yui

On June 3rd, 1930, strange things began happening on a global scale. Initial reports vary from place to place, with symptoms such as total electronic failure, localized reversal of night and day, loss of gravity, and in some cases, entire objects, people, or areas simply disappearing in plain sight. Over the next week, these symptoms became more frequent, widespread, and severe. By June 11th, everything that comprised reality as we know it seemed to just stop working, and the planet itself was breaking down into nothing, before suddenly, it all stopped.

After that, the general consensus is that the entire population of Earth had been rendered unconscious for several hours, mostly waking up in the early AM hours on June 12th. This week-long breakdown of reality was aptly referred to as The Crisis, and June 11th was designated as the date to commemorate the anniversary of it not completely destroying the world and all that lived upon it. Its cause and the reason it ended both remain unknown to this day, but it didn't take long to realize that in its wake, much had changed, both in the geography and inhabitants of Earth, and in the laws that govern reality itself.

Geographically, the first thing people noticed was that the sea level had been dramatically reduced. Additionally, the landscape itself had changed significantly, and along with it, the planet's biomes and climate. As a general rule, the world was now just a little bit hotter and drier in most places, and wetter in tropical areas near the equator, and great swathes of the land had become barren, rocky wastelands. Animals were now bigger, and more dangerous, from simple rabbits growing larger and stronger to some species undergoing population-scale mutations, such as the antlers of deer becoming sharp, natural blades. More than ever, the wilderness of Earth was a savage land where the strong survive and the weak become food.

Humans, of course, also changed. For more on this, please refer to "Psychics".

Of course, reality itself had also been altered by The Crisis. In addition to mutating plants and animals alike, some underlying physics that make the world go 'round were also changed. Most notably, electricity and similar signals couldn't be conducted from one place to another as efficiently. While this only had minor effects on common household items like refrigerators or light bulbs that didn't take long to work around, items meant to transmit across long distances simply took up too much energy to be viable anymore. This meant things like telephones and radios generally fell out of use, and psychics who could send information across long distances soon found themselves in high demand as the next best thing.

The Crisis also slightly reduced the lifespan of humans. Not enough to be a cause for concern, but enough that with 100 years passed since it happened, only one living human remains who witnessed it firsthand.

After The Crisis, humans developed what are best described as psychic abilities. These can range from mundane to overwhelming, and can serve any number of purposes depending on the person.

At the core of it all, any given person believes in something, and this is the root from which these abilities grow. That one thing they believe in more than anything else, be it a principle, a mantra, or any number of other things. The way these powers work is by essentially forcing that one core belief onto the fabric of reality, making it change around them to fit that belief. For example, somebody whose powers come from the belief of "I must fight back" may be able to attack those who've struck them with greater force, or more effectively resist the abilities of others, while someone whose greatest belief is "This should work" might have the ability to return broken devices to working order, or create things that should be impossible and only work when used by them.

While some non-psychics may believe this is due to a mutation in the human genome, it didn't take long for research to prove this is a false claim. It isn't a matter of humans having changed, but rather, reality becoming more malleable in ways that the higher brain functions of a human can end up tapping into. As a result of this distinction, there are also cases of wild animals from particularly intelligent species also harboring psychic powers.

It's not uncommon for one psychic to be capable of doing multiple things, on the condition that it all traces back to the same core belief in some way. It's also possible for the belief that enables somebody's powers to change after a particularly life-changing event, but this is extremely rare. Of additional note, because these powers involve the alteration of reality itself, other humans are naturally resistant - but not immune - to abilities that affect the mind in some way. Regular government surveys also exist across the globe to keep track of what people are capable of, to ensure the safety of everyone.

As of 2030, an estimated 82% of the human population has some sort of psychic ability, and this number is expected to increase rapidly in the coming decades. However, due to a highly specific genetic sequence that would otherwise be glorified filler, approximately 8% of humans are incapable of developing psychic abilities, regardless of belief or lack thereof. This "defect" is hereditary, but researchers are fairly confident it will gradually fade out over the next few generations.

In the time since The Crisis, bounty hunting has become quite the widespread business. The wilderness has no shortage of monstrosities that need to be put down, and people are ever eager to use their abilities for evil, and tracking either of those down often falls upon the shoulders of these individuals. Normally, it's the case that bounty hunters must find and take on contracts themselves, but in some cases, the nations putting out exceptional bounties may reach out to famous bounty hunters first, hoping to employ the best in the business to handle matters that defy the scope of the norm.

