"What Madness Is This?" Volume I: The Union Forever

[Prince Daemon Targaryen]

Muslims are fucked, here. Napoleon IV and Perrault will likely want to offset losing to the Central Powers, losing South America, and the Union massacring all its citizens in Quebec, Canada, and California with making an example of the Arabs. Additionally, Viktor could see wiping Persia off the map as a consolation prize.

I wonder if the Turks are seeing a chance to reclaim national glory by allying with the Bonapartes to take Persian and Iraqi territory?

 

[Napoleon53]

unit 731 is this normal practice yet in the ru?

Camp 222 is basically Mengele meets 731.

So, I had just mentioned New Canaan would have a interesting flag. I couldn't help it. I went and made one, lol:

 

[Ameroboto]

Oh I'm sure that would make it easier, but there are plenty of states that never existed OTL that need flags, like New Canaan, Redemption, and Oxacre. New Canaan would be especially interesting with symbolism and the fact their capital is Metropolis would make the state and their flag a huge deal.

Looks rad, Napo! May I suggest modifying the Christian Flag for the AFC's official flag?

 

[King-Emperor]

Quick update to the map post-Treaty of Bucharest. Keep up the amazing work Napo, my heart's been pounding for the last few chapters!

 

[Napoleon53]

I think that map is accurate!

Looks rad, Napo! May I suggest modifying the Christian Flag for the AFC's official flag?

Already was on it lol! Great minds think alike.

The Aura-and-Cross has been the symbol of the Church since the days of the Prophet Burr. The Aura can be either looming behind the Cross or smaller and in the foreground. The Cross symbolizes, of course, Christ, while the Aura symbolizes not only the Power of Jehovah but also the blinding visions experienced by the Prophet when he was instructed to write down the Books of Manifest Destiny. The Blue canton symbolizes hope and life, the white symbolizes the purity of the Anglo-Saxon American Nation and the spotless garments the New Jerusalem shall wear on Judgement Day, while the red symbolizes the Blood of Christ and the Blood of Pinnacle Patriots through time. The ten points of the star stand for the ten pillars of the AFC faith:

1. Jehovah
2. The Holy Ghost
3. Jesus Christ
4. The Prophet Burr
5. The Old Testament
6. The New Testament
   
7. The Book of Manifestum
8. The Book of Fati
9. The Book of Patriots
10. The Book of Purity

Also, only some readers will have realized that the symbol of the AFC has been in the story from the beginning:

Note the symbol on Patriot-Saint Benedict Arnold's tomb here.

 

[the Imperium of Canada]

I guess What Madness is This is something of a deconstruction of an American Wank, showing what type of nation the United States would actually need to become to have the ridiculous size and power you'll see in some stories.

 

[Napoleon53]

I guess What Madness is This is something of a deconstruction of an American Wank, showing what type of nation the United States would actually need to become to have the ridiculous size and power you'll see in some stories.

I grew up in a podunk around die-hard believers of the theory that America is the New Jerusalem. They firmly believed we should basically not be afraid to nuke the world because God will protect us. I was also taught that in the End of Days that Israel will mass-convert to Christianity, thus they are still God's Chosen People. However they hated Catholics with a passion and would always rant about "Papists." And yes, I grew up down the street from snake-handlers. lol I sat down one day like five years ago to write a "Disunited States" story that wasn't going to be too crazy and was like, "Huh, what would happen if everyone in America was like them and they were all really pissed off?" WMIT was born.

Most of this is just a cool dystopian story with as much pulpy flavor as possible, but at its heart it's based off my memories of growing up around a bunch of hillbillies in a psuedocult.

 

[Worffan101]

In all seriousness, dude, you should write something more optimistic after this magnum opus is done.

 

[Napoleon53]

In all seriousness, dude, you should write something more optimistic after this magnum opus is done.

American King Rebooted is still an option. It was my first real TL on here and featured the whacky hijinks of a world where America is a constitutional monarchy and is actually allied with the Bonapartes. But in all reality, WMIT will probably go on for a veryyyy long time. And honestly, dystopias are probably the most fun thing to write because you can never tell what is going to happen next because everything is unhinged. I've honestly long intended for WMIT Redux to be simply the just the Encyclopedia of WMIT. I'd write actual full-on novels set in this universe. I could literally take this far into the 2000s, where all bets are off.

 

[Whiteshore]

American King Rebooted is still an option.

You should do this when WMiT is over.

 

[J. Westrate]

Why is the AFC cross black instead of red? Personally I would advise in favor of something like this:

Also, this timeline is amazing and I'd love to see more content set in the WMIT universe (short of being sent there in person, of course).

 

[Napoleon53]

Why is the AFC cross black instead of red? Personally I would advise in favor of something like this:
View attachment 455607

Also, this timeline is amazing and I'd love to see more content set in the WMIT universe (short of being sent there in person, of course).

Honestly yes, this is better. I've grown so used to picturing it as a black cross in my mind that I didn't even consider the red option. Looks great!

Thank you!!!

You should do this when WMiT is over.

Another thing about this TL too is that I know a LOT about cults and dictatorships, simply because I find them interesting to read about and I've been reading about them since I was a kid. I'm very well versed in how they work and I love OTL American history so it naturally makes it easy to write about believably when I combine them. Lastly, WMIT is the full measure of my creative abilities. I don't think I could create something better if I tried. lol

 

[Kloka]

I just realized that this thread is nearly twice as long as 1.0. We did it AH.com. Here’s to more madness!

 

[Napoleon53]

I just realized that this thread is nearly twice as long as 1.0. We did it AH.com. Here’s to more madness!

