Chapter Two

It took the better part of two months, but we, by the Grace of God, arrived in New York harbor. I had never seen so many ships coming and going in my life, nor had I seen so many people in one place before. You see, I was used to small villages or an English Estate. And another surprise, the captain took me with him. He told me, this was his last voyage. He docked the ship and left it, in case he ever needed it again, and we prepared to head upstate to a plot of land he had inherited from an uncle he never met. So, we set off with some money he made from trading and in a couple weeks, we had arrived. It was a small open spot, on a hill and surrounded by trees on all sides except for a cliff that overlooked a natural harbor and river. I just caught it, but I could see a hint in the Captain’s eyes. A hint a man only gets when he sees the future from seemingly nothing. The captain and I, whose name was William and that's all I ever learned, got to work right away. He with his axe chopping down trees to build a cabin and me with gathering firewood and set up the tent. I struggled at first with the tent, but I got the hang of it. The captain brought all of his books from the ship’s library, tightly and safely packed away in chests on the wagon. He said that, if I behaved, I would be able to help with the bookshelf, so I tried my best to not grumble about being an indentured servant seemingly for the rest of my childhood, which is what it looked like. Still, William never beat me, all he had to do to get me to listen was use his eyes to stare into my soul. That was far scarier than any beating.

Soon, it was time for supper and I was starved and with the fire started, we cooked some fish. Once it was cooked and I got my piece, I said a quick blessing to myself, which the captain noticed, “Boy. You religious? What are you?” I thought quickly. Should I lie, how would he react. Then I realized I shouldn’t start out with a lie. “Catholic sir.” “I ain’t no sir, son and I don’t care what you are. Just keep it to yourself. If you gotta pray before meals, do it before you come and eat. Understood?” He stated, plainly. “Yes captain.” I replied. “We’re not on the ship boy, you don’t have to call me captain. And you’re not a slave, so no calling me master. William’s fine. Now eat, you’re gonna need your strength tomorrow.” I ate my dinner, which was good and we just laid there, staring up at the stars. William started talking. Whether it was at me, himself, or the heavens I don’t know. Maybe it was all three. “Oh Clara, I’m sorry lass. I failed, but I will make right by it. I build us a house and plant you a tree, you’d like that. And I promise, I’ll raise our son right.” That hit me. Did he mean me? Does he see me as a son? Should I feel proud and happy or should I be scared? Has he lost it or is he just sick with grief? I didn’t know what to do, so I said: “Papa.” He looked over. “I think a tree would be beautiful. She’d like it.” For a brief moment, William smiled and then he turned over and went to sleep. I grew tired myself and went to bed.

I write this now sitting under that very tree that we planted two years into our homesteading. “Hello ‘Papa.” “Hello Mama. Just thinking about when we first came here. I will always love my old father, but Papa, you raised me to be the best man I could be and I will cherish that forever. I love you. Thank you.”

Two reviews in one day, don’t say I don’t spoil you all rotten, now on with the review!

Recap:

Based on beloved Russian folk epics (byliny), Ilya Muromets follows Russia's greatest legendary hero as he sets out for Kiev to warn Prince Vladimir of the savage Tugar invaders burning villages and trampling harvests. Along the road he performs extraordinary feats — yet treacherous boyars turn the prince against him, and Ilya is thrown into a dungeon. With the enemy striking harder than ever, only one man can save the realm.

My Thoughts: (Spoilers)

Remember in the fifties American filmmakers would make all those epic historical, biblical, and mythic films. From The Ten Commandments, to Ben-Hur, Spartacus, etc. (That last one was from the 60s technically) but you get my point. Well, Russia had their answer: Ilya Muromets, a Russian historical/folktale epic filled with action, daring, romance, comedy, drama, treachery, and heroism.

The main lead was especially good. A daring yet kind hulk of a man. He has a very strong screen presence and charisma to boot. His romance with the maiden Vassilisa gets just enough screen time and you buy the actors’ performances so much that you can believe they’re in love. And there’s even some their son being raised by the enemy Tsar Kalin to fight against the Rus, his own people and father and son have a joust outside of Kiev, but the father finds out who he’s fighting before any permanent damage. To top it all off with a thrilling concluding fight with a three-headed serpent/dragon and this film is one for the books.

In Conclusion:

Russian cinema is starting to grow on me. I think next I will look at Russian/Soviet Animation. I remember watching one about a rabbit gathering food for his family when I was younger, so I’ll see if I can find it and I’ll be sure to share it.

Take care everyone, thanks for reading and I’ll see y’all later. Bye! Bye!

Recap:

"Kalina Krasnaya". “The Red Snowball Tree” is a feature film by Vasily Shukshin based on the story of the same name. A dramatic story, as an attempt to start a new life for a person with a dark past. Yegor Prokudin, a man of lost destiny, spent many years in prison. A simple, textured and, in essence, a kind man, talking now with the sky, now with arable land, now with his beloved birches, "wants a holiday." Leaving prison, Yegor goes to the village where the blue-eyed stranger Lyuba Baikalova lives, with whom he corresponded - after all, you need to wait a little and look around. But life in the village ruins all plans of Prokudin, and he decides to break with the past forever. However, Yegor's former criminal friends are not going to put up with his new way of life.

My Thoughts/Review: (Spoilers)

Before this movie, I only knew about Vasily Shukshin from Hearts of Iron IV: The New Order and 1984 mods. has an excellent series covering the game and TNO as well as The Fire Rises and other mods. Anyways, Shukshin was great in the role and I really felt for Yegor. A tortured man torn between his nature as a thief and a desire to do good and become a better man. His romance with Lyuba is wholesome and heartbreaking considering the ending. Russian criminals never change, scum of the Earth, like any criminal.

I will definitely be watching more films and series’s from Mosfilm, the people behind the channel on YouTube. They’re responsible for bring to life so many Russian/Soviet Era films of various genres from Fantasy, detective, drama comedy, etc. The Sword and the Shield is probably going to be my next watch. Fun fact: This was Vladimir Putin’s favorite as a child and inspired him to join the KGB.

Overall, I’d give this film a 10/10! Would definitely watch it again.

