Lore - The world in Outlaw Country (3 of 4)

[Author's note: a "Historical Hinge Point" is a moment in history that changes the world and sets it on a, sometimes wildly, different course. World wars are hinge points. International economic collapses are hinge points. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a hinge point] ⚠️ WARNING – History Nerd Wall of Text INCOMING ⚠️ For this story, I wanted the world to be similar to our real world, but there would be changes that would add wonder and mystery to this world. As I have mentioned before, this world has some things we don't: -Animal People -Dinosaurs The Animal People are just a fun nod to Akira Toriyama and Hayao Miazaki. You can do some fun things with the animal people. You can have a corrupt elected representative be a pig man in a fancy suit. The Dinosaurs though...this provides a lot to work with. In our world, we (humanity) have very few predators walking around. Some countries have to deal with hippos, tigers, elephants, jungle cats, but these predators are mostly regional threats and not something experienced by all. So, I have dinosaurs as predators, keeping people in check. It feels like there should be something else that should keep humanity in check. I was talking with an IRL friend about this and they casually brought up giant insects...and then it clicked: Giant Insects! Sure, why not? Many (silly) 1950's American B-movies featured giant insects/reptiles as antagonists. Giant ants, spiders, scorpions, preying manti...all would do a good job keeping humanity in check. Then, my friend and I got to talking about hinge points throughout history (we're both history nerds, with our own focuses and interests). As we were talking, I had the idea of the introduction of these new predators not only as a historical hinge point, but it would replace an actual historical hinge point. No one can deny that the greatest historical hinge points in the 20th century were World War I and World War II. What if World War I happened, the world began to heal from its devastation...then BAM!!! OOPS! ALL PREDATORS! Do you know what that means? No World War II. None. "It didn't happen. It was a fabrication. We made it up." -Jonathan Frakes So yeah, World War II never happened, so several key historical points also never happened. There was no desire for nuclear weapons (the dinos and insects forced people from their homelands. Governments wouldn't have the need for nuclear weapons because not only would it be overkill for clearing out insects and dinosaurs, you also destroy the existing infrastructure and you make the place uninhabitable for many many years). What would work to clear out these predators? Conventional bombs/rockets, perhaps with computer guidance systems. Incendiary chemical weapons, like napalm. Military hardware like tanks/helicopters/multi-role jets. Also, no death camps. No ethnic cleansing campaigns. No Unit 731. No OSS. No Otto Skorzeny. No Charles de Gaulle. No Harry Truman (good riddance), No Joseph Stalin. No Adolf Hitler. No Dunkirk. None. Of. These. Things. Happened. The needs during and after World War II could easily be applied to this new world with super predators. World War II arms production boom and Cold War arms races? They easily slot into this new world because humanity needs to fight back against these predators. The breaking up of empires? Some empires will crumble under the threat of super predators. Colonial resistance movements would be successful, because what imperial power could do/uphold imperial conquests while dealing with colonies (no pun intended) of giant ants eating your peasants in the countryside? You, as a government would have to withdraw soldiers stationed in imperial territory so they could fight the super predators back in their homeland. As a matter of fact, this helps to explain the creation and rise of the Free African Union, mentioned in this character's concept sheet: https://pixai.art/artwork/2005229155099214641?utm_source=copy_web Famine would also be a concern, because it's difficult to grow crops when super predators will either feast upon your crops or they'll feast on the people sent out to harvest those crops. Maybe both, if the situation is really dire. So yeah, this is a brief look into the world that Outlaw Country is set in. A world where World War II never happened and humanity is in a constant struggle with super predators. Combine that with the animal people and this is a world that is ripe for creative historical interpretation! Oh, and thank you for attending my TED Talk 😂