Sunset Sea Islands

THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BROADCAST. ON MONDAY, APRIL 19TH, 2021, 22:59 SST, ALL MEMBERS OF THE HIGH COUNCIL, INCLUDING FIRST SPEAKER GAO HE PING, HAVE BEEN APPREHENDED AND PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST. COLONEL ISHIJIMA HAS BEEN ENDOWED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FORMING A TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT TO RESTORE LAW AND ORDER IN THE SUNSET SEA ISLANDS. A CURFEW IS COMING INTO EFFECT. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOMES UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. KEEP DOORS AND WINDOWS CLOSED AT ALL TIMES. TV AND RADIO RECEIVERS ARE TO REMAIN ON. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION IS SUSPENDED. INTERNET ACCESS IS RESTRICTED TO DOMESTIC SITES ONLY. ALL NATIONALS OVERSEAS ARE RECALLED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT. FOREIGN DIPLOMATS ARE TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY WITHIN TWO DAYS. UNAUTHORISED INTRUSIONS INTO TERRITORIAL WATERS AND OR AIR SPACE WILL BE MET WITH IMMEDIATE AND LETHAL FORCE. REPEATING: THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC...

On Succession 1. 1. My father had told me about the day the sun, instead of setting beyond the horizon, fell onto the place where now stands, somewhat cynically named, Sunset City. 2. From a hospital in the countryside, in which he was recovering from the injuries he suffered during the war, he saw the flash of light that blew away the Imperial Palace and with it the old ways. 3. Soon, the hospital was filled with victims of the subsequent fire, which grew stronger with every house it consumed. 4. And as the fire had swallowed the capital whole, it dug into the ancient forests around it, leaving nothing but charred earth. 5. But as the burns across the victims' bodies healed, so did nature reclaim the gaping wounds torn into the mountainside. 2. 1. More than two decades later, I remember talking to a friend at university, who studied to become a dendrologist. 2. He explained to me that after disturbances, such as landslides or wildfires, nature returns in successive phases. 3. The primary successors are lichen, algae and fungi, which pave the way for grasses, weeds and shrubs to grow. 4. And as the once dead soil becomes brimming with life once again, mighty trees start growing anew, forming what is known as a stable climax community. 5. However, my friend explained, a verdant forest is only the theoretical, potential vegetation of an environment rising from the ashes of its predecessor. 6. It often happens that intermediate phases of ecological succession prevail, suffocating saplings underneath, preventing them from realising their rightful potential. 3. 1. Such is also the nature of human communities. Whereas some grow to prosper, others are stifled by forces attempting to prevent them from achieving their destiny. 2. These forces are the scourges of apathy, indecision, and sloth. For to reach a goal, resolute, directed, and collective action is needed. 3. Now, three-quarters of a century after the disturbance, we have shaken off our chains and broken the reign of directionlessness. 4. And as the skyscrapers of the new capital grew, and the trees of the forests surrounding it did, our nation follows in the same manner: skyward, towards our rightful place.

Quotations from Chairman Gao He Ping is a short book setting out the political philosophy of Sunset Sea Islandian leader Gao He Ping. It is a collection of statements, thoughts and speeches written throughout the life of the Chairman of the Party of Radiance. The book is commonly printed in small, easy-to-carry sizes, bound in golden covers, thus becoming known as the Little Golden Book.

@Grenesia I love those borders. Looks very country-ish/ unartificial.

"Bartender, one Morlavitra please! And for my lovely company, one Costa Scura!" Jokes aside, these names sound legit! Really cool choice (can't wait for the day I rename my cities either).

I guess that's it then. @Orioni Damn, it really was smart of @Variota to grab Lukinagrad, now that there are actually other people close to the Keelpijp.