Bye! Bye!

I’m a little over halfway through Big Bang Theory and I’ve seen all of Young Sheldon. If you want to see my review of that show and tribute to the patriarch of the Cooper clan, George Cooper Sr. See below:

This will be focusing on his son, Sheldon Lee Cooper. Mainly focusing on Big Bang, but also referencing Young Sheldon when appropriate. So, let’s get to it.

Who is Sheldon Cooper? (Spoilers for Young Sheldon)

Sheldon Cooper is a Texan-born genius yet socially unaware young man who works as a physicist at Caltech in Los Angeles California. By all accounts, he’s one of the smartest men to exist in the 21st Century, and you can be that he knows it and fully believes he was destined for a Nobel Prize since his childhood. His best friend Leonard however, has to put up with Sheldon’s quirks such as: Roommate agreement, bathroom schedules, Sheldon’s exclusive spot on the couch, etc. But why does Sheldon have these quirks and acts like a petulant child at times. Well, I believe he’s doing two things consciously or unconsciously or both.

1. He’s making up for lost time, since as a child he was essentially an old soul in a little boy’s body.

2. More importantly, his father’s death really affected him. So much so that I’d say it stunted his growth, requiring him to basically learn/relearn what it means to be a fully functional and decent human being.

And with his surrogate brother-sister/parents in Leonard and Penny, I’d say he turned out alright, maybe even better than his own mother Mary raising him, who spoiled babied him too much.

And of course, we can’t forget Amy Farrah Fowler. Who helps Sheldon open up and become a better boyfriend and friend, though some of his quirks remain, for better and for worse.

Conclusion:

Ultimately, Sheldon Lee Cooper had a really great life. He had loving friends willing to put up with him and call him out when he’s wrong, but be there for him when he needs them, and vice versa. And he had a twin-sister and father who loved and cared for him in their own ways, and did what they could to help him succeed. Like George taking the whole family to Houston just so Sheldon could prove to NASA that he was a genius. And he did, in fact, he was literally ahead of his time because NASA couldn’t replicate his ideas.

My thoughts:

I personally really enjoy both shows, but I honestly never expected to like Big Bang Theory. I’ve heard so many people hate on it over the years for its laugh track, unfunny jokes, and portrayal of Nerd Culture. But, 8 and a half season in, and it’s really good. Because, when you peel away the laugh track, some bad jokes, and nerd references. This is a coming of age story. About a man, like I said, learning to become a functioning and decent man. As well as friend and lover.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed. Thank you for reading my ramblings and I’ll see you all later. Bye! Bye!

Recap:

Al Smith was a government agent who killed when his bosses say so. So perhaps it was fitting that when he finally kicked the bucket, he’d end up working for an infinitely worse being as punishment. The prince of lies, Satan. And so, Al Smith became Spawn, as in Hellspawn, an officer in the Army of Hell. Now he spreads chaos and destruction amongst the criminal underworld all the while missing his wife, who is now married to his best friend and they have a daughter. I should say, there is reason to sympathize. As he died, he made a pact with the devil which was to see his wife again and in return, he’d pledge his life to Hell’s Army.

Review:

This was a very good pilot. It starts off with Spawn absolutely tearing into some mafia goons and after we delve into his backstory. Can’t say I’m overly sympathetic to a man who was CIA and he probably got what he deserved. Still, no one deserves to be damned to fight in the devil’s army. I’m interested in where this story goes.

Welp. Just a quickie. Take care and stay safe out there. Bye! Bye!

Chapter 2

Alistair

Ages of the characters:

Glindain: 90 (Young for a Dwarven Prince

Aeola: 25

Aeola also has a Bow that’s her main weapon, but she can use a spell to go invisible briefly and she has two daggers gifted to her by her father, who is a guildmaster of an order of rogues and warriors. Maybe we’ll meet him in this serious. Who knows? (;

Alistair: 23

It was Alistair’s turn to watch the fire and their surroundings. His companions, Aeola and Glindain, were fast asleep. He’d never admit it, but he sorta has a tiny crush on the rogue of their group. She’s a beautiful red-headed and braided and spirited woman, but Alistair has been quite shy since childhood and has never known how to tell someone how he feels, so he keeps it to himself and his animal friends that he can tame with magic. He often just sits and talks with them, but not tonight. Tonight, there’s a beast in these woods they’re in and Alistair intends to use all his power and might to slay the beast. Maybe this will give me the courage to talk to Aeola. If I can take on a hulking werewolf, I can muster up the courage to talk to her. He thought to himself. He continued sitting, waiting, and listening. Then, he noticed it… He pretended like he didn’t notice and silently prepared himself, saying a quick prayer to the Father. Finally, the beast struck, but our hero rolled out of the way, grabbing his staff and casting an armor enchantment over his robes.

“Alright beast, let’s see what you’re made of.” And with that, the battle was on. Alistair dodged and ducked the creature’s attacks all the while shooting firebolts from his staff to weaken the creature. For some reason though, his companions haven’t awoken. They should be awake from this fight, unless, a sleep spell. So, someone wants me and me alone. No matter, I’ve been trained since the age of 7 at the Queen’s School of Magic. He drew his sword and cast another armor enchantment and charged in. With staff and sword, he overwhelmed the beast, slaying it.

Afterward, he stood there breathing heavily when he heard a slow clapping coming from behind him. “Excellent work Alistair. You truly are an exceptional mage.” Mordecai. What are you doing here?” “I wanted to test your skills to see if my old student was a good as I remember. You’ve proved me correct, now on to business.” “Wake up my friends.” “In due time, but I needed to test your skills alone, I apologize. Now, on to business… It’s about the Queen and the eastern continent. I’m afraid the Empire of Dark Magics has been on something of a reconquista since Glindain’s and the Queen’s Fathers defeated them by sacking their capital and destroying their temples to their dark false gods. But, they’ve rediscovered their magics and are reconquering their old territory.” “Great. Goblins to the north and a revitalized dark magic empire to the east. So, what’s the plan?” “You stay with your companions and continue making your way to the capital, we’ll meet with the queen together. Feel free to tell your companions when about this conversation when they wake up, but for now, let them sleep. Now, I do believe that’s everything. Stay safe Alistair, and may the Father in Heaven guide and give you courage.” And with that, Mordecai disappeared and Alistair found himself getting sleepy. “Hehe. Found a powerful enough spell to knock me out then, master. Well played.” He states as he collapses to the ground.

