Your opinion on a interesting fact about the AN (II)

[Freies Danzig]

I wonder why "Lady" Chancellor. Iirc, the title "Lord of Mann" (belonging to the Queen) doesn't change due to the gender of its holder [Queen Elizabeth is Lord of Mann, not Lady of Mann], though I must admit I'm not familiar enough with British politics, or with Britannic politics, to make a comment.

It’s reflective of old noble and gentry stuff. Female lords were and still are known as ladies. I think the reason behind the Lord of Man title is that its female holders never themselves changed it or that it was always held by a man until our female monarch(s) owned it.

/skip

(Surprisingly enough it was named Lady of Mann when HM Queen Victoria owned it lol) /skip

[Britannia Maior]

It’s reflective of old noble and gentry stuff. Female lords were and still are known as ladies. I think the reason behind the Lord of Man title is that its female holders never themselves changed it or that it was always held by a man until our female monarch(s) owned it.

/skip

(Surprisingly enough it was named Lady of Mann when HM Queen Victoria owned it lol) /skip

Huh, didn’t know that. Guess that validates my replacement for the PM-ship lol

/skip

[Persagonian Republic]

I wonder why "Lady" Chancellor. Iirc, the title "Lord of Mann" (belonging to the Queen) doesn't change due to the gender of its holder [Queen Elizabeth is Lord of Mann, not Lady of Mann], though I must admit I'm not familiar enough with British politics, or with Britannic politics, to make a comment.

---

In 1898, a Statue to the Polish king Jan III Sokieski was built in what was then Lemberg, Austria-Hungary. After the First Great War ended, Lemberg (now Lviv) was transferred to Poland and the statue given more importance as a point of nationalistic pride in the quasi-fascist Interwar Polish state. Upon the invasion of Danzig by Poland -which started the Second Great War- and its understandably quick defeat and capitulation and when Danzig was directly annexed into the Polish Republic, the statue was moved to a column in the city and erected as a monument. The statue -and the monument it represented- were wholly unpopular in Danzig -apart from to its 1% Polish minority-, and was victim of multiple acts of vandalism by the people of Danzig during the period of Polish occupation and later Soviet Occupation. When Danzig was given its independence again in the Conference of Moscow, the statue was obliterated by local vandals. While nobody really wanted to repair or restore the statue, a consecutive string of conservative, liberal, nationalist and labor governments failed to decide on what to do with the ruined monument until a summary decision in 2020 just flat out removed the monument and put a statue of Frederick the Great in its place out of nowhere.

How did the once prominent Polish minority just went to 1%? Anyway, its understandable that the statue got removed but you should have took the backlash it would produce from the Poles into consideration.

---

It would be an understatement to say that Iran and Turkey have a special relationship. It goes much deeper than that. Their relationship blossomed in the 1930s during Ataturk's visit to Iran under Reza Pahlavi, grew in the 50s when both Iran and Turkey became founding members of CENTO, and reached its apex in the 80s when the Kemalist military junta in Turkey closely collaborated with the post-Khomeinist government of Iran after the NEQAB coup.

It was said that the 1980 Turkish coup led by General Kenan Evren which overthrew the conservative government under the Justice Party was supported by the same military government in Iran when coup conspirators conspired in the Iranian embassy in Ankara. After a successful coup, both governments embarked on a close relationship which involved the signing of numerous bilateral economic agreements and gaining rights to utilize both countries' military bases. They were bounded together by a common distaste for political Islam and Kurdish independence after all.

The Turkish Special Warfare Department, which engaged in counter-guerilla operations against communists, had a close working relationship with the Iranian SAVAMA (successor to SAVAK) and the similar Ministry of Specialized Warfare in exchanging the names of communist and Islamist guerrillas. They also worked together in destabilizing the nascent Republic of Kurdistan (made out of Turkish and Iraqi Kurdistan) by cementing tribal and ideological division. As for Iran's reason in doing so; they feared that it would inspire the Iranian Kurds to rebel. The Turkish Ergenekon deep state also worked closely with the Iranian establishment.

The government of Iran also took inspiration from Turkey's Kemalist thought and re-oriented their state ideology by appropriating some of its tenets - Republicanism, Populism, Nationalism, Laicism, Statism. With Republicanism conveniently omitted as they were unsure to keep the monarchy in power and putting more of an emphasis in "Statism".

[The Cult of Xil]

I wonder why "Lady" Chancellor. Iirc, the title "Lord of Mann" (belonging to the Queen) doesn't change due to the gender of its holder [Queen Elizabeth is Lord of Mann, not Lady of Mann], though I must admit I'm not familiar enough with British politics, or with Britannic politics, to make a comment.

