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 Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 2:22 am
 In a surprising turn of events so unfounded that it is, in fact, not founded, you have arrived at Challenge! The new SDRP writing exercise competition thing! Step forward and win fabulous Nothing! Really though, welcome to the semi-competitive writing and creativity excercise, Challenge. So, how does it work, you didn't ask? One of us will periodically post a Challenge; these will come in many forms. After letting it run for a while we'll pick a 'winner' and that entry will be listed with that challenge in the history. We also invite all participants to constructively critique other players entries. Just remember to be civil and nice - this is supposed to be fun and educational.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 2:25 am
Current Challenge:
Invent and describe a feasible floating-in-the-sky city that does not utilize hot air or magic; the city should occupy an altitude region low enough that its citizens would not die from the lack of pressure if they went outside. Be sure to detail the inhabitants and the reason for having the city float.
Previous Challenges:
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:05 pm
Arkwright City v1.1
Wars rage on the surface of the earth. Nation turns against nation, and no man is safe. No place is secure. No place save Arkwright City.
Shortly before the world descended into war, a multi-billionaire named Elijah Arkwright began proclaiming that the end times were near and that the wise would do all they could to escape the doomed surface. Arkwright was not a man noted for his religious tendencies, but his prophecy of oncoming war in the dark days proceeding the war drew in many followers. Many of Arkwright's devotees were men of intelligence who agreed that the world was on a precipice, and this great assembly of engineers and scientists convened off and on for weeks, debating how best to escape. Finally, one of their number came across an idea. At first it seemed outlandish, but the more they thought, the more it seemed so obvious.
Using Arkwright's considerable wealth, they began construction on a grand project, one Elijah claimed could carry them away from the turmoils of the world. From stone and steel Arkwright's followers constructed first a massive fusion reactor, much like the ones that powered the great cities, then they began to build around it, first buildings, then connections, then massive ducted fans.
In nine short months the Arkwrighters assembled the first flying city of all history. Their first test flight was a stunning success; the infrastructure had been well-considered, and the city would only need occasional resupplies to remain self-sufficient. Three days after the official launch, the first of the cataclysmic battles began. Ten days after that, the first air assault was launched against Arkwright City. Not a single bullet or missile scarred Arkwright's perfect project; the engineers had planned too well for that. No assault could touch the flying fortress, and no defense could stop it from flying overhead.
Within months the people of the world saw the true brilliance of Arkwright City. Many tried to immigrate, but were unable to secure passage; Arkwright City limited its intake, slowly expanding where necessary but more often simply turning away those they had no use for. Those who could not reach the city itself attempted to build their own cities, in the sky or upon the ocean or in the depths thereof, but none ever even approached the magnificence of Arkwright City. Countless sprung up around the world, and countless were brought low by the warring nations. Some few remained airborne, not equal to but surprisingly close to Arkwright's grand creation; some merged together for protection, while some went to war amongst themselves or even against the nations of the ground. Arkwright City, however, was always a constant, separate and unaggressive, sailing slowly about the world.
The city itself is ruled by a twelve-man High Council, of which Elijah was Chairman until his death. The Council consisted of elected officials, and they met biweekly to determine laws, budgets, and oversee the trials of the most heinous of criminals (generally those accused of treason against the City). The police and the courts are barely separate, and accusations of police brutality abound amongst the people. The fear of totalitarianism has been compounded by the successor as Chairman: none other than Isaiah Arkwright, Elijah's own son. Though the election was purported to be fair, many suspect that Isaiah's father rigged the election to favor his son before his death. Isaiah has promised to resolve the problems upon the city, but the people have grown intolerant of his slow dealings. With no outside force capable of intervening or mediating, Arkwright City now threatens to fall into chaos and rebellion, with six million people prepared to take to the streets and take back their own and a Council blindly applying force to stem the growing tide, all while Isaiah tries to reclaim control over his own city. Will this last bastion of peace stand quietly as it always has, or will it too be consumed by the same madness that infects the world below?
---
Some potential unintentional parallels to Bioshock Infinite. I suspect that we'll all have a bit of trouble with that, but there it is. Might even be able to do something with this.
v1.1: Changed "turbines," to "ducted fans," which is the word for what I had in mind. A turbine produced power, it doesn't use it.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:15 am
The sun never sets on New Aglia!
Founded in an era of scientific advancement brought on by political peace and unity, the world's engineers came together and erected a monument dedicated to peace and prosperity.
This monument, close to 100 acres, is a self-sustaining city named New Aglia which utilises rotary engines to keep afloat. The buildings are made of the strongest and lightest materials that could be synthesized at the time and are coloured steel and blue, for that extra-modern look. Most of the trivial power loads (such as lighting the city, or heating water) are handled by solar arrays that work as roofs for the engineering marvel. The generators and engines for the rotary blades are fueled, and are refilled every 20 days without fail at the Sky Docks. This is also when the city receives a resupply of foods and materials it has yet to be able to produce on its own. It collects water from clouds, but gets most of it from these resupplies.