Morning…

“Wakey Wakey, Alistair. You fell asleep on watch, I’m disappointed in you.” Glindain exclaimed, almost too cheerily. “It’s nothing like that friend, I’ll explain everything.” “You better!” Aeola chimed in. “You slay a werewolf and then collapse, presumably from exhaustion, and somehow we stay peacefully asleep. You better start explaining.” Alistair explained everything in detail about the previous night. “So, you took on a beast controlled by your old master and you succeed?” Aeola says, with a noticeably alluring look in her eyes. Alistair stands there speechless. “Still can’t speak to me directly huh?” She says, and walks to pack up her things as they prepare to leave. Alistair, can only think of one thing… Dammit!

I’d like to thank for this idea and for helping to brainstorm some candidates.

Edit: I also like to thank him for contributing to writing drafts for two of the figures.

Anyways, enjoy and I’ll see y’all later.

1. Benedict Arnold: Let’s get him out of the way, whilst he is sympathetic and was a war-hero, he still betrayed our young nation and sold out West Point to the British, and even the Brits distrusted him once he turn-coated. So yeah, sorry Arnold, like Judas you’re probably gonna burn.

2. Lyndon Baines Johnson: Got us into Vietnam through the false flag “Gulf of Tonkin” incident, getting over 500,000 men killed. Created the welfare state, which destroyed the family by replacing the father with the state by cutting benefits if the father was present. His social experimenting combined with a disastrous war without raising taxes led to inflation which hurt working families for the next 10 years. And was probably involved in JFK’s Assassination, or at the very least knew about it and didn’t say anything and gratefully took on the job of President. When you look at the big picture, LBJ burned through thousands of lives and fractured the American family, all to feed his own ego.

3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Created the Managerial State and laid the groundwork for centralization that LBJ would cement. Was naive on the threat the Soviets were and either didn’t know about or ignored the Soviet agents in the government. Shook hands with Communists and worked with them. Stacked the Supreme Court, setting a bad precedent. And finally, far overstayed his welcome.

4. Hilary Clinton: She spent her career proving that political survival is paramount. The 2012 Benghazi incident comes to mind. As Secretary of State and after ignoring desperate pleas for more security for months, her negligence cost Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans their lives. Meanwhile, to protect her upcoming Presidential run, she blamed the whole thing on an YouTube video. It was a classic cover-up. The same rules-don’t-apply-mindset showed up with her private email server, which exposed her use of classified intelligence to keep her backroom dealings away from federal subpoenas. Once she got caught the political machine wiped her evidence to dodge accountability, making it clear that the political elite play by a completely different set of rules than the rest of us. In the end, she traded national security and public trust for personal power. \

5. Woodrow Wilson: I don’t place him here for any classical progressive policies, as I ranked Teddy highly, rather, I rank Wilson here because he was a liberal internationalist who laid the groundwork for FDR and League of Nations was the predecessor to the U.N. and his Make the World Safe for Democracy, laid the groundwork for Endless Foreign Wars to force democracies on other nations.

Dishonorable mention: Spiro Agnew

Thanks for reading, and have a good one. Bye! Bye!

1. George Washington: 1st president. Stellar farewell address and guided our republic in her early days. He was a classical Virginian gentleman, but still always ready to let loose, do his duty, and fight for the republic. Finally, he had multiple horses shot out from under him and his cloak or cape was shot to pieces. God was clearly looking out for Ole George.

2. Theodore & Alice Longworth Roosevelt: Cheating here, but I just don’t give a damn. This father daughter duo were America’s first and only, “king and princess”. TR was a frontiersman, cowboy, Police Commissioner, NY Governor, Rough Rider, Secretary of the Navy, and finally President. And even after his presidency, he still made time for family, tours in Africa and the Amazon, and an unfortunately doomed Presidential Run in 1912 (Should’ve just endorsed Taft Teddy, not cool). And Alice was the American Diana before Princess Diana, maybe even more so. She had that same American spirit that her father had, she was instrumental in keeping America out of the League of Nations, she publicly criticized FDR’s New Deal, and she helped set up the America First Committee. She continued being the one woman in Washington where just about everyone who mattered would go to for advice. She played the game, and she played it well. She wasn’t the best mother, but her own upbringing wasn’t the best given her father rarely if ever called her Alice because the loss of her mother was too painful for Teddy, but girl did make up for it by being there for her grandchildren.

3. Andrew Jackson: Best President nuff said. Fought corruption, prevented a race war between Georgians and the Indian Tribes, was a military hero and kicked the Brits’ ass at New Orleans when they didn’t even need it, Lol! Suck it Brits! And of course, killed the bank, which not long after and totally a coincidence, he was nearly assassinated and nearly beat his would-be killer to death with his cane.

4. Thomas Jefferson: The real and first best thinking-man’s president before Jackson who was more of a man of action. Old Thomas J. wrote up the Declaration, was a man of great intellect and letters, despite his Jeffersonian Bible, which was never intended to be published, I don’t think, he came back to Jesus Christ Our Lord on his deathbed. As president, he oversaw the greatest and “easiest land grab from one power to another in history, in my opinion at least. And what Jefferson thought would take around 1,000 or so generations, the west was settled in six. He also sent in the marines to whoop the Barbary Pirates’ asses in retaliation for enslaving men of European descent. And finally, despite having a complicated relationship with slavery, he still abolished the slave trade and wrote about and supported the eventual abolition of slavery.