Because bounty hunters operate independently, and do the people of the world a great service by eliminating major threats to public safety, those who do well in this profession may well find themselves on the fast track to fame. This in turn inspires many to take up bounty hunting. However, this is a dangerous profession, and the use of some sort of weapon is often advised to supplement one's own abilities.

Prior to The Crisis, the United States comprised of 48 states operated by a singular government. However, between the brief societal collapse, the transformation of Earth, and the birth of the New Aztec Republic, several states - especially in the south and west - were lost. As of 2030, 30 states remain (to see which states were lost, please refer to this map), and they form a union more in the sense that they're all allied toward a common goal. The President still holds executive power across the nation, but the power of state governments has increased greatly in the last century.

During the war with the New Aztec Republic, an aerial fortress dubbed Air Force Zero was created, with the intention to use it as an ace in the sleeve to wipe out the enemy with indiscriminate force. However, the fortress was never put to military use, since the war ended before it could be deployed. Instead, the White House was place atop the fortress, and Air Force Zero now serves as the new political seat of power within the USA, protecting the President in times of peace and serving as a deterrant to those who would invade the remaining states.

In the late 1920s, Australia was in a rough spot, due to both the aftermath of the Great War and the subsequent onset of the Great Depression. Soon, 1930 came, and with it, The Crisis made everything much worse. The continent - formerly made up of mostly desert - began erupting with new life, but in addition, the wildlife that already existed began to change, as it did in the rest of the world. This meant that the emu population, which had already been a menace to Western Australia, completely overran the area, and many Australians were forced to retreat eastward. In the century since, the Australian military has reclaimed the western half of the continent, but the beasts lurking outside of civilization have grown dangerous enough to warrant the construction of large walls around towns and cities across the nation.

As of the year 2030, Australia is a continent dominated by jungle many would consider unbearably hot, with a much more tropical climate owing to the continent moving significantly further north during The Crisis. All is well and normal within the city walls, but the jungle outside is a dangerous place where anything that moves can kill a man, and may well try. Skilled bounty hunters looking to make a quick buck often flock to Australia, since not only can putting down its monstrous wildlife be a fairly lucrative business, but criminals who seek to flee other nations often end up hiding in those very jungles as well.

In the time up to and after the Great War, Japan was able to greatly expand its reach into mainland Asia and the island nations in Southeast Asia and the wider Pacific area. Some of these island territories disappeared during The Crisis, and in its aftermath, Japan lost a lot of mainland territory. Even more than this shrinking of borders, the greatest change in Japan didn't come until after The Crisis. Once the nation's matters were resolved, Emperor Showa was quick to reclaim territories lost during The Crisis, and to send assistance to those that needed it. The former led to some intense warring across Asia, which ended in Emperor Showa channeling the full extent of his abilities to destroy both himself and an entire counter-invading army, causing the war to swiftly end thereafter.

Thus did the Heisei Era begin on December 14th, 1948, which persists to this day. The new Emperor returned autonomy and provided military & economic aid to many of Japan's conquered territories to bury these old hostilities, on the condition that those nations recognize Japan's rule as having the real final say if they were to step in. Thus did an uneasy peace form, backed by the hand of the Emperor, who is generally believed to be one of the most powerful psychics in the world, as his father was before him. It's unknown why exactly the Imperial House is host to two such powerful psychics in a row, but one theory that stands out above the others is that it has to do with how psychics themselves are able to work; because Japan reveres the Emperor as a god so strongly, it's theorized that faith - when applied on a national scale - can create a sort of "psychic ambiance" that immensely powers up the Emperor.

As of 2030, the Heisei Era has continued to be one of uneasy peace. On a non-zero amount of occasions, nations have fought to break completely free of imperial rule, were promptly squashed, then later given their autonomy back again once the Emperor decided the message had been sent. Nations near Japan's protected territories look on with cautious gazes and readied armies in case of invasion, but the Emperor has yet to show any interest in expanding his territory, focused more on improving the quality of life within the land already under his rule as much as possible.