The city must do its best to avoid mountains and is banned from flying over most major cities of the world due to it's low altitude, and in the case of heavy storms it can be lowered to the ground on stilts to temporarily wait it out.
The populace of New Aglia ranges between the rich and useless to the scientific and hardworking. New Aglia boasts several satellites that are used as research platforms for those extra-fancy scientists wishing to experiment high above the ground. The main research facilities are dedicated to botany, to provide better food for the vessel, and genealogy, a relatively new and controversial scientific process.
It has been called the "scientific promised land" as the only restriction to research is that it must not come to harm the populace of New Aglia or any of the surface population.
The rich and useless use a few satellite-vessels for upscale parties and honeymoon getaways.
Each satellite-vessel is its own little piece of New Aglia and boasts the comforts of the mother city, as well as being able to touch down in case of inclement weather. There are 27 satellite-vessels in the fleet, down from 30, the three that are not counted have become permanent fixtures on the outside of New Aglia. The satellite-vessels must be requested so they can be fitted for use (like a recyclable modular home) and then sent out from the Sky Docks. Satellite-vessels must be refueled every 12 days.
Law Enforcement, though scarcely needed, is handled by a conglomerate agency made up of participating nation's law officials. They have the easiest crime-fighting job in the world as New Aglia boasts a crime rate of "mathematically insignificant proportions".
The engineering team handles the piloting and maintenance of the vessel. The captain is politically seen as second-in-command to the Mayor. The Mayor answers to the Council of Nations on the surface planet.
Truly, New Aglia is a marvel of super-surface living!
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:46 am
For seven years now, the Capitol has chased the horizon.
The name is something of a joke, as the small, flying, propeller-driven city has no official government. The Capitol is four square miles of stacked buildings, organized into the Upper, Middle, and Lower Sectors. Hundreds of smaller V/STOL prop-driven craft, known as outriders, scavenge any wrecks they find.
Not many folks around to complain about it these days. They've never been able to properly study what exactly the things that go bump in the night are, but what's clear is that over the past half-decade, the survivors who would come out when the Capitol passed to trade or to join up became more and more rare. As far as they know, they're the last remnants of humanity - a handful of thousands of people clinging to their mechanical salvation, scrounging up what scraps they can to keep it running. The Upper Sector is almost entirely devoted to the maintenance of the hundreds of propellers keeping the city aloft and moving forward.
All the residents in the city work together for the common good; greed doesn't get one very far in a city where failure to cooperate will result in the whole city tumbling to the ground and everyone who survives the fall being massacred by the monsters that haunt the night. Crime is dealt with very harshly. The city produces all of its own food, harvests its own water, and handles all of its production of various crafts.
While it is formally leaderless, the city is under the de facto direction of Professor Jason Nguyen, the engineer in charge of keeping everything running smoothly. His unquestionable expertise leaves the city with few options other than deference to him. While he's been grooming several other engineers in the Capitol for succession, in case something should happen to him, he remains indispensable; the loss of his life would be the end of the Capitol itself.
The city was constructed under Nguyen's supervision in the days known, colloquially, as the Twilight - the last time before the night became full of untold horrors. It's said that he knows untold secrets of the place, that with his knowledge of its maintenance areas and structures he can go anywhere at any time. The truth of that, what it means if it is true, and whether those secrets (if they're true) will be passed to his proteges remains to be seen.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:07 pm
Icarus
When the meteor fell, the whole Arizona burned. It took months till any research team would be able to get close enough to the area to get any data. Satellites were running crazy when pointed to the epicenter of the impact. Government kept the whole area on lock down.
The first teams that managed to get to the area related an incredibly and unbelievable story. The meteor was floating right above the surface, in small pieces. At least parts of it. A few months later, and scientists all over the world, working together, began to understand the alien mineral. It had something to do with electromagnetic fields, in interaction with Earth's own magnetic field. The blocks of stone couldn't float too far above the surface because the concentration of the specific minerals were too low.
In a few years, humanity developed a method to artificially produce those minerals, and much better than that, a way to enrich natural stones on earth with those special types of minerals. Depending on the percentage, a new level of altitude was accomplished. Unfortunately, all tests using more than 50% resulted in self-destruction of the stones. They couldn't handle their own field. That known, humanity had their limits. Rocks wouldn't go 5 miles above surface.
Nobody can tell which Country started the race, but it became pretty Cold-War-like. Everybody wanted to make the first flying city. The first official result came 13 years after the end of worlds mutual progress. The Europe Union had made it, launching Icarus, an small city, with capacity for three hundred people and space for farmland enough to feed that number. The first 300s were chosen to populate the flying city, and it was made in such a way that the whole world would be represented up there. That babel floating tower would have ended up in a disaster if it wasn't for the catastrophe.