5. Huey Long: Rose from simple country lawyer to Louisiana Governor and turned a backwater state, still suffering the after effects of civil war, and turned it into a modern state with a prestigious public university, free/taxpayer funded school textbooks for kids, night classes to teach older people to read, and many new bridges and roads to connect the various swamp villages and towns to the bigger cities like Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Long also didn’t bend the knee to the Klan, which by this time wasn’t the original southern vigilante group and he abolished the poll tax and took the fight to Rockefeller oil. And last but not least, was enough of a threat that, FDR probably had him killed and Carl Weiss was likely a fall guy. My theory is that all Weiss did was punch Long and his bodyguards, who through middlemen, were most definitely bought out by FDR: shot up both Long and Weiss. Long being the target and Weiss being the patsy, who was killed so he couldn’t talk. Rip Huey Long and Godspeed to all our great American Heroes, both named and unamed!

Honorable Mentions

Patrick J. Buchanan

George C. Wallace

Ross Perot

William “Alfalfa Bill” Murray

Robert E. Howard

Howard Philips (H.P.) Lovecraft

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Allen Poe

This list was partly inspired by yours. Thanks!

Volume Two of the History of the the Two Great Wars and the Rise of the Sino-German Alliance: The History of Sino-German Friendship and the beginning stages of the Second Great War.

The history of the German-Chinese friendship goes back to the First Great War, where Germany sent weapons and a military attache to the Republic against the Japanese and through China’s struggles against the Communists, Germany never wavered. China has even adopted German military weapons, tactics, and some even call the National Revolutionary Army the, “Chinese Heer.” Chiang Kai Shek, while hesitant at first, became satisfied with this and visited and toured Germany after the war with the Communists. Him and the Kaiser reportedly became close friends. The Kaiser having this extra time to spend with the Generalissimo due to the democratization of the Kaiserreich and a modified Prussian Constitutionalism being implemented that limits the Kaiser to certain, yet important duties. The Generalissimo found the Reichstag system interesting and quietly wondered if such a system could be adapted to China according to one interview he partook in.

In 1935, China officially joined the Reichpact for security guarantees, though they are barred from joining Mitteleuropa and Chiang was quietly glad, as he wanted no economic ties to any foreign nations, even a friend such as Germany. Meanwhile, the 1932 election was a contested one, but ultimately, the Long-Roosevelt (Quentin) ticket won out, though as a compromise, they would bestow a cabinet position to Hoover and incorporate some of his economics into the new American Populist-Progressivism. Not forgetting that Hoover throughout the 1920s kept Progressivism alive and evolving and provided massive food relief to a war-torn Europe. Hoover, now as the new secretary of state, would be given free reign establish America as a power worth-respecting on the world stage and Hoover saw which way the wind was blowing. Whilst a Revanchist France and Reformed Russia seemed vigorous and Britain is still the economic power. Germany, despite the depression, had potential to be a world power. If America were to join the Sino-German or Reichspact, while maintaining economic self-sufficiency like China, then no power on Earth could rival the three and they could challenge Britain.

Hoover, brought this to the attention of Long and Quentin. While President Long was skeptical, wishing to keep America in the New World, Quentin saw potential and with after days of oval office debates and many cups of coffee, they finally convinced Long, who did warn them that there are many anglophiles who still view Germans and Germany as, “The Hun”, that mercilessly massacred Belgians. Hoover and Quentin understood this and went about this in two ways.

1. Butter up the anglophile elite.

2. Promote German culture, literature, and media to the common American. Even encouraging German to be taught in schools alongside English, though business and politics is still done predominantly in English.

It took the better part of three years, on top of other reforms that this, “American Triumvirate” as they were being called, were enacting. They reached out to Germany and China and offered America’s hand in friendship and American investors. Germany accepted, but it took a little convincing for Chiang to accept foreign investment and only after a guarantee of limited interference in his plans for China was he convinced, mostly thanks to his wife, who doubled as the ambassador to America. However, President Long had one stipulation to all of this: The United States would not be drawn into a war unless attacked first, so if Germany and China found themselves at war, America would aid them, but remain officially neutral. And war did come. On January 1st, 1939, French troops marched into Walloon under the pretext of liberating their French brothers from the yoke of Germany, who having just recovered, mobilized the entirety of the Wehrmacht: The Heer, Kreigsmarine, and Luftwaffe as well as the whole Reichspact. However, just as they were ready to counterattack, Wrangel’s Russia, now a presidential republic with Wrangel serving for life or until he steps down, as launched a massive offensive across the Eastern Front to retake Russia’s shield, Eastern Europe that without, Russia would be left terribly exposed to enemies. Meanwhile, in the east, the Marco-Polo Bridge incident has broken out into all-out war between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From Manchuria, Japanese troops meet heavy resistance, but they are able to land amphibiously along China’s coast and the worst news for Chiang of all, the Mongolian Khanate of the “Mad Baron” and his ally in Tibet have gone rogue and broke from Russia and launched minor border incursions into China’s western frontier. Chiang and his government sent a rightfully furious letter to President Wrangel who denounced these actions and secretly sent the Chinese weapons and leaked any intelligence on Mongolia and Tibet. (This fact was only discovered recently after President Wrangel of the Russian Republic stepped and allowed for all his actions to be declassified.

In Europe, The Western Front has slightly stabilized along the Rhine with France gaining Walloon, Luxembourg, and Parts of Germany. Germany held them up bravely, but their western allies failed them and the French were simply too much and now both sides have stalemated. But, one man has a plan to out-think the French and outflank them. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel approached the German High Command with a plan. To evacuate and remove their forces from the southern border and to a fallback line reasonably deep, but not too deep into Bavaria. It was incredibly risky, but if it worked Rommel, Manstein, and Guderion would take their tank divisions and encircle and crush the French Army. And so the stage was set for either Germany’s finest moment, or the prelude to it’s total defeat.

Volume One of the History of the the Two Great Wars and the Rise of the Sino-German Alliance. Also covers Russia, France, Britain, and The United States:

Documented and Written by Adolf Polz over the course of many years traveling the world, fighting and living amongst the Chinese, Russians, Mongolians, and Tibetans

(Published posthumously)

Translated by T.E. Lawrence

The Republic of China stands as the second most powerful and most populace country under Heaven, beating out the U.S. and surpassed in pure economic might by the German-led Reichspact. But how did we get here, well, it was a long and hard road, but a tale certainly worth telling.