And WMIT 1.0 took roughly, what, two or three years of writing? I did this whole TL since September. AH PERRY THE PLATYPUS! HOW NICE OF YOU TO JOIN ME. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO UNVEIL MY NEW TIMELINE WRITERINATOR! *maniacal laughter*

Also, it's Threadmarked for your Pleasure (TM)

 

[Worffan101]

American King Rebooted is still an option. It was my first real TL on here and featured the whacky hijinks of a world where America is a constitutional monarchy and is actually allied with the Bonapartes. But in all reality, WMIT will probably go on for a veryyyy long time. And honestly, dystopias are probably the most fun thing to write because you can never tell what is going to happen next because everything is unhinged. I've honestly long intended for WMIT Redux to be simply the just the Encyclopedia of WMIT. I'd write actual full-on novels set in this universe. I could literally take this far into the 2000s, where all bets are off.

I dunno, I don't really like dystopias in general personally. Too depressing. I only really read this one because you have a knack for making it so completely absurd yet weirdly plausible that I can't help but shake my head at the madness.

I do want to write a full timeline of my own sometime (might make it monarchist/conservative command economies vs. libertarian socialist decentralized competitive economies in an alt cold war?), but I'm not that good at writing and my own main projects plus the search for grad school and/or a job are sucking up all my time.

Anyway, I definitely think you should write those novels if you want to, I'll probably never read them personally but you could totally sell them, might make a decent buck if you bill them as satirical historical fiction. You're a damn good writer so you ought to be able to get a publisher easily enough.

 

[Napoleon53]

I dunno, I don't really like dystopias in general personally. Too depressing. I only really read this one because you have a knack for making it so completely absurd yet weirdly plausible that I can't help but shake my head at the madness.

You're a damn good writer so you ought to be able to get a publisher easily enough.

I feel the depressing sensation whenever I play way too much Fallout. I think another selling factor of WMIT is that, like Fallout, it has lotsss of humor to balance out the horror. Most dystopias are also all poor imitations of 1984, Fallout, or Hunger Games (not that HG is great anyway, but it has its charm). I like trying to be as unique as possible. I look at where the story is going and think, "How can I outdo myself? How can I make this multiple levels more crazy?" and type the next chapter. lol

Thank you so much for the praise! My dream is to be published eventually. I'm not after fame and fortune though, this TL is solely my personal love affair with history and entertaining people. Even if I started a Patreon I'd still be like "You like my book? If you like you can drop a quarter in my hat but you can also just read it for free." lol I haven't gone to college though and writing is my main skill, so I feel like one day, eventually, I'll make a career out of it. Honestly, judging by my writing style, I'd make a decent journalist. I can convey infodumps in what I hope is an entertaining and engaging way, without it being overwhelming.

 

[Worffan101]

I feel the depressing sensation whenever I play way too much Fallout. I think another selling factor of WMIT is that, like Fallout, it has lotsss of humor to balance out the horror. Most dystopias are also all poor imitations of 1984, Fallout, or Hunger Games (not that HG is great anyway, but it has its charm). I like trying to be as unique as possible. I look at where the story is going and think, "How can I outdo myself? How can I make this multiple levels more crazy?" and type the next chapter. lol

Thank you so much for the praise! My dream is to be published eventually. I'm not after fame and fortune though, this TL is solely my personal love affair with history and entertaining people. Even if I started a Patreon I'd still be like "You like my book? If you like you can drop a quarter in my hat but you can also just read it for free." lol I haven't gone to college though and writing is my main skill, so I feel like one day, eventually, I'll make a career out of it. Honestly, judging by my writing style, I'd make a decent journalist. I can convey infodumps in what I hope is an entertaining and engaging way, without it being overwhelming.

Fallout has its own sort of humor, too, but I know what you mean. (and jesus, how many YA novels are there now that are basically "Hunger Games but without the hunger games and with some even more stupid conceit for how people are divided up"?) 1984 of course is the English-language equivalent of Zamyatin, and all the "serious" dystopias are inevitably edgelord attempts to one-up it. Like that TL someone linked upthread which was basically somebody's attempt to turn the USA into something so cartoonishly and pointlessly evil it would've been more plausible if it was led by Skynet.

Main thing is, the real world is such a mess right now dystopia tends to bore and upset me. And I can't even do what you do with my own story because it's a Trump self-insert and I am apparently physically incapable of coming up with more insane things to do than 45 does through sheer...whatever's going through his head. I don't drink very much but I've gotten drunk more in the last year than in all 4 of college put together.

You seriously should write and publish novels. At the very least it'd be enough money to grab a few video games for your buddies at Christmas. Given how talented you are, though, I'd say there's a good chance you'll break into the big leagues.

 

[the Imperium of Canada]

I've seen some comparisons between the two, so which version of America is more oven absolute hellhole, *USA from the Decades of Darkness or the Republican Union/NUSA from this TL?

 

[Whiteshore]

I've seen some comparisons between the two, so which version of America is more oven absolute hellhole, *USA from the Decades of Darkness or the Republican Union/NUSA from this TL?

The RU/NUSA.

 

[Worffan101]

I've seen some comparisons between the two, so which version of America is more oven absolute hellhole, *USA from the Decades of Darkness or the Republican Union/NUSA from this TL?

Both are authoritarian slavocracies, but the former is relatively free if you're part of the upper caste and the latter is 1984 level crazy even for the upper caste.

It's fucking Oceania except even the proles are treated like the most potentially wrongthinking Outer Party.