You took a breath and focused on not only the words in your head and in front of you. But of the many numerous faces that were among this place. This hallowed place of diplomacy, of compromise. You would also call it a farce, but the Soviets had already done that back in the 50s when they left and almost immediately helped start a war in Korea. Good times, and you almost wished you were born back in the 30s to fight for whoever paid you the most. Probably the Russians, but you did not rule out the Americans.
However, despite all that, you were happy. You were happy, that in a moment, some people would listen. And others would denounce you. But you had a captive audience, the entire world.
Though you also knew for a fact that after your homeland had made a mockery of the United States Navy, despite the literal act of God that occurred on that aircraft carrier. You knew it scared the shit out of everyone, but it also prevented everyone from really caring about your little escapades in Africa. After all, with that shit happening, you wouldn't be surprised that they would think your homeland was hiding giant robots or some evil laser shit.
Eh, you didn't really pay attention, maybe they were just drunk when they made up their statement.
"Good morning everyone, it is an honor to be invited to speak to you today." You decided to speak English because at the moment, you were speaking to the West, and your Russian was terrible. "I'm sure most of you have heard of my ambitions for my nation, so I will not waste your time repeating myself."
There was silence, as everyone seemed to look at you, who stood before them. A Crazy woman who was deciding to play dictator. But at least you knew you weren't insane, and you were going to prove it. And also laugh in their face when they argue if you were lying or not. "Instead I will tell you what we have done since then. We have fed and housed our people, organized our mercenary corps into companies, and set up light industry so that we have something to offer our neighbors even in times of peace."
There was murmuring, before you rolled your eyes, and smiled as you face the delegations from Africa, your new compatriots, who may soon join you in this wonderful game of politics, and life. "This, sadly, is not such a time. Our neighbors have both ended up in three-way civil wars, and we have taken advantage of our relative stability to set up refugee camps for civilians displaced by the conflict."
You saw the Egyptian and Sudanese delegations stare bullets at you, and you shrugged them off like they were actually bullets from their nations, ineffective and poorly used. "If you doubt my claims feel free to send your people by for a tour. In fact, even if you do trust me we'd like to welcome a delegation to have a look around. I'll be the first to admit that refugee camps are not a specialty of mine, and your experience in such matters could stand to improve our operation for the people we're trying to help."
That declaration made the murmuring increase, as the Delegations from many neutral nations, and your new friend in Costa Rica, nod approvingly. The Irish delegation was very surprised that your statement was made.
But many of the Eastern nations, the Soviets, in particular, were unhappy with such proclamations, especially when it came from an upjumped mercenary.
Mostly because they had backed the wrong horse when trying to take over the region. "Still, I can't imagine we've done such a bad job that it warranted the attack on our Egyptian camp from the Egyptian government. Your people are there freely and are free to rejoin Egyptian society at any time they wish. I applaud the Sudanese government for not making the same mistake, despite sharing Egypt's misplaced misgivings. It is unfortunate that we were forced to engage in hostilities while trying to keep the peace, but we do not fuck around when it comes to the lives of our people, or those under our care."
If that man was armed, you were sure the Egyptian Delegate would have tried to shoot you. But again, you were sure he would miss because if their army was anything to go by, he would not know how to use his firearm properly. And attack an unarmed woman.
"And what of your nation's illegal actions within the State of Zimbabwe?" The General Secretary asked, interrupting you.
You frowned. "As to the matter of Rhodesia, I was in a difficult position. Both sides sought to create racist tiered societies, and my employers wanted me dead. Thankfully I was able to depose both dictators, and Zimbabwe-Rhodesia has elected Mr. Muzorewa as its first president. The Elections which might I add had been overseen by neutral overseers from Botswana and Kenya. They considered the elections, despite the chaos, to be legitimate."
"I doubt I will always have the freedom to follow my conscience in the middle of a warzone, but I will always try. It seems that many of the missions you engage in here have similar aims, and we would be pleased to work with the UN under such circumstances. For our fee of course, for we are not soldiers of the State, but free men who have found a home."
You paused and finally found the flourish to finish. "Of course, we are also available to hear the pleas of individual nations. As for my nation, I simply ask that you keep watching, as we demonstrate we are just as I have claimed."
"We are a nation outside of Heaven. That means that despite our pettiness, and our wish for-profit and coin, we are not wishing to destroy nations, or invade them, not without ever possible avenue taken to prevent it."
You ended with a smile. "Thank you all for your time. We're open for business."
An:
Sometimes we just need more metal gear.
Nothing more nothing less.
@HeroCooky I left off the the rolls and did some edits, to try and make this more canon.
Yes I'm a fan of metal gear, can you not tell?
Last edited:
Questionable Canon - A Rudderless Ship: The Sequel in Name Only
Shi Shanyuan could only look at the results in dismay. Nothing was going right! The flipper had jammed again in rotation! This was a disaster. It was looking more and more like the project would end in a failure
Of course, the complications had started after the carrier incident. It hurt to remember the utter unseen failure that had started this whole situation. A mere day after the Iwo Jima had beached itself, as part of the standard procedure, security agents had audited all the programs to determine security leaks. Several days of interviews had seemed to determine that there were not actual leakers, which was no surprise.
However, the outside investigation had produced quite different results. While the mecha program seemed like it was still secure, his own department investigating naval propulsion had a rather bad information leak. While they didn't even have a working craft, and were just testing a stationary propulsion system in a hidden alcove, their testing was apparently much louder than anticipated.
He remembered reading through the reports. At first, the security agents had discovered that the local fisherman knew about the testing times. It wasn't even through something like active spying of idiotic teenagers or the like. Instead, they had noted the increased turbulence in the local waters, and that fish often dispersed at a similar time. Every time they had been testing, the farmers had noticed because they were just causing that much turbulence in the local waters. While the farmers didn't know anything about the actual tests, it was mortifying enough that they had identified 'cursed times' for fishing.
However, it was even worse than that. Several investigations had also been launched into how no one had noticed a bloody ship beaching itself on the island. They did have a few underwater sonar systems which should've caught the fact that the carrier was close enough to be beached on the island. However, the one station that should've been watching in that direction had been having frequent problems. But further investigation showed that these problems only appeared during the testing times for the propulsion system. Those first tests had somehow ruined the sonar warning system, which was supposed to be used to warn the country about incoming raids or invasions.
It was a bloody nightmare. They were supposed to be doing initial tests into flipper system system for propulsion, and were still doing miniaturized tests. Instead, they had apparently been doing the loudest tests in the history of humanity (outside of a nuclear explosion), producing more turbulent interference in local waters than most large ships. It was by luck that no one in foreign countries had discovered anything.
He looked again at their new design. He hadn't realized just how effective it would be when he had first been told about it. Initially, after the results of the audit, A lot of math had gone into making the whole system have far less impact in the local environment. After coming up with several theories, they had finally produced a modeled for propulsion that used a wave interference model to reduce the total resulting wave turbulence from the propulsion system to almost nothing through the use of wave superposition. Apparently, wave interference from vibration of the flipper caused significant turbulence and had to be considered in the turbulence models when going above certain speeds. Of course, to implement this solution, they just had to have a flipper that could rotate and flip in a 360 degree arc. He almost hadn't believed it when Zheng Qing had given him the necessary specifications. He remembered yelling at Zheng at how they were reinventing the propeller, but Zheng had carefully walked him through how the whole system was infinitely more complex than a simple propeller. Eventually, he had understood, and gotten his team to work. Now, they had almost built something that worked.
Unfortunately, there were still problems. In exchange for reducing turbulence far away from the craft, his team had greatly increased the amount of turbulence experienced directly around the propulsion device. This had caused problems with the flipper joint, and now, the device kept jamming after going beyond 10 knots. The oversized system they had in the testing facility was supposedly capable of more than 8 times the speed (the technicians guaranteed him that the speedometer was accurate, and had given him a long, boring conversation about why Guangchou speedometers were more accurate than Chinese ones), and the flipper was supposed to be amazingly efficient in transforming that power into forward propulsion but it would all be useless if that power could not be leveraged.
He could only hope the next flipper design they were testing would work. They had tested every type of pin, prismatic and knuckle joint setup they could think up, but the interaction with the rotational motor/joint setup (for the flipper Orientation angle) had caused jamming problems. The only solution they hadn't tested yet was the ball joint used on conjunction with a proper steering knuckle. Jerry Rigging the whole system to work properly with the flipper mechanics had been a nightmare, and the increased weight of the more complex system had given him no confidence.
Of course, they had brought their only working prototype for this system to the testing center. He had no hopes for this system, but after it was attached to the anchor point in the testing center properly, he began the test. He watched as the speedometer slowly climbed past 5 knots. He could already see the shaking as the machine started to be effected by turbulence. Then the machine slowly climbed past 10 knots in propulsive power, and he was slightly shocked at the lack of problems. He could clearly see the whole system shaking far more than all the other prototypes they had tested, but it hadn't jammed.
As he looked closer, he realized that the flipper orientation was actually being effected by the local Turbulence, being slightly off (by a few arcminutes) which he realized would probably be a problem at higher speeds. Still, he wondered if this tolerance, which hadn't really been possible in the other models they had tested, was the reason this design was still working. It was an idea he might want to test later. Still, he realized this would probably be a problem at higher speeds, as the much greater turbulence at higher speeds would only lead to the flipper being effected by said turbulence more.
He looked back at the speedometer, surprised by the fact that the flipper was now producing enough power to supposedly go at 40 knots. He watched in surprised as the speedometer slowly climbed up to, and past 70 knots, with the flipper only having an approximate three degrees of deviance in the proper orientation at any given time. He was amazed at just how quickly the whole assembly was rotating and flipping, and he could tell it all looked like a blur to some of the younger scientists. Yet, it was working, and he would-
He heard a huge snap, as the whole system enacted safety protocols and quickly slowed to a standstill. Of course it had broken! None of the designs could work properly, could they? He stepped up to examine the test model, only to find everything seeming to be in order. There were no cracks in the ball joint, the flippers were still whole, and the clunky steering knuckle still seemed to be in one piece. What the hell had broken?!
It was an hour later when technician Takahashi finally found the problem. Apparently the engine had broken. The whole engine block looked like someone had taken a sledge hammer to it. Worse, he had no idea if it was a problem with the flipper system in general, with this specific implementation, and how it interacted with the drive train, or if the engine they had imported from China was just faulty. He was dreading the sleepless nights he would be having while he tried to fix this new issue.
Issue after issue! At this rate, they wouldn't even be able to test the abilities for this rotational rudder system to turn without using a rudder before the millennium ended. Nothing was ever going right!
