Malichka

Malichka (Slovene: Malička) (Chinese: 馬麗基亞, Jyutping: Maa5 lai6 gei1 aa3, Yale: Máh laih gēi a, Pinyin: Mǎ lì jī yà), officially known as the Kingdom of Malichka (Slovene: Kraljestvo Malički) (Chinese: 馬麗基亞王國, Jyutping: Maa5 lai6 gei1 aa3 wong4 gwok3, Yale: Máh laih gēi a wòhng gwok, Pinyin: Mǎ lì jī yà wáng guó), is a country located in Eastern Asia, on the northeastern coast of China. It is bordered by China to the west, Russia to the north, North Korea to the northeast, and South Korea to the southeast. Malichka covers 78,180 sq km (30,185 sq mi) and has a population of 10.74 million. Its capital and the largest city is Dvoreki.

The official languages are Slovene, Cantonese and English (the British variety). Regional languages include Northeastern Mandarin, Jin Chinese, Manchu, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrin, Hungarian, Roma, Albanian, Carinthian German and Italian.

The country is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Council and the United Nations.

Etymology
The name "Malichka" was either derived from the Indian word for "fish", representing the abundance of fish in the area, or the word "baby girl", a nod to the Malichkan founding legend in which the folk deity Babushka Marija gave birth to a baby girl whom she named "Malichka", meaning "baby girl".

Early European history (1755-1798)
The earliest recorded European visitor was a Serb Croat by the name of Antun Stamenov, an explorer who arrived on the shores of present-day Svetijurij in 1755. Croatian merchants set up a nameless trading post in the area. Said trading post fell to bankruptcy and closed 9 years later.

Austrian colonization (1799-1900)
In 1799 the first Slovenian settlement was set up in what would later become the capital city, Dvoreki, which consisted of seven municipalities: Dvoreki proper, Faho, Flowerton, Cvetnobale, 25 Decembra, McFadden, and Novi Ljubljana.

In the beginning of the 19th century there was an influx of settlers, most of them ethnic minorities in the Austrian Empire, especially Slovenia. There were also waves of Britons and Irish famine refugees.

On December 12th 1849, just 50 years after its colonization, the country formally gained independence from Austria.

Transition to 20th century and the World Wars (1901-1945)
Despite siding with the Allies in the 1st World War, Malichka chose to remain neutral in the 2nd World War. After a bungled Japanese invasion, Malichka decided to join the war on the side of the Allies. Only 200 Malichkan soldiers died in the war. They were a founding member of the United Nations and Washington Pact (NATO).

Postwar and Bjergist regime (1946-1999)
On Malichkan Independence Day 1946, the country's last routine military engagement happened. They sent 100 soldiers and returned with 101 after making a friend from El Kadsre. The army has barely been active since.

In 1969, the country became a benevolent dictatorship after a successful coup under Malichkan Danish millionaire Brian Bjerg. The dictatorship lasted until 1991 when he was exiled to the Netherlands for his crimes.

In 1970, after some testing and help from the US, the country sent spaceman Brian Vujicic to the moon, making him the first in Asia to ever do so. At the same time, Malichka adopted its national service policy which was repealed 31 years later.

In 1979, the Malichkan Centennial Time Capsule was buried underneath Central Square which was opened in 1999, exactly 20 years after it was buried.

In 1991, the deposed Royal Family in exile under King Roko I was restored, the 1969 constitution, NS policy and Educational Code of 1970 repealed and nuclear arsenal given to neighboring China after a successful coup d'état that lasted 8 months, led by the King himself. A referendum was then held on whether Malichka would remain a dictatorship or revert to a monarchy.

92% voted to revert the country's system of government and restore the King's power, while only 5% voted to retain the dictatorship. Bjerg supporters consisted the 5% who voted against the monarchy's restoration. After the coup, Bjerg was impeached, removed from office, and exiled to the Netherlands for crimes against humanity. He returned in 2001.

Ten years later, on December 12th 1999, the Malichkan Centennial Time Capsule was opened during the so-called "Bicentennial Bash" celebrations. Its contents are now on permanent display at the Malichkan National Museum.

