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Introduction

England, 2050 AD

When disaster struck, no-one was prepared.

They would have been prepared; had the floods arrived in a few months, or maybe a year, things would have been very different. Citizens would have been evacuated from their homes, ration packs organised and distributed; temporary shelters would have been set up further inland, the numbers of dead and the spread of disease minimised.

They should have been prepared, since scientists had been predicting events such as these for over fifty years. The concept of global warming, and its probable effects, had long been common knowledge, with Global Science taking its place on school curriculums across the world.

They could have been prepared. But those in power turned a blind eye for too long, intent instead on fighting the never-ending ‘war on terror’. The floods of 2050 were a natural disaster, yes; but one that could have been prevented.

Instead, hundreds died and thousands were left homeless as badly-maintained seawalls burst and the coastlines of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland shrank inwards. Even privileged first-world drainage systems were no match for the sudden onslaught of water, and the spread of cholera, a disease which everyone thought had been left behind in medieval times, was rapid and rife.

Other countries looked on, and many sent aid. The United States of America, whose Great Lakes had already begun to overflow. Japan, also an island, who had read the warning signs of some years previous and was already taking action. Australia, for whom important coastal cities like Perth and Sydney were now threatened.

Little did they know that this was only the beginning.


Arizona, 2057 AD

Seven years later, effects on the Earth due to global warming have risen to new heights. Tempestuous storms become commonplace as the weather of the seasons is practically reversed. Seas are rising and beginning to flood smaller islands, and global temperatures are setting new records.

In the state of Arizona, chaos reigns. Soaring temperatures make many regions uninhabitable and Phoenix, which was once the sixth most populous city in the USA, has now become the most deserted due to a mass exodus. The American government has turned its back, and in the Lawless City, new laws begin to emerge. Survival of the fittest. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And not to mention the Golden Rule: whoever has the gold makes the rules.

The few that are left in Phoenix fight for survival. Many of them are orphans abandoned by their parents and brought up by their peers, able to use a gun almost as soon as they can walk. Against a setting that makes the Wild West look like a civilised tea party, who has time for romance?


((Comments and criticisms would be most appreciated! Oh, and if you're a deviantARTist, I'd love it if you dropped by! http://rebel-and-a-stunner.deviantart.com ))
It's alright. I didn't really like the end, but this is one I'd contemplate reading more into.

Eloquent Explorer

^^ Thanks! Do you mean just the last sentence, or more than that? And any particular reason? I know the second half is severely cheesy and needs a lot of work xD Which is why all criticisms are greatly appreciated.
Just those last few words,but only because It's a little out of nowhere. Other than that though I like it.

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eh, i thought it was ok. but then again, i dont like reading these kinds of stories ^_^
Yes it could have been prevented. I liked it, makes me want to know more.
enchantedsleeper
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Introduction

England, 2050 AD

When disaster struck, no-one was prepared.

They would have been prepared; had the floods arrived in a few months, or maybe a year, things would have been very different. Citizens would have been evacuated from their homes, ration packs organised and distributed; temporary shelters would have been set up further inland, the numbers of dead and the spread of disease minimised.

They should have been prepared, since scientists had been predicting events such as these for over fifty years. The concept of global warming, and its probable effects, had long been common knowledge, with Global Science taking its place on school curriculums across the world.

They could have been prepared. But those in power turned a blind eye for too long, intent instead on fighting the never-ending ‘war on terror’. The floods of 2050 were a natural disaster, yes; but one that could have been prevented.

Instead, hundreds died and thousands were left homeless as badly-maintained seawalls burst and the coastlines of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland shrank inwards. Even privileged first-world drainage systems were no match for the sudden onslaught of water, and the spread of cholera, a disease which everyone thought had been left behind in medieval times, was rapid and rife.

Other countries looked on, and many sent aid. The United States of America, whose Great Lakes had already begun to overflow. Japan, also an island, who had read the warning signs of some years previous and was already taking action. Australia, for whom important coastal cities like Perth and Sydney were now threatened.

Little did they know that this was only the beginning.


Arizona, 2057 AD

Seven years later, effects on the Earth due to global warming have risen to new heights. Tempestuous storms become commonplace as the weather of the seasons is practically reversed. Seas are rising and beginning to flood smaller islands, and global temperatures are setting new records.