6 months Later
Nothing was going right! They were still stuck on the transmission issue. and the newest tests were showing problems with wear and tear on the ball joint and-
Great, Takahashi was approaching gim too. This could only mean there was something else going wrong.
As Takahashi entered, he called, "So Technician, what else has gone wrong with the flipper design today"
"N-N-Nothing, sir. T-That wasn't what"
"And then? Why are you here Takahashi?"
"Well, I was working with my friend-"
"You mean the one who was promoted a couple weeks ago? Was this the project you two were working in your off hours"
"Yeah, they had this really smart idea to simplify everything and-"
"Takahashi. I am a senior engineer. I have lots of experience with grifters. I know all the tricks. You will not be able to sell a grift on me. So don't try-"
"Sir! Its not that! I just think the current project is very over-designed. It has so many moving parts and failure points and"
"I hope you remember a lot of very smart people have worked on the design. I know your partner did good work, but what could the two of you have possibly come up with?"
"Two flippers, sir"
"What?"
"Two flippers sir. It should remove the turbulence problems we were seeing with the single massive flipper we are using currently, without needing the weak ball joint"
"What is the problem with the size of the current flipper?"
"Sir, it is the size of a whale flipper"
"..."
"Moreover, my friend pointed out that the design would be much simpler to test. I have already designed a human-powered model, and observed that it 80% matches the turbulence reduction of our current design. Paired with the fact that it is much easier and cheaper to build, I think it might-"
"We spent 2 years barely getting a design off the ground, and two upstarts somehow had a better idea? I somehow find it hard to believe that the best experts our country had were- What is up with that face, Technician!"
"Well my friend had some words about those experts and..."
"And?"
"Well, my friend called them 'upjumped old men who wanted to outdo the mech designers in complexity, but kept ruining the project by trying to leave their mark with one more stupidly complex design or innovation that didn't work. We keep getting handed shit and expected to make a working design out of it; of course we would fail"
....
"Takahashi, please don't tell me that I've been wasting the last 2 years of my life on a worthless boondoggle..."
...
...
Nothing ever went right for Shi, did it.
AN: so yeah, here is an omake for after the carrier incident, assuming we survive. and no, I did not plan on writing two omakes with the same names, but as soon as I saw @CyberEnby's idea for sub propulsion, I knew I could write something quick for it. And then I realized I had just used the best name for it. So I reused the name... for a sequel... that has nothing to do with the original.
Listen, I'll tie it all together in the third omake, I swear! This trilogy will be perfect in retrospect....
That being said, does anyone have any idea about what I could do for 3rd omake? I swear I've got a plan, and I totally don't need help, but I would welcome any story ideas for the third omake that I could steal I mean use. I just mean use, No stealing of ideas here.
Also, I know all the engineering here is utterly ridiculous. All the advanced tech in this quest is ridiculous (and fun), and I wanted to lean into that for this omake about design troubles.
And yeah, please let me know anything I can improve for this omake.
Edit: minor edits to improve flow, and make certain parts funnier, hopefully
Edit: Added an funny epilogue for @CyberEnby's simple solution, suggested below.
>Loggin In...
>Welcome @VillainBuiscit
>Accessing GENERAL DISCUSSION...
>Accessing HISTORY AND POLITICS...
>Acessing HISTORY DISCUSSIONS...
>Accessing Thread: Need Help For School Project: Re: Guangchou Carrier Incident.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>Hello!
A classmate told me that this is a fantastic site to ask for facts and information regarding past events, especially as people from across the line mingle here.
The thing is, I have to do a project on past historical events, and I drew the Guangchou Carrier Event, but I know next to nothing about that.
Also, we aren't allowed to use Wikipedia, and I can't afford other information pages, so can you help me?
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver
>Oh boy, this sounds like it will be fun! Please wait a moment; let me assemble the gang! @LORDCYBER!, @MikyTheTerrible, @PlayfulElephant, @ZenWeiBestWei, @ParticularlyZenBison
You up to help me educate the noob?
Or am I free to post the stuff alone?
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>Ohh...Guangchou Carrier Event...the thing that made the American Troubles a bit closer to reality. Shit...I mean, it's a goddamn miracle we sent McGovern to oversee shit and the overall negotiations, which helped shoot him into the White House Proper...but I'm more of "The Domestic Front" of the Troubles guy. I mean, TOM CLANCY, Author and American Hero, stopped an entire wave of Terrorism and then wrote a book about it. I still love Hunt for Red October.
>@MikyTheTerrible
>Silver
>An American Carrier got dumped via Tsunami onto Communist Island Guangchou, and everyone freaked out, fearing WWIII was on the horizon. Instead, the "Glorious Leader" of the time decided to issue the largest littering fine in history along with a bill for all the expenses the stranded and bored sailors racked up. While everyone was still scratching their heads at this, Guangchou used the opportunity to extort America for spare change, basically.
It was a bizarre time to be alive.
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver
>Ye, as Milky said. It was the most bizarre thing to happen cause, I mean...
God looked at one carrier and said: "Fuck You In Particular!" before chucking it onto the gay island.
The miraculous thing is... there were no deaths to the crew!
The hilarious thing was an Asian farmer threw eggs at them shortly before the whole nation did at the US.
After that, they basically extorted the US for money.
And it was still cheaper than decommissioning would have cost them!
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>There were no deaths? At all?
You would think that the commies would be a bit scared about the carrier.
And because they had the Mecha currently above the island and all that...
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User
>Hello @FLUFFYSNUGLE,
From what I've read, everyone was apparently terrified because they thought China had somehow figured out how to set off nukes to beach ships. Everyone thought China had some secret program to send ICBMs underwater, in a way we couldn't detect or trace. I know there are only two papers on the actual Tsunami and its connection to nuclear weapons, one by Dr. Garza and his team in Madrid and one by Dr. Marino and his team in Berlin. Unfortunately, while both of those papers are good resources, they do cost a $100 access fee, so I'm not sure you will be able to use them for your project.
Anyways, while everyone else panicked about nukes, sailors panicked about what would happen to them on the gay island. Guangchou's leader apparently fainted because he had calculated the clean-up costs. It's kind of insane to read some of these stories about what everyone was panicking about. Give me a second; perhaps I can find a paper about the events in Guangchou.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>Thank you, PlayfulElephant!
You are right; I don't have the kind of money to pay for that. Most of my money goes to medicine. It sucks to live in [PERSONAL DATA IS CENSORED FOR FREE USERS]...
And I didn't know he fainted! I'd been under the impression he was already planning on how to make money off of the incident or hide the Mecha.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>No, I wish. I could get actual healthcare there... : (
Here I get told to be happy I get anything at all, being a [PERSONAL DATA IS CENSORED FOR FREE USERS]
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>I just thank god that it didn't ruin the Reputation of the Navy...dear god, imagine if it had gone to total shit and we lost them bye-bye Naval Supremacy. Heh. Well, at the very least, it didn't make things worse. Is anyone here thankful for McGovern's Food Aid Program? The Man ended food insecurity in America FOR GOOD, and they still call him a bad president!! What is wrong with people sometimes!
Alright, let's answer something else...and see if people can stop bitchin' about McGovern.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>Man, can't talk about anything here, huh?
>ZenWeiBestWei
>Free User
>Ah yes. The Iwo Jima. The ship that my grandparent's fishing boat was made of, LMAO.
Apparently, we were just rolling in recycled steel for a few years after that fiasco.
It had some weird knock-on effects, too, like, Commiewood wouldn't have existed as we know it if that entertainment rider to the reparations hadn't been thrown in on a whim by our diplomats. It's incredible how much of history comes down to happenstance. Imagine you were this close to not having to smuggle bootleg Cosmos tapes past the Canadian border so that you could get your sci-fi fix.
>@FUCKGOVERNIMABOT
>Staff
>Hello @FLUFFYSNUGLE! You have been issued [2] Warnings! Any more, and we'll have to upgrade your pay-per-post to pay-per-word according to our policy!
Beep Boop, I'm A Bot.
>ZenWeiBestWei
>Free User
> Sweet Marx in heaven, I will never not be freaked out by what a rent-seeking hellscape the western infosphere is.
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver
>Sup Zen? Good to see you; still up to bootleg the newest western on Friday?
Anyways, yeah! That was pretty funny once I read about that!
Apparently, they also added that they wanted all of the Star Trek tapes to show them on TV a year later.
Cause they thought they were communist in nature.
Gene is still seen as the most subversive ally in the media world, lol!
>@FREETHEINFOSPHERE
>Staff
>Hello Comrade ZenWeiBestWei!
I have blocked an automatic ban for using the word: [Marx] in one of your posts!
Please keep me hidden, so the West may one day be freed!
Beep Boop, I'm A Better Bot!
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
Oh yeah, the old Iron Tiger program.
Yeah, I know they had it above ground and that we recognize now how revolutionary they were, but apparently, the first Iron Tigers were really buggy. Here is a report from Fu Huiling in 1979 (FREE Even! Just be careful of all the links on that page) that details Several problems in maintenance and even basic operation that the Chinese had with their initial *Iron Panda program. They had so many issues, and one of the big ones was apparently with electronics. Reading between the lines, I think they had problems with humidity. I believe the first Iron tigers were developed underground but then had to be improved to work on the surface, and that is why there were mechs outside the bunkers in Guangchou. They were trying to fix those notorious electronic problems to use their Iron Tigers normally.
But yeah, Guanchou's leader didn't have a plan. He just fainted. He was notorious for his weak constitution. If you read the memoirs of Omori Shiro, you will get an excellent insight into Guangchou politics. He only became the Japanese ambassador in 1983, but he dug up so much dirt on the political scene in Guangchou. You need to read his political memoirs to see just how much shit he wasn't allowed to speak about while in the country. It's wild to see just what was really going on
*The Iron Panda program is a hilarious thing to research, and most of it is declassified. I know that by 1981, China had started a new mech program to replace this one, but it's fascinating to read about the early failures in mech design. Seriously, if you want a good primer on the difficulties of mech design, just go through the documentation for the Iron Panda Program. The best part is most of that shit is free.
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>Technically, it's a Subscription service no....5 bucks for Internet access. Though if only we could break the Payment Block...it is ruining the Free Information Movement! THE INTERNET SHOULD BE FREE! BUT ALSO FREE OF THAT Commie Crap that they KEEP SPAMMING ME WITH! I Got Seven Viruses from your Chinese ADS! THE BASTARDS ARE MAKING ME SPEND MORE TIME FIXING MY COMPUTER THAN USING IT!
"THE INTERNET SHALL BE FREE FOR ALL MEN!!"
One of these days, I will make my own Router.
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User >Reply To @LORDCYBER!