21st century and beyond (2000-present)
On June 19th 2001, a counter-terrorist attack against Communist Party leader Zeljko Davidović by social democratic politician-turned-vigilante David Watson took place. On September of the same year, Watson held terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden and six Al-Qaeda and Taliban members hostage and demanded his crimes be reported to the International Criminal Court, averting a would-have-been major terrorist attack on US soil.

Watson later ran for a new position as prime minister in the 2005 general elections. In 2006 Watson was sworn in as Prime Minister of Malichka. He ended terrorism and ordered a bloodless "crusade against drugs".

King Roko I died from complications due to lung cancer on December 9th 2005, 3 days after his birthday, at the age of 97, becoming the oldest monarch to die. His death initiated Operation Mount Borovica, which sparked a 1-month national mourning period and became the most notorious event of the 21st century in Malichka. The term Roko has been used a local pejorative for people who died of smoking-related illnesses. After his funeral, Antun IV of the House of Blasevich was crowned as King in a formal ceremony.

Five years later, liberal conservative politician Marko Duganzich was sworn in as Prime Minister. However, his regime was not received well. He was derided and shamed especially by the Royal Family for his brutal corruption, long history of scams and extortion, his enactment of extreme and bizarre censorship laws, and his repetitive acts of lèse-majesté, after speeches and documents censored and branded top secret for 3 years were exposed.

After a series of peaceful protests, he formally left office and fled to the United States, just 7 years into his regime. At that same time Liberal-Democrat party leader Roko Vučić was sworn into office.

Climate
Malichka's central and southern areas have a temperate climate with four seasons: winter from December to February, spring from March to May, summer from June to September and autumn from October to November, while northern Malichka has a polar continental climate with summer from March to July and winter for the rest of the year, with January being the coldest months of the year in these areas.

Winters are usually severe, with snowstorms occasionally occurring especially in January. On the contrary, summer temperatures usually consist of 40 to 50 degrees F. Spring and autumn temperatures only reach 20-30 degrees F. (Malichka uses the imperial system).

The coldest temperature recorded in Malichka was -30 degrees F in Dvoreki on January 1st, 2000. The temperature reached that digit at exactly midnight. Some devout Christians called it "Sylvester's blessing", while New Age skeptics said it was a sign of the end of the world. The hottest on the other hand was 91 degrees F in Sveti Jurij town on the southern coast of Malichka, on July 9th 2010.

Demographics
Malichka is multi-ethnic, with eighteen ethnic groups, represented by the six points of the stars on the national flag. The eighteen recognized ethnic groups include Slovene, Jin Chinese, Northeastern Chinese, Manchu, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrin, Hungarian, Roma, Albanian, Aromanian, Carinthian German, Istrian Italian, English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh.

The national population is 10,738,492.

Geography
Malichka has at present six biomes: plains, hills, arctic tundra, alps (snowy mountains), temperate rainforests and taiga. The snowy biomes only show up in the northernmost regions, while plains, temperate rainforests and taigas dominate the southern regions. Jasper Lake, found in Borovničevgozd, is well-known nationally for its clear, untainted waters, and its abundance of fish, mainly salmon and trout.

To the southern coast is the Amethyst Reef, a barrier reef which occupies over 18 sq km of sea. 390 of the world's coral species thrive there, as well as over 600 species of tropical fish. The Malichkan Alps dominate the north-central and -western portions of Malichka.

Mount Borovica, a dormant volcano, is located in the state of Smrekavoda. It has only erupted eight times in its history, the latest eruption being in 1917, at the peak of World War 1, at which point it has failed to cause damage to Dvoreki. Woodland animals normally found in the US and Canada inhabit the evergreen forests and taigas of the central and southern regions.

Economy and industry
At present Malichka's economy is among the largest in Asia. The GDP nominal is MH$1.1 trillion while the GDP PPP is MH$2 billion. 29.8% of the GDP is spent on technology, specifically the video game industry. Major video game companies such as Asylum Games and Bluemonster Entertainment are considered rivals to Valve and Epic Games in the US.

