of attention at all times, especially if he's producing the damn thing.
That was kinda my intent, to showcase how much 60 years of communism might make some people unrecognizable from OTL. On the Reds! Discord server there's a popular common headcanon that ALT Uwe Boll is a great filmmaker.
Bookmark1995
Banned
I'm sorry, but this just breaks SoD. Even in TTL I have trouble believing that Steven Seagal could set aside his ego and not demand to be the hero and the center of attention at all times, especially if he's producing the damn thing.
Living in a genuinely communist state does not stop people from having egos. ITTL, there are jingoist nutcases in America who are willing to risk nuclear war for an ideal.
Steven Seagal doesn't just have an ego. He is practically the poster boy for Hollywood pretension.
Bookmark1995
Banned
The high stakes, supervillain madness, and ubermensch action hero reeks of 1990s excess.
Quotes about Life Under Capitalism (from the perspective of Reds)
Bookmark1995
Banned
I haven't made a contribution in a while. So today, you get another quote section.
Quotes about Life Under Capitalism (from the perspective of Reds)
The rulers of the FBU call themselves "defenders of the faith", "defenders of God's kingdom", "defenders against Red immorality." But underneath these self-righteous shrieks are nothing more than the words of Mammon himself. These rich capitalists, these overstuffed fat cats, are Satan's forces. There are no greater caricatures of greed, gluttony, and sloth than these so-called men of god celebrating their excess as blessings from the Lord himself. These money changers would've been the first to expelled by temple. If they lived in ancient times, they wouldn't have merely been the Judas, trading salvation for 30 pieces of silver from the corrupt Roman aristocracy, but they would've happily sold the nails that were used to torture Jesus for even more silver.
I say when the End Times come, and they are just over the horizon brothers and sisters, these "holy" capitalists and their dens of Mammon will be the first to burn in the Holy firestorm.
-Marion Gordon Robertson, March 7th, 1982, Sunday Hour
There was probably only one thing I genuinely liked when I was a Havana Princess: the down time.
Being a good comrade can be exhausting. Participating in boring meetings, family events, flat games. When your daughter of an ex-capitalist who is also a Liberation member to compensate for his past, the amount of free time you have can be counted on a few fingers.
As a Havana Princess, in between the galas and receptions, I could hide in my cocoon (as I called my oversized bedroom) for hours at a time, happy to know there weren't any annoying flatmates to interupt me.
It was nice. At first.
But I realize that me hiding in my room wasn't out of exhaustion. It was dissatisfaction. It was misery. It was Hell.
In history books, we learn about life before the revolutions: the slums, the lack of clean water, the corruption. But that's not really the Hell. Hell isn't something external. Hell doesn't come from the things you have or don't have. It is who you share it with.
I think I would enjoy the fire and brimstone if I had good comrades to share it with.
In the blue world, no one shares. No one loves. The competition between different capitalists goes into daily life. Everything you do is scrutinized, everything you do is judged. In school, there is at least one girl who is a bitch. One girl who likes to dominate and bully.
In Havana society, that seems to be the rule. Even old ladies act like immature bitches, bullying you into behaving a certain way, and then mocking you and drinking your misery for not meeting their capricious standards.
I realize why you get so much down time in the Blue world: because there's no one in life you trust. The concept of sharing doesn't exist outside of some cheap kids book.
Money really doesn't buy happiness. But in Cuba, the people who have the most money seem to be miserable. It's like they all have a disease and they can't admit it.
-Havana Princess, Patricia Hearst
You wander the world, looking for more and more cash. That's not living, that's like being the most greedy amoeba ever.
-George Carlin, March 10th 1982.
-
Quotes about Life Under Capitalism (from the perspective of Reds)
The rulers of the FBU call themselves "defenders of the faith", "defenders of God's kingdom", "defenders against Red immorality." But underneath these self-righteous shrieks are nothing more than the words of Mammon himself. These rich capitalists, these overstuffed fat cats, are Satan's forces. There are no greater caricatures of greed, gluttony, and sloth than these so-called men of god celebrating their excess as blessings from the Lord himself. These money changers would've been the first to expelled by temple. If they lived in ancient times, they wouldn't have merely been the Judas, trading salvation for 30 pieces of silver from the corrupt Roman aristocracy, but they would've happily sold the nails that were used to torture Jesus for even more silver.
