"There was no long-term, and trying to cling to one would only spoil it all."
This article contains spoilers regarding the ending of Worm and plot of the sequel.
Earth Shin, also called Supreme Earth is an alternate reality in close parallel with Earth Aleph and Earth Bet. As "Supreme Earth", it was the setting for an early draft of Worm.[1]
History
Background
Supreme Earth was an alternate reality that featured villains operating like terrorist cells, destabilizing society to make people dependent on superhumans to get energy, food and safety. Basically put, a world with superhumans that had no superheroes. Takeover on a global level, with non-superhumans as second class citizens.[1]
Somewhere between 2008 and 2011 portal in White Rock, British Columbia, becomes a public knowledge, spurring smuggling activity around it. Eventually it becomes a vectors for diseases, gets quarantined, and produces Goddess' Cluster. Bianca with her clustermates get exiled into Earth Shin by Cauldron, and shortly she takes over the local parahumans and the planet.
Professor Haywire discovered Supreme Earth, naming it "Earth Shin" or "Earth S". The PRT is aware of its existence, and the potential threat represented by Goddess' mind control is one of the reasons they are now extremely cautious of contact with other Earths. Its existence is heavily classified within the PRT and government.[2]
Timeskip
There was some sort of breach event in Paris on December 19th 2012.[3]
Gold Morning
Khepri came upon this Earth and took its occupants, seizing them for her war. Only Goddess and her inner circle were able resist, and then only temporarily.[4]
Post-Gold Morning
Its leader was rumored to have returned to her earth to rule it,[5] it has presumably stayed connected to the wider multiverse.[6] However, Goddess was in fact a resident of Earth Gimel, seeking a power that was stolen from her, and which she needed for the reconquest of Earth Shin.[7]
Shin was a critical supplier of Gimel, providing crude materials[8], clothing[9], and food.[10]
Post-Goddess' Takeover
Local governments accepted reintroduction of parahumans with severe conditions.
Post-Time Bubble Pop
Following the reveal of political involvement of parahumans on Gimel, Shin attempted to establish the dominance over The City by leveraging their relief support during incoming winter. At the time Shin provided around the third of the Gimel resources, including food.[11]
After the failure of several heavy-handed provocations The Founders and Coalition factions were able to regain their political influence.[12]
Cultural notes and Divergences
Shin has a landmass in the Atlantic Ocean, called the Alleghenian Ridge, that is not present in other recorded Earths. It made possible early migration from war-torn Europe to Americas.[13] They also suffered two extinction level events at some point in their history.[14][15]
Scientists on Earth Shin were extremely interested in investigating powers. Goddess herself claims to have benefited from Shin science.[16] She also claims that Cauldron would deposit Case 53s and other curiosities on Shin for her labs to puzzle out.[17]
The architecture tended to be grandiose, regal and heavily decorated.[18][19][20] Local national flags follow the same trend.[9] Clothing styles, while practical, are similarly quite distinct in style and decorative elements. In region equivalent to North-East American coast, colorful braiding is a very popular motif.
Shin has heavily formalized negotiation culture, with honorary mirroring and subtle nuances of positioning. When performed properly it has poetic qualities.[21] It seems to be a product of contradiction of violent, but war-averse culture.[13]
The tradition of page patronage is still practiced on Shin, although in modified shape, where lower class kids are randomly chosen as official and domestic servants to the people of importance.[22]
Shin's approach to law enforcement while mentioned as expansive in scope, in many ways still very medieval and anarchic, favoring low regulation, short imprisonment, communal jails, courts-of-peers, and violent punishments.
Goddess attempted to make English universal language of the planet. While some locals are able to understand and speak English, it did not take hold en masse due to shortness of Bianca's reign.[13]
Notable Inhabitants
- Goddess - transplanted dictator of the earth.
- Tori Heflin
- Ramrod (possibly known under a different alias) had a personality similar to Taylor, willing to make 'bad' decisions if there were 'good' justifications. For Ramrod this entailed keeping her family safe. She ascended the ranks of Goddess organization and struggled while finding out Goddess secrets.[1] based on the name she may have been the unnamed cape with a pole, who had a power not unlike Gavel’s. Though that cape was male.[23]
- "Pod surgeon" - Lieutenant responsible[24] for the local capes' photogenicity.[25]
- Parahuman, responsible for mass-production of docile artificial human-like servants.[26][27]
- Founders - Remnants of the global government imposed by Goddess.[28]
- Luis, diplomatic representative
- Affiliated resistance groups to Goddesses rule.