---

In 1898, a Statue to the Polish king Jan III Sokieski was built in what was then Lemberg, Austria-Hungary. After the First Great War ended, Lemberg (now Lviv) was transferred to Poland and the statue given more importance as a point of nationalistic pride in the quasi-fascist Interwar Polish state. Upon the invasion of Danzig by Poland -which started the Second Great War- and its understandably quick defeat and capitulation and when Danzig was directly annexed into the Polish Republic, the statue was moved to a column in the city and erected as a monument. The statue -and the monument it represented- were wholly unpopular in Danzig -apart from to its 1% Polish minority-, and was victim of multiple acts of vandalism by the people of Danzig during the period of Polish occupation and later Soviet Occupation. When Danzig was given its independence again in the Conference of Moscow, the statue was obliterated by local vandals. While nobody really wanted to repair or restore the statue, a consecutive string of conservative, liberal, nationalist and labor governments failed to decide on what to do with the ruined monument until a summary decision in 2020 just flat out removed the monument and put a statue of Frederick the Great in its place out of nowhere.

How did the once prominent Polish minority just went to 1%? Anyway, its understandable that the statue got removed but you should have took the backlash it would produce from the Poles into consideration.

---

It would be an understatement to say that Iran and Turkey have a special relationship. It goes much deeper than that. Their relationship blossomed in the 1930s during Ataturk's visit to Iran under Reza Pahlavi, grew in the 50s when both Iran and Turkey became founding members of CENTO, and reached its apex in the 80s when the Kemalist military junta in Turkey closely collaborated with the post-Khomeinist government of Iran after the NEQAB coup.

It was said that the 1980 Turkish coup led by General Kenan Evren which overthrew the conservative government under the Justice Party was supported by the same military government in Iran when coup conspirators conspired in the Iranian embassy in Ankara. After a successful coup, both governments embarked on a close relationship which involved the signing of numerous bilateral economic agreements and gaining rights to utilize both countries' military bases. They were bounded together by a common distaste for political Islam and Kurdish independence after all.

The Turkish Special Warfare Department, which engaged in counter-guerilla operations against communists, had a close working relationship with the Iranian SAVAMA (successor to SAVAK) and the similar Ministry of Specialized Warfare in exchanging the names of communist and Islamist guerrillas. They also worked together in destabilizing the nascent Republic of Kurdistan (made out of Turkish and Iraqi Kurdistan) by cementing tribal and ideological division. As for Iran's reason in doing so; they feared that it would inspire the Iranian Kurds to rebel. The Turkish Ergenekon deep state also worked closely with the Iranian establishment.

The government of Iran also took inspiration from Turkey's Kemalist thought and re-oriented their state ideology by appropriating some of its tenets - Republicanism, Populism, Nationalism, Laicism, Statism. With Republicanism conveniently omitted as they were unsure to keep the monarchy in power and putting more of an emphasis in "Statism".

It seems alarming as to how the Middle East country's warish penchant is leaking in Europe's geographical direction. It does not seem unusual at all for Turkey and Iran to work together in destroying terrorism seeing as they both have that problem.

Lieutenant Jargas, one of General Lilos's subordinates, has a crush on her. General Lilos can see this, but she tries to not show him any evidence that she knows. This is partly out of professionalism, and partly because she wants him to work up the courage to tell her outright about it.

[Britannia Maior]

Such emotional and unprofessional things ought to be kept out of the public conscience and kept behind closed doors lest the people start gossiping or focusing on things that do not in any way improve their lives or lead to collective benefit.

---

It is often theorised that the Commonwealth operates an organisation dedicated to the investigation, containment and extermination of paranormal, supernatural and anomalous activities, beings and/or objects. While this is considered nothing more than a baseless conspiracy theory, it cannot be denied that the State does direct and fund the operations of one or more dark organisations and groups that aid the State and its interests in not uncommonly sinister ways.

It is possible that the theory was spun by the State itself or agents for some reason or another, whether to confuse the public or direct attention to plausibly deniable underground activities.

[Silver Commonwealth]

Opinion:Depending on what nature those supernaturals have, Commonwealth having a secret organization trying to contain/exterminate various paranormal or supernatural beings is understandable. That said, it wouldn't be surprising if the government itself started that rumor too, while not revealing further details.

Ministry of Education

Fact time!