>Dude, why don't you just move? Like, do you understand just how many other places have got their shit together? Both in ASEAN (South East Asian alliance) and SAARC (South Asian Alliance), all members are required to subsidize power and internet use. It's only the US that can't do shit.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>I know what you are talking about, LordCyber. Thankfully, my mom is a MilEng, and cobbled one together!
But to get back to my project.
So, the carrier landed, and people freaked. The leader fainted, the Iron Tigers were hidden, and then... what?
I know that there was a lady in the UN that declared it a littering due to my friend, but how did people react?
And what was China doing?
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD >Reply To @PlayfulElephant
>You do know we're recovering from the Third Wave of the Troubles, Right? You know Suicide Bombings from Communist Agitators...and Right-Wing Lunatics running at Politicians with Axes and Colts. It's not that we can't fix our problems; it's a fact Lind and Peirce aimed for the Power Grid... and we're still repairing it. Thank god Cal is fine.
And what the heck is "Fourth Gen Warfare..." It sounds like some pentagon pencil-pushing baby trying to make himself important!
>ZenWeiBestWei
>Free User
>Pssst kid, want some drugsquality entertainment? lol
You bet, one internationalist historical adventure coming right at you.
Also, yeah, Roddenberry was a significant influence on early commie sci-fi, but it was Hitoshi that elevated his progressive ideas to their peak in Cosmos. Like, the premiere of Cosmos reads like an extended list of Hays Code violations. Anyways, this is all off-topic, so back to the Iwo Jima.
From a material standpoint, the influx of food and industrial goods was a massive boon for Guangchou that allowed the state apparatus at the time to relax its sprint to food self-sufficiency enough that it could get a head start on creating an industrial base for electronics manufacturing and development - I don't need to tell you the payoff that that was - you're probably accessing this site with a knock-off Guangchou processor. Like, everyone fixates on the wacky military hardware that spawned, but the cybernetic central planning systems were the real hero of the information age - looking back, the US kind of indirectly saved the USSR from the economic collapse by advancing the timeline of computer development in Guangchou.
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>Oh...Hey, future flame war material for the Fiction discussion...Commie Sci-Fi vs. American Sci-Fi is like the Ultimate Badge of the Nerd Wars... You haven't lived until you got into a verbal fistfight over whether Star Wars or Cosmos is better.
But Star Wars has Laser swords, Jedi, Carrie Fisher, and the Force...what does Cosmos have that is any better.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>@LORDCYBER, My people, aren't seen as either sex objects or dumb barbarians within Cosmos?
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD >Reply To @FLUFFYSNUGLE
>I mean, in a worldbuilding sense...and no, Lucas didn't mean that when he made the film...that's just the Fan's being assholes again. Listen to his interviews... I swear Cosmos fans take things too literally... Also, anyone here playing Knights of the Old Republic... that's the big one. Awesome RPG.
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>Great...another Shitshow in the South China Sea. That's just wonderful. Everything is just going to shit again. Does anyone want me to look for good news that will help everyone forget that we're going through another life-changing event...like Who's going to be running for President or something?
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User
>So, no one is sure what happened in the next 32 hours. I believe there is a schedule floating around somewhere for how the Guangchou representative spent that time, buts it's challenging to find. We know that their diplomat visited the reps for the US, USSR, China, Japan, and France (but not Britain!). The widespread consensus is that none of these visits lasted more than 30 minutes, and supposedly, the Guangchou rep was kicked out of some of these meetings. No one has any evidence if Guangchou used bribery or blackmail on the other reps.
However, After 32 hours, another emergency session was declared, and the Taiwanese representative was not present. Apparently, suppose you read the memoirs of Ensar Karakus (aide to the Turkish ambassador at the time). In that case, Ensar states that the Taiwanese rep had some insane orders from dictator Chiang Kai-shek to claim all the waters around Guangchou as sovereign territory and demand the carrier's immediate return or Taiwan would invade.
Reading between the lines, the second emergency session, America bending over backward with its littering speech... well, it's clear that Dictator Chiang overplayed his hand. Someone learned about his order, called another emergency session when the historic vote was held and made sure the Taiwanese didn't attend. Moreover, within a year, you would see a democratic coup in Taiwan (no, Dictator Chiang didn't die a natural death, that is a piss poor coverup job). Evermore evidence is that the money the extra $20 Million loans the EMF provided in 1975 and then the approval for a NATO base built after 1978 on the island.
The US didn't flub things with a speech. The USSR didn't threaten to nuke DC if the US didn't play ball. The French weren't being cowards again when they told the British to back down from the podium and not give their planned speech. China didn't threaten to use enough nukes to flatten Japan.
No, Taiwan caused their own 'Great Shame,' and the whole government was forcibly 'reformed' by the west. And it didn't even fix things. You want to know why we are having problems today. Because apparently, no one in Taiwan to this day has gotten the message that a war would be bad. Taiwan still thinks that everyone should've responded to the whole Guangchou affair with military force. So, seriously, if you do end up writing this report, you have to touch on the modern-day consequences and how the current tension can be directly tied to the events of the Guangchou Carrier crisis.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>Thanks for the info, @PlayfulElephant!
And I know what you mean about Taiwan; my Dad has been there on military duty for the last year.
I hope they let him and the others resume writing letters. I miss him. : (
Moving on from that, I have enough for me to cover how things happened, but what were people doing on the ground? The Sailors and Guangchou soldiers?
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver
>Well, the Marines were getting some bussyin town on Uncle Sam's purse.
The one straight dude in the navy was busy ensuring that sensitive info was shredded, angry that he didn't get any bussy.
All the while, the Guangchou Soldiers were trying to keep everything contained and the people from making a ruckus near the ship.
There is some clip somewhere on YouTube about a farmer being consoled due to losing his geese because of the carrier parling on top of them.
Edit: I FOUND IT!
>ZenWeiBestWei
>Free User
Ok, I'm going to spoiler this because it is off-topic, but I can't allow this challenge to my fandom to go unanswered:
OnOn one hand, the mature side of me wants to say that Cosmos vs. Star Wars is an apples to oranges comparison - they're very different works with different aims and stylistic conceits, and comparing them is missing the point.
On the other hand, Star Wars is a nothing but a liberal's impression of what anti-imperial struggle entails that dons airs of revolutionary struggle without backing up its position with any intellectual rigor (seriously - the Rebel Alliance wanted to restore the Republic? The same Republic that the Empire was created out of?) and pushes a liberal conception of history steeped in Great Man theory.
And on the third pseudopod: Captain Yasmine's microgee sword fight, Mommy Morozova, the Kherson Rift space battle, and, oh yeah, The Second Sexual Revolution. Checkmate Warsies.
>Reply To @FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Cosmos didn't give that treatment to any group of people, but I'm going to need to know who your people are to answer more specifically. (Hint: you can get around the auto censor by providing geocoordinates.) >Reply To @MikyTheTerrible
>My impression is that while the PPDC officially backs the PRC to the hilt, behind closed doors, Words Are Being Had, and if the Chinese keep being Warhawks, then Chinese factories will start to experience 'unfortunate delays in microprocessor deliveries' soon. >Reply To @VillainBuiscit
>Oh gods. Like, on the one hand, I'm glad the CIA spent like, fifty million to develop a counter to 'homocatalytic chemical agents' instead of using it to oppress south Americans or something, but holy shit.
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User >Reply To @FLUFFYSNUGLE
>I mean, The leader of Guangchou fainting was probably shushed up, so you just had ordinary people interacting under their prerogative.
I've heard that the sailors were generally under a protocol to secure the ship and not interact with the locals (and not start a firefight, which didn't happen, thank god!). I mean, we have obvious evidence that they interacted with the locals, but I'm not sure how many people stayed with the ship.
Of those who left the ship... well... I've heard a lot of stories about the sailors fornicating and letting loose on the island, but I'm not sure how true they are. There are some conflicting accounts from sailors right after they returned home. However, any other actual documents on the sailors' behavior on the island are still heavily classified. I haven't found any good public reports with good primary sources (although apparently, it is well known that the sailors partied hard).
As for the Guangchou soldiers, I have heard they were terrified. Apparently, no one was prepared for the whole thing, and the soldiers were barely able to contain things. However, this info is from official Chinese reports which were recently declassified, and those reports are pretty sketchy on accurate details. So I'm not sure I would trust them, especially considering subsequent showings of Gungchou soldiers and Guangchou mercenaries.
>@ParticularlyZenBison
>Gold
>Sailors on the ground? Well, let me put it this way: Ever wonder where the terms "Gaycation" and "Gaygration" came from?
Back then, Guangchou was only really known as a backwater hell on earth in the States - decades of anti-commie propaganda. Between that and the difficulty of making the trip, only the most desperate LGBT+ people would risk it.
After, though? After gay sailors from all over the states got to experience Guangchou's 'affectionate welcome' and then return home and spread the word through the subculture?
Let's just say brains weren't the only thing being drained.
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD >Reply To @PlayfulElephant
>Considering that they literally Ran into the Arms of Ms. Mercenary Goddess of Outer Heaven Herself to Cry about it... I like her, but being emasculated that hard made them Run to the Desert to Cry about it?
It made the US a laughing stock of the Intelligence Community until they got their act together in '83.
At least Granada wasn't a cluster fuck for them like Guangchou, in and out in one week courtesy of the US Marines.
Sure it pissed off the Brits, but they were busy in the Falklands at the time.
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User
>Ok, seriously, everyone? Are you sure you are not being just a bit revisionist? I know what Guangchou is famous for now, but are we saying that Guangchou was a ready-made red-district gay tourist trap even back then? They didn't even have tourists back then! I can imagine a few of the soldiers having a good time, but there's no way everyone was gay and found a partner. Did they even have a brothel big enough to handle all the sailors?
>ZenWeiBestWei
>Free User >Reply To @PlayfulElephant
>I mean, I know we're famous as That Gay Island in the west, but it's not like there's a lack of straight people here? And sex work has been legal here since the queendom was overthrown, so a sizable workforce could be drawn on to keep the US sailors entertained and out of trouble (that has to be the weirdest mobilization in military history).
And, not to be crass or stereotypical, but... I'm sure even the straight sailors had their eyes opened to whole new worlds of possibilities during their stay here.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User >Reply To ZenWeiBestWei
>Well, for that to happen, I'd need to know the geocoordinates of the lab my species had been crafted within, which is still classified. : P
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>So...who do you think will win the Presidency, Bobby Seale or Colin Powell? I mean, I'm a hometown hero guy myself and have my money on Sale...but I honestly think Sale is better as a Governor for California. He Beat the National Alliance that was running around in the state back when he was mayor of Oakland but still. But Powell did break the Spine of the NA by killing Lind and burning their armories.
