A Second Sunrise: Taiwan of 2020 Sent Back to 1911

[ChrisProvidence]

Constantinople, Vilayet of Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, 9 September 1933

"This entire process..." said Mustafa Aydin, "Is because of paperwork and bureaucracy, of all things?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing when his brother Yusuf handed him his new papers.

"It's easier on the functionaries if we have names," his brother told him once again, "That way, they can more-effectively administrate these areas, now that everything is computerized."

"Still, though. Our family has gone centuries without this, and it is the bureaucrats who decide that we have to deal with this?"

"At least we're allowed to choose our surnames, brother. That's why we went with 'Aydin.'"

"You just picked that because it makes us look smart."

"And it does. You're a manager now, so you have to sound the part, yes?"

"I suppose so," Mustafa sighed. Stubborn as he was, Yusuf could tell he'd given up. "At least I'll have something in common with all those Indians who answer to me now."

"I've been meaning to ask about that. How's your first week on the job been?"

"I consistently thank God for the invention of the translator. Otherwise, none of us could communicate."

"I thought you said that some of them spoke Arabic?" Yusuf could've sworn it was his brother who'd said that, anyways.

"The ones from Bengal do. There's just one problem, Yusuf."

"Most of them aren't Muslims from Bengal?" Mustafa nodded. "Must be Hindus, then."

"Sikhs as well. If it weren't for the translators, none of us would be able to communicate at all."

"Then you ought to thank God that we live in such modern times, twice as much. They aren't giving you any trouble, are they?"

"No. Honestly, the Bengalis seemed more-welcoming, once we all went to the mosque for prayers, while the SIkhs are simply friendly in general. Even if I let the translator do most of the talking."

"Well look at you. My little brother's finally making some friends, and all it took was a massive labor shortage in our country!"

Qianshan Park, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China, 1 October 1933

As a parent, Michael Chen always tried to make time for his children. And while his son was ever the athlete and sports fan, his daughter could be satisfied with just a walk in the park.

"Baba," his daughter asked him, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"Why do you, Shenshen, Gugu, and Shushu all have different names?"

"Well, your Shenshen is the easiest one. She goes by 'Shannon,' because she hates her father."

"He's the one in jail, right?" Michael nodded. "So she uses that name to make a point?"

"Pretty much." At least that's what Shannon had told him when they were dating, anyways. "In your aunt's case, 'Rachel is just her given name, because her parents were pretty westernized."

"What about you and Shushu?"

Michael just shrugged. "Well, we both have 'Chinese' names. For example, my name is 'Chen Qirui,' while your uncle's name is 'Li Wuhan.'"

"So how did you get 'Michael' and 'Martin' out of that?"

"Catholicism, Morgan. Your uncle and I were baptized in Hong Kong, and our parents picked some saints' names. Then, when the PRC took over in '97 and our families moved to California, our parents thought that having us use our western-sounding names would help us integrate better."

"Did it work?"

"Eh, mostly. Sure, some of the white kids bullied us, but that most people really didn't pay any attention to two Chinese kids named 'Michael' and 'Martin.' Hell, by the time we did Confirmation, we even had those names on our passports and everything."

"So you both use western names because it helped you fit in when you lived in America?"

"Pretty much. Any other questions?"

"Yeah. Why does Lin have a Chinese-sounding name, while I have one that sounds very American? Did you and Mama decide on a compromise, or something?" Her father shook his head. "Then how did that happen?"

"Fire Emblem." Morgan just looked at him blankly. "It's a video game, Morgan."

"I know what Fire Emblem is, Baba... Wait, did you name us both after a video game character?!"

Fuck.

"No, I didn't," he told her. He sounded sterner than she'd expected, but he needed to nip any potential outrage in the bud. Fast.

Yeah, nice going, idiot. Way to dig yourself into a hole.

"Your mother and I named you and your brother like that because we thought 'Morgan' and 'Lin' were adorable names."

"Oh. Well, that's nice"

Oh thank God, my kid doesn't hate me.

Michael breathed a sigh of relief that his daughter didn't seem to be that pissed off at him. Or at all, now that he thought about it.