"After the magic appeared again in SC's world*, people reacted to it differently - while some tried to combine the conventional weapons and other technology with magic (magitek), others started to scour for mythological items/places, as appearance of magic meant that they had gained their strength again. Motivation for the adventurers are various - some are in for their own well being, while others want the wealth or items serve their region, or even SC as a whole. However, despite the Wendigo's confirmation that those things can be somewhere in SC's world, they are still extremely hard to find, as otherwise the SNN's news feed would constantly be clogged about newfound mythical places/items, and multiple people/factions would desire to get those for themselves. One of the examples of regional governors trying to find those legendary items is the SC's Ireland - some time after the existence of magic in SC's world was confirmed, the SC's Taoiseach of Irish Autonomy secretly ordered to launch an expedition to find some of the legendary items mentioned in the story of ''The Tragedy of the Sons of Tuireann'' (One of the three Three sorrowful tales of Erin), where Lugh, which is one of the gods in Irish mythology, sets the sons of Tuireann in series of seemingly impossible quests after various legendary items as a revenge for killing Cian - Lugh's father (Tuireann and Cian were old enemies). Those searches are about on level with searches for Holy Grail and El Dorado (Things which might actually exist in SC's world, btw), or the expeditions of Third Reich in Tibet during interwar period. Although adrenaline of the adventurers is fueled by the fact that all legendary places or items might have existed at some point in SC's world, search of most from the items of ''The Tragedy of the Sons of Tuireann'' has been fruitless so far (Even with the usage of various modern archaeology technologies like light detection and ranging (LIDAR), geophysical survey, remote sensing, etc), and although various mythologists were called for assistance, Taioseach had to carefully choose to which people the Irish Blueshirts should call for help, as the Irish Autonomy's government ultimately wanted to keep it a secret, and mythologists had to keep their mouth shut when the topic of the story or the legendary items was mentioned by anyone else. Most of those involved in the operation assume that those items are either very well hidden, or have been lost to time over the timespan of when magic disappeared. (On another note, astrology still most likely doesn't work in SC's timeline, and Supercomputer Tom mostly dismisses it, as he considers the planet movements as ''concepts with scientific explanation'', thus they don't affect the future of horoscopes).''

(*Although magic had existed on earth in SC's timeline, it fell in slumber at some point in SC's Earth's history, but the amount of negativity and spilled blood during 20th century was able to bring it back. Wendigo is somewhat like a intermediary between SC's humans and mythological beings on SC's Earth)

"However, SC's Irish have managed to find one of those items - the legendary pigskin, which was King Tuish's treasure, with which it was possible to heal serious wounds. In the archives of Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI, Irish branch of SCPS), it was said that the pigskin was found under the Hill of Tara - ancient ceremonial and burial site, which also appears in Irish mythology. After it was found, a van with a group of DMI members with sunglasses arrived (Most likely to make identification harder), put the legendary item in a thick, metal box, and drove back to an unknown location. Since then, nothing much is known about where the pigskin is - the Taioseach, DMI, and the involved army members are obviously very secretive about the matter, and even the mythologists involved don't have a clue of its location, although some have speculated that it was given to a some Intensive Care Unit in Irish Autonomy. However, one of the top-ranked commanders in SC's Irish army wrote a diary, and in one of the pages he mentioned that ''the militarists which knew about the treasure hunt weren't too satisfied with what the expedition had found, and would have rather wished for the poisoned spear which belonged to the Peisear, King of Persia. With the spirit of war inside it so powerful, It had to be kept in a pot of soporific herbs, because otherwise it would fly out, raging for death''.''

[Greater Cosmicium]

"I understand the reasoning for hiding magical items. Here though, you couldn't hide any powerful magical item (that is, anything that surpassed in power Shyrun magic) for even a second before every Khaazai army leader came for it." - Kasren Vereyn, Emperor of Greater Cosmicium

---

The planet of Nyr-Khol is the homeland of the Khaazai, and was once a tropical forested planet, home to the most diverse ecosystem in the entire Milky Way, the Trees of Life and the center of Shyrun energy, the Shyrun Tower as the Khaazai call it. Ironically, it is now the most polluted planet (and one of the most radioactive too), almost completely covered with massive industrial plants, skyscrapers hundreds of stories tall, mega-mines that produce as much ore as a thousand regular planets combined, and massive landfills in which metal creatures sometimes get created. The real Garden of the Million Flowers is, even more ironically, the most polluted area of the most polluted planet in the Milky Way, where the air is so toxic that a regular person would die in seconds even with the best breathing apparatus, where abominations of metal and flesh come out of the liquidized industrial waste almost every second, where massive pollution storms that turn the rest of Nyr-Khol into a similar hell originate from.