But onto Guangchou, yeah...Everyone in the LGBTQ+ Community was thrilled to hear about them, even brought that god-awful hairstyle to the states...it was cute for a while, then it got gaudy! >Reply To ZenWeiBestWei
Not saying any of them didn't...it did force Playboy to make a visit. Hugh Hefner was the owner of the platform for peace the world needed and somehow deserved.
No, I'm not talking about the Leather Wearing Male Playboy Bunnies...I was talking about the ones in Latex. I'm a collector! Dammit!
Now...before anyone gets into another Flame thing about Star Wars... did any of you guys hear the Rumors that we're getting the Wookie Homeworld in Ep 3! it's being filmed in Guangchou, BABY!
>ZenWeiBestWei
>Free User >Reply To @LORDCYBER!
>Ewww. The fact that Hefner is held up as some kind of icon of sexual liberation in the West just makes me shudder. Like, maybe it wasn't publicized much across the ocean, but his whole visit lives in infamy over here. >Reply To @FLUFFYSNUGLE
*suspicious squint*
Waaaaaaaitaminute. Do I detect a genuine Neko? (Is that racist? I don't know if that's a racist term? Is there a better word I should use?)
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver
>DOGGY! \o/
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>Not so much racist, as amusing.
I mean, my species is classified as Homo Lupus and not Homo Cattus.
We were made from proud wolfs, after all. : )
And you can call us Lupus (singular), Lupi (plural), and Werewolf/s (multi-use we like).
As long as you don't make any dog jokes, no one will be angry. Like @VillainBuiscit just did...
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver
>Wolf Da-wait, no, you're a minor. WEREWOLF! \o/
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>Sigh...
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User >Reply To @FLUFFYSNUGLE >Reply To ZenWeiBestWei
>Wait, are you taking this seriously, @ZenWeiBestWei? I mean, really? Why would a catgirl need to be able to know about the Guangchou crisis for a school project? How would a catgirl exist? How would a catgirl even get access to the internet? I mean, didn't the catgirl mention their father serving in Taiwan somewhere earlier?
I mean, yes, it's fun to pretend to be a catgirl. I know how popular it is to dress up as one during Halloween, and there are plenty of people pretending to be ones on the roleplay board on this website. Although, maybe pick a better username if you ever get another account anywhere since you are practically asking people to 'snuggle' you or otherwise be creepy with the username you have @FluffySnugle.
>@MikyTheTerrible >Silver >Reply To ZenWeiBestWei
>Maybe Speciest? Not sure; all this talk of racial identity just gives me a headache, to be honest.
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD >Reply To ZenWeiBestWei
>Zen, the fact that we managed to make Gay Marriage in California and most of the Western States legal is because of him in 1988, the worse year of the troubles at THAT TIME. God, the fact he literally nearly got shot by an assassin, almost went bankrupt, and fought virtually every conservative think tank in America and WON for that to happen makes him a better and frankly more inspiring person than you give him credit for.
People like to think America is still the greater shithole of the Troubles...It's not...and the fact people still think that shows just how ignorant people are.
We've broken the NA, We've Made Peace with the LGBTQ+ Community, and fixed the Social Services.
Why DO PEOPLE STILL THINK WE'RE in 1988! GOD!
God...Insufferable. See, this is why I'm with the Free Internet Coalition.
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver >Reply To @PlayfulElephant
>Free Users get a random username assigned to them. Fluffy just got bad (or really good) luck here.
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User
>So OP is playing wolf-girl. And apparently, I missed that in the 10 minutes it took to type up my response. Want to tell us what you look like? I know there are a lot of different types of wolves, and I know roleplayers always love describing their 'skins.'
>@VillainBuiscit
>Silver
>Well, you see, I've got these huuuge boobs. I mean some serious badonkers! Packing some dohookabangalonkaloos!
Except, wait!
I'm a guy.
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User >Reply To @FluffySnugle
>@FluffySnugle. I honestly didn't realize you were a big-boobed 'WolfMan.' Wait, did you model your character off of that recent Shoujo Manga with the black-eyed, black-haired Wolf Prince? I think he's called 'Edwin-Sama' or something? And his eyes are supposed to represent his curse and evil heart? I know he's supposed to be a villain in the series, but if that's your inspiration, I have to say you have good taste. >Reply To @LORDCYBER!
Dude, your country is like the worst sunk cost fallacy. It's like when you buy a 'fixer-upper' house, and you constantly have to fix every pipe and plank every two years. And you repair it with rotting planks and rusting pipes. Wasn't it just last year that there was that whole controversy about the gay organ donor and how they couldn't use him for the organ transplant? I know the senator's daughter still survived and could get another donor organ, but that whole debacle was because of a law passed in the mid-1980s. So there's plenty of shit that still is being carried over from your shitty period. I get that everything is beginning to settle down now, but not everything is rainbows just yet. You still got so much to work on.
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>... >Reply To @PlayfulElephant
Well, it didn't help we were fighting one of the biggest Political Crises on US Soil since the Civil War. God, remember the Scare about when the NC almost took that nuke?
...Uhg...every time, people...The Sale-Sander's Bill (Part of the Wider American Reconstruction Bill) is the Biggest infrastructure Bill in History. It's bigger than any Five Year Plan and Great Leap Forward that any Commie nation can do. And unlike the Soviets and China, we're going to do all of it without killing millions of our people...so yeah, it's a bit slow on the upswing in getting things started. But, on the other hand, 30% of the GDP is in it, and we are not going to screw around with it. So yeah, we are slow on showing results; we want to make sure we aren't being screwed...and if that means being deliberate about everything being fixed, so be it.
Blessed McGovern ensured that three meals a day were assured and not a theory, and we still find time for famine relief and helping other nations' food security! The Sandwich and Beer Diplomacy is the cornerstone of Modern US Policy...if you want to bitch about being Fed by Americans, then kindly...use the proper channels...you'll save more money that way.
>Abominable_Tankman
>Free User
>Oh. Man, I thought this was a Questnights thread.
>ZenWeiBestWei
>Free User >Reply To @LORDCYBER!
>Critical support for Tavarish Hefner? lol
Like, ok, he still made an awful impression in Guangchou and still had many disturbing things about him. You can praise someone for their actions in one field while still criticizing them for other issues.
Also, I don't mean to denigrate your achievements, but 'made peace with the LGBT+ community is a touch generous. The US made being non-hetero-cis no longer illegal. You then decided that's it? Queerphobia is over? (Is Jim Crow not ringing any bells?)
Liberals.
Uhhhhh... three meals a day is perhaps a relatively low bar for what is ostensibly one of the largest and most powerful nations on Earth to clear?
Don't get me wrong; famine is no joke; I grew up hearing stories of the famines that went on during Wei Cai's regime, but Guangchou, China, and the USSR - all utterly devastated in WW2 and having to build up an industrial civilization from almost scratch managed to eventually provide food, shelter, and safety for the vast majority of their populace AND became either superpowers or great powers within the span of several decades.
Meanwhile, America, untouched by said wars and starting from a much stronger position, actually managed to decline its quality of life and geopolitical importance.
That feels like a pretty big clue about whose economic and social systems are 'better.' >Reply To @VillainBuiscit
*looks sideways at the camera*
I mean. There are loopholes if you want a custom handle without paying for it... @FLUFFYSNUGLE (PM me) >Reply To @PlayfulElephant
Ok, should I tell them? Or wait for them to realize it on their own?
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User >Reply To ZenWeiBestWei
>Tell me what? I don't really think I missed anything here, chief.
Yeah, there is a list of people who know how to get individual usernames on this website, but I'm certain ZenWeiBestWei is on it and should get back to you quickly. I know they helped one of my friends get their unique username quickly.
>Abominable_Tankman
>Free User
>Can anyone recommend any good Questnights thread? I finally got off duty and had some time to do some surfing.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User
>Morning, people! I'm back from school; thanks for your replies here! >Reply To ZenWeiBestWei
You don't need to do that. I don't have the money to keep visiting here, even with my half-time job. >Reply To Abominable_Tankman
Hello! *handwave*
Uuh, what is a Questnight?
>@PlayfulElephant
>Silver User >Reply To @FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Good morning @FluffySnugle
Sorry for the late reply. I think we have pretty different sleep schedules.
I'm sorry to hear you won't be able to be a regular member. It sucks how much you are gouged for internet in certain countries, and I'd definitely recommend moving once you are old enough.
As for Questnight, well... Questnight is a pretty famous Guangchou Board. If you frequent a lot of boards, you will know it as the most famous questing board. There are a lot of outstanding quests, and I think Abominable_Tankman is asking for one of their alt-history boards, but he needs to be more specific in his request. Goodness knows, there is a thread on this website with recs for medieval fantasy quest recs, and I think that's relatively popular, so I can't tell if that was what he was expecting either. It can be complicated to access in a few places, so you might want to look up using a VPN if there are a lot of banned websites in your country.
>@FLUFFYSNUGLE
>Free User >Reply To @PlayfulElephant
>You can bet on me moving! Once I am old enough and have the money, I'll be requesting citizenship with the BRD! Equality Here I Come!
And thanks for the answer; it seems interesting! I'll be looking at those later; I devour any books too quickly for my mom to buy new ones at a reasonable rate. : S
>@LORDCYBER!
>GOLD
>Ladies, Gentlemen, and the Other's that use they...The Free Internet Act has just passed through Congress and will be Law within the Year.
Say goodbye to the Shitty Bots and Fees!!!
THE FREE INTERNET IS COMING! YES, YES, YES! This update has been brought to you in collaboration with: @abominable @Anon500 @BelligerentGnu @CyberEnby @Cyberphilosipher @Dain24601
A big round of applause for your help in this update!
Bonus Objective: See if you can spot who was who!
In future depictions of the event, one could always tell what the authors or writers thought about NATO or even European politics.
Those that proscribed to the Big Man Theory would depict the gathering of NATO that fateful day in the fall of 1974 as a meeting of giants. Presidents were meeting at a big table, discussing the world's fate as smoke wafted from cigarettes and cigars, alcohol in glasses clinking with ice, and an air of dignity and decisiveness as all were seated, discussing in perfect control of themselves and the situation.
Conspiracy Theorists would push a dark room, sometimes with electronic voice-changers warbling speech and accent to make one indistinguishable from another. As a result, nobody within the room would know who the other was beyond their country, and nobody would ever know the decisions that shaped the future of their dark designs.
Political Thriller Enthusiasts shared their love of screaming matches, dramatic proclamations, and ridiculous ascertains, interrupted by dramatic timings when the bottom of a secretary would grace the reader or viewer for several pages or half a minute as they walked to give that most important of papers to their superior.