Full conference halls were a common sight at Elegy HQ. The past two years of financial success and economic growth cemented Elegy's position as the nations premier provider of consumer electronics and multimedia services. From laptops to TV sets, from payment services to home security systems: Elegy had permeated every nook and cranny of the tech market it had found. Whilst competing brands de facto still existed, their size paled in comparison to the economic behemoth that was Elegy. Monopoly laws in the Sunset Sea Islands were lax enough for Elegy to be able to absorb them, however, maintaining alibi competitors was an integral part of corporate strategy. Trying to compete with Elegy provided a reason for other companies to research and develop innovative technology. Then, however, it was only a question of time before Elegy would purchase the rights to use said new technologies or acquire the competing R&D teams outright. Elegy's could then allocate more resources to the refinement of said technologies than their creators could have ever hoped to, thereby making competing products obsolete and unprofitable. The combination of the exploitation of David's creativity in Goliath's face and Elegy's immense funds and brand recognition had made Elegy into the unshakable tech titan it was. Now, once more, news republics, tech influencers and lucky members of the public awaited Elegy's newest presentation. Hundreds of eyes were glued to the stage, expecting the young CEO of the megacorporation, Liên Viênxuân. Then, an aide walked onto the stage and nervously began to speak. "So, umm, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming out tonight, as you all can see, I am not Mrs Viênxuân. My name is Shinji and I am a personal assistant to Mrs Viênxuân. Currently, we don't actually know where she is, she is a very busy person, I'm sure she has her reasons, I bet her other positions need a lot of attention as well, and, um, I'd appreciate it, if you could be patient for a little while, I'm sure she'll join us very soon. I'll try calling her again, if you could give me a moment..." As the aide holds his phone against his ear, the silence is broken by a well-known ringtone jingle. A single spotlight is cast on the source of the sound. A camera zooms towards it and shows the image of a familiar-looking lady in an elegant dress, a big sun hat and disproportionally large sunglasses on the screen behind the speaker. The sound appears to come from her glistering, black, MYNE-branded handbag. The aide addresses her: "Excuse me, Mrs., but could you please turn the sounds off or leave the room if you need to take a call? We know this is a weird situation, but please, we'd appreciate it if you could mute your phone." The woman performs a dismissive gesture with her hand. The camera zooms in on her bag as she reaches inside. The movements of the camera follow her hand as she pulls a tiny, black, shiny square out of the bag. What happens next, amazes press and public alike: the woman unfolds the tiny, ringing square into a fully fledges smartphone. She holds it to her ear and begins to speak. Her voice can be heard throughout the entire hall. It is the voice of none other but Liên Viênxuân. "Hey there, Shinji. Can I help you with anything?" Applause erupts throughout the hall, as Liên takes off her MYNE hat and sunglasses and walks up to the stage, smiling and waving for the cameras in the process. "Thank you so much for coming to the 2020 Elegy keynote! It is a pleasure to welcome all of you here!" Lien closes the clampshell-like device and puts it back into her pocket. The audience groans. "Oh, this? You want to know about this?" Again, the audience bursts in applause. "It's nothing special, just the very first device in Elegy's lineup of foldable smartphones! May I present to you: the Elegy G Flip!" A promotional animation showcasing the revolutionary new device starts playing in the background. "The G Flip is nothing less than what it looks like, folks" Lien continues. "It is a fully functional smartphone, just as you know it, except that it can fold down like the good old flip phones all of us were obsessed with at the beginning of the millennium. The G Flip is a no-compromise phone. Not only does it include flagship specs, thanks to our ultra-thin foldable glass displays you are not making concessions in user experience either. Thanks to its rigid hinge, you can use it as a hand mirror, have it stand during video calls, or you can play games on it like in the good old days of handheld gaming. Furthermore, when it's closed, it takes up less space in your pocket and the screen itself is protected against scratches better than a conventional smartphone would be! Naturally, a secondary, always-on OLED display on the outside of the device shows you the most important information you need at any given time: date, time, weather, notifications and even Synapse crime prognostics!" Whilst a thunderstorm of camera flashes is unleased and a new wave of applause reverberates through the conference hall, Liên takes a sip of water from a glass on her lectern. "Naturally, this amazing technology is way too versatile only to use it in clamp-shell-style devices. Why would you only make something that is already small even smaller, when you could just as well make something small larger? This is the idea behind the Elegy G Fold, the Flip's larger brother: please take a look." The massive screen behind the speaker shifts to a different promotional video. This time, it shows a device the size of a normal smartphone fold open into a larger, tablet-like format. "There are so many uses for larger screens in everyday situations. Whether you need more screen real estate to work on your million-cell spreadsheet, whether you are a digital artist who wants to draw on the go, or whether you want to read an e-book or stream some videos on your train ride home: the G Fold is perfect for you. Having a fully-fledged back camera right next to a screen also eliminates the need for a selfie camera, since you can now use the superior sensors on the backside of your device." Again, Liên smiles for the cameras, as the audience applauds and flashes illuminate the dark hall. "As you can see, even though this technology is in its infancy, there are so many use cases for this technology. Later this evening, Shinji will tell you about how Elegy will use this technology in other devices, such as rollable TV sets or curved screens for specialised work stations. For now, one thing is clear: The future is foldable, and the future is now."