I say when the End Times come, and they are just over the horizon brothers and sisters, these "holy" capitalists and their dens of Mammon will be the first to burn in the Holy firestorm.
-Marion Gordon Robertson, March 7th, 1982, Sunday Hour
There was probably only one thing I genuinely liked when I was a Havana Princess: the down time.
Being a good comrade can be exhausting. Participating in boring meetings, family events, flat games. When your daughter of an ex-capitalist who is also a Liberation member to compensate for his past, the amount of free time you have can be counted on a few fingers.
As a Havana Princess, in between the galas and receptions, I could hide in my cocoon (as I called my oversized bedroom) for hours at a time, happy to know there weren't any annoying flatmates to interupt me.
It was nice. At first.
But I realize that me hiding in my room wasn't out of exhaustion. It was dissatisfaction. It was misery. It was Hell.
In history books, we learn about life before the revolutions: the slums, the lack of clean water, the corruption. But that's not really the Hell. Hell isn't something external. Hell doesn't come from the things you have or don't have. It is who you share it with.
I think I would enjoy the fire and brimstone if I had good comrades to share it with.
In the blue world, no one shares. No one loves. The competition between different capitalists goes into daily life. Everything you do is scrutinized, everything you do is judged. In school, there is at least one girl who is a bitch. One girl who likes to dominate and bully.
In Havana society, that seems to be the rule. Even old ladies act like immature bitches, bullying you into behaving a certain way, and then mocking you and drinking your misery for not meeting their capricious standards.
I realize why you get so much down time in the Blue world: because there's no one in life you trust. The concept of sharing doesn't exist outside of some cheap kids book.
Money really doesn't buy happiness. But in Cuba, the people who have the most money seem to be miserable. It's like they all have a disease and they can't admit it.
-Havana Princess, Patricia Hearst
You wander the world, looking for more and more cash. That's not living, that's like being the most greedy amoeba ever.
-George Carlin, March 10th 1982.
-
An Unauthorized Dianetics Children's Musical Nativity (Miss Teri/Mr.C)
(Co-written by @Mr. C . Special thanks to them)
An Unauthorized Dianetics Children's Musical Nativity
An Unauthorized Dianetics Children's Musical Nativity is a British stage show with book and lyrics by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and music by Phillip Pope. The musical retells the story of L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Dianetics done in the style of a children’s Christmas pageant. The musical has its origins in the EBC sketch programme The Rowan Atkinson Show, (which Elton and Curtis were head writers of) and the 1993 special A Very Special Dianetics Christmas
Origins
On a 1991 sketch of The Rowan Atkinson Show, Hugh Laurie played Dianetics president David Icke opposite Stephen Fry’s EBC reporter. Icke was portrayed as a lunatic who was erratic and incomprehensible, making bizarre claims of how “communist aliens” were melting people’s brains and making chicken soup from them.
Shortly after the sketch’s airing, the EBC received a letter of protest from the Church (a previous attempt at litigation against the EBC for negative coverage in Panorama ended in failure), which prompted Atkinson and Curtis to ramp up their criticism with a sketch specifically skewering the Church in vengence. However, the sheer amount of information on the Church and its history (especially criticism) prompted the writers to expand the sketch into a full-on holiday special, done as a parody of Doctor Who Christmas specials.
The special features Geena (Emma Thompson) and Jerrods (Rowan Atkinson), two Dianetics skeptics, being lead through the history of the Church by none other than an immortal Hubbard (Stephen Fry) (dressed as the Eighth Doctor) in a red telephone box. The special largely looks at Hubbard’s life in a critical, sarcastic way, including his alleged service in the Civil War and World War II (the real facts of which are twisted to suit Hubbard’s needs), the early years of the Church with John W. Campbell (Tony Robinson), his battles first with the NBI and Cuban Internal Revenue Service and later the Entente Revenue and Customs over unpaid taxes (which Hubbard claims to be the plot of “psychiatrists and communists”, and his final years in Monaco and Spain, including his relationship with socialite Marianne Hughes (Miranda Richardson), and finally his “death and ascension”, with David Icke (Hugh Laurie) taking over.