[Crysuko]

And we thought the east-central region was bad, still contominated from heavy chemical weapon usage. Is there nothing that can be done to reverse this, or at least contain it? you're staring an ecological catastrophe like none other right in the face and doing precisely nothing about it.

The standard issue rifle used by the Crysukon army (the AF-90) is an AK derivative, but unlike most other guns it's a "needlegun" type weapon which uses flechettes instead of standard bullets. their pointed shape, extreme muzzle velocity and high fire rate can match even the toughest body armour. The disadvantage being the specialist equipment needed to make them makes flechette ammunition more expensive to produce, and can make keeping the army in good supply bothersome during extended conflicts.

[Persagonian Republic]

Yes, I love Kalashnikov-esque rifles like the Finnish and Chinese Norinco ones. Your service rifle sounds very interesting and needle-like flechettes rounds sounds very painful for soft target yet effective for armored enemies so it's understandable.

---

On the topic of rifles, Iranian state military manufactures have created a licensed AKM-style rifle with the intention of phasing out the HK G3 out of military service for the Iranian Army. Self-sufficiency in manufacturing weapons was necessary as the Iranian government believed that it could not depend on the American government for supplying weapons any further during the Iran - Iraq Wa and that the Shah's previous weapon purchasing-spree of high-caliber American ordnance was putting a dent on the country's budget to maintain such things. Thus it was necessary for the Iranian government to create its own weapons manufacturing industry. Focusing on reliance and easy maintenance above all else.

This AKM-esque rifle is known as the KL-7.62 chambered in 7.62 rounds and is actually based on another AKM-derivative, the Finnish RK 62. There's 350,000 of these rifles in Iranian military arsenal. It's highly modular (even though internally, it is very similar to the AKM) in that you can install silencer, muzzle flashes, and optics while the KL-7.62 could withstand any rough environment such as mountains and deserts. Foreign weapons analysts have praised the weapon for its customization options and has been dubbed as the Iranian IMI Galil. The KL-7.62 is a common sight in the Middle East and they have been spotted at the hands of Iranian-backed rebels in the Lebanese Wars and the Gulf Civil War.

[The Great-German Empire]

...So in order to *save* money they switched calibers from 7.62x51 to 7.62x39 and made all the surplus destined for obsolescence? The military should avoid such rash decisions. Could have just made a G3 clone.

---

Germans living in Mittelafrika in the 1970s and 1980s, who routinely owned guns to supplement the sparse police presence, traveled on horseback or with off-road trucks in lieu of good roads and donned wide hats to protect against the sun, were often compared to Texans by, well, everybody. With Western movies still popular in the US and “colonial movies” - usually centered around the challenges of the multicultural African life or the looming bush conflict - gaining traction in Europe, entertainment media was quick to link southerners and African Germans. This has had a very real positive effect on the two countries’ relations - in the face of their disagreements over foreign policy in the Pacific - and prompted a wave of tourism between them. What remains of Mittelafrika today - that is, the 3 German States in Africa - see this romantic frontiersman stereotype and its connection to America as central to the population’s cultural identity.

[A m e n r i a]

I hate barbarian occupation of civilized people and the movies are probably just more propaganda tools to justify German oppression in Africa. I do wonder how similar the German frontiersmen are to cowboys, however. Are there any desperado equivalents?

Despite consisting of people with (usually) widely different personalities, and thus powersets and roles both in and out of combat, teams (both hero and villain) more often than not have a central theme.

The Starchild Sorority's central theme is the western zodiac, with sisterhood and genetic superiority being secondary themes. Each member has a birthmark signifying their zodiac due to being the daughters of a Celestial, and each member has a mother who is one of the finest women in Asia (who have been given genetic therapy), and thus, the world, hence their beauty, height, and skin colour.

When it comes to powers, they have versatile ones that are either semantic in nature, leaving its application up to the user's creativity, or simply ones that can be used for different things. Most use their powers to help them in their jobs, if they have one, outside of combat.

[Freies Danzig]

Despite consisting of people with (usually) widely different personalities, and thus powersets and roles both in and out of combat, teams (both hero and villain) more often than not have a central theme.

The Starchild Sorority's central theme is the western zodiac, with sisterhood and genetic superiority being secondary themes. Each member has a birthmark signifying their zodiac due to being the daughters of a Celestial, and each member has a mother who is one of the finest women in Asia (who have been given genetic therapy), and thus, the world, hence their beauty, height, and skin colour.

When it comes to powers, they have versatile ones that are either semantic in nature, leaving its application up to the user's creativity, or simply ones that can be used for different things. Most use their powers to help them in their jobs, if they have one, outside of combat.