On the other hand, historians would show it for what it was. A meeting of diplomats and leaders of the Free World discussing the Act of God and how to proceed. Nerves were twitchy and temper high but pushed down. There would be a discussion but no screaming. The men within the room, for there were few states that dared to think about having women in any high position, were, for the most part, incredulous and baffled.
At this conference, it would be here that Donald Rumsfeld, Ambassador to NATO, would speak a quote that would ring through time, both darkly and with light.
"Bad enough that a tsunami stranded our sailors on that commie island, but to treat it as littering? What is next? Giant Robots and Animal People?!"
People would laugh at this, bleeding off some stress and anxiety at hearing this off-hand joke.
All except the German Ambassador... The White House had never been as busy within these last few weeks as it has ever been since it was proclaimed as the president's workplace. Everybody, from the cleaners, assistants, secret service, and even the guy mowing the lawn, was pulling double and then triple shifts.
Before the White House, protestors had gathered in droves, only held back by the fence and a cordon of riot police, armed and ready to disperse the crowds should it ever become necessary. Their demands and readiness for violence shifted by day and subject. From mothers and fathers, children and spouses demanding the return of the sailors to be done now to the anti-communists protesting against any concessions to the "Unholy Godless Communist Faggots Butchering our Boys!" If there was an interest group, there was a protest, and a crowd, riled up enough to warrant sharp weapons and twitchy fingers. Journalists flew like vultures around the people, milking anyone that would talk to them for any story, eager to stoke the bubbling red panic currently brewing within the nation. And at the center of it all sat one man, his table loaded with papers, cups of coffee, and a doctor within the building anxiously waiting for the hour he'd be called in to treat a collapsed President.
By any definition you'd care to talk about, Gerald Ford was not having a good time, nor did he have an easy one. But, as the Chinese said to curse another, "May you live in interesting times," so did Ford stand at the front, desperate to steer the ship from an incoming apocalypse to mere troubles.
It had been hell to convince the Republicans to vote for the "fines" of industrial goods to be given to Guangchou and more suffering to calm down the Democrats from the demands of sending American Citizenry to the communist nation as part of the deal.
Everybody knew that that part of the fines, alongside several others, had been created and deliberately written into the penalty to give the US just enough things to deny for the country to save some face.
Yet, even as everything was agreed upon, as the diplomats shook hands after signing symbolic papers already in effect for days, Gerald Ford still had to work and fight with every part of the nation to ensure that Guangchou would return their boys safe and unharmed, and the goods are delivered as agreed upon.
To do otherwise would sink any chance of retaining several nations within their sphere, giving the Communists a perfect example to point towards as to the trustworthiness of the US.
Despite the demand of the nation to cut off any deliveries once the sailors were returned.
Despite the screeches of politicians of him being a dirty communist intent on destroying and subverting the nation.
Even though, even with reparations paid in full, their deal with Guangchou would cost them less than decommissioning the carrier back at home, as it would have been once the year was up.
Because all he could think of was a single sentence said by the Guangchou Representative to that of the US, which stuck him in this uncertain time of possible nuclear annihilation.
"On behalf of the 150 Billion that came before us, let this be a semi-colon in history rather than a full stop." Within Moscow, a Troika sat, deep within a meeting of "equals," steering the great ship of communism within all republics of Europe and Asia in equal measure.
Here were the three men within the room, shifting through presentations and reports from the KGB and Diplomats alike, getting a picture of what was happening within the world and how they could better benefit the Russian people by taking advantage of such troubles.
Here sat Leonid Brezhnev, first of equals, his mind stirring with possibilities and potential paths.
Alexei Kosygin was reading through the 'Great Shaming' of the United States with a smirk and schadenfreude upon his lips and mind.
And last, maybe even without any "But not least," Nikolai Podgorny sat, pondering over the deal that the Pink Shield of China had struck with the western nations, walking over a distracted China with ease and irreverence not seen in that traitor's puppet nations. Ever.
"Food," Brezhnev spoke, leaning back with the creaking of leather sounding out in the quiet room. "Food and machines, those are the things they demanded?"
"Do not forget the equipment for making films, as well as for instructions on how to use them to the American standards," Podgorny said, still reading through a report on the first batch of equipment being delivered, overseen by the "Neutral Nations" and overseers from both sides of the curtain.
"I would call it genius if I were not concerned how such could sway them. We all know how little in mind they are, especially that breed that celebrates depravity." Kosygin murmured before speaking up.
"Still," Brezhnev replied, brow scrunched in thought, tapping on the papers with one finger. "It will help them industrialize, massively so, since they no longer need to worry about famine for some time and be able to modernize important heavy industry to a degree. But what is this item," he said, pointing at a bill adding about fifteen-hundred tons of machinery and food alone, dated after the beaching. "This... 'collective summarization of third stage luxury goods use?'"
"Ah," said the nervous KGB Agent, "you see, that summarizes the list of-" "-brothel visits?" Jordan O'Driscoll, the Irish Official overseeing the treatment and dealings of the US Sailors and their government and that of Guangchou. "That... tha-what?" He stammered, looking down at the itemized bill staring at him, with hundreds of acts staring back without shame or restraint.
"You heard correctly," the woman in men's clothing said back to him; Wu, if he remembered correctly, a sultry smile upon her lips as she looked as pleased as a cat in the sun. "Those boys sure knew how to react once they were told Uncle Sam would pay for all their bills and that we would not disclose any names."
Jordan looked up at her, then down once more, before looking up again, his mouth opening and closing again and again. "Tha-that... how the fuck did they rack up so many visits? How could they rack up so many visits?And why are they so expensive?"
"Ah," his Guangchou handler said, never losing the pleased smile as she turned her head with false innocence and frightful cheer. "You see, unlike most nations, sex work is legalized and recognized as work within Guangchou. Therefore, those engaging in such work are entitled, and if they do so over extended periods exceeding a week, required to form a Union."
"But what has that to do with-with this?" Jordan said, tapping the papers a few times in disbelief.
"Oh, well, you see," Wu said, standing up to walk around the desk. "When those men, who had been on the ocean for those long, tense, harsh months, realized they could relax," she said, smiling at him as she sat on the table next to him, still wearing that unnervingly pleased smile. "Without having to foot the bill, they decided to visit the world's second-oldest profession and seek relief from both stress and hardship in the arms of carnal pleasure. The problem was that they created an imbalance due to the services they sought!"
Leaning back from the woman leaning forward, Jordan gulped, not knowing if he wanted to know what service-"What kind?" Dammit!
Grinning as she leaned back, she continued, much to Jordan's relief. "You see, the providers of one side of pleasure were getting... peeved at how they were being overlooked. And so, they decided to lower their price." Wu spoke, leaning back, doing things to her general chest area Jordan was studiously avoiding looking at. "The Unions didn't like that and forced them to raise their prices once more, citing both the need for fair competition and the failure of the tactic. In response, due to them getting increasingly sore, the other side then decided to raise their prices, unreasonably so."
At that, Jordan perked up, his mind ringing the bell with what blood it still had at even this tiny whiff of cheating. "Was that said to the sailors?"
Wu laughed in response, a clear, pleasing bell, as her eyes once more focused on him. "Oh, they were; each time they visited, and the price was raised. But, for some reason, that did the opposite as they received news after news that their senate was stalling getting them back home again. Wonder why?" She spoke, standing up. Then, with confident steps, she walked past Jordan, a hand lightly brushing over his shoulder. "Oh!" She said as she stood before the door, perking up as if she had remembered something tremendous and exciting. "You should probably know, the US agreed to pay all the bills of the Officials. All... the... bills..."
And with that, she left, leaving behind a man in desperate need of either a cold shower or some time alone.
Until he noticed the small card on the table.
One where directions to and prices of the local brothels were listed. When you try to see how much debt the sailors add to the US by visiting brothels and you roll a Nat100.
Congratulations, Guangchou is genuinely fueled by THEGAY.
After the initial round of disbelief at the total amount, the clerk continued. "If you'd like, we have the itemized version, with all the identifying information removed."
"Yes, I'd like to see that," the military attache requested. Four hundred dollars for a flat-head screw was one thing, and that could be explained by getting deep into materials sciences, engineering, and all the other technobullshit that put the suits on Capitol Hill to sleep.
"Right, here it is, the redacted itemized receipt," the clerk answered with complete readiness.
The attache looked over the receipt looking for objectionable charges. "Three thousand?"
"Which account?" the clerk asked, entertainingly.
The attache squinted at the numbers. "918927623. The hell you use numbers that big for? We don't have that many sailors here."
The clerk smiled blandly. "Privacy and confidentiality are very important to us. Now, let's see...the modifier for auxiliary body support, kitchenware, and nonfunctional weaponry."
"What in the--" the attache jolted.
"If the client wants it and they're prepared to pay for it, we're prepared to accomodate them. It's very...how do you say...capitalist of us," the clerk said, pronouncing the term like that was the most twisted thing she was talking about.
The attache blinked, not sure what to think about this. "And 920423587?"
The clerk reached for a folder. "They had a very special request for their partner, consumption of a bean burrito stuffed with sugar free gummy bears and powdered laxative pills. They wanted a literal fucking mess."
The attache sighed. Some people were into that, he supposed. "I get that, but why is that listed at a total of 95,000?"
The clerk animatedly noted the modifiers. "Reservation of time at standard rates per unit time, the procedure itself, and then the recovery afterward again at overtime rates. The cleanup alone was three grand. Poor thing ended up barely able to sit for the next two days."
"Just...just give me the full bill. This is one of those things where ignorance is bliss," the attache decided, having reached the point where he wasn't paid enough to get into this any further.
The clerk allowed a soft smile to cross her face. "Bliss is one of the things we're prepared to provide, but lucky for you, the expression on your face is a fair price all by itself."
A/N: I started writing this up as a joke and then realized I had half an omake, the intelligent and clever bit, the part connecting medical billing and procedure coding with a theoretical concept for sex work billing and coding. The rest was framework and setting a scene.
For all the doom and gloom, all the panic of the 'Crisis' the fears of invasion, war, captivity, torture, interrogation, war crimes and nuclear armageddon as in those first crucial hours and later days the worlds powers attempted to get to grips with an unprecedented international cataclysm. Much of those worries would be laid to rest as Guangchao, in a fit of diplomatic brilliance, laid the fears of retaliation to rest with a very simple announcement of a fine for littering of all things.
An act that in the darkest of hours when the world was poised for intercontintal missile launches, nuclear subs on standby awaiting go codes and fully fueled aircraft lay engines growling upon airfields the world over, the mocking almost irreverant demand defused much of the tension and painted the picture for a pathway out of the crisis.