- Yosef of the Lone Sands
- Coalition - remnants of regional governments that fled to novus mundus, politically united.[29]
- Red Queen - would be second dictator
- Chris Elman
- Marquis
- Around hundred-and-half of various parahuman ex-prisoners from Bet and Gimel
- Local parahuman warlords
Trivia
- In early drafts of Worm, the question of how Goddess controlled the superhumans so effectively and totally was a central mystery as the protagonist (Ramrod) ascended through the ranks. Wildbow has stated that he still considers the story canon.[1]
- A seemingly unrelated, male character named Ramrod is mentioned twice in Worm.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Not a lot to say. It was fairly early into my stint of writing for the genre, and I was mainly exploring things. Supreme Earth was an alternate reality that featured villains operating like terrorist cells, destablizing society in ways that were both major and minor (from offing world leaders to destroying city power grids), and putting the world in a situation where they were dependent on superhumans to get energy, food and safety. Basically put, a world with superhumans that had no superheroes. Takeover on a global level, with non-superhumans as second class citizens.
Ramrod was kind of similar to Skitter in that she was an (arguably) good person in a cynical – she was new to her powers, entering the Supreme’s organization from the ground level, but her priorities were mainly ensuring that her family was taken care of. As she ascended in the ranks, keeping that perspective would have been the main challenge. In terms of the greater plot, there was the question of why the villains were so organized and why Goddess, the leader of the superhumans, was able to keep every superhuman in line.
As far as I’m concerned, Supreme Earth is canon in the Wormverse. It probably won’t ever show its face, but it’s an alternate reality that falls in close parallel with Worm’s. Beyond the use of the name Ramrod, Supreme Earth’s characters weren’t really reused (though I think Regent might have poked his head in for one draft). - Comment by Wildbow on Prey 14.8 - ↑ Lausanne RP
- ↑ Paris, December 19th, 2012 // Simurgh
Notes: Victory by Scion.
Target/Consequence: see file The Woman in Blue. See file United Capes. - Excerpt from Scarab 25.6 - ↑ I found another Earth with a mixture of capes, all incredibly beautiful people, all in what was obviously a global position of power. Every flag that flew in their world was the same flag, and the gauntlet emblem on that flag matched the icon on a particular woman’s costume. A blue costume, with white fur at the collar, and a heavy cape that would have done Alexandria proud.
I attempted to seize control of them as well, and the woman in blue resisted me. She spoke, and I lost my hold on everyone in her range.
It was only twenty capes. Negligible. But I wasn’t going to settle. If I was going to compromise on any level, it was going to take more than this.
[...]
The others… they weren’t weak. Nothing gamebreaking, at a glance, but they weren’t weak. - Excerpt from Speck 30.4 - ↑ refugees of Earth Shin say a parahuman took over their Earth a decade ago. one woman. she went back home to continue ruling them. - Excerpt from Glow-worm P.8
- ↑ Glare 3.5
- ↑ “A power was taken from me,” Bianca said. “Without it, I can’t return to my throne. I’m being hunted and fucking hounded, and I get no peace.” - Gleaming 9.2
- ↑ I had a sense of which materials had come from where, with a lot of the prefab building segments having come from Cheit, a lot of crude materials from Shin, and outright raw materials from Earth N - Excerpt from Black 13.7
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Putting us at the foot of the station. The station had American and other Gimel flags flying from poles along the left side. To the right were standards, flags that draped down, each with its own iconography, colors, and shape at the end, whether it was two triangular tails or something rounded off.
I’d actually seen some of the images on clothing, and I hadn’t mentally connected to them being anything like flags. I’d figured it was from a game. - Excerpt from Breaking 14.4 - ↑ “Right now we’re supplying enough food to feed two million of your people and we’ll continue doing so through the winter. Amy Dallon pledged assistance and cooperation to increase that amount to five million, possibly to ten. That’s food. Shelter. Clothing. Chemicals. Industry. - Excerpt from Breaking 14.5
- ↑ “Materials from Shin have been about thirty percent of what Gimel received to date. Cheit’s fifty, if I remember right. Ten percent from Nun and other associated corner worlds. Something like six percent from Gimel itself, three percent from Bet, reclaim and scavenging. You guys wanted to put as much as you could into rebuilding. Shelters and businesses first, Gimel having its own supply and manufacturing chains came second. The numbers for supplied food versus what Gimel produces on its own are different, but I think last winter they were sort of close to what I just said.” - Excerpt from Breaking 14.9
- ↑ Dying 15.a
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 They either know our customs and speak our language, due to Goddess’s enforcement of English as a universal language, or they speak their own language and the translators know us and will adapt.”