Surprised? Yes. Pissed off at him? Not at all, apparently.

That said, he was just going to walk in silence until the awkwardness went away. For her part, Morgan decided to follow in his footsteps.

Figuratively, of course. Michael wasn't about to let his little gremlin of a daughter out of his line of sight.

"So I have to ask, Morgan. Do you not like your name anymore? If you want, we could fill out the paperwork so you could choose a new one."

"No, I like it, Baba," she told him with the brightest smile on her face. "It's unique. Plus, you and Mama came up with it!"

Oh thank God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

"So, how long did it take for you and Mama to realize that you named me and Lin after video game characters?"

He could see his little girl had the smuggest grin and the most-mischievous eyes he'd ever seen, and he knew the implications.

I'm never going to live this down, am I?

Welp, better to be honest about it. Not like I can lie worth a damn, anyways.

"...Two years."

 

[ChrisProvidence]

Fun Fact:

When I come up with main characters, I like to take a part of my personality and incorporate it into their character.

For example, Aki has my geeking out over data, Marty got my love of history, Shannon gets the creative and laid-back side of me, while Rachel gets the more-analytical parts of my mind.

Michael's a little different for two reasons:

1. I thought it would be funny to have a character who, while good at their job, keeps getting dragged into increasingly-crazy scenarios and higher stakes.

2. Basically, he embodies my sense of "You know what? Screw it, let's go with that."

 

[PPsyrius]

Hey, at least it's not "X Æ A-12" or some weirder Thai nicknames like "All-New" (the latter named after Isuzu pickup trucks of all things)...

 

[ChrisProvidence]

MIB Secure Facility, Nanjing, National Capital Region, Republic of China, 17 October 1933

As far as lodging went, Zen seemed to be doing alright. There was the issue of constant surveillance, but she knew how to detect those sorts of things. Hidden cameras were the easiest, and she'd managed to find most of them.

To her relief, they had the decency to not put them in her bathroom, which had led to the odd circumstances where she'd ended up sleeping there, rather than the actual bedroom. Not that she minded, of course, when she'd been through worse in the field.

As for the world outside of it, well, it was interesting, to say the least. It was more-peaceful, more-optimistic, more-progressive, and simply more-rational than the world she'd left. If it weren't for her family, friends, and... "responsibilities" back at home, she wouldn't mind staying here.

At least the people here won't discriminate against my family. Or anyone who isn't a WASP, honestly.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind living here with Dad, or my mother. Even if I am sort of a celebrity.

I guess that comes with getting transported into another world. Never thought I would be grateful to be under house arrest.

After all, it wasn't as if she was going around giving interviews. Public interviews, anyways, since officially-released statements didn't count.

They were little things, like talking about her status and how she thought of the world. The answers were usually "Fine," and "You people are a surprisingly-optimistic bunch," respectively.

No, most of her interviews were with this "Military Intelligence Bureau," who were, for lack of a better term, this world's version of the Office of Strategic Actions she was a part of. Which meant that for all intents and purposes, this "Director Li" would be her father's counterpart if he was Chinese, didn't fake a case of alcoholism to convince people he was stupid, and wasn't planning to overthrow the Caesar of the Continental States of America.

She hadn't told them that last part. Or any of it, if she had her way. As polite and friendly as these people were, she still didn't trust them to know that she was working with her father to overthrow the government of the Continental States of America.

Baby steps, Zen. They don't even know that much about your world yet.

"To summarize it all," continued the professor. She was a Japanese-looking woman who, for some reason, spoke English with an accent that sounded halfway between South California and China. "Your world diverged greatly in the late eighteenth century, leading to a more-successful American Revolution and an earlier collapse of the British Empire due to the Gordon Riots spiraling out of control?"

"In short... yes. No islands teleporting out of nowhere, I'm afraid. Just the Continental States of America stretching from Sea to Shining Sea and Pole to Frozen Pole."

"Of course. And what exactly would you do if you were to travel back to your world?"

"That... I would need to speak to Director Li. Sorry, but this is confidential information."

"Of course."

It's a leap of faith, but we'll need all the allies we can get.