As you know, war broke out in 1914 between the Franco-Russian Entente and the German-Austrian Central Powers. Britain and Italy would join the former and Bulgaria and the Ottomans would join the latter. After much brutal fighting, Russia would bow out to deal with internal troubles sometime in 1916 and in the west, french mutinies threatened Western military coherence and soon France, reluctantly bowed out. Italy switched sides and back-stabbed France by taking some of their territory, such as Corsica. Belgium fought bravely, but they were overwhelmed by battle-hardened German veterans of the Eastern Front and were occupied. The Dutch, smelling opportunity, seized Flanders before the Germans could reach it, Germany, while angry, decided to let it pass, and they set up satellite governments in Walloon and Luxembourg. Thus the war came to and end sometime in 1917 with a peace treaty, “The treaty of Berlin”, signed in Berlin between Germany, their allies, and the Entente.

France fell into civil war, but Britain was able to intervene to save their ally from a second Paris Commune, however, just a few months after avoiding a revolution, the democratic government fell in coup orchestrated by the military clique led by Petain, determined to revive the french economy and glory. However, due to discarding democracy, Britain turned their backs on France and instead focused internally and by 1933, would form the Imperial Federation. Meanwhile, the United States continued on and with Britain and France paying off their debts and no involvement in the war, America was doing great.

Meanwhile, China was in a rough spot. A Time of Troubles for China has come with the main fight for the republic being between the Kuomintang and the Communists, who were bolstered by Bolshevik exiles like Trotsky who escaped Wrangel’s Russian Republic, which owes him and the Germans a debt of gratitude with Wrangel uniting Russia and their her former territories of Poland, Finland, and Ukraine in an alliance. Along with Baron Ungern’s enlarged Mongolia and their ally Tibet, who are aligned to The Black Baron’s Russia. Wrangel for over a decade has focused on modernizing Russia whilst balancing Russia’s traditional Orthodoxy. However, he has made no effort in bringing back the Tsar or crowning himself one. Back to China. Aside from the KMT and Communists, led by Chiang Kai Shek and Leon Trotsky respectively, there are also a couple warlords, the Japanese puppet of Manchuria, and as previously mentioned, the Russian-aligned Greater Mongolia and Tibet. After years of vicious fighting, the Kuomintang finally achieved victory and annihilated the Communists, thought Trotsky, with some records saying he fled to the United States or Mexico. There were holdouts of Communists and Anarchists of course led by a one Mao Tse Tung, but he and his merry band were quickly chased down by Shek’s forces and killed. Mopping up the warlords were easy compared to the ideological struggle against the Communists. Once the parts of China not controlled by foreigners, from East Turkmenistan to the Coast, Chiang Kei Shek finally began reforms to transition China to a Federal Republic with equal autonomy for all ethnic groups, however, he left a caveat that true elections will not take place until after his death. Many historian and political theorists have derided this as a tyrant’s excuse to hold on to power, but I met the man and he confided in me on my last day in China saying, “I wish to see my people powerful, prosperous, and free but sometimes a strong hand is needed to protect them from enemies and to assert our nation on the world stage. For a nation can only be free when they are in a position of strength.” That’s a rough translation, it sounded more poetic and passionate in the original language. To top it off, in 1932 the Berlin Stock Market Crashed plunging most of the the world into a depression, especially Germany and her sphere. However, Four nations avoided such disaster: Russia which sought self-sufficiency, France which embraced Autarky, China which was still developing and rebuilding, and the United States, which decoupled from the German economic system to build its own. And with an election around the corner, America was at a crossroads: Stick with American School championed by the Republicans, led by Herbert Hoover or the Progressive-Populist alliance of Quentin Roosevelt and Huey Long. And while the world recovers from the depression, Japan and France stand ready to strike at the Chinese and Germans while their still recovering.

Thank you all for reading volume 1 of this experiment in Alternate History and yes, Adolf Polz is Hitler. He became a Renaissance Man inspired by Monsieur Z’s depiction of him in his Scar Nicholas Series. Check it out, it’s a super fun time. Take care. Bye!

P.S. The next volume will cover the Sino-German friendship in more detail, this was just a broad overview. Bye! Bye!

Barbarians. Who doesn’t love them. From the Tribes that conquered Rome to Conan and Kull. But, is it really all that’s cracked up to be? Is living in tribes really better than civilization, with all it flaws and virtues? Well, let’s find out. Join me in the brief read on Civilization and Barbarism:

Some on the right, particularly the Vitalistsphere, No hate, exonerate the barbarian/warrior spirit. The rugged warrior who stands against the entrenched bureaucratic civilization. But I would argue that their gripes are not with Civilization, but late stage civilization. The bureaucratic dull age. The height of any civilization has plenty of virtues to honor, defend, and cherish: From a unified people and culture or cultures under one national flag. To laws that protect and ensure public prosperity and keeping things ordered yet free. And finally, it allows for families to raise their kids without having to worry about where their next meal is coming from. That’s one of the greatest gifts of civilization. Bountiful food.

However, every civilization needs a little bit of barbarity. Men who are willing to sacrifice their humanity so the rest of us don’t have to. And they do it willingly because they are all that stands in the way between us and total savagery. I call this method, “Controlled Savagery.”

Now, to finish off this article, I want to list three civilizations that I believe embodied this, “Controlled Savagery”:

1. The American Civilization: (1607-1933): This civilization embodied the Civilized barbarian spirit of controlled savagery through the frontiersmen and later the cowboy.

2. Imperial Russia (17th-early 20th Century): With warrior such as the Cossacks, there’s no way I could leave them off this list.

3. Feudal Japan-Mid-19th Century: With the Code of Bushido, the Samurai patrolled Japan, keeping her clean and brutally & savagely, yet cleanly, defeating their enemies.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading and I’ll see you all later. Bye!

Scotland, with its clans and and highlands have always bred a certain breed of men. A warrior elite ready to fight for their nation at home and abroad. One such character, a legend in the video game world is: Captain John “Soap” MacTavish of the SAS & Task Force 141, an elite group of warrior handpicked by General Shepherd from various militaries and special forces on the planet. From our first time playing as him in the first Modern Warfare. To seeing him as a Captain through Roaches eyes, also a legend in the gaming community. And finally we see Soap’s story climax at the end of Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3, with the death of General Shepherd all the way to Soap’s own tragic death thanks to Makarov. Soap gave his life for Scotland and for Western Civilization and he will never be forgotten by Gamers around the world.