In the early 1920s, the Soviet Union was formed out of Russia and various neighboring nations. This union proved to be short-lived, as many of the Soviet Union's nations broke off from the union to manage their own affairs during and after The Crisis. Worse still, in the lowering of the sea level and other geographical changes, much of Russia was massively changed. The resulting chaos saw Russia lose much of its land, and for a brief period of time, the nation had almost entirely dissolved, being reduced to the city-state of Moscow. Around the start of 1931, however, Moscow's government was able to reclaim the confidence of the people, and Russia quickly spread back across most of its old territory. MOST of its old territory.

Particularly in the south and west, many formerly-Russian towns & cities had either set up their own sovereignty, or joined up with cities that had done so. This led to a brief war in which Russia tried to reclaim its old territory, and the new coalition of city-states fought to keep their newfound independence. Backed up by former Soviet Union nations who didn't want Russia to control such enormous amounts of land, the latter won, and the East Eurasian Alliance was formed out of those city-states and the other countries in the area. Russia begrudingly went with it, and elected not to join the EEA.

As of 2030, Russia and the EEA still don't get along, and more wars have come and gone every so often. Each time Russia tries and fails to reconquer the city-states around them, they're sternly told not to do it again, but inevitably, they do it again. Things have quieted down in the last couple of decades, but the EEA has only gotten more wary in response to the newfound silence. Few have been allowed to enter or leave Russia for quite some time, so it's hard to tell from the outside just what's going on to prompt this change.

Kostgorov

The formation of the NAR is unusual, not because of its circumstances, but because of the complete and total lack of any sort of documentation. During The Crisis, various anomalies led to the full societal collapse of Mexico, and after that point, no records exist of what happened until September of 1930. By that point, the New Aztec Republic was already formed, and was quickly picking up the pieces Mexico's collapse had left behind. However, much of Mexico was left as barren wasteland after The Crisis, and so the NAR turned its attention northward, in the USA's direction. A war of twenty-three years followed, with borders constantly being pushed back and forth during this time, until finally, by demand of the peoples of both nations, peace was made.

Most of the NAR is made up of deserts and wastelands, along the Gulf of Mexico, lush jungles decorate the earth, and some of the Republic's more northern territories feature plains and forests. And most notable of all is the NAR's capital. Named Tenochtitlan after the heart of the historic Aztecs that predated them, the NAR has built their capital over what was once Mexico City, which in turn was once Tenochtitlan. It's rumored that an unstoppable machine of war lies beneath the lake on which the ruins of Old Tenochtitlan are being reconstructed, but nothing exists to confirm these rumors. Supposedly, the machine was constructed to combat the USA and wipe them out entirely, but the demand for peace became too great, and the machine has since lain dormant in an underground base.

At first, the New Aztec Republic was actually a monarchy, but after the war with the USA ended, the founding king declared that the nation would be a republic, and disappeared shortly after the first election was finished. Although the leader of the NAR is elected, they're still referred to as a king or queen.

During The Crisis, the Iberian Penninsula broke off from the rest of Europe. Spain and Portugal, suddenly detached from the continent they grew up on, made a formal declaration that they would be handling external affairs as a singular entity in late 1930. Although the Iberian Union exists for external affairs, Spain and Portugal are still very much their own nations, and manage their own land as they always have.

Nova Roma is a European super-nation formed by several nations in western Europe completely collapsing and exploding into tiny pieces, followed by those pieces going into all-out war with each other to claim control in the chaos, only to all be swept up by a single underdog faction. Styling itself as a new Roman Empire, Nova Roma made the unusual (for the time and place) decision of employing independent mercenaries, then paying those mercenaries in loot plundered from conquered territory. Against all odds, this worked, and Nova Roma swallowed up the entire western half of Europe in just a few short months, additionally expanding into lands that were once submerged beneath the Mediterranean Sea.

Once this rapid expansion was complete, Nova Roma began planting figures of authority throughout the nation to ensure everybody was staying loyal. With great size comes great resources, and Roman leaders wasted no time putting these to use to rapidly improve quality of life for the people, to try and ensure they wouldn't plan any rebellions, while also keeping an immense, heavily-armed military around just in case. The result is a nation where the quality of life is high, but the laws are strictly enforced, and the Triumvirate holds absolute power. Culturally, Nova Roma is a grand melting pot of the pieces that once controlled its vast tracts of land, with attempts made to re-introduce elements of the historical Roman Empire.