Federal Polytechnic School, Zurich, Switzerland, 1 November 1933


"Given the high concentration of tachyons,"said Dr. Einstein, "As well as the complete replacement of the island of Taiwan and its outlying islands with their Uptime counterparts, it is likely that the mass teleportation of the Uptime islands coincided with the mass teleportation of their Downtime counterparts, effectively switching one set of land for another."

"While this is all hypothetical, this seemingly-equivalent exchange of territories has led to the 'Portal Theory,' a theory that the large concentration of tachyons effectively created a portal to the other timeline, which could be corroborated by the recent events at the CPC. Any questions?"

He could see a hand in the back.

"Go ahead, Jean-Paul."

"Is it possible that we are undergoing a stable time loop, in which the island would be teleported back in time once we reach the year 2020?"

"Anything is possible, but it is unlikely. If we moved the clock forward to 2020, the Taiwan of that time would be so different from the one of the Lost History that even if it was sent back in time, it would not result in the same events. Ergo, a 'Stable Time Loop' would be unlikely, to say the least."

"Of course," said the student, "And what of the Lost History? Is that simply lost to time?"

"Perhaps," Einstein thought aloud. "While we may be unable to experience it ourselves, the Portal Theory argues that if we were to replicate the conditions needed for the Great Journey, we could travel back to that timeline."

Presumably without teleporting an entire island this time.

"Any other questions?" He saw another hand. "Yes, Jonas?"

"If the Portal Theory is correct, does that mean it is impossible to interact with the past to affect the future?" Einstein nodded. "How so?"

He began by drawing a line on the chalkboard, with two points marked "2020" and "1911."

"This," he said, pointing to the straight line, "Is the original timeline. When the 'future' Taiwan was sent to our time and 'our' Taiwan was sent to the future, that creates two separate points of divergence from the original timeline."

To this, Einstein drew two lines, each jutting away from the original line, before traveling to the right.

"In doing so," he continued, "two additional timelines were created: Ours, which starts in 1911 when the Taiwan of the future was teleported back here, and the timeline where, presumably, Taiwan of our time was teleported to the year 2020."

"Which means," Jonas interjected, "That it is impossible for us to affect the 'future' by interacting with the past because the very act of doing that effectively creates a new timeline?"

"Precisely."

New York City, New York, United States of America, 2 November 1933

"So, Stanley?" his father asked him as they walked out of the local Kennedy Theater. "Did you like the movie?"

"Are you asking me because you slept through half of it?" the adolescent answered, much to his father's amusement. "Then yes, I did."

"I knew you would," the elder Lieber chuckled, "It is 'your' movie, after all. Sort of."

"I guess..."

If Stanley was being honest, he didn't really know what to make of it. He enjoyed every minute of the entire series of films, but he didn't know if it was right to call them 'his.'

Especially when Endgame was made after I passed away.

That was a bit of a heavy subject to think about, so the boy tried to think about something, anything, that wasn't that.

And if it was the fact that Endgame had somehow managed to predict how time travel actually worked (at least, according to that article in his father's magazine, anyways), then he'd be fine with it.

"The Importance of the Revolution Being Green," by Jean Brodeur, l'Humanite, 28 November 1933

The rapid technological advancements of the last twenty years have been a boon to humanity as a whole. Food is more-plentiful, medicine is more-available, and millions, if not tens of millions, of people are alive because they didn't starve, didn't die of preventable diseases, didn't die in childbirth, or they didn't die in early childhood.

That is a remarkable accomplishment that is no doubt attributed to the spread of Radical-Socialist ideals throughout the world. While the Americans and the Chinese would not call it as such, the growth in a domestic welfare state as well as foreign aid is a validation of these ideals in practice.

Unfortunately, this has led us to two difficult issues that we need to address sooner, rather than later: Overpopulation and Carbon Emissions.

The first one is fairly simple. While overpopulation is a possibility, the remedy is continued production of basic needs, be they food, clothing, medicine, or shelter. All four of these are necessary for a human being to meet their basic needs, and we have the means to do so.