This form of 'central theme' is really overdone in children's near-fiction. Honestly, teams made of people aligning for common goals (and as such, found families) are superior to "like-minded people band together" imo

---

In 1898, a Statue to the Polish king Jan III Sokieski was built in what was then Lemberg, Austria-Hungary. After the First Great War ended, Lemberg (now Lviv) was transferred to Poland and the statue given more importance as a point of nationalistic pride in the quasi-fascist Interwar Polish state. Upon the invasion of Danzig by Poland -which started the Second Great War- and its understandably quick defeat and capitulation and when Danzig was directly annexed into the Polish Republic, the statue was moved to a column in the city and erected as a monument. The statue -and the monument it represented- were wholly unpopular in Danzig -apart from to its 1% Polish minority-, and was victim of multiple acts of vandalism by the people of Danzig during the period of Polish occupation and later Soviet Occupation. When Danzig was given its independence again in the Conference of Moscow, the statue was obliterated by local vandals. While nobody really wanted to repair or restore the statue, a consecutive string of conservative, liberal, nationalist and labor governments failed to decide on what to do with the ruined monument until a summary decision in 2020 just flat out removed the monument and put a statue of Frederick the Great in its place out of nowhere.

[Region of Dwipantara]

To be honest, their reaction are pretty understandable. I myself would probably do the same if there is a big statue of Van Den Bosch (a brutal colonial governor) linked to a) still standing in the vicinity of my neighborhood, let alone an important city location. The only problem I see is probably just related to bilateral and ethnic tension.

---

It is said that the ocean on south of Java island, known for its harsh weather, is actually ruled by Nyi Roro Kidul ("Queen of the Southern Sea"), a goddess from Javanese and Sundanese mythology. The Queen's vast mystical realm is said to include all of the ~1000 km southern Java coastline, and anyone who stepped on its sand must not wear green clothing (her favorite color), else they risk being kidnapped and turmed into one of her soldier or slave. This belief probably stem from the fact that the ocean water often appears green due to local conditions, and as such it would be hard to search for someone lost in the dangerous sea if they wear green clothings.

This belief has been influential in the history of Java island, of whom is the heartland and political center of Dwipantara. They say that in the 16th century, Prince Panembahan Senopati aspires to overthrow the Pajang Sultanate and performed many ascetic rituals to support his cause. One of them includes meditating next to the southern sea. His meditation caused a great spiritual chaos on Nyi Roro Kidul's realm, so the Queen came to search for the culprit. Upon seeing the handsome prince however, the Queen immediately fell in love and asked to marry him (at least spiritually). In return, she offered to lend her magical authority and help Panembahan Senopati establish the Mataram Sultanate under himself.

For centuries, the tradition of literally marrying an actual god(ess) is continued by all of Panembahan Senopati's descendants, of whom are often polygamous, including the current sultan of Jogjakarta. It is forbidden for the sultan's spouse to sit next to the sultan during coronation ceremony, as the seat is already reserved for Nyi Roro Kidul. Though the regional sultanate carries little to no power and is not recognized by the Khilafah regime, the royal family's alleged links with the southern seas still lend them a mystical moral authority that commands great respect for the locals. This may had even influenced some Republiken leaders, of whom are known to be very superstitious, and push them to support the restoration of the Jogjakarta Special Region with the sultan as the hereditary governor-for-life (as exists during the 1945-1965 Republican era).

[A m e n r i a]

Despite consisting of people with (usually) widely different personalities, and thus powersets and roles both in and out of combat, teams (both hero and villain) more often than not have a central theme.

The Starchild Sorority's central theme is the western zodiac, with sisterhood and genetic superiority being secondary themes. Each member has a birthmark signifying their zodiac due to being the daughters of a Celestial, and each member has a mother who is one of the finest women in Asia (who have been given genetic therapy), and thus, the world, hence their beauty, height, and skin colour.

When it comes to powers, they have versatile ones that are either semantic in nature, leaving its application up to the user's creativity, or simply ones that can be used for different things. Most use their powers to help them in their jobs, if they have one, outside of combat.

