"What Madness Is This?" - A Timeline

[Napoleon53]

Working on that chart, guys!

What is the cuisine of the RU and the Columbian nations like?

That's a good question, really. I hadn't considered it. I'd expect Union food would be like New England's OTL, or at least very, very similar. Eventually they probably incorporate dashes of Mexican stuff, but nothing too "un-American/Inferior." The South is probably almost exactly like OTL, with a little bit of Italian and Slavic flavoring (from the Catholic Italian immigrants and the Slavs who escaped across the border before ORRA locked it down). There's probably quite a bit of Slavic culture in the OTL Kentucky/Tennessee region.

I remember seeing that terms Legion used a lot for the armed forces as a reference to the Roman Empire. I would think Joseph would have something like the Consular Legion or Consular Mechanized Legion to protect higher ranking officials instead of a monarchist sounding unit.

Plus, would the ORRA or the Armed Forces have any sort of punishment legion for soldiers who had disgraced themselves in action?

Those sound really good. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll edit it with those.

Eventually, I did plan on having something like that, probably with Inferiors serving as expendable meatbags being pushed forward at gunpoint like Russian Shtrafbats in WWII OTL.

 

[Napoleon53]

This is supposed to be from around 1918. It could be considered an update in itself! This shows the basic ideas contained in the AFC Bible (just like the one Steele and Roosevelt were sworn in on).

 

[traveller76]

Food

What is the cuisine of the RU and the Columbian nations like?

I am thinking very meat and potatos with some salads. Game would be prized "this is how we cooked our steaks when I was in the Brigade". Hunting would be a right of passage for many. Lots of picked vegetables, eggs, stews from Slavic and European influences. Sausages and cured meats like the Germans. Hotdogs or Redhots at the ballgames.

Columbian/southron cooking would be more African/Caribbean influences. Fried foods/soul food with spices/New Orleans style restaurants in many cities. Cuisine may be a ticket of prosperity/respect for 'Inferiors'. 'They may be inferior but they can cook'. Even Union cities may have southron style cafes next to deli's and beerhouses if you are willing to venture into the bad side of town. Beer is common for most along with hard liquor for those willing to chance it/pay for it. Soda pop for the temperance/bible thumpers.

 

[Zoidberg12]

Interesting. It's comical and a little disturbing (but mostly the former) reading about the AFC's ludicrous beliefs.

As for other Protestant faiths in America (Presbyterians, Methodists, etc.), I imagine they use the AFC Bible, while some other times the churches use there own. Still they'd be encouraged by the RU government to use the AFC Bible, even though not officially part of the AFC. This I see would be how the AFC and other Protestants faiths in the RU would be connected.

One question; when are we going to get to Winston Churchill's full back story? We saw how he was inspired to be a fascist in 1890, and we know by 1930 he's the head of some fascist party in England, but what happened between that time?

 

[Napoleon53]

I am thinking very meat and potatos with some salads. Game would be prized "this is how we cooked our steaks when I was in the Brigade". Hunting would be a right of passage for many. Lots of picked vegetables, eggs, stews from Slavic and European influences. Sausages and cured meats like the Germans. Hotdogs or Redhots at the ballgames.

Columbian/southron cooking would be more African/Caribbean influences. Fried foods/soul food with spices/New Orleans style restaurants in many cities. Cuisine may be a ticket of prosperity/respect for 'Inferiors'. 'They may be inferior but they can cook'. Even Union cities may have southron style cafes next to deli's and beerhouses if you are willing to venture into the bad side of town. Beer is common for most along with hard liquor for those willing to chance it/pay for it. Soda pop for the temperance/bible thumpers.

That sounds awesome. Yeah, this is pretty much spot-on. I may use it for references later. Quite soon I'll introduce soda, especially "Cokie-Cola:"

As for other Protestant faiths in America (Presbyterians, Methodists, etc.), I imagine they use the AFC Bible, while some other times the churches use there own. Still they'd be encouraged by the RU government to use the AFC Bible, even though not officially part of the AFC. This I see would be how the AFC and other Protestants faiths in the RU would be connected.

One question; when are we going to get to Winston Churchill's full back story? We saw how he was inspired to be a fascist in 1890, and we know by 1930 he's the head of some fascist party in England, but what happened between that time?

Most of the other churches will use their traditional versions, especially the KJV. They won't force the other denominations to use the AFC version; if they force the usage, there would be revolution and it would collapse the country.

Oh, don't worry, I've been planning Winnie's reappearance. We haven't gotten to him yet simply because he takes power in the 1930s, and we're only at 1930 at the moment. When we get to him, I'll give an update on everything he's been up to since going with Coolidge to the Coliseum in Shicagwa.