Food is perhaps the simplest, as the use of redistribution networks of various kinds, be they the Chinese Stockpile System, the American Agricultural Dietary Subsidy Supplement Act (ADSSA), or the governmental redistribution networks throughout France, West Africa, and Western Europe. These programs have led to a reduction in food waste that, combined with the Green Revolution of fertilizers, heartier crops, and agricultural mechanization fully underway, provides humanity with the food it needs and the logistical systems to get it to those who need it the most.

Clothing is simpler, given that "Fast Fashion" has not taken off despite massive increase in textile production. While modern clothing trends have reached Downtime society, the effective decapitation of the fashion industry in the wake of the Great Journey prevented this phenomenon from happening, in favor of the sale of cheaper, more-practical, proletarian clothing to much of Downtimer society. These circumstances, combined with the greater manufacture, have led to a greater supply of practical clothing, rather than the waste of the Lost History.

Medical distribution can be compared to food distribution in the sense, as while China and other nations may call it "Foreign Aid," rather than "Distribution to the Masses," the end result is largely-similar. The greater access to life-saving medications through mass-production, distribution, and administration have mitigated much of the worst of diseases. China and the rest of the Accord may be acting out of less-than-altruistic motivations, but the simple fact that they are producing medications en-masse and then distributing them around the world is a testament to Radical-Socialist ideals.

Even if they refuse to admit it.

Housing is fairly straightforward: The rise in obesity in the Lost History, as well as the higher-cost of suburban utilities, has provided a material and financial incentive to construct higher-density housing in lieu of suburbs. This, coupled with an expansion of public transportation and the mass affordability of bicycles, has led to a shift away from low density towards medium and high density construction in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Of course, the right of all people to a life of dignity where their needs are met requires that their needs are met, but meeting the needs of an ever-urbanizing humanity requires more industry, mechanization, and construction that emits more carbon into the atmosphere. However, the science of today has provided us with the means to lower carbon outputs to more-acceptable levels.

Be it carbon capture at factories and on cruise ships, the investments in public infrastructure, or the rapid growth of renewables and nuclear energy, carbon emissions have been on a slight downwards trajectory. In layman's terms, the sheer amount of resources and funds dedicated to this has led to less carbon entering the atmosphere overall.

By being able to provide enough resources so that people may live in dignity while also reducing carbon emissions, we are ensuring that humanity can prosper and live in dignity and prosperity now, and a thousand years into the future.

San Francisco, California, United States of America, 12 December 1933

It was a cold day, and Alex Zheng would rather be anywhere else. Preferably his dorm, back at Berkeley, if he was being honest.

But as an aspiring physics major, he had to be here, at the unveiling of the first MSR in America. Even if the wind chill made it feel like he was freezing his fingers off.

He'd seen nuclear reactors before. How couldn't he, when they were dotted all over China last time he visited his family?

But this? This was nothing like the picture he saw in Popular Science.



The "Small Modular Reactor," as it was called, generated approximately 500 Megawatts of energy at its peak, or over 4 Terawatt Hours of energy per year.

It was remarkable, to say the least. Not only that, but this high-technical invention was projected to cost thirty percent less than coal, give or take. Now, one could argue that physics was simply applied mathematics, as Alicia would joke between classes, but he didn't need a minor degree in Applied Mathematics to understand that this meant cheaper energy for everyone it reached.

That was why President Roosevelt was here, after all. The man was standing on-stage with Senator Johnson to unveil the fruits of the "Clean Energy Act" the latter had co-sponsored, and by God, were they going to take the credit for cheap, clean energy.

Even if the parts were assembled in China.

Sure, these reactors were assembled at a nearby factory in West Virginia and shipped throughout the country, but the fact remained that they were relying on a foreign company that built the facility in the United States solely to capitalize on all those Federal Subsidies for clean energy. Of course, that wouldn't be much of a problem, given the Trans-Pacific Development Agreement that'd been passed under the Cox administration, but the American reliance on China for their energy infrastructure was an issue Senator Taft had brought up.

But that was all in the past, and he could focus on President Roosevelt's speech.

"...We, the American people, are at the beginning of a bright future," Roosevelt continued, "A future that will be powered by clean, cheap, limitless energy that we have in abundance."