This form of 'central theme' is really overdone in children's near-fiction. Honestly, teams made of people aligning for common goals (and as such, found families) are superior to "like-minded people band together" imo

---

In 1898, a Statue to the Polish king Jan III Sokieski was built in what was then Lemberg, Austria-Hungary. After the First Great War ended, Lemberg (now Lviv) was transferred to Poland and the statue given more importance as a point of nationalistic pride in the quasi-fascist Interwar Polish state. Upon the invasion of Danzig by Poland -which started the Second Great War- and its understandably quick defeat and capitulation and when Danzig was directly annexed into the Polish Republic, the statue was moved to a column in the city and erected as a monument. The statue -and the monument it represented- were wholly unpopular in Danzig -apart from to its 1% Polish minority-, and was victim of multiple acts of vandalism by the people of Danzig during the period of Polish occupation and later Soviet Occupation. When Danzig was given its independence again in the Conference of Moscow, the statue was obliterated by local vandals. While nobody really wanted to repair or restore the statue, a consecutive string of conservative, liberal, nationalist and labor governments failed to decide on what to do with the ruined monument until a summary decision in 2020 just flat out removed the monument and put a statue of Frederick the Great in its place out of nowhere.

It's less an IC reason for them to fight together and more an OOC grabber of sorts to help the audience remember them. "Oh look, those are the girls with the zodiac birthmarks!" And such.

/Skip

[The Islands of Versilia]

That’s actually an amazing mythology and I love the idea of succeeding leaders spiritually “marrying” a goddess. Why was that belief tolerated, though? Wouldn’t it have been stamped out by the Muslims or at least attempted to? I can imagine some imams calling the goddess a demon or something in order to discredit the royalty.

---

Versilia was founded by vampires, magi/mages, pagans and other “undesirables” fleeing the Church in Rome shortly after Christianity began its persecution of anything not remotely Christian. Vampires were targeted as monsters and evil beings, mages for “consorting with evil forces”, pagans for rejecting Christ and the rest for multiple other reasons. As such a large amount of these exiles had to work together to survive, forming the basis of Versilian culture and society.

While Versilians acknowledge their Roman heritage, it’s not the defining feature of their culture and often say “we’re more than Rome.”

[Region of Dwipantara]

That’s actually an amazing mythology and I love the idea of succeeding leaders spiritually “marrying” a goddess. Why was that belief tolerated, though? Wouldn’t it have been stamped out by the Muslims or at least attempted to? I can imagine some imams calling the goddess a demon or something in order to discredit the royalty.

They do try actually, which is another reason why the royalty's authority ws stripped after the Khilafah takeover. But in Islam there is the concept called "djinn" (spirits/demons), which lend some kind of legitimacy to the myth. Besides, Islam in Java has syncreticized with local beliefs ever since its rapid spread at the 16th century, which is also why there are large local Muslim organizations with tens of millions of followers that opposes the Khilafah's puritan interpretation.

/skip (BN do Versilia)

[The Islands of Versilia]

That’s actually an amazing mythology and I love the idea of succeeding leaders spiritually “marrying” a goddess. Why was that belief tolerated, though? Wouldn’t it have been stamped out by the Muslims or at least attempted to? I can imagine some imams calling the goddess a demon or something in order to discredit the royalty.

They do try actually, which is another reason why the royalty's authority ws stripped after the Khilafah takeover. But in Islam there is the concept called "djinn" (spirits/demons), which lend some kind of legitimacy to the myth. Besides, Islam in Java has syncreticized with local beliefs ever since its rapid spread at the 16th century, which is also why there are large local Muslim organizations with tens of millions of followers that opposes the Khilafah's puritan interpretation.

/skip

Ah, thanks for the explanation ^^

/skip

[Grootfries Rijk]

One could say that they, like almost every country that stupidly claims descent from Rome, became what they are in spite of, rather than because of, Rome huh?

---

The Battle of Warns had a very different result in our world. While the Frisians still did win the battle -and push back the Dutch to West Frisia and North Holland, unlike in real life, William IV of Holland was not Killed in Action. Rather, he was captured by the Frisians and thrown into dungeon alongside his uncle John of Beaumont (the two main commanders of the forces of Holland in that battle). While in custody, they were brought to the Opstalboom in Aurich (which is the closest thing to a "central government" in Frisia at the time) and tried for crimes against the Frisian People by the collective of judges that delegate in the Opstalboom on the Teusday after Pentacost 1346. The two were executed after a short trial. While such an event was not uncommon in Feudal Europe, this particular event (the execution of monarchs by republicans) enraged the Princes of the Holy Roman Emperor so much that Emperor Louis IV officially repealed the Frisian Freedom, leading to the Wars of Frisian Unification (Which didn't end until 1541).

[Champagne Socialist Sharifistan]

One could say that they, like almost every country that stupidly claims descent from Rome, became what they are in spite of, rather than because of, Rome huh?