It didn't take long for the first club members to respond to Ken's voicemail. > lmao, did u hit ur head, Ken? > bruh did you confuse your masturbation phantasies with reality? > POIDH Using nothing but his toes, Ken stripped off his sandals and left them at the doorstep. To prove his words and to escape the ridicule in the chat room, he sneakily approached the girl and snapped a picture. Her bright skin and white gown contrasted with the old, brown sofa's sunken cushions. Although the picture was slightly blurred, the chatroom's members reacted immediately. > tf how did she get in there > take a pic up her skirt, lol Thankfully, there were members of the club who could provide actually constructive answers. Tomoyuki, the flat owner's younger brother, reacted quickly. > holy shit, I'll be right there. Give me 10 mins. > @Tomohiro > @Tomohiro > @Tomohiro > @Tomohiro > @Tomohiro His elder brother, whose smartphone must have just unleashed a cascade of rapid vibrations in his pocket, replied as well. > I'll try to get home ASAP. >does she pose a danger? >is anything missing? With fast taps of his fingers, Ken typed his answer. > So far she's just sleeping. Everything looks fine here. Should I wake her up? Call the cops? A few seconds later, Tomohiro's reply appeared on the old ElePhone's screen, which was cracked despite the phone's rugged case. > if she's just sleeping, let her be for now. > have Yuki close the door once he's there. > don't want cops in my room or anywhere near my PC. > also, how tf should I explain some random teen chick in my room? > leaving ASAP > hold down the fort Ken pocketed his smartphone. Carefully, he snuck closer and examined the girl's face. Never before had he seen anyone with skin as white as hers. Tiny red veins were visible on her delicate, almost translucent eyelids. Her eyelashes were as devoid of colour as her hair. Ken could feel her soft breath on his forehead. She was certainly pretty and her exotic appearance mesmerised the pubescent teen. Then, from the corner of his field of vision, he saw Tomoyuki, his childhood friend, enter the apartment. As the boy carefully entered the room, Ken held his index finger in front of his lips, after which he made a gesture imitating a key being turned in a lock with his right hand. Even in this, slightly outdated, part of town, the concept of physical keys was long antiquated. Yuki held his phone to the panel next to the door handle. Upon recognition of the NFC signal, the lock engaged. Whilst many people had learned to accept the Synapse System and to trust the electronic lock as the only means of closing their doors, Tomohiro had installed an additional bolt lock on his door, which Yuki closed as quietly as possible. To minimise the risk of waking the girl up, the two of them pulled out their phones again and exchanged a couple of messages. > thhhhhhhhhe ffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkkkkk > what should we do > idk man > she just lying there? > yeah > checked the web yet? > n > let's do that then On their toe tips, as if imitating sneaking cartoon figures, the two of them slowly moved towards Tomohiro's desk. Instead of booting up the PC though, Ken turned on the antiquated cathode ray TV which stood next to the computer monitor. For a moment, the two of them were scared that the TV might blast some loud sounds upon activation, which might have woken the girl up. Thankfully, the screen only displayed the logo of CH4. As children they often observed the Channel 4 logo bounce around the 3:4 convex screen, waiting for it to hit a corner of the screen. Now, as teens, they formed the newest generation of CH4 users. The economic boom in the latter half of the past century made the Sunset Sea Islands an international epicentre for technological development. Electronics made in SSI enjoyed great popularity abroad. @Orioni businesspeople relied on their trusty digital wristwatches, @Sayfi militias used SSI-made radios to communicate and @Gallambrian school children relied on their pocket calculators, all of which were manufactured in the SSI and exported all over the world. Naturally, this technological boom also included the world of television. Whilst the medium itself wasn't invented in the SSI, during wartimes villages prided themselves in having a radio citizens could listen to on the main square, the nation made several improvements to the technology over the years. Flat-screen TVs were first produced on an industrial scale in the SSI, digital and smart television also experienced their infancy on the archipelago. SSI television shows were dubbed and exported all over the world as well, in the SSI, however, viewership was stagnating. Whilst middle-aged people and senior citizens still enjoyed the content provided by the various public and privately-owned stations, many people born around the turn of the millennium felt a disconnect to this antiquated medium. For individuals who grew up in a world of instant news cycles and video on demand, the slow and unresponsive television programme was deeply unattractive. However, there was one aspect of television which secretly experienced a renaissance amongst technology enthusiasts: videotext. Thanks to the history of refinement of TV-related technologies in the SSI, it wasn't hard to acquire TV frequencies to broadcast one's original programme. Whilst the licenses weren't cheap, a group of passionate enthusiasts could afford one by saving up and pitching in. In contrast to other stations, Channel 4, the largest of the underground TV stations, did not broadcast any actual audiovisual programme. Isntead, the crowdfunded station focussed entirely on its videotext. Whilst most other stations used the outdated protocol to display news, broadcast schedules or weather reports, CH4 was a messageboard. Through the use of either a website or an application, users could submit messages or answers to those of others. The first few pages of the board were a catalogue of ongoing discussions. New ones or ones with recent replies were displayed at the top, whilst older ones would gradually slip towards the end. Once the board exceeded its 999-page limit, the oldest messages were deleted, although some dedicated users ran CH4 archives preserving the conversations for posterity. The advantage of this convoluted system was that you didn't need an internet connection to read the board. As long as you found a TV set, you could always see what was going on in the chaotic, collective community of Channel 4. Furthermore, with internet surveillance ramping up under the new administration, using an antiquated medium was a perfect way of running unmoderated forums without raising suspicion. First, the two boys browsed the catalogue for mentions of missing people or anything related to break-ins, home intruders or runaway girls. Their search didn't yield any results. Ken pulled out his smartphone and accessed the CH4 app. After solving the captcha preventing spam by robots, he posted the following message: After refreshing the page a couple of times, replies slowly came in. Most of them, however, didn't provide any useful feedback. Answers ranged from "call the cops" (which they had ruled out beforehand), over "tfw no burglar gf" to users saying they'd take pictures of her or worse. There was only one reply which somewhat made sense. At that moment, the two boys noticed a shadow being cast onto the desk from behind them. Slowly they turned around and saw the girl peeking across their shoulders. Both screamed, which caused the girl to jump backwards, bare her fangs and to hiss. For a few seconds, the two parties stared at each other quietly. Then, the girl's stomach growled. "Want some ramen?" Tomoyuki asked.

