Era: Nation On The Brink
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pre Pre-History
pre Pre-Changes
1 EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
2 EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
3 Nation On The Brink (1/97)
4 EraSchismAndStalemate (1/97)
5 EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
6 EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
7 EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
8 EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
pre Pre-Changes
1 EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
2 EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
3 Nation On The Brink (1/97)
4 EraSchismAndStalemate (1/97)
5 EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
6 EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
7 EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
8 EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
Starts with: EventTheFlyby
Ends with: EventTheMeeting
Era Summary
Most therianthropes headed into 1997 full of optimism, convinced that they had already weathered the worst of the public opinion roller-coaster ride. They were wrong.
EventTheFlyby, for the first time, undeniably painted theris as the villains. A public that had been willing to let their inner fears be calmed by theris' good deeds suddenly found themselves confronting those fears. Today, 13 in Times Square ... how many tomorrow? Why hadn't there been other similar tragedies, and what was stopping more of them from occurring? Suddenly, doomsayers' warnings didn't seem quite so hysterical.
Historians still debate if the worst of it could have been avoided -- if shedding the blood of GroupTheFlybyThree might have appeased the public's newfound rage and grief. But many theris, who understandably felt the Three were facing execution over an innocent mistake, weren't about to let that happen. CharacterDennisRedwing was among them, and throwing his star power into their defense nearly crystallized those fears into open conflict.
Redwing started the showdown with his announcement that he would represent the Three to negotiate their surrender if prosecutors would rule out the death penalty. The FBI's detention of Redwing and their threats to charge him as well upped the ante. Redwing's much-publicized escape gave both sides a personal stake. Further escalation then seemed inevitable, but not even pessimistic theris were prepared for EventTheExecutiveOrder. The gauntlet had been thrown.
The order's 72-hour deadline crawled closer, minute by minute. The whole country, and much of the world, watched and waited -- amid fierce debate, and growing speculation as high-profile theris issued a bizarrely mute response.
Ironically, it was partially that silence that turned the terms of the debate around. Mass media, unable to sustain its focus on theri reaction, shifted its gaze to the order itself. The visions of some of the order's most vocal proponents were brought to light -- new spy and police structures to weed out hidden theris from the humans they resembled; "purges"; and other civil-liberties nightmares. That kicked off a legal and political counterattack whose rhetoric became blistering even in high-profile theris' absence. Between that and the outing of one or two significant political figures (which were another huge factor in the debate -- turning the media spotlight back onto the politicians and partially deflating their theri-demonizing rhetoric), some began to wonder if this cure wouldn't be worse than the disease.
And so the stage was set for the surprise unveiling of The Meeting and Redwing's declaration of defiance. The combined voice of over a thousand theris and mages gave one response to the relocation order: "No. And if you make us, there will be war."
Major Events
The following 17 page(s) belong to EraNationOnTheBrink| CategoryEras [Eras of TTU] |
| EraANewWorldOrder [Era: A New World Order] |
| EraDragonInTheStreets [Era: Dragon In The Streets] |
| EraFromCausesToCrusades [Era: From Causes To Crusades] |
| EraOverTheHorizon [Era: Over The Horizon] |
| EraPreChanges [Era: Pre-Changes] |
| EraPreHistory [Era: Pre-History] |
| EraSchismAndStalemate [Era: Schism And Stalemate] |
| EraTheShockSettlesIn [Era: The Shock Settles In] |
| EraWinterOfDiscontent [Era: Winter of Discontent] |
| EventTheExecutiveOrder [The Executive Order] |
| EventTheFlyby [The Flyby] |
| EventTheMeeting [The Meeting] |
| StoryKenneth [Stories: Kenneth] |
| StoryShelter [Stories: Shelter] |
| TemplateEraBox [Eras of TTU] |
| TheriType [Major therianthrope types] |
Writing Tips
"Things fall apart; the center cannot hold." - W.B. Yeats
The theme of this era of TTU is of a steep and accelerating spiral toward destruction. The average human or theri is powerless in the face of their leaders' grand designs; those leaders are themselves powerless in the face of events. Caught in the grip of history, everyone is simply struggling to protect their life and lifestyle.
In true Cold War style -- a not inappropriate comparison, considering that one of the doomsday scenarios discussed in the media after EventTheMeeting was a mage teleporting a nuclear bomb out of the U.S.' arsenal into a major city -- both sides could only escalate their threats in hopes of finding one whose consequences would be too dire to risk. After EventTheMeeting, an equilibrium would finally be reached, but during this era it was far from clear that the titans' clash could be stopped short of deadly force.
This is a time of extreme uncertainty and dark omens. If they're contacted by Redwing or one of his agents, theris cling to The Meeting like a log in a whirlpool; if they're not, theris must decide how to deal with a command that is as world-shattering to them as The Changes were to ordinary humans. Those humans, meanwhile, are getting flashbacks to a paranoia of helplessness not seen since the "Duck and Cover" days. Most of them react to theris with a great deal more caution (and even fear).
Many people try to maintain a semblance of real life in this era -- after all, most adults have some Cold War experience and Mutually Assured Destruction isn't a new idea -- but everyone keeps one ear to the news, wondering just how bad it's going to get. After EventTheExecutiveOrder, troops are back out on the streets (although subtly, as peacekeepers); the U.S. has again ground to a near-halt; and things don't start to thaw until the country steps back from the edge.
Stories Set In This Era
The following 17 page(s) belong to EraNationOnTheBrink| CategoryEras [Eras of TTU] | EraANewWorldOrder [Era: A New World Order] | EraDragonInTheStreets [Era: Dragon In The Streets] | EraFromCausesToCrusades [Era: From Causes To Crusades] |
| EraOverTheHorizon [Era: Over The Horizon] | EraPreChanges [Era: Pre-Changes] | EraPreHistory [Era: Pre-History] | EraSchismAndStalemate [Era: Schism And Stalemate] |
| EraTheShockSettlesIn [Era: The Shock Settles In] | EraWinterOfDiscontent [Era: Winter of Discontent] | EventTheExecutiveOrder [The Executive Order] | EventTheFlyby [The Flyby] |
| EventTheMeeting [The Meeting] | StoryKenneth [Stories: Kenneth] | StoryShelter [Stories: Shelter] | TemplateEraBox [Eras of TTU] |
| TheriType [Major therianthrope types] |
Other Associated Pages
The following 17 page(s) belong to EraNationOnTheBrink| CategoryEras [Eras of TTU] | EraANewWorldOrder [Era: A New World Order] | EraDragonInTheStreets [Era: Dragon In The Streets] | EraFromCausesToCrusades [Era: From Causes To Crusades] |
| EraOverTheHorizon [Era: Over The Horizon] | EraPreChanges [Era: Pre-Changes] | EraPreHistory [Era: Pre-History] | EraSchismAndStalemate [Era: Schism And Stalemate] |
| EraTheShockSettlesIn [Era: The Shock Settles In] | EraWinterOfDiscontent [Era: Winter of Discontent] | EventTheExecutiveOrder [The Executive Order] | EventTheFlyby [The Flyby] |
| EventTheMeeting [The Meeting] | StoryKenneth [Stories: Kenneth] | StoryShelter [Stories: Shelter] | TemplateEraBox [Eras of TTU] |
| TheriType [Major therianthrope types] |
CategoryEras