"It is this future that will be passed down to our children, and our children's children. One where their prosperity and their health are not opposed to one another. This device, as well as its hundreds of brothers and sisters that will be built all across America, will bring us closer to that future where all Americans may live long, healthy lives on a healthy planet."

Chinese Particle Collider, Beijing, Zhili Province, Republic of China, 30 December 1931

This was insane. At least it would have been, had Director Li not gone back in time with his island two decades ago. No, this was beyond that, because they were trying to make it happen again.

And that's before we get to the fact that apparently, our guest came from the Bad Timeline. I mean, how else do you call it when that timeline's America is a fascist dictatorship that controls the entire Western Hemisphere, Africa is basically run by Rhodesians of different European ethnicities, Asia was split between a Co-Prosperity Sphere on crack and a literal cult, and Europe was...

Yeah, I'm not even going into Europe.

Oh, and that's before we get to the fact that our guest is apparently trying to burn down the American government.

Honstly, send a damn nuke through there. We've got plenty, and it's not like we're using them for anything.

But no, he couldn't do that, and it wasn't just because he didn't like the idea of nuclear genocide.

Here was an entire alternate timeline that they could access, and they needed to know if this other world could reach them. That, and if they were a threat.

That was how they'd gotten here, with a bright light engulfing the center of the room like it had in the security footage.

"Is it stable?" Li asked one of the scientists, and the woman nodded. "Good. You ready, kid?"

"I'm 27," Zen told him, before getting up with her equipment. "But yes. The team's ready as they'll ever be."

"Yeah, well, I'm pushing 50," Li muttered, before turning to the engineers. "Release the probe, Fung."

"Releasing," Fung announced, before pressing forward on the controls. The wire-controlled drone lurched forward, with its feed connected to the terminal through the wire. "Entering rift now."

The drone continued forward, seemingly-unimpeded as it passed through the white light, with nothing left but the cord connecting it to the terminal.

"Connection is good, and we are..." As Fung spoke, the probe exited the light into the mountains. "...Here."

"Well, probe works at least," Li figured, before looking at the screen. "This seem familiar to you, Zen?"

"That looks like Cuba," the foreign commando agreed, "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Trust but verify," Li figured. "Looks like it's evening over there. Fung, can you get a clear view on some of the foliage?"

"Yes, sir," said the engineer, before the camera tilted up. "Moving... Moving... There. We should have a good view right here. Transmitting image to our analysts now."

"Plants check out," one of the scientists called from her station. "Plumeria Clusiodes. Endemic to Cuba, only."

"Well, looks like you're right, kid," Li told Zen, before motioning to the rift. "Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she figured, before picking up her equipment. "Plus, it's not the first time I've gone dark, so they probably didn't miss me."

"If you say so. Remember the plan?"

"Contact my father, inform him about this timeline, and tell him that you're offering to help us out."

"...And?"

"Get back by the 31st of January, at 12 PM, according to my watch."

"Well, you're a fast learner," he said, before offering a hand that Zen happily shook. "Nervous?"

"Usual. You'd think years of being trained like a... what was it you called them?"

"SPARTAN-III?"

"Yeah. Still doesn't prepare you for going in blind, does it?"

"Nope. You'll do good, Zen. And if you can't make it back... Good luck."

"Thanks, Li," Zen said, before walking off into the rift and onto the drone's screen on the terminal. "See you in a month."

Li could only nod, before ordering the drone pulled back through the rift.

"Let's see if we learned anything" he said, before opening the drone's rear compartment and pulling out a watch and comparing it to his own. "Huh."

"Something important, sir?" Fung asked him. "Did it work?"

"Well, at least we know that time passes at the same rate as it does here."

Office of Strategic Actions, Manhattan, Washington Capital District, Continental States of America, 30 December 1975

General William Conan Lawrence poured himself another drink as he stared at the fireplace.

Four months. Four fuckin' months she's been gone.

You know she can handle herself, Will. Hell, you trained her yourself once you broke her out of that black site.

It didn't reassure him much, though when it was his daughter who was MIA. Not one bit.

The phone on his desk rang, and he picked it up.

"What is it?,"

"Call for you, sir. Gave the correct passcode and everything, now she says she wants to talk to you."

