BRA (Blue Republic of Aimesland)
The Bunkers
"Allegra, get your stuffs." Sprout commanded.
"Really, Sprout? You'd better be pulling my leg here." Allegra responded.
"No, my love, I am not. I'm serious as a Cobra bite." Sprout said.
"You think I want to sit-up in this bunker all day with two assholes? You think I want my citizenry to be stuck in bunkers beneath their Ancestral Homeland? I say 'Nay! Let the people roam freely, just as we have long ago when we were Anarcho-Environmentalist.' When you sacrifice Freedoms over Safeties, then you deserve motherfucking neither. So, I say, 'let's get the fuck out of this godforsaken bunker before I have to throw another Pump at Sanders and Dynamite again!' I was trying my hardest to not Suffer, but I guess, we have to do our moral obligations as Aimeslandish." Sprout started to go on a spiel.
"Yes, but..." Allegra tried to lobby.
"AS LONG AS I AM STILL PRESIDENT, I AM GOING TO RALLY MY ASS OFF." Sprout shouted.
"I WAS BORN FOR THIS. JUST LIKE I WAS BORN FOR CHEERLEADING AND OTHER AIMESLANDISH THINGS, I WAS BORN TO BE SITTING IN A DESK. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE REDS SAY, I WILL FIGHT GUNS BLAZING FOR MY RIGHT." Sprout continued.
"You're either w/ me, or against me."
"But! Sprout! I was with you all-the-way! You can't say that!" Allegra cried.
Allegra knelt.
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I HAVE HAD IT WITH THESE MOTHERFUCKIN' REDS, IN MOTHERFUCKIN' IKESVILLE."
Sprout unsheathed her sword and raised it above her head majestically.
"Do you think I give a shit what happens? No. I have been fighting too long for this Country. I literally ran on Aimeslandish Idealism. You think you'd want the Deepstatists and Laborists to takeover?"
Although it was a rhetorical question, Allegra cried.
"Um, no." She raised her finger.
"Okay, then." Sprout placed her left hand on her hip - her sword-holding hand was her right, as-of-now, but Sprout was ambidextrous. And even besides that, she had been practicing and training her skills for a very-long time. Yes, she was 26, and she was a bit too old for the position of POTBRA (infact, she was the fourth-oldest Aimeslandish President), but Sprout knew alot. She had alot of passion and emotion and talent. Sprout was pretty-much on the same level as Aristonia herself.
The country had dealt too much in mythic legends, fiction, talltales, and so on.
It was too much to lose; not enough to Gain, even with the bombing of 'Cham - but, there was so much Legacy in Chamberlain. Too much to lose. Too much to hold onto with your might. And that's one of many reasons as to why Aimeslandia fought honorably. If they stopped, and they started lashing pains onto their enemies, then their enemies wouldn't hold-back. Their enemies would have more reason to go hard.
Acheter, lever, l'epee - (Achieve, bring-up, the Sword)
But, there was so much than just ALL, there were many slogans and chants to be cried-out. Aimeslandish Propaganda and Sloganeering was many, much like their spirit.
It was like trying to teach an old dog new tricks - very, very hard ifnot, Impossible (technically), these peoples were stuck in their way. No one could truly change them but them, and that's what the Aimeslandish were starting to do. They had President Winston and her Administration. They had their swords and bucklers. They had integrity and poise. They weren't cowardly. They were steadfast. They pulled-out their swords from their sheaths, started swinging - and swinging hard. They had Lemonade. They continued to fight on.
"Shit. I gotta bring the Resolute Desk with me." Sprout thought aloud.
The woman was going to use the two soldiers (Sanders and Dynamite) as pack mules, help her carry-out the Desk, and then, Sprout would do what she'd done best - Lead.
The Aimeslandish Secret Service had protected Sprout, they weren't so sure if she should leave the Bunker, but since she was the Executive, they were willing to try. The bodyguards held-up their rifles and whatever weapons they were assigned with, or the weaponry that they've held sufficient skill and mastery with - as they've trained their hardest to protect the President. It was The Senate and the Executive, and the POTBRA-as-of-now held alot of support in the public eye - her approval rating was in the eighties, and it looked like it may skyrocket. The Winstonites were growing restless, and very tired of half the country being in ruins. The Aimeslandish had survived and fought hard, but there was still many an issue or challenge for them to face.