In the state of Arizona, chaos reigns. Soaring temperatures make many regions uninhabitable and Phoenix, which was once the sixth most populous city in the USA, has now become the most deserted due to a mass exodus. The American government has turned its back, and in the Lawless City, new laws begin to emerge. Survival of the fittest. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And not to mention the Golden Rule: whoever has the gold makes the rules.

The few that are left in Phoenix fight for survival. Many of them are orphans abandoned by their parents and brought up by their peers, able to use a gun almost as soon as they can walk. Against a setting that makes the Wild West look like a civilised tea party, who has time for romance?


((Comments and criticisms would be most appreciated! Oh, and if you're a deviantARTist, I'd love it if you dropped by! http://rebel-and-a-stunner.deviantart.com ))



This is exactly like Stelvia...

Eloquent Explorer

-.- Did you really HAVE to quote the entire first post? And what is Stelvia? People keep telling me that they've read similar things to this before, but I've yet to encounter any.

@elementalgods3: x3 In that case, what made you click into my thread in the first place? I'm curious.
Sounds interesting. :]

I like the apocalyptic feel about the whole thing.
As it stands now, this could be almost anything. It could be a suspense, a fantasy, a horror, anything. It just depends where you'd like to take it.

I think you should pump small amounts of film noir and surrealism into it. As it stands in the introduction, for now it basically sounds like a survival story.

While I've read a great many survival tales that were great, something I found that almost always got me interested is good old fashioned film noir. Film noir=great characters. A protagonist that isn't really any better than the antagonist, etcetc.

I'll be waitin' for more. biggrin I want to see where this goes.

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Thanks!! =D I think I'll post the first chapter once this gets to two pages. It's all written and everything :3

I'm not entirely sure what film noir is (I'll look it up XD) but with regards to the protagonist being no better than the antagonist, I think I might have that already, which is heartening ^^ In fact you've set me wondering what makes one set of people the 'good' guys and one the 'bad', because they both have an equal lack of morals xD There isn't really good or bad in this story, there's just the characters which I have chosen to make the 'main' characters.

Surrealism... that's an interesting suggestion. What exactly do you mean by that? I'm always looking for ways to make my story 'darker', because I'm not naturally a 'dark' writer, and I think your suggestions might just be the kind of thing I need. Yaay! =D

Eloquent Explorer

Bump Before Bedtime! xD
Hey, you might not remember me but my other account was Ayu_kisa. (On that account I posted a story called Sinful Poems.) That's how we encountered each other. Not sure if I spelled encountered right...... (Lol.)

What happened to your other story? Err... forgot what it was called. Did you have writers block or lost interests in it?

Anyway, your story reminds me of the news. But more interesting, I want to read more of your story so pm me when you post more.

(Sorry I'm not very good in giving people advice and helping them in their stories. Still trying to get better in my own writing.)
Surrealism=weird s**t that normally wouldn't happen.
Ex. People running up walls, strange powers that allow them to dodge bullets, be immortal, etc.
Not bad, it interests me, but maybe you could explain why you chose to describe England and Phoenix? It seemed a bit random.

Eloquent Explorer

Green Tea Chi
Hey, you might not remember me but my other account was Ayu_kisa. (On that account I posted a story called Sinful Poems.) That's how we encountered each other. Not sure if I spelled encountered right...... (Lol.)

What happened to your other story? Err... forgot what it was called. Did you have writers block or lost interests in it?

Anyway, your story reminds me of the news. But more interesting, I want to read more of your story so pm me when you post more.

(Sorry I'm not very good in giving people advice and helping them in their stories. Still trying to get better in my own writing.)


OMG! Ayu!! Hey biggrin Say, what made you change account?

Ah, you mean My Hero? x3 I guess you could say I sort of have writer's block. Every time I open up that document I can't get further than the same sentence, even though I know exactly what should happen next... >< It's annoying. I feel bad for leaving everyone hanging - you and one of my real-life friends are probably the only people who remember it though - but if it helps, I'm planning a sequel xD

Sure, I'll PM you when chapter 1 is up. Should be very soon indeed!

@MoFE: Aah, I see. Hmm, I'm less sure about that, but Film Noir, most definitely. I looked it up on Wikipedia and it sounds really cool! My main character is even something of a femme fatale, I think x3 Although she doesn't go in for poison.

@HTNP: Aha, you'll just have to read the story to know that! This is only the introduction; it's meant to leave you wondering things.

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