18-01-2003 04:02									#1
	Pax America Sequel - Ideas? Tired of ads?

I could use some help here, you guys. I want to make things exciting and unexpected - but nothing too out there, like all-out nuclear war. I mean something like new conflicts, new alliances, where to put modern characters.
I need ideas of where to put people who are live right now where you wouldn't exoect to find them... or possibly where you would expect to find them. But nothing too out-there there, either.
For instance, in a peaceful Middle East, what would we do with Arafat and/or Sharon?
In a world without Sadaam and with Bin Laden in jail for a couple thousand years, what would George W be doing?
In a world where Iroquois run England, what about the royal family - in our world, anyway - in a world without British royalty?
And what about Mexico? With no immigration crisis... well, what do we do?
I'm thinking about a lot of things. Maybe research into aging stemming from the Cure for Cancer means that Einstein is still around or something.
Changes to history mean that old problems in our world never even occurred. No slavery in America, no civil rights movement... Martin Luther King would have had a much different life.
It's things like that. Just send ideas, and if I like them, I'll work them into the Pax America sequel, in progress.
[Which means I haven't even thought about it yet.]
Thanks for reading the original, you guys, and thanks for fifthing my story so far in the nominations.

	18-01-2003 05:15									#2
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quote: In a world where Iroquois run England, what about the royal family - in our world, anyway - in a world without British royalty?

The Royal family builds up a local Fascist party which pushes for English self governence (maybe a ERA (English Republican Army))

	18-01-2003 05:23									#3
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That could work.

	18-01-2003 05:40									#4
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But wait a second. The Celts ran things until the Iroquois liberated them from Celtic oppression. And the English have been Iroquois citizens for half a century. Things are pretty good over there.
But then the liberation movement might be an idea. Since the royal family would be descendants of the original English monarch, if monarchy was re-instituted, they would be the royal family again. But like the Nazis, they would probably never get very far in this reality.
Any other ideas?

Last edited by Centauri18 on 18-01-2003 at 07:41

	19-01-2003 03:58									#5
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Come on, you guys, I need some ideas, some inspiration. I have never been this stuck before.

	19-01-2003 04:23									#6
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Well, I unfortunately have nothing to tell you as far as plot goes, but I hope this helps:

There is no need to get on with the next story right after you finish one. I mean, all of us here write for fun. And if you are stuck, and can't come up with anything good, and the joy of writing turns into frustration at temporarily impotent creativity, there is no need to force yourself to go on. Take a couple of days "off". Don't spend this long weekend banging your head on the wall trying to come up with something just for the sake of coming up with anything. Forget about it for a couple of days, and then when you come back to writing, you might just have more ideas.

You know how when you are looking for something, and can't find it, you usually find something that you'd lost a long time ago and weren't looking for now? And then you decide that what you are looking for now is not worth it and forget it, and then a week or so later you accidentally find it? To me, it is the same with inspiration. When I sit down to write, and stare at the balnk page (or one filled with a couple of sentences), I cannot come up with anything. On the other hand, when I just go about my business, I sometimes spontaneously come up with some interesting stuff for a story. Maybe that would also work for you that way...

	19-01-2003 04:26									#7
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In an alternate past, African terrain is rich and arable but fraught with dangerous predators. Tribes form and band together for protection; cooperation is key for survival. Thus wars are virtually nonexistent - the many peoples are one. Eventually, a great alliance is formed to promote African control of the continent, furthering progress even more. Technology expands at breakneck pace; various discoveries lengthen lifespan and promote the general quality of life for Africans. Even after the once-mighty predators are extinct, Africa continues its charge to greatness.

An unavoidable result of this speed is that African countries develop far faster than European countries. By 1492, Africa has created massive frigates, muskets, cannons, libraries, banks, companies, and hospitals; Europe is still populated with primitives waving clubs and vying for control of their rocky and rough territory.

African explorers discover the New World; they also discover Europe. As colonization progresses, a massive and exploitative triangular trade develops. Raw materials from the New World settlements are shipped home to Africa, where they are sold; the money is brought to Europe where it is used to buy white slaves; the slaves are shipped to the New World where they are sold to the colonies.

The conflict: civil rights. The tables are turned - is the situation the same? Characters can develop increasingly realistic situations that mirror the experiences of slaves in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in America. Perhaps the outcome is the same; perhaps we'll learn a little from it.

Go to town, Centauri.

	19-01-2003 04:27									#8
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Oh, okay. I just feel pressured to write a follow-up before my first one is forgotten, you know? But I'll take a breather.
The thing is, I just was hoping for a few new ideas to toss around and see if they work with what I ahve in mind so far.
That's the reason for this thread, after all.

	19-01-2003 04:30									#9
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Well, I actually agree that it might be a good idea to ask other people for suggestions. We actually had this idea of writing a group story some time ago, only it never picked up... So, yes, incorporating other people's suggestions might turn up an interesting story, though to me it would be hard to write such a story, because I think it is generally hard to write about something you didn't come up with on your own. Unless you are writing a school composition, that is.

	19-01-2003 04:31									#10
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I just meant that I'd take any contributed ideas and modify them slightly, or just toss them around until I got a new idea of my own. Or something.

	19-01-2003 04:32									#11
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Feel free to shamelessly steal my idea and run with it, Centauri. Or you can just take a breather and come back later. Just a suggestion, anyway.