Thank you Soap and Infinity Ward. Godspeed!

Rest in Peace Captain MacTavish!

I enjoy Genndy Tartakovsky’s work, albeit, I’ve only seen his clone wars series. But it was absolute perfection, so I thought I’d give another one of his shows a try and Primal peaked my interest.

Recap: (Spoilers)

Primal takes place in a world that mix-mashes dinosaurs, cavemen, and iron age warriors and we follow our resident cavemen as he’s spearing for fish. He avoids a prehistoric crocodile (Yup, going with that). And makes his way back to his family. Unfortunately, his family is killed by a pack of dinosaurs, so he fights them off. Filled with despair, he climbs a cliff and prepares to throw himself from it, only to see a vision of his family. This strengthens his resolve and he vows revenge.

He tracks a dinosaur back to its nest, but it’s not the same ones that killed his family. This dinosaur has to babies of her own. He hesitates, however, the three dinosaurs from earlier attack, but our hero and the mother Dino kill them. He briefly bonds with the babies, who comfort him, which reminds him of his own children, lowering his guard briefly. Those brief moments are fatal though, as the fourth evil dinosaur appears and scarfs down the two babies and is about to finish off the mother. The Caveman jumps into action and an epic fight ensues. Culminating with our hero riding the mother Dino, who runs up the back of the evil Dino and the Caveman finishes the bastard off with a spear to the back of the head.

Our hero afterward wanders off and walks along a beach, but is followed by the mother, who being grateful for being saved and feels a sense of kinship, allows him to ride her. And so they ride off for more adventurers.

Review:

I loved this first episode. It’s a simple premise done very effectively. You feel for our hero when he loses his family and want him to succeed in his revenge and he does, but it comes out the cost of two baby dinosaurs. And you can feel the kinship between two grieving parents who lost their own and the start of a new friendship. It’s also very Conanesque, which I hear only gets more obvious as the series goes on.

Almost as if that’s what Genndy Tartakovsky wants to do, and is apparently planning to do, though it’s still in the Pre-Alpha Alpha Stage.

, I would love to hear your thoughts. I’m honestly scared but it would be cool if Tartakovsky could get it off the ground and the studios for once just remain hands off and let the artists do their work.

Anyway, thanks for reading and take care. Bye Bye!

Sally Philips-Allen: Sister of Captain James

Southern Tennessee small town, USA

“He’s been moved to a new squad? You’re sure?” “Yes Sally, your brother, it seems is continues to impress. However, all he says is that he’s training a new squad. Nothing else.” “I hope this new squad helps with the war effort. The sooner this war is over, the sooner James can come home.” “I don’t think we’re gonna see him for a while my angel. I have friends in the armed forces, and they say there’s already plans to liberate England from its chaos and take the fight to the Euros on their home soil.” Philips Sr. sighs… “Another big war in Europe, I don’t think she can survive another.” He said, dropping the letter. I bent down to pick it up, but one of my kids came in then. One of my middles, though with five kids, I guess there’s multiple middles. “Mommy? When’s Uncle James coming home? I heard you talking about him.” She said sleepily desperately holding back a yawn. “Sarah. Did we wake you?” “No, I was awake. I couldn’t sleep.” “Come here.” I reached out and hugged her and we walked to the couch and sat. My dad left the room to give us some privacy. “I’m scared Mommy. I’m scared for Uncle James and you.” “Me? Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” “But you’re carrying my little brother or sister, I kn- I know it can’t be easy.” “Thank you sweetie, but you don’t need to worry, Momma will be fine.” We passed out the couch a few minutes later and slept straight through to morning.

Dad must’ve laid a blanket over us because I was quite warm when I woke up. I nudged Sarah and she blinked her eyes and stared at me. We looked at each other for a couple seconds and I couldn’t hold back, I broke down and hugged her. I don’t know why I broke down, it’s like everything had it all at once and I realized, if the men like my brother fail. Then, this is the end, so I hugged my daughter like there was no tomorrow.

After I got myself together, we went to wake up my other four children. My oldest, Michael. Second oldest, Isabella. Fourth oldest, Jessica. And toddler, Jake. However, Michael was already up with my dad and sitting on the front porch reading and discussing Tolkien. As they do sometimes. So, I got the rest up and prepared breakfast. I had just enough to make pancakes, home fries, and sunny side up eggs.

After we ate. The kids went to their assigned chores or farm work. My husband and I own a modest cow and horse farm, used to have chickens, but they died to disease. Luckily, our town has a fresh market with farm-fresh egg at a reasonable price. I was headed into town to restock on ingredients for cooking and decided to take Sarah with me.

“Will be back soon dad. Hold the house down for me and make sure the kids get their chores done.” “Don’t worry Sally, they’re good kids. We’ll be fine.” And with that, Sarah and I got in my car and headed into town.

The shopping was uneventful. Met some old friends and chatted with them and their kids played with Sarah. It reminded me that, even in times of war, there can still be peace. I wonder if this is how the Germans and Japanese felt when we were bombing them. Did they have similar moments of peace. I was taken out of my thoughts at the register and paid the cashier what I owed. Said goodbye to friends and beckoned Sarah to come along. We got our things in the car and drove off on the way home. I don’t know why, but I kept telling myself to get my gun out. I always carry, but I didn’t know why my mind wanted me to. But, who am I to argue with instincts and got it out of the glove compartment before we left pulled out of the parking lot.

It came in handy because about a mile out of town and in a forested area, there was a suspicious and seemingly abandoned vehicle on the side of the road. “Sarah, get down.” She understood and did as I said. I was driving with one hand now and the other hand was holding my M1911. As soon as I was mere inches from the pick-up, two disheveled men came out of the woods and beelined for my car. I didn’t hesitate, I put one round in one of their chests and sped off down the road, hoping the other would get the warning.