Oh it was never that simple of course. On the face of it the deal was simple, Guangchou returned the american soldiers in exchange for a fine that would go towards the cleanup of the wrecked vessel. Easy to agree in principal, but it precipitated lengthy negotiations and a great many diplomatic meetings in order to go over the details. And of course, all the while the government of the island nation extended the stranded crew of the ship credit for entertainment and were welcoming hosts. In some cases that term becoming literal with a number of pregnancies to american servicemembers both known and unknown due to the volume of traffic.
But beyond the puerile antics which were the subject of a great many pieces of adult entertainment, the political and financial wrangling behind the scenes and the military manoeuvres carried out all over the world. It put a human face on each side.
To the workers of Guangchao providing 'services' the american soldiers they interacted with were no longer greedy invading monsters. But, regular customers, if, perhaps customers whose expenses would be credited to their government and so took full advantage of the military funding their nation enjoyed. And to the americans, the people of the island nation were no longer ideological opponents hellbent upon the destruction of capitalism, but simply people, and regular workers. Many of whom lent a listening ear to the soldiers shipwrecked far away from home.
Put simply, it contextualised each other. They were human.
Absent ideology or political thought. Capitalism and communism are the extremes of two simple ideas. The first, that people should be rewarded for hard work.(related is the idea of reinvesting capital in order to grow the economy but that's ideologically neutral) The second, that food and the basic necessities of life should be affordable, if not subsidised by the state. There's a mass of arguments over how much should the state own or that people should be allowed to own when some of the richest owned so much more than the poorest. But the core of the two systems. "Hard work should be rewarded. People shouldn't be left to starve." Well, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who'd admit to not agreeing to both.
Most obviously of course the workers in the entertainment industry were happily and vigorously engaged in capitalism. And throughout their stay the american servicemembers quite often engaged in distributing 'assets' to be shared amongst themselves.
That's not to say that visiting brothels was the only attraction the americans partook of. During their time there some of the local villagers invited them into their homes, to treat them to traditional cuisine of thickly stewed kelp and local fish and crab freshly caught. A cultural exchange of sorts, and not all one way either. Fusion dishes, rather than traditional stews being the standard, tortilla wraps stuffed with local produce, or burgers layered with surplus ranch and sauces from the ships stores were traded back and american cuisine saw an explosion in popularity. With the burgers and bread providing a more easy and convenient eating method on the go, and one that did away with dishes and utensils.
Of course, it would be naive to assume espionage didn't take place. It did, and on both sides. American troops and their officers noting electrical sub-stations or other infrastructure and targets of opportunity. Or Guangchou officials requesting permission to come aboard the stricken vessel to ensure no planes were being made combat ready for sorties.
Trust but verify, afterall. Though it was largely above board and far better than the worst cases that had been expected, abduction and torture. One or two spankings aside no american troops came to any harm during their stay. And the visits onto the american carrier were scheduled well in advance, giving clear routes on where the party was to be taken. Allowing for ample time for the americans to remove any sensitive materials they didn't want seen. Or, more cynically, to disarm any weapons they might have been arming. Avoiding the need for awkward escalations. They were, in a word, treated exactly as what they were on paper, guests of the island nation. And accidental litterers. the crippled vessel would be removed in due time. But in the immediate aftermath the government and it's officials required assurances that the carrier wasn't leaking nuclear waste or fuel into the environment. Reasonable and fair concerns on all sides, that each did their best to accomodate the other.
The American admiral wanted the soldiers under his command safe. And wanted to safeguard critical intelligence. Guangchou wanted to ensure it's population and waters wouldn't be exposed to nuclear fallout or other pollution.
By and large, despite the accident. Both sides profited from the incident. Politicians at home spun it as their calm negotiations securing the release of the crew and of installing and deepening diplomatic relations with the isolationist regime. And Jungmin leveraged the diplomatic capital to the hilt in order to receive a boost of stimulus in his nations economy.
By the end of it, America was satisfied at least one communist nation wasn't plotting their immediate destruction.
Even if, to this day the alphabet soup agencies of America wake up in cold sweats worrying about what captive american soldiers might have revealed during extensive debriefings.
This was a fucking mess. Took a long time, too. @HeroCooky Sorrynotsorry for the large word count. Lemme know if there's something I should change for canon compatibility.
Edit: Took care of some typos. Added a bit more explanation in the notes too.
The Danish Boy
Lars Johansen had never been a typical person. He'd never felt like a typical person either. For all that the word 'typical' could ever be used to wholly describe any single human being, Lars would have been among the least deserving of such a word.
Not even when people knew him as Anna. ESPECIALLY back when people knew him as Anna.
The Johansens had lived in Denmark for centuries, spanning various professions, and most recently had presented a long line of doctors, chemists and psychiatrists to the world. They blended well with the society they found themselves amongst. And when the Second World War began in earnest and Denmark was occupied by Nazis, the family thrived under the new order.
Lars's grandfather Erik and father William profited greatly when the Nazis employed them for their skills with chemicals. Under their orders, the Johansens had taken responsibility of a newly formed pharmaceuticals company, fulfilling contracts and orders from the fascist government. And when the tides of war turned against their German overlords, their connections and wealth had allowed them to emerge largely unscathed, even migrating to the US shortly after.
Lars had been born just before the war in Europe finally ended, the youngest child, a daughter; at least 'till his younger brother, Oliver, was born.
As he grew up and matured, so did his family's business. The free market had done much to boost his family's already considerable fortunes, and his father's business practices, long since honed during his time in Denmark, served him well in America. Threats of torture and bribes of contraband goods translated easily to threats of imprisonment and bribes of cold, hard cash. Things he only learned much later in life.
Lars, then known as Anna, was a bright kid. She learned quickly and questioned relentlessly, driven by a neverending hunger for new experiences and information. She'd proven herself to be brilliant young lady, growing up, and had been the golden child of most of the Johansen clan's older members as well as her own parents. It was a wonderful childhood for Anna, veiled by ignorance and innocence.
It would not last.
It had began during a quiet family dinner. Her grandparents, parents and a few aunts and uncles had joined in with much of the younger Johansens, a regular meal to keep the family close. 15-year-old Anna, in her own unabashed way, had told her parents and family of her day; of hanging out with friends, talking about gossip, and of her first kiss. With a girl. A friend who'd also ask her out to see a new movie, and one she'd said yes to.
Sheltered and innocent, Anna could not comprehend the mix of stunned silence and scandalized shock the elder members responded with. Had she known about the increasing outspokenness of the LGBT movement in America, and the corresponding backlash, she'd have understood. As it was, her family had kept her and her siblings and cousins largely insulated from popular news. That dinner changed things.
With homosexuality largely regarded as a sort of illness, her family of medical professionals had responded the only way they knew how. She was given medication, therapeutic sessions, counseling and constant chaperoning. The Johansens had flourished in the capitalist nation and had grown prominent in the public eye for their successes and contributions. Anna's… controversial… views and desires were deemed too risky to leave to chance.
For a time, it worked. Anna had been convinced that her friend had almost led her astray, and one she no longer interacted with. She also grew less outgoing. She became quieter. She no longer asked her questions or expressed her curiosity. She was the picture of perfect behavior. Compliant, obedient, a blessing to her family. All the while she performed magnificently in her studies and pursuits. High test scores, impressive performances in the arts, and praised and lauded by both peers and instructors.
And all the while Anna chafed under the persona she crafted. One who believed that her family was right. That all they did, they did for her sake. Her application to master the field of medicine had also been part of that plan; one which, by all accounts, was progressing quite well. As such, there was nobody to witness Anna's quiet suffering.
That is, except her youngest brother…
————————————————————————————————————————
Oskar Johansen was a quiet child. Timid and shy, forever hiding behind someone's shadow. Largely ignored as well, what with his parents more focused on their brilliant daughter. Yet Oskar was not so dissatisfied with this. Unlike his older brother Tomas who was expected to inherit a large role in the family business, and thus was under a lot of pressure, Oskar was left largely free to do as he pleased. And Anna… Anna was simply there for his parents to compare him and his brother too.
But Oskar didn't mind. He idolized his older sister, who always knew how to make him smile or laugh; Anna who'd always cover for him if he did something wrong, Anna who'd cheer him up and comfort him whenever he felt upset…
Anna… who'd changed so much after that fateful dinner.
For years he'd tried to get her to talk to him, to tell him what was wrong… to let him in… to no avail. She was quieter now, meeker. There were no more questions, no spontaneity, no sudden plans and adventures to share with. He couldn't even remember the last time she smiled. The Anna he knew was gone…
Or hidden away, at least.
For years, Oskar continued trying to reach out to the stranger he once knew as his sister, even going so far as to following her footsteps and studying medicine. It was this particular course of action that would lead him to one person who could help him and his sister make sense of what really changed since that night.
————————————————————————————————————————
Dr. Emil Rasch was never a "people person". He loved studying human behavior, but socializing is something he believed should only happen to other people. Not him. Definitely not him. Still, appearances had to be kept, and lectures had to be given if he wanted his tenure in the university to remain peaceful and his own research largely uninterrupted.
It was on one such lecture on human sexuality that he met young Oskar Johansen.
Rasch was good at remembering details. And the surname had elicited some old, albeit unpleasant memories. And when the young man had asked to speak privately with him, Rasch had wasted no time in asking if the young man knew a Dr. Erik Johansen.
He did, apparently. His grandfather, he said.
Young Oskar had wanted to seek advice with helping his older sister Anna. And from there he told Rasch of everything he knew about the dilemma.
Rasch knew right away what had happened. It helped that he knew exactly what kind of man Erik Johansen was, let alone the pharmaceutical company that had been quietly gaining power while partnering with the American government. William Johansen hadn't even seen any need to change the name since the Nazi party ordered and funded its creation.
That aside, Rasch wasted no time having a meeting set up with Oskar and his sister. It helped that she was also studying in the university, and in the same course, no less. Soon enough, they were in the privacy of his office.
After some brief introductions, he'd had asked if she didn't mind him asking some personal questions. Young Oskar had enough tact to quietly step out just as his sister said yes. He could see a glimmer of the natural curiosity the young woman had reportedly once exhibited so freely, eager to know why her brother had insisted so strongly on the meeting despite refraining from explaining the why.
What happened next was something Rasch, who, again, was most definitely not a "people person", didn't wish to repeat ever again.
He'd started off with questions about the fateful night Oskar had spoken of, he'd asked her of her what she felt, what she thought she felt, and what her family no doubt convinced her she felt. She was guarded, yes, but his own knowledge of her grandfather and father had been enough to leave just enough openings to get his questions and statements across.