The most memorable segment of the special was the retelling of the Xenu story, with Tim McInnery playing the titular galactic general, and many Doctor Who sets and costumes used to portray the Galactic Federation and the Red Robots. The scene had deliberately cheesy effects and parodies of the Daleks and Cybermen in its portrayals of the Red Robots.
The special was released in 1991, to general positive reception. The Church refused to release any reaction and banned any coverage of the special in Church publications. With this success, Curtis and Elton decided to expand the parody to the stage with the help of composer Phillip Pope. Pope took influence from Hubbard’s albums Space Jazz and Mission Earth, and used heavy synths in the soundtrack. Tying to the Christmas origin of the musical, they made the decision to make the play into a children’s primary school nativity play, with an all children cast.
Plot
After a child reminds the audience that the terms “Scientology” and “Dianetics” are trademarked and that the makers of the play are not affiliated with the Church of Dianetics, the children gather together to discuss the story of L. Ron Hubbard, “sailor, soldier, author, inventor, nuclear physicist, and smartest man who ever lived!” (“What Does The L Stand For?”) Hubbard is born in a nativity scene in Montana, surrounded by parents, pigs, and a Blackfoot Native American who tells the elder Hubbard “A billion years of human evolution has led to this!” We then cut to 1932, with Hubbard seemingly lazing about in the Bahamas. But Hubbard tells the audience that this is a ruse: he’s actually working as a spy against communists. (“The Spy Song”) In Cuba, he befriends John Campbell, who encourages him to write stories for his magazine Amazing Stories. Feeling unfulfilled by this new job, he is struck by a realization after a trip to the dentist: “Man is a spritual being!” During World War 2, as he contemplates the nature of man while captain of a Cuban naval submarine, he is besieged by mutineers who are hostile to his ideas (which are causing “understandable errors in judgment, like shelling an island owned by the British”), and get him discharged to prevent his ideas from spreading. (“Sailors, Onward!”) Undeterred, he begins writing what would become Scientology and teaches people about eliminating the reactive mind, sailing around the world to spread the new teachings. (“A Spiritual Being”) The first Church of Dianetics is founded in England, and the audience is demonstrated how an e-meter works through a puppet show (“Dianetics 101”). Soon, more and more people join the Church of Dianetics. Famous celebrities such as Errol Flynn (“the original action hero”) and Marianne Hughes (“the maker of great television programs such as Fat Camp USA”) start joining. The audience is then taught about Xenu, and his heroic attempts to defeat the Red Robots, in the form of a Jamaican toast. (“My Main Man Xenu”) Hubbard is soon attacked by the Entente tax bureau (“You Got A License For That?”) before he successfully convinces them to join forces against the communists, pointing out the great work the Church has done in Rhodesia. In the final song (“What Will Happen Next?”) the children help Xenu break out of jail and destroy all Communists regimes, finally leading to peace on Earth.
An Unauthorized Dianetics Children's Musical Nativity
An Unauthorized Dianetics Children's Musical Nativity is a British stage show with book and lyrics by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and music by Phillip Pope. The musical retells the story of L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Dianetics done in the style of a children’s Christmas pageant. The musical has its origins in the EBC sketch programme The Rowan Atkinson Show, (which Elton and Curtis were head writers of) and the 1993 special A Very Special Dianetics Christmas
Origins
On a 1991 sketch of The Rowan Atkinson Show, Hugh Laurie played Dianetics president David Icke opposite Stephen Fry’s EBC reporter. Icke was portrayed as a lunatic who was erratic and incomprehensible, making bizarre claims of how “communist aliens” were melting people’s brains and making chicken soup from them.