Although the Samston House was bombed - and bombed hard, many an Aimeslandish had stood with the President in yet another string of defying moves, daring their enemy.
The curfew, a product of the Martial Law, also caused Aimeslandish Piracy, which was state-sponsored - the Economy had been falling to shit at the time, so it was well-deserved that they try their hardest to go out and fix it, even if they had to commit crimes. But, there was still Slavery. There wasn't just Chattel Slavery, but Slavery itself had to be abolished. All slavery. Why?
Because freedom is the right of ALL sentient beings - not just a select few. Not the bourgeoisle. Not the Gentry. Not no one else, but the People. And so, the People followed Demos' lead and voted-in their leaders. They voted-in their senators, though the Exec. could also select some Senate Members too. You see, Aimesland was a proud Democratic Republic. A proud state that formed from Anarchism, specifically Anarcho-Environmentalism. Aimesland also was a Basketcase Democracy, which had meant voting wasn't merely placing papers in ballots. This voting was Aimeslandish. They had placed their sticks in their baskets - let the Electoral Colleges count-up all the sticks, and he who had the most sticks - and the most Character - won the Election, and was now President-Elect. So what now? Aimesland wasn't going to mess-up their Due Process. Their checks-and-balances. Their democratic values and ways. Democracy was enshrined in the Nation, much like Aimeslandish Culture. Much like Aimeslandish Atheism.
Aimesland had many remnants from, and of, their Anarchism. Aimeslandish Classicism and the Social Contract was one of them. If the Contract was broke, then mass riots, anarchy, and chaos'd ensue - such Madness, but such was how Aimesland defended herself and her culture. Aimeslandia was very-strong, so strong that they were an Armed Republic, a Gothic Republic, a Lemonade Republic, Winstonian, a Weird Democracy, and so many other kinds of Democracies and Republicanisms. Aimesland had broken the Mold - there was no such thing as a "Model Citizen," Aimeslandish were very individualistic, very unique peoples with their own philosophies and personal ideologies, their own personal ways of doing things. There was no point in letting the Bear kill the Aimeslandish Coiled Snake. There was no point in letting the Enemy see Aimesland's weaknesses - so that's why they've held certain practices as such.
Aimeslandish Cornucopia had to survive for the Ages.
Oh Horn-of-Plenty
One Horn-of-Plenty for us all
And when we raise the Cry
The brave shall heed the call
And we shall never falter
One Horn-of-Plenty for us all
One Horn-of-Plenty for us all
And when we raise the Cry
The brave shall heed the call
And we shall never falter
One Horn-of-Plenty for us all
Aimesland Advances!
Ave Demokratia. Ave Technologia. Ave Victoria.
Chamberlain, the capital city, the Seat-of-Governance - The Capitol will last forever - no matter what, no matter the Cost.
'Til all are One.
It was a Post-Chamberlain Reality, but what don't kill makes you Stronger. The bombings and razings had only helped not harmed. The enemy may raze Aimeslandia to the ground, but she shall always Stand.
Theed, Harkness, Ambercity, Ikesville, Troy, Halifax, Kent, and other cities. The east-west, but nevermore - the snake shall slither. New discoveries shall be Made. New inventions patented. Aimesland Advances! The Future is Nigh, the days of Dust are no more!
The Red Cogwheel of Technocracy shall stand!
Chamberlain wasn't that populated anyways - if the Enemy were looking for Population, then, they should've went to Ambercity. Chamberlain was the Seat-of-Governance, Ambercity was a Public City or a Major City. Ambercity was bustling with people - densely-populated, and even more when you factor in Romance and Romanticism.
They stroke Chamberlain, disgraced it, but it will never truly be Disgraced. Aimesland - Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken - and most-definitely Unsullied. The Enemy will never touch Chamberlain, the Halls still stand! In spirit, it will always remain! Aimesland will never die!
