Map Contest/Archive 26

Contest 26: Stuck in Traffic (Friday, May 29th - Thursday, June 18th)

 * After a chosen point in history, technology stops progressing with the aid of MTEs (Machines of Tolkien-esque Eternity) but nations keep fighting each other and invading shit. Basically make a map of the present day as it you think it might look if humanity stopped making technological advances.

Renaissance Forever (LightningLynx89)
Imagine it's Leonardo Da Vinci's dream world, all day everyday. Yes folks, nothing has passed since 1450. The old knights and kings still rule Europe's politics, meanwhile primitive guns and cannons are still the top of the line in advanced warfare, and the peasants under rule are so close to being free, but can't really achieve it. This world is still divided by old rivalries and old ideals.

Urban Technology in Limbo -Seiga


In this timeline, the technology stops advancing shortly after the Japanese invented and created the Mitsubishi Zero. Soon, the Second World War advances as normal though the Japanese do not attack the specific ship port in Hawaii in 1941, leaving the US to never enter the war. With this, the Japanese manage to remain victorious in battles though would soon find themselves being stalled in China. In Europe, the Soviets had managed to capture most of Germany and all of Austria, while the other allies managed to barely liberate the Netherlands, Rhineland and Southern Italy. The Second World War ends in 1949 with an allied victory in Europe and Japanese victory in Asia. As time went on, the US soon got winded up in the Cold War with the British and French, while the Japanese decided to ally with the Soviets. The Cold War ravaged on, with the Soviets and Japanese aiding independence movements in Africa and Asia, and help support any governments in turning Communist and Japanese-aligned, respectively. India got their independence later in 1960, though had managed to remain unified with the aid of the Soviets and Japanese. The capitalists would find themselves in a losing battle, as more governments turn away from them and allying with either the Soviets or Japanese, even close to home.

In 1991, the British-French Coalition would crumble away, the US became Balkanised, and the Rhineland and Southern Italy became annexed by the Soviets as well. The Philippines managed to declare independence from the US, but found themselves in a quick war by the Japanese and Indonesians, and ended up being split. Alaska was re-annexed by the Soviets, and the Japanese gained Hawaii.

In 2000, people from the now former (and reduced) USA begun to launch attacks against the Soviets and Japanese, which started up a lengthy war across the former US with the Soviet-Japanese Coalition and supported governments by them on one side, and the rebels that aim to restore the US on the other. As of 2014, the war is slowly siding more into the Soviet-Japanese favour.

Technology in the timeline has not changed since 1940, and the Mitsubishi Zero remained the difficult to beat plane and remained only used by the Japanese, as no one else had managed to get the plans from them. Nuclear weapons were not invented and nuclear energy never became into fruition. Electric and steam powered cars are more common than fuel based cars as they are more friendly to the environment and the fact that fuel and petrol are better left for military technology.

The main characters of the Touhou Project (which is a film and novel series in this timeline) are Kasen Ibaraki and Mamizou Futatsuiwa. Utsuho Reiuji does not exist in Touhou as nuclear power never really happened.

The Stronk and the Ludicrous: Temporal Rift (Scraw)
The Temporal Rift was opened on the 22nd of February. What year? Every year. 1641. The interference did some fucking wizardry upon history and everyone stopped moving forward.

The most affected regions were Europe, the Far East, and the Americas. The colonization of the Americas was disrupted. England was thrown into a bloody war that resulted in the severing of the United Kingdom. This slowed the English colonization of North America. In fact, much of OTL English North America was colonized by France, Spain, and Scotland. The end of technological progress allowed the smaller and weaker nations to catch up to the most powerful nations. From Asia, China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam all participated in the colonization of the West Coast of North America. This also motivated Russia to move faster. North America was splintered between over ten nations.