	19-01-2003 04:34									#12
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Yep, the visitors of this forum have long memories, so we won't forget your story easily, Centauri18.

	19-01-2003 04:40									#13
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Since you've just started posting here, Centauri, I feel like your post count should be low. But looking at your profile, I see you have only a few less posts than I do!

I also see you joined Apolyton about a year ago, while I joined a little more than six months ago. And I was feeling like an old hand...

	19-01-2003 04:47									#14
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Interesting... I just looked at the list of your posts, Centauri18, seems you have been spending lots of time at the AC fiction forums... It's a pity that it is much less active than this forum here. Or maybe it's a good thing, because if it was, we would never get your attention.

	19-01-2003 04:47									#15
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Comes from a lot of comments on the Alpha Centauri thread, my favorite game at the time - hence my screen name.
I forgot about my account here for a while, then came back. I'd been reading stories for a long time, and just decided why not write one of my own?
'Pax America' was almost toally off the top of my head, and I'm glad people liked it so much.

	19-01-2003 04:54									#16
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It was well deserved that it was liked you did a good job, the whole concept of delivering the story through a series of history lessons was a good idea.

I agree with vovan that you should take a short break to recharge those batteries I know I was exhausted after writing Mikes Story (which Id like to know what you think about) and took well over a month to start another story.

	19-01-2003 05:03									#17
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Guitarist, as for your post above, it's an absolutely fascinating concept, but right now I am working on a concept for a sequel to Pax America. And you have to remember that this is a story related to Civ3 - America a six-thousand-year-old civilization and all. I'll explore more of an alternate past - and therefore an alternate present - in my next series. Right Now I plan to write at least one sequel to Pax AMerica.
I seriously like your idea mentioned above, and I plan to follow up on some variant of it in the future.
Thank you for the input.

	19-01-2003 05:06									#18
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quote: Originally posted by ChrisiusMaximus I was exhausted after writing Mikes Story

Which can be found here

	19-01-2003 05:32									#19
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Thanks Vov.

	19-01-2003 05:42									#20
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Yes indeed thanks for the link vovan

It was based on the life of a young boy caught up in the tense politics of his world and his growing up through those dark times to become a national hero.

It might help you a little Centauri as it is an alternate history in some ways, obviously not set in modern times as your pax sequel will be but there maybe something which inspires in their.

PS dont forget the idea I pm'd you a while back although it might not quite be what you have in mind it would certainly make a good twist.

	19-01-2003 05:43									#21
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I'll keep it in mind.

	19-01-2003 06:01									#22
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Mike's Story was pretty good.
And I guess you could call pretty much all Civ stories Alternate History.

	19-01-2003 08:43									#23
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Oh, and before I forget, I'm planning to do several more stories set in the Pax America universe. One, at least, will take place in the Roaring Twenties (with 1960's technology), the day man first walked on the moon (IOW [in our world] the day the Wright brothers first flew, in 1903 (gonna need some research for that one) and one during the 1980's (with 2010's technology or thereablouts). Stuff like that. Period pieces where the period is nothing like in our world. And all these stories would take place in America. There will probably be more about other people in other parts of the world, but this is waht I've come up with for now.
Until next time...

	20-01-2003 03:13									#24
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I also plan to add a lot of twists and turns as a result of the nations wiped out during Pax America - i.e. Spain, Babylon, Russia, England, the Celts, Korea - like people important to the history of those nations having different roles in history?
What would happen to thegreat Communist leaders of Russia where Russia has been divided among other nations?
The modern crisis involving North and South Korea would never take place because for one thing, Korea was never divided.
We don't have to worry about Sadaam in this world, so what would George W (probably still governor of Texas, unless you have any other ideas) have to focus his attention on?
I plan to have characters of modern history still involved for the most part.
Of course my 1930's period piece will have Al Capone and Elliot Ness and his Untouchables, but in a different world. THe Wright Brothers could be the heads of NASA. Ronald Reagan might still be an actor!
What do you guys think?

Last edited by Centauri18 on 22-01-2003 at 03:52

	20-01-2003 08:02									#25
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What happened? I can't see my maps anymore when I read Pax America.

	20-01-2003 12:08									#26
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When the site gets very busy certain things are switched off like avatars etc or maybe the browser you are using is having heavy traffic. I have had similar problems sometimes.

	20-01-2003 12:49									#27
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Oh.

	20-01-2003 16:00									#28
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And one more thing: I'm using Windows Paint to make the maps, and I was thinking that I could make new ones that were much easier to understand if I had a file with all the civilizations' unique colors. Then I could copy them into Paint, and use them accordingly in the new maps. And it would save tiime when a color key was needed.
Any takers?

	20-01-2003 20:59									#29
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Sounds like a good idea, but I have no idea how to do it.

	20-01-2003 21:20									#30
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Well, I guess I could do it, but only for the civs in an unmodded Civ3 (no PtW). The way to do this would be: to go into the editor, and there you can modify the rules. Go to the civilizations tab, or something to that extent, and there when you select a civ, it shows you the primary and the secondary colour for that civ. Bear in mind, though that some civs can have two colours, and some civs' colours overlap. So, for instance, both the greeks and the persians could be light-green. And both the americans and the chinese could be light-blue. But the chinese can also be pink. Also, both the zulu and the egyptians could be yellow, but the zulu could also be gray, etc.. You still want somebody to do this?