Like ANONYMOUS said, you cannot kill an Idea - Ideas are Bulletproof.
There's always hope.
People didn't learn, and most-definitely not the Deepstatists and Laborists - there were far too many cops for any revolution or revolt to end-up successfully, many a fascist or communist would've ended up dead and carried by six - especially in the most-populated cities. And then, you have to factor-in all of the mobs and militias that formed, holding-up their torches and pitchforks, their swords, their Hunting-rifles, and whatsoever else they may be holding in-hand at the time. There was so much that didn't allow a bloodless coup to form in Aimesland, as the Aimeslandish would've most-certainly went out with a bang - or many, many bangs.
Now, they were in bunkers. It sucked to suck, but that's what had happened. They fought, but now grew tired, so they've rested. Rest up, your time will come.
And all the flagwaving nationalists . . .
The economy was falling because the Gov't had spent-up so much Chi on Armaments, on modernization for its GAR. Aimesland was up-for-par everywhere else, but still had to update and create more weapons in factories, or use-up all of its old weaponry - even if that had meant more totalities and casualties.
More blimps, planes and other vehicles were made - for the branches of the military, and even two new weapons were invented (the Empurata Lightmachinegun ((LMG)) and the Shockwave Demolition Grenades, or SDGs.), also, Aimesland had bought several guns from its allies - the Newne Carribbean Empire, Norcourt, the Warglorian Reich, the Austerran Confederacy, and the USSK, though the latter (the Monarcho-Communists) wasn't really an "ally," per se but just in it for money - they supplied both sides and took the Bloodmoney.
Aimeslandish Industry would severely-increase, not by way of them merely being Technocratic, but because the Armedforces needed more and more. This would increase drastically by every decade, by every century, and so on; so forth. Already, this year (1938), there was so much demanded of Aimeslands' GAR and not that much demanded of the reds. Aimesland's isolationism, Armed Neutrality, Non-interventionism, and its other policies would've costed it, much like Aimesland's strict domestic policy regarding Naval Waters had sparked-up a war with the Warmongering Nihonese. Aimesland was only defending herself - afterall, she was a hippy nation. She was used to not fighting. She hadn't fought since her last incarnation (Anarcho-Environmentalist Aimesland), so people shouldn't really be strict on the Aimeslandish. By proxy, this had meant Aimesland's "weakspot" was its Army, but The Senate has rallied (in Sprout's first year as President, she had completed so much. She'd even completed the things she'd campaigned upon.) to quickly-improve these shortcomings, though the future looks uncertain. The Future looks daunting and depressing for the Weird Democracy, but Aimesland has faced many a challenge already before.
With treaties and treatises, Aimesland may be going backward in that way since its enemies would've wanted them weaker than usual, or "usual," since they fought hard and were very brave, very stubborn. Aimeslandish were a proud people. A rowdy bunch, but also quiet. It was a weird doublethink, a weird duality.
"only 30 y/a, Aimeslands' Navy was its finest, but now, it was..." the enemies had said and conspired against the lovely, old nation of youngins.
They continued to mock and make-fun of Aimesland for not being warmongering like them.
The Aimeslandish were Ge talenteerde, or Wunderkind. They knew how to woodwork. They knew many trades and arts and skills. They were laborious and artsy, but certain things had made them seem lazier or crazier to others. It was a weird system of being contrarily. A weird paradox, but such was the sort - the Aimeslandish were a free people, did what they wanted with their freedom, and moreso.
Aimesland was a weird, colorful society - their architecture a sprawl of pastel and neon colors. The people "dressed weirdly," but because they were very avant-garde, very forward-thinking - as a result of Futurism, but also as a result of formerly being Anarch. Aimesland was accelerationist, accelerating herself far-far forward, seeming "Radical Liberal" or Ultraprogressive, but it was such to be egalitarian and not totalitarian or utilitarian or objectivist.
Aimesland resisted, did they not?