"Really?" As if on cue, General Lawrence snapped out of his stupor. "Patch her through."

"Understood, sir. Hail Caesar!"

"Yes, yes, hail Caesar," he mumbled. It wasn't like he could get fired, what with being a war hero and everything. "Hello?"

"Hey Dad," a familiar voice said to him. "I'm back."

"Glad to hear it, Zen," he breathed, trying to hold back his emotions. "Do you need an extract?"

"Nah, I've got transport. I need to meet with you, ASAP."

 

[ChrisProvidence]

So here's how Time Travel works in SST:

Large concentrations of tachyons can be used to generate Rifts, with larger concentrations leading to larger Rifts.

Taiwan, for example, was teleported by a massive surge of the particles.

These Rifts open to fixed locations and reference frames of time in other timelines. For example, the Rift between Our Timeline and Second Sunrise Timeline are in the same place, but in 2020 and 1911, respectively.

In terms of time, it travels at the same rate through each timeline. So if one second passes in Second Sunrise Timeline, one second would pass in Our Timeline.

As for the rest, well, it kinda goes by Marvel time travel rules: You can't go back in time to change the future. Doing so effectively creates a new Timeline.

I'm saying it, this is now the SST Version of Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Click to shrink...

I mean, you can probably send a team of infiltrators in, Stargate, style, but for a true "Crisis on Infinite Earths," you'd need to be able to open a Rift big enough to send an entire army group through.

Also, I might have gotten into bingeing Stargate.

Also, I'm using "SST" as the abbreviation for this story. The alternatives are "ASS" and "SS," and those are a no-go for obvious reasons.

 

[Kull_Warrior]

This could make a real Jurassic Park possible!!

Besides infinite resources if they find a way to connect to worlds where humanity or similar intelligent species never evolved.

 

[ChrisProvidence]

This could make a real Jurassic Park possible!!

Besides infinite resources if they find a way to connect to worlds where humanity or similar intelligent species never evolved.

Click to shrink...

Oh dear God.

Well, at least they'd have something to fight with all that military hardware when the dinosaurs inevitably escape.

 

[Meowgician]

This could make a real Jurassic Park possible!!

Besides infinite resources if they find a way to connect to worlds where humanity or similar intelligent species never evolved.

Click to shrink...

Wouldn't even have to look for such a timeline, just go to before any intelligent species evolved. Granted, the costs for going so far back would likely be prohibitive, but then so would the costs for going to a timeline that diverged so long ago

 

[Vadrigos]

Oh dear God.

Well, at least they'd have something to fight with all that military hardware when the dinosaurs inevitably escape.

Click to shrink...

I thoroughly suggest reading The Long Earth, which deals heavily with this idea of infinite uninhabited earths. It also has a personal multiverse-traveling device powered by potatoes. It's simultaneously wild and grounded.

 

[StarSerpent]

So I like the new Timeline filled with Justified Punching Bags, but I'm somewhat concerned this thread's quickly outgrowing the original premise. Like this was originally 'Taiwan ISOT to 1911', but if we're expanding it to inter-timeline shenanigans it might be worth looking into a new thread.

 

[Random832]

"This," he said, pointing to the straight line, "Is the original timeline. When the 'future' Taiwan was sent to our time and 'our' Taiwan was sent to the future, that creates two separate points of divergence from the original timeline."

Click to shrink...

This is not correct - the 2020 event does not qualify as a divergence because the 'original' timeline does not continue. There are only two future timelines in total, not three. [There could be a continuing original timeline, but its existence is not implied by this theory]

The "Small Modular Reactor," as it was called, generated approximately 500 Megawatts of energy at its peak, or over 4 Terawatts of energy per year.

Click to shrink...

4 Terawatt-hours per year. Which is a ridiculous unit.

[4.38 more precisely]

 

[ChrisProvidence]

So I like the new Timeline filled with Justified Punching Bags, but I'm somewhat concerned this thread's quickly outgrowing the original premise. Like this was originally 'Taiwan ISOT to 1911', but if we're expanding it to inter-timeline shenanigans it might be worth looking into a new thread.

Click to shrink...

Honestly, fair.