---

The Battle of Warns had a very different result in our world. While the Frisians still did win the battle -and push back the Dutch to West Frisia and North Holland, unlike in real life, William IV of Holland was not Killed in Action. Rather, he was captured by the Frisians and thrown into dungeon alongside his uncle John of Beaumont (the two main commanders of the forces of Holland in that battle). While in custody, they were brought to the Opstalboom in Aurich (which is the closest thing to a "central government" in Frisia at the time) and tried for crimes against the Frisian People by the collective of judges that delegate in the Opstalboom on the Teusday after Pentacost 1346. The two were executed after a short trial. While such an event was not uncommon in Feudal Europe, this particular event (the execution of monarchs by republicans) enraged the Princes of the Holy Roman Emperor so much that Emperor Louis IV officially repealed the Frisian Freedom, leading to the Wars of Frisian Unification (Which didn't end until 1541).

Louis IV sounds like a hypocrite in this.

In Sharifistan all intelligence agencies are part of the military.
the Directorate of Military Intelligence exists but is merely composed of people seconded from other branches of the military.

[Borgevia]

That sounds like a recipe for corruption given how some Intelligence could not be of military use, and if a branch is too strong, could force a bias onto an intelligence agency. But that's just me, I prefer to keep Intelligence as non-military but multi-disciplinary should their assistance is needed for military purposes (Military Intelligence vs Corporate etc)

---

General Ayaka Durand is regarded as a Borgovian Rommel given her stubborn sense of chivalry and strict adherence to Orders of her Superiors, albeit with some resistance if it goes against international conventions. Others say she's more of a military Javert as her entire persona military-wise is summed up as "The Book of Law is supreme, my opinion does not matter". Unlike other Borgovian squads who were known to show cruelty to Germans, Finns, and Hungarians via sodomy (domination) or forced labour (either in camps or sent to Isla Fortuna/Falkland Islands to build a constructed city), General Durand treated them as honourable soldiers deserving of respect for fighting valiantly for their country. In her view, Germans and Hungarians aren't "Subhumans" who needed to be exterminated, but rather, humans who, in an alternate universe, would be living their lives on the German countryside. This isn't because she's an empathetic person, she's simply following the Geneva Convention and her code of Chivalry, she's very detached from people.

While Americans, especially Patton, underestimated her for not only being a woman, but being mixed (Japanese mother, French father), he soon respected her for a successful campaign liberating Ethiopia and the Balkans. Her assistance to the American war effort in North Africa was also noted. Ayaka Durand came from a family of soldiers. Though her mother died giving birth, she was raised by a single father and as such, she had almost no connection to Japanese culture as her father's only familiar with French/Borgovian culture. The French accepted her as one of their own, though she's quick to point out she is "Borgovian First, Hispanic Second". She leads a Sniper and Scouting squad specialising in sabotage, rescue, and reconnaissance missions in Ethiopia, Egypt, Greece, Austria, and Finland. In fact, it was her who defaced Simo Hayha, using a stolen German sniper rifle, the recoil affected her aim and instead of a clean shot through the head, scraped Simo's face. It was the first time she missed a clean kill and it haunted her until her death in 2009 at the age of 95. She'd occasionally be heard whispering to herself "I'm a proud soldier, I will not fail again". In 1997, a British documentary put these two iconic snipers together for the first time to chat. Both held no animosity towards each other, they're soldiers following orders. She's the only Latina invited to attend Simo's funeral in 2002.

During the Salzburg Massacre, she ordered her Scouts to rescue and hide civilians, finding other squads blowing up the historical sites and neutering men as young as 2 to as old as 70 to be "cowardly" as these are civilians, not soldiers. She's also very vocal about her own allies, Borgovian or Soviet, British or American, be trialed for various war crimes simply because they violated the Geneva Convention. In her eyes, international law is stronger than national law which is stronger than state/provincial law, etc. She's best described as "harsh but fair". While she's a boring personality, she's regarded as one of the more trustworthy person following orders of superiors to the teeth but also disobeying ones that violate The Book of Law; she held everyone to the same standard and avoid connecting with people as much as possible to keep her decisions neutral and pragmatic. She's very hard on herself, feeling she disgraced her father by missing a kill on Simo Hayha, an enemy soldier who went on to kill hundreds of Soviet allies, believing she murdered her own allies by missing that shot.

[The Islands of Versilia]

While she is most definitely far, far more respectable than any pre-reform Borgevian in history, I must say that she shouldn’t have felt any guilt about missing that shot. The Soviets were scum and it’s wise to sabotage one’s “allies” for your own gain, within international law or not. She is the only wartime Borgevian worthy of being called a human in my eyes, and she should’ve forced her comrades into The Hague for their just punishments if she didn’t.