And, they continued. They planned and plotted and schemed to not be forgotten in the annals of History. In the Historybooks. Aimesland Advances.
In the bunkers below, Aimeslandish Nationalists chanted, "AIMESLAND WILL NEVER DIE - AIMESLAND ADVANCES," they were at-work. No matter what happened, the Reds were always there, but there were always ways. The Aimeslandish were a cheery, optimistic folk.
A rebellious, proud people.
"LET HAIL DETH UPON THEE ENEMEE WITH THINE ARROWE!" A girl yelled.
Aimeslandish Propaganda was at-work, still. Even being bunkered-down made them more angry. More resilient. More vicious. But, the propagandists and ideologues continued no matter what, even if they couldn't see the Light-of-Day. Even if they had to use lamps and candles, their electricity, and other lightsources.
Aimesland, a Forested State, but there were always the cities to the East and West that continuously grew and grew and grew.
At some point, Aimeslandish would venture out to the North and South, but the North and South were barely inhabited, and because of this, several divides. There were many countrysides. But, supply lines and trains had to move all throughout the country so that many would be informed. Many schools propped-up, as Aimesland was a College State. Aimesland greatly-valued Education and Academia.
They'd fought (the Government had fought hard to take care of both itself and the People), and so these divides were becoming lesser and lesser - Aimesland was isolated, so it had alotta time to look after its Domestic Issues and Policies. She continued to look-after herself, and Ambercity. The Public City grew, it got huger and huger - many flocked there since many a game and sport was there. Ambercity was a great place for Commerce and Racing, the port-cities were mostly fishmongers, but also focused on the commercial too. At the time, Aimesland wasn't yet a Pirate Republic or Commercial Republic, but now - it was. The times change, don't they?
. . .
And, 'Aime would continue to change. More cities. More sprawl. More urbanites and suburbanites. DOWN WITH THE COMMUNISTS!- before they shouted cries about the "Bourgeoisie" and Class Wars, and whatnot. Those goshdarned Laborists and their "Labor Laws," how they would've royally-screwed-up Aimesland, though, 'Aime did adapt to Laborism and Syndicalism. It adapted and continued to move-on as if Naught happened.
The Spring Liberalists would've continued, but, good things don't last forever - maybe it was good they teamed-up with the Chromists.
"So, we're prolly gonna go Southwest." Sprout advised.
"Why SW?" Allegra asked.
" 'Cause we gotta go to the South." Sprout answered.
"Isn't there nothing?" Allegra asked again.
Sprout chuckled.
"I'm sure there is. To be completely-honest with you, I've been all throughout the East and West. I've only been to two places in the North." Sprout told.
"We won't be the only ones going, don't worry." Sprout hugged.
Allegra hugged her, back.
"To be completely-honest..."
Allegra laughed.
"I'll miss this bunker, even though you did complain alot." Allegra continued her statement.
"I miss the Presidential Bedroom, to be Frank." Sprout replied, and then nudged Allegra.
"Oh!" Allegra cried.
"I had so many dresses in there."
Sprout giggled like a schoolgirl.
"Well, I still do have 'em. It's just..."
"I've been wearing the same black dress and golden heels since I declared Martial Law."
Sprout laughed again.
"Remember the 'Whip creme thing?"
"Yea." Allegra replied, laughing.
Since she'd said that, the couple had actually tried Allegra's idea. There was so much they'd done in the Samston House, ever since they'd first-met. Now, it was weird. Sprout was so used to being in there - she'd been innit for three years. Three long-ass years.
Sprout looked down at her shoes. She continued to take-care of them, not just because she'd thrown them at COs, but because she clearly-valued her possessions. She'd made a speech, afterall - she had told everyone her entire lifestory in one speech, and that Aimeslandish weren't cheapo.
Sprout was a jack-of-all-trades. It wasn't a lie she'd told about being Goth, but it was as-if she were back in the olden, Pagan days. It was like she went and had lived a past life. But, she could relate to the Goths and the quiet kids, the introverts.