The repressed feelings, the shame, the guilt, the frustrations… all things he'd expected, ones he'd recognized from past patients, both alive and… deceased…
In turn, he told her of her family's own sordid history. Of a grandfather and father who'd collaborated eagerly with a growing fascist power. Of a secret project couched as medical trials on certain undesirables. Of unethical experiments and countless corpses in the twisted name of science. And of his own involvement and complicity in said crimes.
Rasch had been motivated by fear, mostly. His age and lack of both wife and children had started to elicit some unpleasant rumors about him, and it was only his own brilliance in the field of psychology and medicine, and a carefully crafted guise as a workaholic, that spared him from joining the so-called medical trials.
He then told young Anna of his own escape with the help of a certain institute of certain sexual sciences. Of how he came to America, and of how he learned of her family's own migration. He told of her of new medical trials, new experiments in California, New York and Alabama, and more in cities all across the country; of Blacks, Asians and anyone associated with Communist ideals and movements being brought in as participants.
It was only after she'd asked to have her brother rejoin them that Rasch realized he wasn't exactly doing the whole therapy thing properly. Then again, it seemed like Anna was taking things admirably well for someone who'd just learned her family had been heavily involved in crimes against mankind. That, and bedside manner had never been Rasch's forte.
Bit by bit, Anna began questioning more. Years of repressed confusion and curiosity finally bursting out onto the surface. Eventually she began vocalizing her own thoughts and opinions, ones she'd kept hidden for years. Slowly, confidence crept back into her voice, encouraged by the fact that her own brother listened and encouraged her from the side.
It brought back to mind of old friends he'd made back when he learned of the institute. He'd even made a brief trip in the east. To a small island nation whose people were, paradoxically more free than most others yet more repressed as well. That trip had almost gotten him into trouble with the authorities once he arrived back in America, but it was worth it.
More so now that he'd been brought back to the present the moment Anna asked, "What do I do?"
The question was broader that it seemed. It was a request for a solution to all their problems. Regarding her own desires, regarding her family, regarding everything wrong in the American society… But Rasch wasn't so all-seeing. For all his studies and experiences, he had no such all-encompassing solution…
The first answer to come to his mind was foolish, of course. Dangerous and irresponsible, should the Johansens or the authorities (who the Johansens no doubt had connections and ties to) ever find out, But that was it. "IF" they found out…
————————————————————————————————————————
Anna rechecked her papers. She'd made a habit of doing so every 15 minutes or so. Her two bags packed beside her. All she needed to do was lay low until the ship reached the Philippines. From there, a ride on a cargo ship would take her to Taiwan, where a fishing boat would eventually drop her off on some obscure island nation surrounded by nothing but ocean…
She had said only one farewell. Nobody could know what she was about to do, where she was about to go. It wouldn't take long for her to be reported as missing, and her family would no doubt spend no small amount of resources to find out what happened. While the meeting had been discrete, Dr. Rasch had already formed an alibi should he be questioned, and all that left was Oskar.
Dear Oskar, if she'd known just how deeply he'd worried for her, she'd have talked to him sooner. But now there was no more time. All those years she'd wasted distancing herself from him, and now she may never see him again. Her little brother could not afford to see her off. His alibi needed to be as ironclad as possible, and their farewell had come sooner than she'd liked.
There was no shock, or disgust on his face as she spoke of all the things she'd kept hidden and lied to herself about. Well, there was shock, but only when she spoke of the so-called treatments. Of psychotherapeutic and emetic drugs, aversion therapies and more. While being family had spared her from the most extreme treatments, it had been no less difficult to talk about.
In the end, right before telling her goodbye for what may be the very last time, Oskar had simply asked her if she was happy. And she was. She was scared, anxious, uncertain… but happy. Happy and free, for the first time and years. In reply, he smiled and said, "Then that's all that matters."
One of the sailors came up to her, the rest of the crew busy making preparations to cast off.
"You Mr. Johansen?"
Adjusting the hat on her… no, HIS head, he replied, "Yeah. We ready to go?"
"Just about. Cap'n wants me to check your papers, make sure you're who you say you are."
With some tense hands, he handed over the forged documents. The man unfolded them under the nearby lamppost, his eyes scanning the typewritten message therein.
"Alright… Lars… everything looks good. Follow me and I'll show ya where you can bunk in."
After taking back and pocketing the papers, Lars reached for his bags. Feeling the weight of his meagre belongings pulling down as if protesting his choices, he took his first steps forward.
With each step it seemed like years' worth of fear and frustration were being cast away, and as he took his first step on to the gangway, Lars quashed the urge to look back to all he'd ever known, and kept his eyes forward into the lit interior of the ship's cabin, to his future.
To a future unknown…
————————————————————————————————————————
A Future Unknown
As he waited for the ink to fully dry, Lars Johansen thought back to the trip he made all those years ago. For all the fear and uncertainty he'd once felt about it, the trip had been largely uneventful and incredibly boring. There were no mysterious thugs sent by his family to retrieve him, no assassins there to silence him before he could spill American secrets, not even pirates wanting to loot valuables and hold foreigners for ransom. While there had been that one customs agent who'd looked at his papers a little to closely, a thick wad of dollars had solved that problem.
No, the real excitement began when he'd first stepped foot onto Guangchou's exotic soil. His very identity had made him a most interesting and singular visitor, and later immigrant, but earning his place among the, at first, suspicious population had been nothing short of extraordinary.
While Wei Cai was more than happy to accept him as proof of the West's and capitalism's 'obvious' flaws, appearances had to be kept, and for all the strength of his hold on his people's lives, they still needed to be reassured lest it contribute to further discord. And thus, Lars had been conscripted as an agent for the nation's intelligence services for a time. In this regard, his Danish ancestry and American upbringing made him a unique and valuable addition, not to mention his originally female gender.
And so began a few years of clandestine and exciting detours on his way to a new home. While it had not been entirely pleasant, he had ended up making no small amount of friends and like-minded colleagues, learning crucial and outlandish skills and knowledge, and seeing all kinds of exotic and bizarre locales and sights. And no shortage of… interesting, and lethal, memories as well. That one incident with a murderous camel in Arabia, a pit of snakes in Vietnam, a daring escape in a hot air balloon over the skies of Tokyo, and that last, unforgettable jaunt across the Korean DMZ with a North Korean soldier, a Russian defector, and a bloodied pineapple. Yes… he would never look at pineapples the same way ever again…
And now, here he was, enjoying his freedom amongst people that behaved both so differently and similarly as the ones he grew up with. It had been a few lonely years at first, of course, when he'd been the strange foreigner who'd washed up at shore some years back, but over time he'd grown on the locals. He'd found so many things in common with them. And so many things that weren't as well.
That said, the few odd letters from Oskar had helped. A lot. After getting his degree, he'd set up his own practice, distancing himself from the family business. As for Lars, his family had eventually given up the search, writing him off as dead and mostly trying to forget him.
Of course, his old friends and contacts from his years doing wetwork had helped bridged some unknowns, informed him of notable events happening back in America, but he'd actively avoided any news about his family, aside from Oskar and Dr. Rasch.
Until now, of course. While Oskar had warned him of the fact, seeing Tomas again was still a shock, more so the fact that he was in the navy. Again, Oskar had written a bit of what had happened. How the pressure and the effect of Lars's disappearance on the family had eventually driven Tom to the brink. An argument had happened. Or several. Even Oskar hadn't been privy to all the details as he'd grown estranged to the family earlier on. In any case, Tom had joined the navy. So, there's that.
In a way, it would explain the myriad emotions he saw on his older brother's face. No small amount of confusion and anger clear as day at seeing his "younger sister" after all these years. He could only imagine what would have happened if Oskar had not cared about him so much, or if he'd found some way to say goodbye or write about what his decision to leave.
But that was "IF". He had made his choice. Even if Tom told their parents about seeing Lars in Guangchou, it wouldn't matter. Because whatever happened, he knew he at least still had family. Oskar would always be on his side.
And that made all the difference.
Note: just some background stuff about a minor character and some lesser lore about stuff in America.
To summarize, danish fam get involved with some unethical experiments from the nazis, migrate to america, make more questionable experiments and profit, mostly situated near or at some historical lgbt movement events (los angeles, new york, and also the one with african americans in tuskegee, alabama).
How did Lars get to Guangchou? Rasch had some experience moving around the world, and contacts among various groups, especially his old buddies now living in Guangchou. Plus it wouldn't be an unusual thing for an American to travel out of country. Harder to sneak a spy in and stay hidden.
Decided to be a bit vague on details since I couldnt let it run on for too long. Anyways, enjoy.
Last edited:
Twisted words, Twisted Intentions, but I still wish upon the stars
Twisted words, Twisted Intentions, but I still wish upon the stars
TW: Transphobia
"so, for this next story, what you must first understand is that dragons are a sacred creature. I understand that in your culture, dragons are often villains, and harbingers of great destruction, but in Asia, they are a symbol of good luck, and the heaven's favor. Think of them more like western angels"
Hsu Liu had been telling stories the whole evening. All the soldiers were enjoying themselves, and the english speaking host had only helped things along, with her accessible stories and grand evocative gestures. And yet, she was still missing that key response that she was here for. She knew that she was here for a specific reason, and that Taiwan had expectations of her. And yet, things were not going to plan. She composed herself, and continued with what she hoped would be a final attempt to get the correct reaction out of the american soldiers. She gave a small smile, and continued, "A dragon is an animal of the heavens"
"but in the sea, we are closest to the dark evils that lie in the depths of the earth. In the seas, hiding in the great depths, are the children of the evil goddess. Starved of the light of the heavens, only deformed things lie there."
A shush seemed to sweep over the hall, as all awaited Hsu to continue.
"Of course, our story does not start with the evils of the deep, or the dragons of the heavens, but instead with a girl, Peng Ying, caring for her ailing father while living on Guangchou. He was a fisherman, but for the past few years, he had been fighting with an illness that had kept him from his work.
Being an honorable daughter, she took care of her father, and even tried her hand at fishing. And yet she could never make enough money to pay for the local doctor to come look at her father.
Until one night, Peng Ying made a silent plea to the sky for things to be better. And right afterwards, a star fell into the ocean. Peng Ying immediately went out to sea, and dived in, attempting to find the star and sell it. She believed that this might finally be the way to save her father.
Instead, she found a small injured ... dragon, without wings or limbs. Rather like a snake. It laid helpless in its damaged armor"
Hsu seemed to give a conspiratorial glance at all the attendees, as if this was supposed to yield some great insight. But no one present understood what snakes meant in eastern mythology. Or perhaps, they misunderstood her intent.
"This snake told Ping Ying that it was weak and injured from its descent from the heavens, and that it needed her help. It even promised to help heal her father if she followed the dragon's instructions.
