In an alternate, turbulent world, Donald Trump has declared himself “President for Life” and “Supreme Leader” of the United States. His regime quickly turns authoritarian, fueled by an intense nationalistic ideology. With the U.S. crippled by massive climate devastation—its once-fertile Midwest now a desolate wasteland—Trump pushes a campaign to expand his influence overseas. He declares his intent to “reunite” the U.S. and Britain under one rule, claiming it a mission to restore a new world order. Britain, however, stands defiant, backed by the European Union, whose leaders recognize that resisting Trump’s empire is now essential for global stability.
The tension finally erupts into the Atlantic War, an intense conflict between the U.S., the U.K., and the EU. With both sides suffering massive losses, the war spirals out of control, leaving coastal cities vulnerable to flooding and food shortages as military resources are stretched thin.
Meanwhile, the Earth itself seems to rebel against human conflict. Unforeseen scientific predictions come true as the global climate destabilizes the planet’s geology. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions intensify along tectonic boundaries, devastating cities and critical infrastructure worldwide. Massive dust storms sweep across the Midwest, and dust-laden winds reach as far as the East Coast, blackening the skies over cities that are already rationing food and water. Scientists sound alarms, but their warnings are drowned out by propaganda and wartime rhetoric.
In the Middle East, Iran and Israel—long adversaries—forge an unlikely alliance. Facing internal crises brought on by droughts, famine, and climate-driven displacements, they recognize that survival depends on uniting against external threats. Together, they form a defensive pact and contribute forces to the EU-UK coalition, determined to resist the imperial aspirations of Trump’s U.S. and safeguard their own lands from falling under foreign control. Their alliance shifts the balance of Middle Eastern politics, creating uneasy alliances and rivalries as neighbors re-evaluate loyalties.
Amid the chaos, African nations refuse to remain bystanders. Recognizing the existential threat posed by the world’s unraveling ecosystems and the escalating conflicts across the globe, African countries form a united coalition—the Pan-African Alliance. Led by nations like Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, the alliance decides to fortify the continent against both climate devastation and outside interference. African leaders, cognizant of the continent’s rich resources and increasingly valuable arable land, strengthen alliances with other nations on the periphery, such as Brazil and Indonesia. They establish strict policies to protect African shores from American, European, or Chinese military incursions, and divert resources toward climate adaptation and preservation of critical agricultural land.
For years, African nations have observed the growing chaos among Western and Eastern powers, and memories of colonial exploitation run deep. Now, they refuse to let foreign powers dictate their future. This newfound unity inspires a renaissance in agriculture, technology, and ecological conservation, even as the global situation worsens. But whispers spread among African elders and traditional leaders, suggesting that the Earth itself may harbor secrets—other entities, hidden and ancient, who are aware of humanity’s turmoil.
As global temperatures rise and disaster after disaster strikes, rumors begin circulating worldwide of strange occurrences in remote places—lights seen in dense rainforests, eerie sounds in mountain ranges, and shifting shapes in vast deserts. Shamans, healers, and tribal leaders across Africa, the Amazon, and the Australian outback begin to report dreams and visions, hinting at the presence of other intelligences on the planet. These beings, they claim, have watched humanity rise and fall countless times before. It is said that when human empires crumble, these hidden entities emerge quietly, safeguarding the planet’s ecosystems from ruin and ensuring that the Earth continues on, even if humanity does not.
These tales, dismissed by global powers as mere folklore, are taken seriously in Africa, the Amazon, and among the world’s few remaining indigenous communities. Those who listen to the whispers of the land begin to see patterns—signs that history is repeating itself. Elders speak of a time, thousands of years ago, when similar devastations unfolded, wiping out all but a handful of survivors. They warn that it may be happening again, as war, climate disaster, and geological instability combine to push humanity toward the edge of extinction.
Meanwhile, in Asia, Russia and North Korea, wary of Trump’s ambition, form an alliance against China, eyeing territory and resources as populations grow desperate. China’s cities are hit hard by the destabilizing climate and worsening floods, displacing millions and weakening its once-unbreakable economic machine. India and Pakistan, locked in a long-standing rivalry, choose neutrality, though they are plagued by deadly heat waves and food shortages that push their populations to the breaking point. Australia faces its own existential crisis, caught between allegiances, and ultimately fortifies itself against incoming climate refugees from Asia and the Pacific Islands.
As American forces falter in the Atlantic and resistance grows within the U.S., Trump’s government crumbles. Citizens, facing starvation and devastation, revolt, leading to a breakdown of national order. Factions form, each vying for control over scarce resources and regions untouched by climate catastrophe. Canada, meanwhile, stands firm in its defense against American expansion, fortified by a coalition with Britain and remaining Commonwealth nations. North America fractures as regions in the western U.S. and Canada band together, leaving Washington isolated and broken.
In the midst of this global chaos, scientists make a final, chilling discovery: the melting of polar ice caps has weakened the Earth’s crust, triggering immense tectonic stress. Major seismic events are now unavoidable, and the planet braces for cataclysmic earthquakes and eruptions on a scale that could reshape continents. Coastal cities worldwide prepare for tsunamis, but many of them are left defenseless, their governments too fractured or impoverished to respond.
The wealthy elites, who had sought to escape to isolated islands or underground bunkers, find their efforts useless. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods overwhelm these enclaves, wiping out many who had thought themselves safe. Meanwhile, whispers from indigenous communities suggest that the true survivors may not be the rich or powerful but rather those who have remained close to the land, those who have not abandoned traditional ways.
In the aftermath, as the dust settles and empires collapse, humanity faces a new reality. The Earth’s hidden intelligences—be they spirits, ancient entities, or simply parts of nature’s own consciousness—quietly emerge from their hiding places. In the forests, mountains, and oceans, they begin the slow work of restoring balance, nurturing the Earth back to health as they have done countless times before.
Only small, scattered communities of humans survive—primarily those in the African coalition, Amazonian tribes, and others who had respected the Earth’s limits and listened to the whispers of their elders. With Western empires gone and major cities abandoned to nature, these surviving groups adopt a simpler, harmonious way of life. New societies emerge, founded on cooperation with nature rather than domination.
Over time, the story of this great collapse is passed down in myths and tales, a warning to future generations about the dangers of greed, war, and the arrogance of empires. But these new generations learn to listen more closely to the land, aware that they are not alone on Earth—that the planet itself is home to more than just humanity, and that those hidden intelligences remain, watching, waiting, and ready to guide the world once more if the cycle ever repeats.
Is this a happy ending or just a description of one of the myriad of cycles of suffering humanity chooses to punish itself with?
A Fool's Handbook 