As a massive fan of reading wikipedia/wiki articles about things, I’ve decided to write up a simple quick article about the backhistory of Ausmerica in-universe and out-universe, what the stories mean to me, and provide a simple map of my favourite places in Ausmerica (SouthSide City).
Ausmerica is set in a future world in a distant universe where magic is a form of highly advanced technology (that relies on will-power and a low distance teleportation). Due to genetic engineering, some animals have become intelligent (and in Ausmerica further engineered with hands and an upright frame so that product design is not too complicated and many other biological things were improved such as bulldogs nasal organs, and life longevity [with touchups now and then]). Due to a mass hunt and eradication of intelligent animals around the world, these animals (and any humans that were empathetic to their plight) were forced to flee to a bunch of naturally formed islands about three hundred kms north of Hawaii.
Unbeknownst to the world, this was about the first time there was contact with an alien civilisation. A prince from a distant ancient and stale alien shapeshifter civilization called The Dragon Kingdom had accidentally ‘bought’ Earth despite it holding a Type 1 Civilization and was wishing to accelerate the Earth’s technology to accommodate his needs (because he did not want to wipe out the planet and start again). So he helps establish Ausmerica as well.
This early history of Ausmerica is fraught with war as the rest of the planet becomes jealous of its rapid technological progress. While the rest of the world is starting to develop warp technology (seeded by the Dragon Prince), Ausmerica has fully functioning technology 4 to 5 magnitudes faster and in-line with the average warp speeds of the galaxy Wern Federation. (Yes, the story is much bigger than Earth!)
Civilisations close to Earth also develop an interest in the planet as well, and so they either choose to trade with Earth or attempt to invade.
The Wern Federation is a federation of about 500 sectors in the Milky Way Galaxy. However, power has been accumulated into 9 Sectors known as the Executive Circle. These are:
Capitol — the political center of the Wern Federation. This sector is where the Executive Circle and the Sector Assembly Council meet.
Nuningrad — the military center. This sector is actually encompassed by Capitol and provides Capitol with support to mandate any of the laws it creates.
Morgan — A previously somewhat faraway sector who now controls the finances and wealth of the entire Wern Federation through the issuing of its currency, the morgans which is the default currency of the Wern Federation. Wealth is backed by the Morgan Vault and currency is increased or decreased primarily through the storage of more or less valuable items in the Vault.
Yokkilsy — ship and technology manufacturer
Saffron — fashion center
Moggil — the media center
Beeb — came about because of a self-made Wern citizen who became Area Head and then took control of several Areas from minor Sectors before declaring his region a Sector. He rose to Executive Circle level because the rest of the Executive Circle did not want to fight against a person like him and wished to put his talents to good use.
Arkan — An ancient weapons manufacturing sector who is losing competitive advantage to the Yokkilsians.
The Land of the Red Diamond — Another ancient sector that mines a special diamond used to power the warp ships.
There are other Sectors that are worth mentioning. Unipol is the Sector that Earth/Ausmerica and the Dragon Kingdom are located in. Halafel is a wealthy Sector known for tourism and religious freedom (they have temples for all gods and they receive almost all the offerings) that wishes to become an Executive Circle Sector.
Echidna is also another rising star which specialises in a galaxy wide network of pocket dimensions and purchasing of items through wormhole networks. They are sort of like the ‘Amazon Company’ of the Wern Federation.
Then there is Valar/Necromanci. Valar is the founding state of the Wern Federation who lost power to the Jamal family in Capitol. They have always believed themselves to be superior to the rest of the Wern Federation. During the start of this saga, they lost their Executive Circle seat and renamed themselves as The Necromanci and are engaged in war against the Wern Federation.
The main hero of this epic saga is an intelligent hedgehog called Spikey Lui who criss-crossed from Ausmerica level incidents to Wern Federation level. At some point, he gets wound up on a multiverse level with Type 4 civilisation and Type 5 civilisations, but at that point, even the greatest hero that ever lived decides that he has had enough and he retires.
(One theme that I like is the idea that local stories do not cease to exist just because there are big global events happening around the world. A great hero known throughout the Wern Federation will often be tripped up by small bureaucracies and politics)
Anyway, that’s the small to big picture of Ausmerica. I might have mentioned once or twice that this is a dream of small child, extended with a lot of revision by an adult. Which is why it is so grand with so many moving parts.
But why call it Ausmerica?
I want this place to feel familiar, but also feel new and to represent an ideal to our own world. America in our world for better or worse represents the center of democracy and freedom in the planet. Whether this is the case or not, well, who am I to judge? I’ve never even been there.
While I could have chosen another Western democracy to make a portmanteu with e.g. Canamerica (sounds like a can of sardines), Britamerica (sounds like an encyclopaedia), Swedemerica (hmmmmm), Westmerica (too on the nose) I felt that Ausmerica had a really easy flow to it and a ‘newness’ sound. I also had Liberia in mind, but unfortunately that name has already been taken.
Ausmerica is neither a criticism nor a love letter to Australia or America. Like every fictional place, it is inspired by places and things from everywhere that I have read/known about but more importantly, it’s a place with a name that I want the reader to instantly feel a connection to.
Why Write In One World?
I like the idea of intersectioning of ideas. The idea that old forms the new. The idea that there is always something bigger gives way to multiversal beings to the Wern Federation to the District Mayors and Department Heads in Ausmerica. The idea that one person can rise up through no matter how many levels gives the idea of Spikey Lui (plus he is a hedgehog which makes him more bankable than a human).
My Favourite Place in Ausmerica!
SouthSide City, I drew out a rough outline.