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The title of dictator does not have the same negative connotations as it does in other countries. In fact it’s even the official title of the head of state. In Versilia, the title is more tied to emergency power and the securing of safety for citizens at the cost of electoral freedoms in contrast to the totalitarian, maniacal image most Westerners have when they imagine dictators.

Dictators are necessary political figures who sacrifice themselves to rule and govern a people in need in times of strife and uncertainty. They are to be respected and obeyed (within reason), and their rule should be allowed rather than being outright forbidden. The Dictator Imperial is viewed in this light, while foreigners like Assad are rightly called tyrants and never dictators.

[Wack-i]

Why would a country say their leader is a dictator. Dictator mostly means bad. But whatever.

We are in part of the surreal memes universe.

[The Islands of Versilia]

Why would a country say their leader is a dictator. Dictator mostly means bad. But whatever.

We are in part of the surreal memes universe.

During the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, a dictator was an emergency autocrat who took complete control during times where Rome itself was threatened. Dictators were expected to return power to the consulate and senate after the emergency had passed. Versilia generally takes on this Roman view of the dictator.

/skip

[Grootfries Rijk]

Why would a country say their leader is a dictator. Dictator mostly means bad. But whatever.

We are in part of the surreal memes universe.

What does that even mean though? Like, I legit don't know how to respond to this.

The Battle of Warns had a very different result in our world. While the Frisians still did win the battle -and push back the Dutch to West Frisia and North Holland, unlike in real life, William IV of Holland was not Killed in Action. Rather, he was captured by the Frisians and thrown into dungeon alongside his uncle John of Beaumont (the two main commanders of the forces of Holland in that battle). While in custody, they were brought to the Opstalboom in Aurich (which is the closest thing to a "central government" in Frisia at the time) and tried for crimes against the Frisian People by the collective of judges that delegate in the Opstalboom on the Teusday after Pentacost 1346. The two were executed after a short trial. While such an event was not uncommon in Feudal Europe, this particular event (the execution of monarchs by republicans) enraged the Princes of the Holy Roman Emperor so much that Emperor Louis IV officially repealed the Frisian Freedom, leading to the Wars of Frisian Unification (Which didn't end until 1541).

[Palmyrion]

Why would a country say their leader is a dictator. Dictator mostly means bad. But whatever.

We are in part of the surreal memes universe.

What does that even mean though? Like, I legit don't know how to respond to this.

The Battle of Warns had a very different result in our world. While the Frisians still did win the battle -and push back the Dutch to West Frisia and North Holland, unlike in real life, William IV of Holland was not Killed in Action. Rather, he was captured by the Frisians and thrown into dungeon alongside his uncle John of Beaumont (the two main commanders of the forces of Holland in that battle). While in custody, they were brought to the Opstalboom in Aurich (which is the closest thing to a "central government" in Frisia at the time) and tried for crimes against the Frisian People by the collective of judges that delegate in the Opstalboom on the Teusday after Pentacost 1346. The two were executed after a short trial. While such an event was not uncommon in Feudal Europe, this particular event (the execution of monarchs by republicans) enraged the Princes of the Holy Roman Emperor so much that Emperor Louis IV officially repealed the Frisian Freedom, leading to the Wars of Frisian Unification (Which didn't end until 1541).

Interesting how keeping a king alive changed the course of history.

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If you see an Anglophone/Russian/French/German given name and a Spanish surname, consider it Palmyrian.

When Palmyrion was colonised by Spain on 1600, Spanish culture entered Palmyrion; on 1721, the Governor-General of Terra de Palmeras, Bernardo Casador de Gamboa, declared a decree giving Palmyrians 100,000 options for surnames from a rudimentary database, which included native Palmyrian surnames such as "Mabalasik" and "Dimaano". When Palmyrion changed hands from the Spanish to the British, the influx of British given names and surnames followed during the British colonisation of what had been renamed by the British as the Palmeras. Immigration from Europe following Palmyrion's independence and industrial revolution brought with it another slew of French, Irish, and German names from modern-day Western Europe; Slavic names from Eastern Europe only gained attention following an exodus to Palmyrion from the Slavic world by those fleeing the communists' collectivisation efforts.

Nowadays, among surnames not derived from Spanish and Palmyria lexicon (which dominate Palmyrion as a whole, held by almost 70-80% of Palmyrians) Arabic-derived names dominate the islands of Sultan Osmalik and Mindanao, Spanish surnames dominate the island of Visayas, Anglophone, French, and German surnames dominate the federal subjects of the Federal Republics of the Tagalog and Bicolandia, and Slavic surnames dominate in the Cordilleran and Cagayan Federal Republics.