“Universal language?” Sveta asked. “Ew.”
“It’s convenient, if nothing else. Divergence was ages ago but the world progressed along fairly similar tracks. They had a very war-torn past that leaves them conflict averse. Wars in their approximation of Europe saw multiple groups fleeing across what our side has termed the Alleghenian Ridge. To them it’s the Spine or the Bridge, in various dialects. Many groups fled, then either conflicted with or mingled with previous refugees and settlers at the end of the long journey. The coalition of nations that resulted is going to be who we’re spending the most time talking to, if we talk to any Shin governments.” - Excerpt from Breaking 14.4 - ↑ “How advanced are they?” Kenzie asked, her voice still nasal.
“They lunged ahead of our Earth a long time ago, but they also had two near-extinction events that slowed them down. That’s not counting Gold Morning. - Excerpt from Breaking 14.4 - ↑ “To clarify, they were more advanced early on, but then slowed down after two near extinction-level events, so they are more or less at parity." - Wildbow on subreddit
- ↑ I can tell you that people in my world were very interested in deciphering powers. They helped make me what I am, unwittingly, but they were happy in the end. - Gleaming 9.2
- ↑ "The, ah, monsters who made you, painted Tress, that icon on your cheek-” [...] “-they would deposit the monsters and the unsolvable riddles in my world. We solved most. My understanding of powers helps, our labs help more.” - Gleaming 9.2
- ↑ They lead the way through, onto a rooftop. The wind blows, the sky is dark and roiling, and something about the city feels -off- somehow.
"I know that it's strange to say the PRT is minor, when it's the largest group of capes in the world, but..." the man trails off. He indicates the world before you.
The architecture is odd. There's a goal or a design behind it all. A regality, like the ornamentation of a grandfather clock. You're pretty damn sure that this isn't architecture you've seen in any photos about Earth. - Lausanne RP - ↑ Skyscrapers, but modified, augmented, and decorated. The Wardens’ old headquarters had included a giant statue as part of it, but it was the norm here. A skyscraper with a castle built into one face of it. A tower was crowned with statuary of what might have been a hawk. Red was a dominant color. - Excerpt from Breaking 14.4
- ↑ Towers extending up from one of a building’s four faces. Another squat building had no third and fourth floor, a stone figure curled up within, holding the fifth floor up. - Excerpt from Breaking 14.5
- ↑ Breaking 14.5
- ↑ Interlude 14.z
- ↑ One of the capes who had served under the Blue Woman in that cape-ruled alternate Earth. He had a power not unlike Gavel’s.
[...]
The Gavel-alike dropped out of a portal directly above the golden man, driving a narrow pole into Scion’s neck. Scion was slammed into the water, quite possibly to the bottom of the bay.
[...]
The portal was wiped out. Without any barrier in the way, the beam radiated forward to wipe Ash Beast, the cape with the pole, Trickster, and Othala from existence. - Excerpt from Speck 30.5 - ↑ I’d be beautiful beyond compare. She has a lieutenant who creates pods. Sensory deprivation and plastic surgery in one. - Beacon 8.7
- ↑ I found another Earth with a mixture of capes, all incredibly beautiful people, all in what was obviously a global position of power. - Speck 30.4
- ↑ “Shin has a manufactured slave class, doesn’t it?”[...]“She has a servant who can make armies. Nothing behind the eyes, nothing between the ears. They follow simple orders and they can use weapons. Yes?”- Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II
- ↑ There is a servant class that is cloned, smart enough to obey orders, too stunted to have an identity or personality beyond the surface level. We don’t know what to do with them. We would give you some, Chris Elman would feel their absence, and you could barter with him for what else you needed.” - Excerpt from Breaking 14.5
- ↑
“Founders are Luis’s group, closest to Goddess’s old power structure.”
“And the Coalition are the guys who weren’t at the meeting,” Vista supplied. “Coalition and Founders manage this prison.” - Excerpt from Breaking 14.11 - ↑ Wars in their approximation of Europe saw multiple groups fleeing across what our side has termed the Alleghenian Ridge. To them it’s the Spine or the Bridge, in various dialects. Many groups fled, then either conflicted with or mingled with previous refugees and settlers at the end of the long journey. The coalition of nations that resulted is going to be who we’re spending the most time talking to, if we talk to any Shin governments.” - Excerpt from Breaking 14.4