 

[autonomousoblast]

Have you made seals for the disparate American nations yet? I could if not, what do you say?

 

[Napoleon53]

Have you made seals for the disparate American nations yet? I could if not, what do you say?

Only Virginia I think I have done. That'd be great if you could do some! I gave a rough idea of the Union seal a couple pages back when you did the medals. The Carolinas could probably have something with Andrew Jackson I riding a horse, like George Washington OTL on the CSA seal. For the others, feel free to pitch me ideas, as I don't really have any other clever/suiting ones.

 

[autonomousoblast]

Only Virginia I think I have done. That'd be great if you could do some! I gave a rough idea of the Union seal a couple pages back when you did the medals. The Carolinas could probably have something with Andrew Jackson I riding a horse, like George Washington OTL on the CSA seal. For the others, feel free to pitch me ideas, as I don't really have any other clever/suiting ones.

For a really religious nation, a aptly religious symbol would probably be on (unlike the secular U.S. seal) like perhaps Christ carrying the cross, or one of the angels or something similar. And R.U. has to have a eye of providence around since I already made it into it's roster of symbols.

 

[Napoleon53]

Eye of Providence for sure. I found my little idea from a few pages back:

It's probably the eagle from the aquilae you designed a while back with a facses in its claws. Maybe with a circle of stars and an all-seeing eye looking down on it. That's how I'm picturing it anyway. And yep, a star would probably work best, maybe set in a circle.

Something like that. If there's something else overtly Protestant Christian in the seal, it should probably be something fairly subliminal, like perhaps a cross is actually the hilt of a sword being held by an eagle or something, that sort of thing.

 

[autonomousoblast]

Eye of Providence for sure. I found my little idea from a few pages back:



Something like that. If there's something else overtly Protestant Christian in the seal, it should probably be something fairly subliminal, like perhaps a cross is actually the hilt of a sword being held by an eagle or something, that sort of thing.

That seems too strange, obviously the seal would spare no expense to be as religious as possible, but Jesus carrying a sword seems too strange, maybe you can draw up a draft that explains how it would go together? Maybe the inclusion of Saint Gabriel blessing an important R.U. figure or something? That'd fit and would not look too strange if I were to see that in Bioshock infinite! Maybe you can render all the people in the form of some racial ideal, that'd be subversive.

 

[Napoleon53]

That seems too strange, obviously the seal would spare no expense to be as religious as possible, but Jesus carrying a sword seems too strange, maybe you can draw up a draft that explains how it would go together?

Where'd you get "Jesus" carrying a sword? I thought I said eagle, haha.

Anyway, yeah, I can whip up a crappy Paint doodle showing general placement.

 

[autonomousoblast]

Where'd you get "Jesus" carrying a sword? I thought I said eagle, haha.

Anyway, yeah, I can whip up a crappy Paint doodle showing general placement.

What about the ideas above in my edited post? Think that'd work?

 

[Napoleon53]

What about the ideas above in my edited post? Think that'd work?

The Saint Gabriel idea is neat, but it might look too Catholic-y for the RU. They'd be more likely to represent Gabriel in an unrecognizable form, like an Alexander the Great-looking/ancient warrior chap or as simply an orb of power than as a recognizable "St. Gabriel" with the extremely Catholic wings and/or halo that would make it identifiable.

I'm whipping up the rough idea for the seal right now. Should only be a few minutes.

 

[autonomousoblast]

The Saint Gabriel idea is neat, but it might look too Catholic-y for the RU. They'd be more likely to represent Gabriel in an unrecognizable form, like an Alexander the Great-looking/ancient warrior chap or as simply an orb of power than as a recognizable "St. Gabriel" with the extremely Catholic wings and/or halo that would make it identifiable.

I'm whipping up the rough idea for the seal right now. Should only be a few minutes.

I don't think those depictions of archangels are too "Catholic-y" perhaps in TTL such depictions are used more and more in protestant usage as to it being not Catholic at all?

 

[Napoleon53]

I don't think those depictions of archangels are too "Catholic-y" perhaps in TTL such depictions are used more and more in protestant usage as to it being not Catholic at all?

You may be right, and I may have an idea that would feature an archangel on the reverse of the seal. Just a couple minutes; almost done with the (very) rough draft.

 

[Napoleon53]

Okay, this is REALLY rough. I in no way intended this to be presentable, just a map of placement. It's just a general idea.