Though Aimeslandish Society upraised talent, character and other Aimeslandish Qualities (Talent, and etc, with capital letters), she understood them. It wasn't a harsh twentysix years, or bad twentysix years, but very plentiful - she'd done so much. She'd spent so much time learning, educating, making herself the woman whom she was now, the woman who still called herself "girl," as 'twas the society she'd lived in. But, she didn't mind still being a Girl. She didn't mind Aimesland, infact, she was very nationalistic herself. She couldn't condemn her own people. It made her sick to her stomach to say that there were "bad apples," and it had even made her sicker of what Goldbeard had done.
Goldbeard was a psychopathic murderer. Yes, the Gov't did indeed state-sponsor Piracy, but it didn't fully condone Goldbeard and his Crew or their acts. Most pirates didn't kill, or kill as much as Goldy did. Most pirates had codes and standards. Committing crime didn't mean you weren't Human - infact, it was more human to desire something, to succumb to Lust and Greed over some Gin or a new black coat, or some new highheels, or...
"What people do is Illegal, sometimes." Sprout cackled.
"I know!" Allegra shouted.
"What, I consider what the Warmongering Nihonese done, illegal. I don't care if I'm the only one that thinks that." Sprout stated.
"They are goddamn idiots, Sprout." Allegra replied.
"I know. I've had to deal with twerps in the Senate, cussing me out and throwin' shit at me. It was crazy. I even had to deal with Centrists, in my Firstyear. Get your ass In-Office, deal with nitwits. Get outta Office, be too old. I admit, I love Aimesland, it's just..." Sprout talked, painting a picture of her political career.
"The Thirtysix thing?" Allegra asked.
"Yeah." Sprout answered.
"I gotta change that up. Maybe increase it to Fifty-seven. I dunno. But I do know, people like me. I think when I'll be outta Office, I'll be just fine." Sprout continued.
"You dunno." Allegra stated.
"They're so militant on wiping us off the face of the Earth." Allegra continued.
"Yup!" Sprout cheered, and smiled, but obviously not at the sadistic idea of Genocide.
"We should continue what we're doing - I wouldn't envision us being ruled by old-ass men with bald heads." Sprout stated.
"Well, we age gracefully. I learned in Science Class about our Genes." Allegra replied.
"True, but, they may try sabotaging us. Some sorta... Genetic Warfare or somethin'." Sprout thought aloud.
Sprout sniffed her hair. It smelt like Cinnamon, for some reason. Even when she was younger, she remembered it smelling like that. Maybe that's because of all the makeup and gloss and whatnot she covered herself with. Her beauty was too gorgeous, but she kept intensifying it twelve-fold. It was crazy.
"Y'know, I'd quite-like a second term. Maybe I should lobby to The Senate, change that rule. Maybe I could be the exception." Sprout stared at her nails, for a bit.
"If anyone could change somethin', get somethin' done, it'd be you." Allegra smirked.
"I kinda don't want to change our societys' rules. I'd just like eight more goddamn years, sil'vous-plait." Sprout replied.
"Reclaiming my Time!" She thought.
"After all this time, hidin', being 'round cowards, eatin' up military rations and whatever else I had on me, I'm back!" She continued to imagine, imagine herself talking infront of the Senate and telling them everything.
Sprout continued to daydream.
"I ain't surrender shit! They just blasted 'Cham, that's it, but we've recovered. What the shit did I say about Lemonade? Y'all remember? Y'all also remember when the Warmongers stood me up and made me look like a fool, made me talk how I don't talk?! These people are bananas."
She shook her head, stopped daydreaming. She knew she was doing a girls' folly by entertaining the idea of being back on the Senate Floor.
Escapism, Idealism, and other concepts, but she knew she had to do it. She had to leave off and save herself and her life. She tried to save her friends and whomever else the Communists would call "Comrades." Sprout continued to be a patriot and an Upstanding Citizen, even if the Reds hated her guts.
"Gib more time." She said to herself.
She remembered her meditation. She remembered the countless times her teachers told her stuffs, when she was younger. She remembered way back, when she was doing Martial Arts - how good she was. She remembered when she'd first met Allegra and how angry she was, but when Allegra came, she got calm. She continued to remember, remembering her family and her siblings. She remembered everything, up until Election Night and how Ambercity reacted to her becoming President.