I made it home and told dad about the incident. He said, he’d stay up and sit on the porch with his scoped rifle and revolver. “All that matters is that you and Sarah are okay. You did well today Sally and I couldn’t be prouder.” We hugged and settled in for the evening.

It was a quiet evening. So, I forgot about the other man and soon it was time for bed. I tucked in each of my kids said goodnight to dad, and went to bed. My last thoughts before sleep took me, was of my brother. I said a silent prayer for him, that he and his men be safe and that this war would end soon. I closed my eyes soon after and the world went black.

Thank you all for helping get here, and as a treat, only 4 away, but I couldn’t wait and I figured I’d recommend some Substacks who I respect greatly and have inspired me to keep writing. So, let’s get to it!

The Library of Celaeno

Florida Gothic

On August 3, 1952, Ruby McCollum, a black woman living in Live Oak, Florida, drove with her two youngest children to the office of Leroy Adams, a beloved local white doctor and newly elected state senator, and shot him to death in his waiting room. She was arrested shortly after and put on trial in a case that attracted national news. It was a real lif…

Read more

6 months ago · 253 likes · 72 comments · Librarian of Celaeno

I remember one of the earliest substacks I discovered was , who always pumps out banger articles, free of charge, on diverse and interesting topics. And this one was no different. It introduced me to Zora Neale Hurston, a remarkable woman and author, who unlike some civil rights era writers, didn’t indulge in victimhood narratives. Rather she breathed new life into black culture with her writings and the ending of the article was poignant with Librarian reflecting, as a writer himself, on her legacy. And while he’s in the MAGA-Camp and I’m not and I have my disagreements. He’s still good in my books.

Pulp West

Once Upon A Time In Argentina

Chapter 1…

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5 months ago · 30 likes · 10 comments · Frank Kidd

The next is Frank Kidd with his latest book, "Once Upon A Time In Argentina." He’s a pulp adventure writer, enthusiast, and veteran & outdoorsman. His book is a fantastic love letter to military fiction and adventure books and you can check out my review of it in the book reviews section of my substack.

Frank also as a podcast with The link is to their latest episode.

Bellman's English

The history of National-Socialism in Sweden

Thanks for reading Bellman's English! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work…

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4 months ago · 27 likes · 6 comments · Vidfamne

is a good friend and I learned a lot from his political writings, and he writes poetry too. If I remember correctly, he’s a Third Positionist as well as a Europeanist, but I could be wrong about the 3P though. This particular post gives a lot of good information about National Socialism in Sweden, where the National Socialist song to the tune of the Internationale was born:

Ignore the Nazbol meme, the man was a national socialist, but later became a national communist.

The American Tribune

Why Rhodesia Fought

Listen to the audio version of this post here, one of the benefits for paid subscribers…

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4 months ago · 48 likes · 9 comments · The American Tribune

is also another one of the good ones. His articles and his YouTube channel, The Old World Show mainly cover American history set in Virginia. The oldest of the colonies and for the longest while, perhaps the grandest of the states/commonwealths. But as you can see, he also covers Rhodesia. Which is a plus in my book, Rhodesia is one of the great lost causes. Englishmen, more English than England, fighting for their piece of it in Africa against Communist-backed Black Nationalists and Maoists. And no, Rhodesia didn’t have Apartheid. It had a property-requirement to vote, the same as the early American Republic did until Jackson’s presidency.

The Unsung Substack

American Guerrillas: The Complete Series

With the release of the last part of American Guerrillas, I thought I’d make a post listing all the episodes in one convenient place. I know the Substack UI can be dense and make things hard to find, so just bookmark this post and you’ll have them all, including the bonus episodes for paid subscribers…

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8 months ago · 13 likes · 2 comments · Jason McGinty

is another banger content creator here on Substack with his podcast series covering the Kansas-Missouri Border War and the Missouri Bushwhackers during the Civil War/War Between the States. He covers John Brown, Quantrill’s Raiders, and Bloody Bill Anderson. He’s also working on a smaller series and a new larger series. The smaller one focuses on the Greek Mercenaries who fought for the Persian King, but were left stranded and had to fight to get home. If this story sounds familiar, that’s because it was the basis for the Gang movie, The Warriors which was later turned into an excellent movie video game by Rockstar.

John,'s Substack

Jefferson Davis, Southern Contentiousness, and the Myth of the Union

The War for Southern Independence has many parallels to the American War for Independence, parallels which were not lost on Southerners who never failed to shine light on the similarities between the Bluebellies and the Red Coats and the two wars broadly. One of these similarities was the struggle that General Washington and President Jefferson Davis ea…

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5 months ago · 20 likes · 7 comments · John, Son of Dick

Last, but not least is . Laugh at the name all you want, but like Jason, he is an orthodox southern christian family man, and devoted to the the cause of the South and to what this Republic was supposed to be. He shows no mercy in going after Lincoln and his Empire in his articles, as well as The Puritans. Together, these two have a podcast, as you can see below. Just one episode for now, but come the 30th, episode two will drop with guest .

Charley Horse Radio

Introduction to I'll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition

For our inaugural episode, we discuss some background information to our project for the next 6 months…

Listen now

4 months ago · 12 likes · Jason McGinty and John, Son of Dick

Well, that’s it. But before I go. I have two honorable special mentions:

: A folk celtic ancestral pagan and poet, who writes poetry, history, current events, analysis’s of military leaders and heroes and much more.

&

: Another orthodox substacker and an excellent writer. He does drunken rants, is a fan of opera, has a series on Hearts of Iron 4, but his greatest series is his, Fallen Continent Series. Taking place some time after a nuclear war in what’s left of America with warlords, micro states, monarchies, communists, fascists, and scattered remnants of the U.S. government and military. The lore series is pretty much finished, though he does release short stories/vignettes every now and then. And he has a book or books coming out as well, that you can see in a recent note he made.

Well. Thank you all for reading and thank you Substackers for inspiring me. And thank you Substack for the only. “social media”, I’m truly involved in.

Peace ✌🏻

One more thing: I would like to thank for our chats through DM. Though we have some disagreements, I have grown fond of our discussions. Take care and stay safe out there. And I’d like to thank for his continued support and our talks on here as well.