Shortly after the sketch’s airing, the EBC received a letter of protest from the Church (a previous attempt at litigation against the EBC for negative coverage in Panorama ended in failure), which prompted Atkinson and Curtis to ramp up their criticism with a sketch specifically skewering the Church in vengence. However, the sheer amount of information on the Church and its history (especially criticism) prompted the writers to expand the sketch into a full-on holiday special, done as a parody of Doctor Who Christmas specials.
The special features Geena (Emma Thompson) and Jerrods (Rowan Atkinson), two Dianetics skeptics, being lead through the history of the Church by none other than an immortal Hubbard (Stephen Fry) (dressed as the Eighth Doctor) in a red telephone box. The special largely looks at Hubbard’s life in a critical, sarcastic way, including his alleged service in the Civil War and World War II (the real facts of which are twisted to suit Hubbard’s needs), the early years of the Church with John W. Campbell (Tony Robinson), his battles first with the NBI and Cuban Internal Revenue Service and later the Entente Revenue and Customs over unpaid taxes (which Hubbard claims to be the plot of “psychiatrists and communists”, and his final years in Monaco and Spain, including his relationship with socialite Marianne Hughes (Miranda Richardson), and finally his “death and ascension”, with David Icke (Hugh Laurie) taking over.
The most memorable segment of the special was the retelling of the Xenu story, with Tim McInnery playing the titular galactic general, and many Doctor Who sets and costumes used to portray the Galactic Federation and the Red Robots. The scene had deliberately cheesy effects and parodies of the Daleks and Cybermen in its portrayals of the Red Robots.
The special was released in 1991, to general positive reception. The Church refused to release any reaction and banned any coverage of the special in Church publications. With this success, Curtis and Elton decided to expand the parody to the stage with the help of composer Phillip Pope. Pope took influence from Hubbard’s albums Space Jazz and Mission Earth, and used heavy synths in the soundtrack. Tying to the Christmas origin of the musical, they made the decision to make the play into a children’s primary school nativity play, with an all children cast.
Plot
After a child reminds the audience that the terms “Scientology” and “Dianetics” are trademarked and that the makers of the play are not affiliated with the Church of Dianetics, the children gather together to discuss the story of L. Ron Hubbard, “sailor, soldier, author, inventor, nuclear physicist, and smartest man who ever lived!” (“What Does The L Stand For?”) Hubbard is born in a nativity scene in Montana, surrounded by parents, pigs, and a Blackfoot Native American who tells the elder Hubbard “A billion years of human evolution has led to this!” We then cut to 1932, with Hubbard seemingly lazing about in the Bahamas. But Hubbard tells the audience that this is a ruse: he’s actually working as a spy against communists. (“The Spy Song”) In Cuba, he befriends John Campbell, who encourages him to write stories for his magazine Amazing Stories. Feeling unfulfilled by this new job, he is struck by a realization after a trip to the dentist: “Man is a spritual being!” During World War 2, as he contemplates the nature of man while captain of a Cuban naval submarine, he is besieged by mutineers who are hostile to his ideas (which are causing “understandable errors in judgment, like shelling an island owned by the British”), and get him discharged to prevent his ideas from spreading. (“Sailors, Onward!”) Undeterred, he begins writing what would become Scientology and teaches people about eliminating the reactive mind, sailing around the world to spread the new teachings. (“A Spiritual Being”) The first Church of Dianetics is founded in England, and the audience is demonstrated how an e-meter works through a puppet show (“Dianetics 101”). Soon, more and more people join the Church of Dianetics. Famous celebrities such as Errol Flynn (“the original action hero”) and Marianne Hughes (“the maker of great television programs such as Fat Camp USA”) start joining. The audience is then taught about Xenu, and his heroic attempts to defeat the Red Robots, in the form of a Jamaican toast. (“My Main Man Xenu”) Hubbard is soon attacked by the Entente tax bureau (“You Got A License For That?”) before he successfully convinces them to join forces against the communists, pointing out the great work the Church has done in Rhodesia. In the final song (“What Will Happen Next?”) the children help Xenu break out of jail and destroy all Communists regimes, finally leading to peace on Earth.