She'd blasted the other candidate out of the water, heck, she couldn't even remember his name or what he'd ran-on, it was irrelevant. She sparkled in-comparison. Not that she was trying to be arrogant or smell herself up or anything, but it was that she made her own Cult-of-Personality. And even when she'd approached the Senate, it was like they made everything about her - subtly. They stared and looked at her alot. She also remembered all of the Pro-Winstonites and Anti-Winstonites and how they debated, how she had so many supporters and critics in the Senate and how people said she was a kleptocrat.
It's not as onesided as outsiders thought it was. Aimesland wasn't a Uniparty, if anything, there was many, many divisions. Although Aimesland was Nonpartisan and didn't have any parties as-of-yet, things were still very split yet united at the same time. And, maybe the Curfew made things more divided, only time will tell, but it was a policy the gov't had to place the country in Martial Law when at-War. Although the BRA had gotten herself into War very-recently, those policies were still around, and propagated by old presidents - all of Sprouts' predecessors have added-onto the Gov't and made it more Aimeslandish.
Maybe it's good that the Chromists offered the Winstonites and Spring Liberalists a chance to peacefully change its gov't - as Aimesland had essentially the same gov't since the early days of the Republic, since 'Aime was recuperating and recovering from its olden Anarchistic and Paganist ways. Aimeslands' gov't was essentially: "Big gov't; minute overreach," and the minute the Gov't stepped out of Line, the people rioted and grew angry. Aimeslandish Classicism propped itself up.
Minarchism? Yeah, Aimesland could also be considered Minarchist, or a "Night Watchman State," due to the way it set itself up, though in-general, the gov't was very Libertarian. It wavered from Libertarian to Classicist, but stayed Spring Liberalist - now, the gov't started switching because Spring Liberalism changed and started sucking-up ideologies or parts of ideologies.
The Bunkers
"Can we change the Scenery, atleast? I'm sick-and-tired of being in this bunker; it's depressing." Sprout queried.
"Yeah, but everything we've known got bombed-to-Shit. Yeah, we may have archives and whatnot, but, just..." Allegra replied.
"Some people just do not know the meaning of 'Sacred,' Sprout." Allegra finished.
"Yeah, I know, Allegra... but..." Sprout acknowledged.
"They dunno Honor either. Shit, even the Deepstatists had more honor than to do... what had happened." Sprout placed her head in her hands again, sighing.
"And now, I'm stuck in a bunker with nitwits. Curse this."
And now, she was leaving said bunker, but with said nitwits. Ah. Such is life.
She continued to walk, to move, with Allegra by her side, but then she got tired of the silence. She took-out her trumpet and started playing, making-up her own songs. Maybe she should've focused on her music career, who knows? And, there was still time. Though, Sprout didn't want to retire. She made herself political. She was now a political entity, and if imprisoned - a political prisoner. If killed? Then, a martyr. Hopefully her enemies weren't as dumb as to make martyrs out of teenagers and young adults, and start making mass unmarked graves, or whatsoever.
Aimeslandia wasn't ageist, but it seemed like they had to play that Card if they wanted to survive, just like they played the Race Card and called the Nihonese racist, or when they've called-out the Newnecarribbeanians for being misogynistic. To survive, to obey Darwin's Law was to move and move quick, not care about the rubble as those buildings could easily be rebuilt - it was just the Legacy, the people and the archives. But Aimesland had many librarians and archivists. Aimesland wasn't ageist; they still had the old to tell stories and tales about Life, but they [the Elderly] just didn't whine and gripe about "back in my Day."
Certain things were very, very normal in 'Aime, others very weird - but that's like the inside looking out and saying "Hm, they're awkward," much like Allegra's analogy about Aimeslandia being a girl trying to date and get a boyfriend.
Aimesland literally and hypothetically/technically/figuratively was on a High Horse. Aimesland, in those same ways "died on their sword," it was funny to say, but accurate.