At home in Europe, business continued as usual. The major nations continued to fight each other. Although technology did not progress, occasionally ideas did. Ideas such as constitutional monarchy took control in nations such as England, France, and later even Russia. The status quo in Europe remained relatively the same until the mid 1700s. The Holy Roman Empire collapsed due to infighting and outside pressure. The vacuum left behind by the HRE was filled by many new nations. An ambitious Genoese man named Napoleon started a war to unite Italy. He was backed by France and their allies. In Central Europe, the power of Austria crumbled as nations such as Hungary went independent. The German area quickly became divided into new nations, each backed by a new foreign power. In the northwest, England and the Netherlands backed Hanover. France backed Bavaria, Russia back Saxony, and Prussia stood on its own. The next twenty years in Europe became known as the Long War for a never-ending series of conflicts that was chaotic and brutal.

The chaos in Europe opened the way for a new era in the Americas. Colonies began declaring independence. Many of them won it easily. Napoleon began a great campaign against much of Europe that destabilized France and Spain. The colonies of New France, New Spain, and later Nova Scotia became independent. Louisiana also gained its independence soon after. Seven nations rose from the dust in North America: Canada, New France, Nova Scotia, Louisiana, Florida, New Spain, and the Golden Coast. The new nations of North America were often at war with each other. This remained the same until the early to mid 1800s. Around this time, New England declared independence. When it became independent, New England chose as its king a man of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha called Leopold.

Leopold then began a campaign to unite at least the eastern coast of North America. He first conquered Florida. The Floridian government was weak and unstable. After six months of fighting, Floridian forces surrendered. He also named his nephew Prince August Duke of Florida. After the surrender of Florida, Leopold turned his attention north to Canada and Nova Scotia. Canada and Nova Scotia had signed a mutual defense pact against Leopold. However, Leopold took advantage of Native Americans and Englishmen living in Canada. They began a guerrilla campaign in his name. Assisted with part of Leopold's forces, the rebels took Montreal within a year. Meanwhile, Leopold focused his attention on Nova Scotia. He seized the capital of Albion in 1821, making him king of all the lands east of the Mississippi and south of New France. After the defeat of Nova Scotia, he named his new realm the United Kingdom of North America. The United Kingdom then attacked Louisiana. However, Louisiana's military was weak and unprepared, and the war only lasted as long the sieges of the three major Louisianan cities. The only independent lands left to conquer were the Golden Coast, Mexico, and New France. However, he was repulsed in the west and his armies could not pass the Rockies to reach the Golden Coast. Leopold's War of Conquest ended in 1831 after nine years of war.

Leopold fought another war against New France in the 1840s. However, this war was a great failure and resulted in the death of Louis-Philippe, the Prince of Maryland and heir to the throne. Leopold died peacefully in 1865 and was succeed by his son Leopold II.

Meanwhile in Europe, the conditions had not improved. War was constant and nations rose and fell. However, Germany was divided into three instead of hundreds. The main German powers were Prussia-Saxony, Hanover, and Bavaria. There was also Austria, but Austria focused less on Germany and more on Hungary, who was supported by Russia. Hungary and Russia led a great war against the Ottoman Empire that greatly reduced its size. Constantinople was freed and a Greek nation was established.

The colonization of Africa, however, was mostly divided between the four great nations of Europe: England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands, as well as minor Hanoverian, Prussian, Italian, and Portuguese colonies. The east was more divisive, however. In India, the subcontinent had been shattered into hundreds of princely states and a handful of great nations. The Europeans weakened these great nations of India and conquered the small princely states. India was divided into six or sometimes seven nations.

History continued. People fought wars, empires were built and the same empires were destroyed and scattered to the wind. The United Kingdom eventually defeated the Golden Coast and entered a personal union with Mexico, although New France and Novorossiya remained to stand against it. In Europe, many of the larger empires and kingdoms lost their way. People continued to fight on horseback and use swords and primitive firearms. Electricity as we know it was never discovered or harnessed. Buildings never rose to touch the sky and man never escaped it. A bleak world to live and die in.

Maya Rises (Upvoteanthology)
Basically, it's 1500's-punk. Native countries in the new world grow, while European colonies stagnate.



Renaissance Forever (LightningLynx89)

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Maya Rises (Upvoteanthology)

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