The major industries there are agriculture, automobiles, biotech and alternative energy. Malichka's environmental standards are high especially due to its anti-animal cruelty law. Malichka lacks any nuclear power plants, oil rigs and refineries, and smoke-emitting factories. The country also harnesses solar energy, wind energy, and is known for "Vodalichka" - Malichka's answer to Singapore's NeWater - which is rainwater purified with a process that mirrors that of NeWater.

Education
School days are from Monday to Wednesday. From 1969-1991, it was all week. The typical school day lasts 6 hours from 12pm. Primary school days last 7 hours from 8am while secondary school days last 8 from 7am.

From 1969-1991, the average school day lasted 9 hours from 8am under the dictatorship. School also existed on the weekends during the Bjergist regime,

The school year lasts from July to January. However, the school year lasted all year-round (save for a 5 month vacation period from April to August) from 1969-1991.

Malichka uses the imperial system of measurement. The average IQ is 110, making them the smartest country in the world, after both Singapore and Hong Kong.

Culture
The country's culture is a mix of Slovene, Balkan and Chinese culture. The country celebrates Christmas and the Chinese New Year. A New Year's tradition is to eat twelve blueberries at midnight, one for every chime of a clock tower, to attract blessings and good luck, similar to the Spanish tradition of eating twelve grapes.

The country observes National Day every December 12. Annually, the government organizes the traditional National Day Parade, which in structure is similar to its Singaporean equivalent. It is customary tradition to hold it at Parliament Square every jubilee year (a year that ends in 4 or 9) and has been traditional since 1949.

Superstitions

 * Waving a finger is considered taboo in Malichka as it has been blamed for bad luck. Netta Barzilai's music video for "Toy" had a scene cut out, while the music video for Jamie-Lee Kriewitz's "Flying" was banned altogether and replaced by a lyric video after people who reportedly watched the finger waving scene suffered from various accidents or developed suicidal tendencies. It was revealed that some popular music videos were either edited out or censored altogether due to the appearance of the gesture in parts of the videos.
 * If a child is abused, it will be taken away by the Snatcher, a shapeshifting being with no default form, and adopted by it, never to return again. Contrary to the parents' assumptions, the Snatcher is actually benevolent and wants to protect the children from their abused parents. The legend started fading away in the 2000's due to the rise of so-called "moral guardians" lobbying for the legend to be eradicated.
 * In certain towns of Malichka, mainly in Svetiandrij, the children of these towns throw temper tantrums and destroy things in order to drive out evil spirits from their town for fear of being taken away by boogeymen. That also started to fade in the 90's due to moral guardians claiming that the legend made their kids spoiled. It backfired, however, and the legends still remain to this day.
 * In other towns and villages, especially in Devetzmajev and Triborove, children sneak out at night, steal broomsticks, dustpans and sponges from people's homes, including their own, and throw them all into bonfires, throw them into nearby water sources like ponds or rivers, or dispose of them in the woods. That would make it possible for boogeymen to never enter their town at all.

Cuisine
Malichkan cuisine has Central European, and Oriental roots. A famous noodle dish in the country is yakibuta ramen, introduced in the 18th-century by Japanese immigrants to Malichka. Sushi is a common appetizer in Malichkan cuisine. A famous pie in the country is the yin-yang tart, a half chocolate/vanilla pie with the crust being fashioned half in plain and half in chocolate, the name being a nod to the yin-yang symbol.

Popular foods include blood soup, a tomato-based soup with mushrooms, and stuffed chicken, a roast chicken stuffed with corn, carrots, peas, shredded fried eggs, shrimp mince, and its own meat. A typical Malichkan meal consists of six courses: soup, appetizers, main course, rice meal, dessert and beverage. Typical royal banquets last 3 hours. Malichka is famous for being the birthplace of chocolate crinkles, its origins dating back to the 17th century.