I think I'm going to stop the divergences subplot at about here.

As it stands, it kind of served its purpose for explaining how the time travel works.

 

[ChrisProvidence]

#voice-chat, Somewhat-Credible-Defense Discord Server, 1 January 1934

NanjingNan Today at 00:30 AM

@everyone, get in VC NOW!

ViveLeInternationale Today at 00:30 AM

WHO PINGED EVERYONE?!

IsekaiEnthusiast11 Today at 00:30 AM

Bruh.

I was trying to sleep.

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:30 AM

Oh hey, what's up, guys?

NanjingNan Today at 00:30 AM

Get in VC now! We're streaming the Accord-1 probe landing on the moon!

IsekaiEnthusiast11 Today at 00:30 AM

Oh shit. Joining.

ViveLeInternationale Today at 00:31 AM

I thought that was tomorrow.

IsekaiEnthusiast11 Today at 00:31 AM

Time zones.

ViveLeInternationale Today at 00:31 AM

Merde

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:31 AM

So we end the year with the first American in space and start it by landing on the moon?

Awesome.

ViveLeInternationale Today at 00:31 AM

I guess the Chinese were worried about the rest of us catching up /s

Bulakeno Today at 00:31 AM

I didn't miss anything, did I?

Anti-Salafist Aktion Today at 00:32 AM

No, you're right on time, Keno.

Bulakeno Today at 00:31 AM

Cool. So, has it started its descent yet?

Anti-Salafist Aktion Today at 00:33 AM

It's a minute out.

IsekaiEnthusiast Today at 00:33 AM

Wait, what's that sound?

IsekaiEnthusiast Today at 00:33 AM

Freeb, your mic is on.

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:33 AM

Sorry.

IsekaiEnthusiast Today at 00:33 AM

Thx

NanjingNan Today at 00:34 AM

THIRTY SECONDS!

Bulakeno Today at 00:34 AM

They plan on a soft landing, right?

IsekaiEnthusiast11 Today at 00:30 AM

Eh...

Bulakeno Today at 00:34 AM

They plan on a soft landing. Right, guys?

ViveLeInternationale Today at 00:34 AM

padme.jpg

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:34 AM

Think of it this way, Bula:

Either the Accord lands the first probe on the moon, or they land the first probe and rover on the moon.

NanjingNan Today at 00:35 AM

IT LANDED!
🇹🇼 10 🇰🇷 9 🇯🇵 7

Anti-Salafist Aktion Today at 00:35 AM

Wow.

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:35 AM

What about the rover-

Oh hey, the rover.

IsekaiEnthusiast11 Today at 00:35 AM

It sure is... idk, shiny?

ViveLeInternationale Today at 00:35 AM

The gold's a bit much.

Too bougie.

IsekaiEnthusiast11 Today at 00:35 AM

You think everything looks too bougie.

Anti-Salafist Aktion Today at 00:35 AM

Gold is really good at reflecting heat, so they apply a thin layer around a lot of components

ViveLeInternationale Today at 00:35 AM

🤓

Jk.

That's kinda cool.

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:36 AM

Yup.

So, when are we sending a person to the moon?

StarWoman Today at 00:36 AM

I'm ready when they are.

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:36 AM

Wait, aren't you Amelia Earhart?

👍 1

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:37 AM

Since when did we have Amelia Earhart in the server?

NanjingNan Today at 00:37 AM

She's here for the AMA tomorrow, remember?

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:37 AM

Yeah, didn't think she would be active in Discord, tho.

StarWoman Today at 00:37 AM

I'm learning how to use the platform by just using it.

FreeabooButNotRacist Today at 00:37 AM

Welcome to the server, Ma'am.

Also, the AMA is at 18:00 Central, right, Nan?

NanjingNan Today at 00:37 AM

Yes.

If you have any questions, ask them in the doc posted in # announcements > 💬.

We don't want a repeat of the AMA with General Chen.

StarWoman Today at 00:38 AM

The Chinese general?

👍 1

What happened to him?

NanjingNan Today at 00:38 AM

His AMA had about twenty people ask him if the Nanjing Accord could successfully invade the world, like in that one comic series.