Hey @Grenesia, so, purely from reading your previous posts, I would have never guessed that area was where your country was located in your imagination. The post-Soviet feel definitely put it in Argis in my head, where most such countries are located. Iirc, there were talks once about how that area was largely occupied by a USSR-like superstate that broke up into many of the countries visible in that part of the map. These aspects would make an Argic position even more logical for you. The southern coast of Argis would fit your climatic descriptions and proximity to @Cavunia, a catholic Polish-like country and @Prymont, our regional nordic powerhouse, would make the setting of your nation much more plausible than the middle of Marenesia, which would make much more sense for a post-colonial state. (Yellow being mediterranean climate) Personally, I think this area would be quite fitting for you, as it would fir both your climatic, political and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, a strategic position such as this would have major influences on your political and economic potential. Much lore could also have been built on theoretical socialist superstates wanting to seize your territory to challenge @Variotan control over the Keelpijp. Let me know what you think about this idea.

Witamy!

That would indeed be the case. In the old map, that part of Thalassa was amongst the most unrealistic in the entire map. Maybe this island would be a suitable compromise, @Salvia: I feel Salvian presence would be more justifiable in a place like this. Alternatively, if latitude is important to you, you can wait for the map update and argue with @Shffahkia about that one island that got placed close to Shffahkian shores.

Both.

@Salvia The Marenesia-Minorian claims are fine, but I can't see myslef not vetoing any Thalassan claims for now.

@Oyus might certainly be hit by tsunamis from time to time, but the @Gallambrian territories and @Seylos might have it worse. Same goes for islands on the @Little Flauton plate. Also, depending on their placement on the map, @Yeosan might also be hit from time to time, but I think the transformative line between the Adisi and the Fulgiotan plate might be less active than the one between the Dolch and the Adisi plate. Oh yes, gib, those things are great! The last time I rode one of these must have been in Hastings back in '15! Might even think how viable they would be for my country, since the capital slowly expands into the eastern mountains.

Iirc from a supplementary geomorphology seminar, there's a volcano underneath Italy that could f*ck over the entirety of Europe, should it ever erupt. De facto the European equivalent to Yellowstone. It's all in the realm of possibility, so if you want your nation to sit on a planetary death machine, that could certainly be arranged.