In this RW standard time detonated the first and, to this day, only Great Army Men World War, also known as the Grey World War. It was a sudden large-scale coordinated attack on all known nations of that time: the Blues, the Yellows and the Reds, perpetuated by the first great nation: The Gray nation.
The Red, Blue and the recently emerged nation, the Green, pressed from several fronts, suffocating the Grays, saving the Yellows. But meanwhile the allies of the Greys, the Tan, a secretly separated Yellow faction, destroyed the Yellows in no time by placing them all on a single place in the front, declaring and achieving their immediate independence. Then the Tan betray the Greys, cementing their fall at this conflict.
After that, the Blues and Reds, when they meet when their battle fronts coincided, started an eternal Cold War that remains active to this day, while the Greens remained neutral to them. But the Green managed to frustrate the Tan intention to rise to power in the place of the Grey, so from that moment the rivalry between the Tan and the Green started. The Grays retreated and never recover their glory from this conflict.
The Grey Regime: A Deeper Dive
The Rise of the Grey Empire
The Grey Empire’s ascent to power was marked by a cunning and strategic manipulation of the Grey populace. The leader, known as the Grey Monarch, presented himself as a benevolent ruler with a monarchical flair, masking the true nature of his totalitarian regime. Through a combination of propaganda, fear-mongering, and orchestrated crises, the Grey Monarch created an environment where the people felt compelled to seek his leadership. This manipulation was so effective that the population not only accepted but demanded his rise to power, believing it to be their only salvation.
Ideology and Propaganda
Central to the Grey Empire’s ideology was the belief in the purity of the Grey plastic. The regime’s propaganda machine tirelessly worked to deplastize the colored armies—Red, Blue, and Yellow—labeling them as “impure” and a threat to the Army Men way of life (until that moment living in a black & white world). This narrative was reinforced through state-controlled media, education, and public rallies, creating a unified and hostile sentiment against the colored nations.
The Great Grey World War
The Grey Empire’s attack on the Red, Blue, and Yellow nations was a meticulously planned and executed operation. The Grey armies, equipped with advanced weaponry and superior tactics, launched a large-scale, coordinated assault on multiple fronts. The initial phase of the war saw significant victories for the Grey Empire, as their surprise attacks caught the colored nations off guard.
The Emergence of the Green Nation
Amidst the chaos, the Green nation emerged as a new player on the battlefield. Initially neutral, the Greens quickly realized the threat posed by the Grey Empire and joined forces with the Red and Blue nations. This alliance brought a new dynamic to the war, as the combined forces of the Red, Blue, and Green nations began to push back against the Grey onslaught.
The Role of the Tan
The Tan faction, a secretive and ambitious group that had separated from the Yellow nation, played a pivotal role in the conflict. Initially an offsprings part of the Yellow nation, they secretly were allied with the Greys. The Tan planned with the Greys a devastating attack on the Yellow nation, concentrating their forces in a single, overwhelming front. This betrayal led to the rapid collapse of the Yellow nation, allowing the Tan to declare their independence.
Plastro in his beginnings was a young Yellow military leader molded directly to be one, coming out of special molds for it. But he was thrown into the toughest battles of the latter part of the Great Gray War, which caused him to become discolored from staying on the front lines for so long.
The yellow color of his body became pale, whitish… like a half-baked plastic soldier, similar to all those soldiers molded from recycled plastic, commonly assigned to lower ranks and thrown to the front like cannon fodder. Among the officers, everyone laughed at him, calling him “a sad and different color”, which generated an idea in his head: Make all that Yellow workforce, exploited by their nation, independent, under a single flag: The Tan color.
The color of these second-class soldiers was due to the recycling process, which with each recycling the yellow saturation was lost.
There came a time when the war spread so much that it became somewhat strenuous for the Yellows, and without realizing it there came a time when these “second-rate yellow soldiers” were more than the pure saturation Yellows, and the bad treatment never change.