StarWoman Today at 00:39 AM

Oh.

NanjingNan Today at 00:39 AM

And then somebody posted classified documents trying to prove their point.

StarWoman Today at 00:39 AM

What.

MCfrom93 Today at 00:40 AM

Yeah... That happens more often than you'd think.

 

[ChrisProvidence]

NanjingNan Today at 00:39 AM

And then somebody posted classified documents trying to prove their point.

StarWoman Today at 00:39 AM

What.

MCfrom93 Today at 00:40 AM

Yeah... That happens more often than you'd think.

Click to shrink...

The world may have diverged in the last 20 years of SST, but people will always post classified documents if it'll help them win arguments with strangers on the internet.

 

[PossiblyEnos]

The world may have diverged in the last 20 years of SST, but people will always post classified documents if it'll help them win arguments with strangers on the internet.

Click to shrink...

Someone resurrected War Thunder just to keep the leaks coming.

 

[Rakos_Sicarii]

The sins of Thug Shaker Central shall never be cleansed

 

[ChrisProvidence]

Someone resurrected War Thunder just to keep the leaks coming.

Click to shrink...

Fun Fact:

That Discord server is actually a repurposed War Thunder server.

What is dead may never die, and what is leaked carries a sentence of at least ten years in the joint at Alcatraz.

 

[Reaper Blitz]

....I love the mental image of Amelia fucking Earhart using Discord of all things.

Sidenote, I still like leaking classified documents in 1934, the world has changed so much, and yet people will still do the stupidest shit possible to win shit.

I love it.

Side note I forgot to add this question: What other famous (or infamous) people use 21st-century media?

Like does Teddy Roosevelt use fucking Facebook?

 

[ChrisProvidence]

....I love the mental image of Amelia fucking Earhart using Discord of all things.

Sidenote, I still like leaking classified documents in 1934, the world has changed so much, and yet people will still do the stupidest shit possible to win shit.

I love it.

Side note I forgot to add this question: What other famous (or infamous) people use 21st-century media?

Like does Teddy Roosevelt use fucking Facebook?

Click to shrink...

FDR livestreaming fireside chats on YouTube but using pre-screened questions because people keep shitposting in the comments.

 

[ChrisProvidence]

Next chapter should come out in a few days while I work on my mobile game's update.

Been thinking about something, though:

You know, one of these days I'm going to have to write about how basically everyone in this setting uses a rifle that fires 5.56, due to either being allied with New China, being defeated by New China or one of their allies, or just buying weapons from a country who based their weapons on those from New China.

Heck, most rifles probably look like an M16 due to being built by New China or based on a rifle from there.

Yes, even in Russia.

 

[PossiblyEnos]

Fun Fact:

That Discord server is actually a repurposed War Thunder server.

What is dead may never die, and what is leaked carries a sentence of at least ten years in the joint at Alcatraz.

Click to shrink...

How? War Thunder server locations are in Beijing, Mumbai, Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore. None of those places made their way into the past.

 

[ChrisProvidence]

How? War Thunder server locations are in Beijing, Mumbai, Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore. None of those places made their way into the past.

Click to shrink...

War Thunder-themed Discord server.

 

[Random832]

War Thunder-themed Discord server.

Click to shrink...

Are any of Discord's servers located in Taiwan? Like, I was suspending disbelief and assuming "of course someone would spin up some kind of Discord/Slack clone, we can call it Discord because why not" through the chapter

 

[ChrisProvidence]

Are any of Discord's servers located in Taiwan? Like, I was suspending disbelief and assuming "of course someone would spin up some kind of Discord/Slack clone, we can call it Discord because why not" through the chapter

Click to shrink...

Discord doesn't disclose their locations, so honestly I don't know.

For the sake of simplicity, I'm just going to assume they probably had something there that was used to build it back up.

 

[Random832]

Regardless, it's been over 20 years now in setting - at some point it will become more and more difficult for us to imagine what internet culture is going to be like, even in 20 years of a normal timeline.

Think about 20 years ago - Twitter didn't exist, Youtube didn't exist, Facebook was still for colleges only, etc. Probably best to view this kind of thing as an abstraction.