The country is known for a traditional beverage called pirjagode, which is a non-alcoholic wine made from the juices of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, and the liquid from maraschino cherries. Pirjagode-flavored soda is now commonly sold in Malichka. A cocktail named vampire blood is a popular drink in the country, which is cola mixed with grenadine syrup and maraschino cherry liquid.

The country's most famous dessert is the gooey chocolate cherry cake, a moist chocolate cake topped with cherries (somewhat like a cross between a chocolate mud cake and black forest cake). Other famous desserts include iced berries (a sorbet made from raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and goji berries), sadnistravoda (a fruit punch consisting of ice water, cherry liquid, and mixed berries) and rozpita (mixed berry pie).

"Bombs" are a Malichkan street food whose composition and fillings vary from city to city. In Dvoreki, bombs may consist of mozzarella, marinara and pepperoni in a biscuit dough shell, or chocolate crinkles stuffed with melted milk or dark chocolate. Bombs in Svetijurij may be a meatball filled with cheddar cheese and covered in a sesame seed bun shell. Bombs in Malinovo are derived from the rozpita, with rozpita filling in a pie dough shell.

Media
There is only one free-to-air TV broadcaster in Malichka: RTVM, which is owned by the monarchy via Malichkan Media Holdings. Only one commercial radio station exists as well: Smrekavoda Broadcasting Company, owned by the Bjerg family. The country's newspapers are managed by Malichka Press, which is also owned by the monarchy.

The country is infamous for its opposition to the 2015 French animated series Miraculous, due to a controversial 2018 episode that allegedly depicted Malichkans as "evil". Show creator Thomas Astruc refused to apologize, claiming he was "a troll" and Malichka's claims were "baseless". In protest, Malichkan fans lobbied for Zagtoon to let an alternate ending cut of a 2019 episode be aired. The request was accepted and the ending was shown on February 29th 2020.

Sports
Two popular sports in Malichka are gridiron football and skiing. Soccer is not as common in the country due to gridiron being more popular, the only popular soccer team being the Dvoreki Devils. Skiing is popular due to Malichka's many mountains and its temperate climate.

Generation Z culture
A survey showed that 27% of Generation Z Malichkans were science and computer nerds, 38% of them consist the Malichkan furry community, and 25% were gamers, making up 43% of the Malichkan YouTuber community. Famous furries include Erik Bjerg, the grandson of former leader Brian Bjerg, whose fursona is "Huskalupus", a cross between the national animal, the Eurasian wolf, and a Siberian husky; and George Myers, whose fursona is an anthropomorphic German shepherd named Gary Mann Shepard, a pun on the species of dog his fursona is based on.

Politics
Malichka is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy consisting of nine states and the federal district of Dvoreki: The king is Antun IV of House Blazevich. The prime minister is Roko Vucich.
 * Modrigozdnihrib (Capital: New Edinburgh)
 * Smrekavoda (Capital: Smrekavoda City)
 * Borovničevgozd (Capital: Hamilton)
 * Svetiandrij (Capital: New Zagreb)
 * Borov Sad (Capital: Sanleung)
 * Novi Maribor (Capital: Svetijurij)
 * Devetzmajev (Capital: Malinovo)
 * Triborove (Capital: Jonestown)
 * Zahodni Otoki (Capital: Everton)

Until 1991 the country enforced the National Service policy which required all people 30 and above to receive at least 20 years military service. First limited to the military forces when it was instated in 1970 under Brian Bjerg's regime, it has expanded to include police and civil defense. The NS law was repealed in 1991 after a peaceful protest, although army drafts still exist.

The nine dominant political parties are: The country recognizes Kosovar independence and supports Ukraine's claim in the Crimea dispute. They supported NATO during the Cold War.
 * Conservative Party (liberal conservative)
 * Workers Party (democratic socialist)
 * Liberals-Democrats (social liberalism)
 * Green Party (environmentalism)
 * Malichkan Democrats (far-right)
 * Republican Party (Bjergism)
 * Royalist Party (monarchism)
 * Malichkan Communist Party (Japanese communism)
 * Asia One Party (Asian federalism)