• The cross and fasces are obviously just hilariously over-sized examples to show placement. It's up to you how they look.
• The shield on the small golden eagle clutching the globe should also be on the main eagle grasping the fasces and cross, instead of the pointy square one it has now.
• The golden eagle is ridiculously over-sized, but it'd be neat to have it clutching the globe in that same art-deco-looking design, symbolizing the increasingly global domination-manifest destiny mentality that's becoming increasingly popular with RU hardliners.The blue reverse part with the globe and all that would probably be a modern invention of the Steele administration, so it fits.
• The Eyes of Providence can be whatever style you want.
• The bottom of the blue part should say "1801."
• A ribbon in the main eagle's mouth should say "Manifestum Fati"
• Feel free to recolor anything, like the yellow-and-blue ribbon below the globe. And I mean ANYHTHING. This is all just rough approximation. You can do anything you want, really.
• You could probably replace Liberty (holding the liberty cap on a staff) possibly with a Gabriel type. Still not sold on it, though, as Lady Liberty is an American symbol in this still. Justice seems like it would still fit with TTL, with the addition of a cross to the scales to show they "judge everything blindly based on God's Judgement." Which would mean an AFC Bible.
• That's about it. If you think anything would look better some other way, go right ahead and propose it.

 

[autonomousoblast]

Okay, this is REALLY rough. I in no way intended this to be presentable, just a map of placement. It's just a general idea.

• The cross and fasces are obviously just hilariously over-sized examples to show placement. It's up to you how they look.
• The shield on the small golden eagle clutching the globe should also be on the main eagle grasping the fasces and cross, instead of the pointy square one it has now.
• The golden eagle is ridiculously over-sized, but it'd be neat to have it clutching the globe in that same art-deco-looking design, symbolizing the increasingly global domination-manifest destiny mentality that's becoming increasingly popular with RU hardliners.The blue reverse part with the globe and all that would probably be a modern invention of the Steele administration, so it fits.
• The Eyes of Providence can be whatever style you want.
• The bottom of the blue part should say "1801."
• A ribbon in the main eagle's mouth should say "Manifestum Fati"
• Feel free to recolor anything, like the yellow-and-blue ribbon below the globe. And I mean ANYHTHING. This is all just rough approximation.
• You could probably replace Liberty (holding the liberty cap on a staff) possibly with a Gabriel type. Still not sold on it, though, as Lady Liberty is an American symbol in this still. Justice seems like it would still fit with TTL, with the addition of a cross to the scales to show they "judge everything blindly based on God's Judgement." Which would mean an AFC Bible.
• That's about it. If you think anything would look better some other way, go right ahead and propose it.

I really wanted a R.U. figurehead kneeling in front of Archangel Gabriel herself, and that'd go in the middle of the seal, maybe that'd be the obverse side? I don't want to make a redux of the OTL great seal too much.

 

[Napoleon53]

EDIT: The main part with the brown eagle would probably be intended by its designers ITTL to be similar to OTL USA's. The back, blue coat-of-arms part would be their own thing, though.

Gabriel herself? I always read Gabriel's a "he". Maybe it was just because I was Baptist Protestant growing up. And since I was a stereotypical Baptist Protestant, a lot of others probably think Gabriel's a he, too, which wouldn't sit well with hardline Baptists and such in the RU (AFC probably don't care either way). So in other words, I guess Gabriel's kind of out for the main seal because it would trigger endless controversy. However, it could still be used on another RU seal, perhaps a logo for the AFC Church itself?! I could see Aaron Burr on one side, Gabriel on the other, and a shield bearing the AFC emblem on a shield. Gabriel could be presented as female easily in that context.

 

[autonomousoblast]

Gabriel herself? I always read Gabriel's a "he". Maybe it was just because I was Baptist Protestant growing up. And since I was a stereotypical Baptist Protestant, a lot of others probably think Gabriel's a he, too, which wouldn't sit well with hardline Baptists and such in the RU (AFC probably don't care either way). So in other words, I guess Gabriel's kind of out for the main seal. However, it could still be used on another RU seal, perhaps a logo for the AFC Church itself?! I could see Aaron Burr on one side, Gabriel on the other, and a shield bearing the AFC emblem on a shield.

I just referred to Gabriel as she out of the stereotype of heraldic angels being female, disregard that . So Gabriel could very well be depicted as a man, perhaps in the flowing robes that archangels are associated with? Or how else would Gabriel be depicted?

 

[Napoleon53]

I just referred to Gabriel as she out of the stereotype of heraldic angels being female, disregard that . So Gabriel could very well be depicted as a man, perhaps in the flowing robes that archangels are associated with? Or how else would Gabriel be depicted?

Lol, okay. Like I said, Gabriel (any gender) would work for an AFC seal/logo, while Lady Liberty and Blind Bible Justice p) would probably work best for the national seal.

Gabriel could be presented as being a Roman-type warrior of sorts, in a tunic and breast-plate type way. Kind of like the monarch Liberty stabs on the OTL Virginia seal. Real-life Protestants I know would picture Gabriel that way.