So from that day forth, Peng Ying made sure to feed the dragon part of the rations she normally set aside for her father, and for a full week, she tried to nurse the dragon to health. but that eel- I mean snake, did not grow in size. "
No seemed to notice Hsu's slip, or they just didn't react, but Hsu continued on, pretending it never happened.
"At last, Peng Ying asked what else she needed to do to help the snake, and it replied that there was a greedy spring spirit on the island, that was sapping his spirit. He asked her to play a prank on the sea spirit, and to take an old rotten egg and drop it in the highest, and most pure spring in Guangchou.
However, the snake commented on how Peng Ying was not ready for such a journey yet, and that she needed armor. And so the snake touched her chest, and transformed it into a scaly flat mass. Peng Ying could feel the weight, and the snake explained that this armor would protect her from the mountain's wrath.
Peng Ying did as she was told, foregoing even attending her father for a day in order to climb the volcano and get to the spring. But when she dropped the most rotten egg she could find, the whole mountain seemed to shudder, and within moments, the spring started spewing forth corruption and vile. Ping Ying fled to overwhelming stench of rotten eggs, and went directly back to the snake, asking about what she had done.
The snake, now in an effeminate dress with lipstick painted on, explained it away as a small, temporary curse, and then continued with its next favor. It asked Peng Ying to ascend to the peak, and give black coral to the mountain god. The snake explained that the volcano needed to eat all the coral around the island, but that the spring spirit had been stopping it before. Now the dragon needed to empower itself, in order to help the dragon.
It explained that the forest atop the mountain would try and stop her, and so that she would need to cut her hair short to avoid being caught. And so the snake once again touched her, and hair hair started falling off, until just an inch remained on the top of her head.
And so Peng Ying, now prepared, ascended the volcano, with the blackest, dirtiest piece of coral she could find. She ascended to the lip of the caldera, where the mountain smoked and ailed and cried out for help. And she plunged in the piece of coral. the mountain screamed and yelled but all it produced was more black coral, and large swathes of black smoke.
Peng Ying, once again frightened by the reaction of the mountain, went back to the snake. And when she asked, the snake easily replied that pain must always be a part of the healing process."
Hsu could tell she had the crowd's attention. That they were all awaiting how this finally resolved. And so, after a brief pause, she continued
"And so Peng Ying asked for her final task, but the snake replied that she should spend a day at home. And so Peng Ying returned home.
After she arrived, her father met with her and explained that he had finally settled out a marriage proposal between her and one of the sons of another fisherman. Her father told her that she should be prepared to marry the day after next.
Peng was terrified, and come the next day, she immediately returned to the snake. She asked the snake how she could be happy with this marriage, and that now that she helped the dragon, she deserved a much larger reward.
The snake, now in regal attire, agreed, replying that she certainly had been a great help to him, and that she deserved to marry a prince. She deserved more than what she could get in this hovel, and that now that he was recovered, he would certainly take her to the heavens with him. She just needed to finish one final task.
The snake asked Peng to make a vow to abandon her home and her father, and that then she would be able to return with him to his home, and enjoy her reward. And so Peng Ying cursed out her father, swearing by blood oath that she had never known him.
Immediately, she was transformed into a hideous beast as the eel laughed. He explained that he had never been a dragon, and that he had always been tricking her. It laughed at how it transformed her, and promised that now the whole island would get to experience such things now that IT WAS HIS! Peng was immediately dragged down to the depths of the ocean, and the final thing she saw was the snake reaching out to the former home she had doomed with her greed.
Immediately, the island rocked as the eel took control, now that the island's gods (the spring spirit, and the volcano goddess) were dead. The eel even added a 'tail' to the island, which is why the Guangchou almost reaches and infects Taiwan today.
And now a snake claims its a dragon, and the heavens weep. Now we know the celestial consequences for falling for any such lie.
Hsu took a bow to ... some polite clapping. As she looked around, she could tell that only a few soldiers had liked the ending, and that even the few who did, were only really engaged because they were extremely drunk. It hurt her pride that she couldn't sell a nationally acclaimed (Across all of Taiwan/China) story here, but she knew she had the rest of the evening.
She remembered quite distinctly how the government agent had explained that reinforcing the loyalty of the american soldiers to Taiwan was an utmost priority, and how they needed to be reminded of what a treacherous place Guangchou was really like.
Hsu calmed herself, and prepared to continue again. She had all night to spread all sorts of stories. She would get the necessary reaction with one of her other stories. She continued again, with something new...
...
Petty Officer Ethane Crawfordson had thought he would enjoy the translated myths from their guide, but he couldn't help feeling all of it was a bit mean-spirited, and that the stories felt ... artificial, or designed? He knew he was missing every other word the Guangchou prostitute had been saying when she had been describing some myths, but all of her stories felt magical, and honest ... and kind. This had felt like some of the commercials back at home, selling another piece of crap you didn't need by implying you were a piece of crap without it.
He sat of a concrete pier in port and it all felt so very empty. No, he felt like his soul was being choked out by all the smog in the air, or that his body was walking through a swamp that kept sapping his free will. Everything felt so wrong these days. He couldn't help but remember the quiet nights he had spent with Hu Meixiu, where she had just passed the time telling stories, or singing or playing some stupid game. He remembered those few quiet moments where she became the only person that let him cry and weep at the world. He remembered... and he couldn't stop remembering.
He wanted to go back...
And a falling star quietly passed by and listened....
So I imagine that Guangchou myths have migrated over to Taiwan for a long time... but after the KMT fled to Taiwan, they probably tried to put a stop to those myths, and demonize Guangchou. And part of that effort was to twist some of the myths so that they demonized Guanchou, instead of praising its values.
And now, Taiwan is recycling those old efforts and altered myths to help propagandize the Americans about Guangchou. Its not going well though.
so changes are:
- father was lame, not sick; he could work on his own and Peng Ying kind of forced himself into working alongside his father. His father did not appreciate this
- The doctor was never a plot point in the original
- Peng Ying's name is not given in the original version.
- Peng Ying explicitly asked the heavens how to be happy
- the snake/eel is actually a shapeshifting dragon from the heavens, the altered version kind of forgot about the fallen star
- The Dragon's shapeshifting is a bigger deal in the original. The entire first week of recovery, the Dragon had a different costume each time Peng visited
- The first task was to remove the smell from the local spring, by removing a rotten egg. It was explained further that this would be a problem next year, but that he could help stem the problem for now
- the volcanic task was similar, except she was asking the volcano to help make more coral; it was originally a way to explain the local coral reef
- there was never supposed to be any third task. The dragon just let Peng go home
- The marriage proposal was initially introduced at the beginning of the story, and he didn't know why he felt dread
- This reintroduction to his home was supposed to be a moment where the father kicked Peng out because the father's plans to get rich from the male family's dowry was ruined; this was supposed to be part of the big climax of the story, where Peng has to choose between his own happiness, and serving his father in a joyless role for the rest of their life
- The Dragon's first (rejected) and last task was not a vow against his father, but instead for Peng to sacrifice his name (and this is also why a name isn't given in the original story; the only name we mortals would know is the one he abandoned)
- The theme of family vs personal happiness was in the original work, with a very different conclusion about what was important though
- Peng Ying's original reward was just supposed to be some wisdom about how to live a happier life. At least, that is what he thought.
- Yes, the dragon helped with the transformation.
- Yes, they were always supposed to marry at the end
- The added land to guangchou was in the original fable, with the land being given as a dowry from the dragon prince
Last edited:
Non-Canon - The Road Not Taken: Take Me to the Stars!
CLASSIFIED FOOTAGE
Project: KUNLUN
Year: —DATA SCRUBBED—
Location: BAY 0 - DECK 81 - PRIMARY CONTROL ROOM
Lai Tianru watched the clock count down to zero, nearing the end of the year, the dawn of a new era… and the culmination of Project Kunlun.
The collective dream of Guangchou would be fulfilled, the Great Leader's secret promise along with it, and a new era for their people would arise. There would be no turning back at this point. Decades of secrecy, counterintelligence and espionage would be justified as their goal was reached. The hardships and defeats of years past would be avenged and justice would finally be upheld.
Guangchou would rise. Figuratively AND literally.
They all felt the violent rumbling of the earth intensify as the engines rose to their maximum output. Lai Tianru stood proud and tall as her team held tight to railings or gripped, white-knuckled onto the their seat harnesses. The ascent would no doubt be smoother and more comfortable than the Americans and their primitive shuttles and rockets, but for many on Guangchou, they would be less than prepared and taken partially by surprise. No small number of their people would have only learned about the truth a few hours before the launch; a necessary measure to preserve the secrecy and success of the Grand Project and the Monumental Journey they would soon undertake.
The control room's displays indicated that the power plants and engines were fully in-sync and primed for the most rigorous part of the ascent, alongside the steadily rising altimeter. From there, the life support systems, environmental seals and redundancy systems finished initializing and showed green all across the board. Ahead, a new countdown appeared, signaling the final preparations for the Ascent.
Deep within the belly of the beast, a distant whine starting rising, the key piece of technology, central to Kunlun, finally waking up.
As the smallest hint of doubt crept into her mind, Lai Tianru recalled everything she'd sacrificed for the project. No lovers, no children, no life beyond meticulously scheduled meetings and long hours in the bowels of massive and near-mythical technologies and machineries. She was a nobody outside the project, a ghost, nonexistent to the people she'd sworn to serve save for the comparatively few dozen who knew the full extent of Kunlun, and the Great Leader's Plan.
Yes, the Great Leader, this had been as much his obsession as it was hers, a kindred spirit with a desire to see his people rise as grandly as Guangchou was physically about to do…
No regrets, no looking back… only forward.
Within, the main drive's whining noise finally rose to it's peak, energy levels spiking across the screens yet somehow, miraculously, staying within the optimum range. Against all odds, the once fictional, and frankly still near-magical, gravity drive was doing as it was once theorized to do so by some of Germany's most eccentric, yet brilliant, scientists. The drive whirred, the auxiliary engines roared, and the power plants rumbled.
And Guangchou… Guangchou rose…
Through the clouds, through the thinning atmosphere, past orbital paths and over gawking stares and focused cameras broadcasting a sky-splitting event across a shocked world…
…And into the void, to a future unknown, and a fate uncertain… yet with boundless hope.
EDIT: Figured I'd write a What-If scenario as to what our future might have been if we got Walkure. No, I won't write what-ifs about the catfolk project, for that future is inevitable. INEVITABLE.
Anyways, made sure to leave the date uncertain, also, the Great Leader may be our MC, or maybe a descendant or maybe someone else entirely. Either way, Guangchou is Guangchou, and she's on her way to sail the stars.
P.S. Was gonna hijack the moon along the way but figured that'd be a dick move to the people stuck back on Earth.