Good day or night everyone.

Captain James Philips

“Captain. Come in. Sit.” “Thank you sir.” I walked into the office of my boss, Colonel Ham. A Tough veteran of the War on Terror and former PMC who was recalled into service out of retirement due to this war. “Alright, let’s get this over with, so we can get you back out there in the action.” “Yes sir.” He briefed me on the intel we gathered from the two men we captured. “Now, this is all quite hard to believe, but according to their findings and from European Resistance and Russian Intelligence. The NWO has chipped their soldiers to make them more, amenable and compliant to orders.” “You’re right sir, that is hard to believe. But, I do. Those bastards will do anything to control their citi- subjects.” I said in reply. “So, is there anything else?”

“Yes. I’m putting together a team. An elite group of warrior handpicked from across the Marines and our most elite special forces. Rangers, Delta Force, Seals, you name it.” Colonel Ham exclaimed with a smile. “Sounds impressive, what are they called and where do I come in?” “The current name is Nightingale, that’s the name of your squad.” “My squad?” “Yes. I’m placing you in charge and I expect you to represent myself and the Core to the best of your abilities.” “Wow sir, I- I’m honored.” “Don’t thank me yet son. These men are from some pretty elite squads, so they might not take kindly to a ‘Marine Grunt’ giving orders, but I have faith you whip them into shape. Now, get out of my office.” “Yes sir.”

I stood up and exited the office and made my way to Kasim’s room. Each officer, including the chaplain has their own room. Not sure how I feel about that, I would have preferred to be with my men, which I guess won’t be my men anymore. Anyway, I made it to his room and knocked:

“Hey, come in. How’d it go?” Kasmin asked, happy to see me. “The briefing itself went well, but the intel confirmed rumors from the European Resistance, the NWO are using chips in their soldiers.” “I knew it. Bastards, hey you alright? Was there more?” Kasim said, noticing my dour look.” “Yeah. Turns out the colonel is putting together a task force of America’s most elite warriors. The Nightingales, and he’s placed me in charge of training and leading them.” “Wow. Damn. That’s… Congratulations. I guess that means we will be seeing less of each other then huh.” “Yeah, guess so.” “Hey James. Don’t be so down. We’ll write to each other.” “Hey man, you’re getting a little to close, what are you gay? And yes, I’ll write. Sorry.” “No problem man, come let’s go tell the men.”

He grabbed my shoulder and we went to celebrate my last night with the men. I didn’t drink, but the men sure did. Most of them would be rotated out and put on leave to visit family and be replaced by either fresh faced men, or even more battle-hardened soldiers. As for me… Well, I would be alone with elite men who have probably seen more combat than I have in my whole career. But, God-wlling, I whip them into shape. Cause that’s just what Marines do.

Recap:

Ex-Marine turned Hitman Charlie Swift finds himself on the path of vengeance when a rival crime boss puts a hit out against Charlie’s boss Stan and his crew. Charlie, being the only survivor, vows to finish one last job, this time for himself and go into retirement in Italy, or die trying. Joining him is, Taxidermist Marcie Kramer whose ex died because he had some very sensitive information on the rival boss, named Beggar. So, our leads set out to find this information and take down this motherfucker once and for all, or will they simply be food for the alligators.

Review:

So, this movie is basically a spiritually successor to James Bond. And in some ways, it’s a way for Pierce Brosnan to truly capture Bond in a way he never got the chance to when he played him. This is a true revenge/crime thriller set in the Louisiana Bayou and while you can tell Brosnan is putting on an accent, it’s not too distracting and lends to the charm of the movie.

His co-star, Morena Baccarin plays Marcie Kramer, who just wants to upgrade her life from living in the Bayou to potentially LSU in Baton Rouge. They play off each other well, and you buy their connection as two lost souls looking for a fresh start.

The action in this is sleek and smart. There’s little fisticuffs, but there’s quick and deadly shootings by Charlie, who wields a suppressed pistol (Very Bond).

Final Thoughts:

If you’re a fan of Bond, Hitman, or any action/revenge thrillers, then this movie is for you. To quote the best YouTube Movie Reviewer, Jeremy Jahn.

“This movie’s a good time no alcohol required.”

10/10! Recommend! Especially for you , , &

Take care everyone and see ya later. Peace!

You were black of hair and fair

Yet your eyes were yellow and I could smell something off

Then you spoke and your words were like a song

Even though you were confused and lost

I showed you the way out and together we went to your home

It was a beautiful yet haunting castle and your father was something else

He barely acknowledged you and right there I knew

He tried to make me like him, I couldn’t and we were separated

I returned to Fort Dawnguard and waited

Eventually you returned and reunited we were

We had lots of adventures you and I but now it’s their turn

With all my heart I love you Serana

Even though I may die, I will wait for you in Sovngarde

Edited:

1. The Senate will become a Syndicalist Assembly, where the representatives of professions such as farmers, fishermen, various service industries, the military, the clergy, and revived industrial manufacturing will meet and discuss problems of labor and reform. This will transform the old Senate into a new aristocracy of labor. There would be two representatives for each profession. One for employees and one for employers.

2. Electing the executive branch, reinstate the property requirement to vote i.e. home or business. (This would only be implemented after the housing crisis has passed or been dealt with. Owning a home must be made easy and affordable in order for this to work.)

3. However, during the times of war, all volunteers who don’t own a business or their own home will be granted citizenship and given a loan to buy their own home upon the end of the conflict. (And if they choose to spend it on something else aside from a home or starting a business, they will be fined)

4. Elections for the state level and local governments will remain the same, but the Senate and Executive will now have one 10-year term across the board, so they can focus on running things and not worry about the next election.

5. The House of Representatives will reformed into a true democratic-republican assembly to keep the Syndicalist Senate Assembly in check as well as handling the day to day affairs of governing outside of employ-employer reform and relations.

6. The Supreme Court will be either abolished or greatly limited in power and influence.

This is all subject to change if I am corrected on some things.

Have a wonderful day. Deo Vindice to any southerners out there and God Bless.