Plastro moved his cards and conspired against the Yellow Army, wanting to take control of it to overthrow the Yellow government, organizing a coup d’état… which ultimately was unsuccessful.
Plastro’s rise to power
Plastro was imprisoned since the crowds that followed him at that time, who were already derogatorily called “Tannic” instead of Yellow, would have caused more problems to the already war-hit Yellow Nation. But unfortunately for the Yellows, Plastro did nothing more than be the flame that started a fire in an ammunition depot soaked in fuel.
Little time passed, and as Plastro wrote in his memoirs: “A few months later, isolated from all information outside my cell, I began to hear all kinds of sounds of confrontations inside the base, and then some Tannic soldiers arrived to take me out of there, calling me ‘Leader.’”
By the time Plastro was freed, he left the prison facility being greeted by a thousand Tannic soldiers raising their weapons and celebrating, with fire, debris and dead Yellow soldiers everywhere, shouting “Plastro, Plastro, Plastro”.
The Genocide
Having taken advantage of his time in prison to plan his new intention to take power, adapting to the new circumstances, Plastro made the yellow government and the armed forces believe that despite considering him dangerous, he actually had the power to appease the insurgency to end the civil war.
Given the situation of the war against the Grays, the Yellow government had no choice but to accept it and thanks to this Plastro gained the trust of the Yellow Army, and over time he climbed through the high ranks, achieving an important position despite his “Tannic” condition. This even began to change society’s opinion about these second-class citizens, becoming more respected. At the same time, the Tannic of the Yellow Army became one of the most experienced and hardened divisions in the army, being sent to the toughest battles not out of contempt, but because they were the most capable.
Being led and strategically commanded by Plastro, these forces became unstoppable, and after patiently waiting a few years, Plastro achieved the perfect context for his final blow on the Yellow.
On a date around 1954, the “Tannic”, now respectfully called “Tan”, deceived the Yellow higher-ups into believing that they would win the war against the Grays by cornering them in the Thermopiles, making them fall into deception due to the fact that having managed to make the Grays move there. But it was all a trap…
In reality, the Tans had been secretly allied with the Grays for some time. In exchange for destroying the Yellows, the Grays promised power and glory to the Tan. Plastro accepted… and between them they made the Yellows fall.
But Plastro did not trust the Grays, and distracted, worn out and trusting, the Grays near the end of the war were betrayed by Plastro, who kept almost all of his production power, leading to the end of the War. The Reds and the Greens, along with the Blue remnants decided to leave things as they were. The chances of losing a new war were high.
The surviving Gray remnants retreated and managed to survive. Although neither they nor the Blues were ever able to fully recover. The offpring of the Red, the Oranges, took the opportunity to become independent without much resistance from the Reds, who were quite plasticophobic themselves, they allowed it. Lo Tan remained the greatest power almost forever, until they were worn down by Plastro’s conquering greed. The Greens, although very inferior, remained the second most powerful nation. The Reds closed themselves in and nothing more was ever heard of them, except that they still exist.
The Turning Point: Tan Betrayal
However, the alliance between the Greys and the Tan was built on shaky foundations. Once the Tan had achieved their goals, they turned against the Greys, seeking to expand their own power. This betrayal was a critical turning point in the war. The Red, Blue, and Green nations seized the opportunity to intensify their attacks, pressing the Greys from multiple fronts and suffocating their forces.
The Fall of the Grey Empire
The combined pressure from the allied forces and the Tan’s betrayal led to the eventual collapse of the Grey Empire. The once-mighty Grey armies were overwhelmed, and the Grey Monarch’s regime crumbled. The fall of the Grey Empire marked the end of a dark era and the beginning of a new chapter in the Plastic World (the only world know at that point in time).
Aftermath and Legacy
In the aftermath of the war, the Grey nation began the arduous process of rebuilding. The oppressive rule of the Grey Monarch was replaced by a more democratic and inclusive government. The legacy of the Grey Empire serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of totalitarianism and the power of propaganda. It also highlights the resilience and potential unity of the Plastic World nations in the face of a common enemy.