Some kind of new plague vanquished the surface. Everywhere the floating city traveled to was dead, empty, lifeless. No communication technology worked on that city thanks to the fields of the very city. It wasn't 100% sure that those same fields would be harmless to the citizens of the city. And nobody knew if there would be other cities like that, made by other countries or even world-wide global companies. All that those people knew was that they were alone at their own, and that they had to make it work for the sake of what was left of humanity.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:04 pm
er... um.... Hello~ I don't generally come on here. I probably wouldn't have if it weren't for this piquing my interest. I do a lot of 'backstory' work in my spare time, nowadays, when I'm not drawing... so I kinda got interested, seeing the prompt. likewize, I'm doing this very impromptu, and likewize, I'm a bit informal when my mind's like this... please give me plenty of feedback, if you can, via PM or otherwize.
Current Challenge:
Invent a floating city. Do not use hot air or magic; Use rational physics, and an altitude below Everest midrange. Detail the inhabitants and the city's 'mechanics'.
I see a ground of land, flat at the top, but very jagged at the bottom. at the edge of one is a set of stones, skipping from side to side, like steps in a rock garden... untill they reach a second 'platform' boulder. these pathways look like cracks as they strech cross the horizon into other platforms, and so on.
... sorry. just wanted to share that quick vision in my mind before I got to work...
ahem...
The Floating City of Luxstrom
the residents of Luxstrom look down upon the waters of a vast ocean. Though it seems clear, pristine even, one can easily make out the vast network of machinery that lay beneath the seabed. it doesn't look like much more than giant, square blocks beneath the waters, but in actuality, it's so much more.
With mankind slowly killing itself off, Luxstrom was a desparate atempt by a coalition of scientists, wishing to continue their studies far from the reaches of a destructive society. though communication between the groups started off bleak, eventually the groups all converged into one, the Community of Luxstrom, as they called them selves. For a while, they held themselves up in the dessert areas, trying to figure a way to escape a warlike world. eventually, they found a way...
because, you see... below the airal city of Luxstrom is a careful array of magnets, all of the same polarity. on the underside of Luxstrom is an equal set of said magnets, of the same polarity. Luxstrom is a city kept afloat magnetically. just above these magnets are huge sheets of lead, and even further up is regular rock, carefully joined together to form large, flat slabs. at the bottoms of these floating masses are taught ropes that attach to the ocean floor, keeping them in place.
erected at the center of one of the masses is a huge tower that is mainly held up by the same Magnet as it's mass, a huge hole in the ground below it. the only things connecting it are four directionally placed stone slabs that act as stairs, and a single rope teather that connects it to the massive magnet directly below it. This building is Luxstrom's own 'capital' and also is the centre point for the entire city. inside, officials run the town as properly as they can, trying to mix daily life with the problems given by science. it's not an easy job, but they've managed to keep it working.
To each side of this large slab is another stone slab of a slightly smaller side, a pathway of floating stones leading to them. on these are a large collaberation of buidings that act as a sort of 'town square' for the city, and most of the buildings on it are shop based. however, on the further 'edges' of the city are research centres that work on how to expand the city, and upkeeping the magnetic network that lay beneath them.
A literal Net hangs beneath the entirety of the city, often tying in with the teathers that also lie beneath. In this way, even if one were to fall off of the city, they'd land safetly. attached to one side of the net is a latter that both continues up, back to the city, and down, onto a small island, stably on the water. at first, this was the main source of food for the city, being a nice spot to fish. however, most of the fishing can now be done from the net that hangs below the island, and the net itself can be lowered, if need be.
The only use left for the island seems to be using the resources below it, as a small mining plant. instead of your usual mining, where one digs into a cavern of some sort until materials are found, instead, chunks of a stable land mass, presumed to be a long extinct volcano, are taken up in whole sections, to be later used for future developement of the town. these chunks are meticulously searched over for any valuables before moving on.
The townspeople themselves seem awkwardly quiet. a relatively new town, it is filled mainly with refugees who agree with the work the ' Community of Luxtrom', the scientists from before, were doing. most are the type who simply want to live life peacefully, and to tell the truth, the area itself is pretty peaceful to look at, considering what it overlooks.
One problem that seems to be coming up lately with the scientific community is protection. The city itself does seem to float in the middle of the ocean, and has so far been pretty undetected, considering the interference that magnets can give off. However, if the city was ever discovered, the scientists realize the huge flaw in this. A city like this could be simply knocked away if the teathers beneath were cut. an impulse of magnets is to repel their own polarity, which usually means pushing it off to the side. this means that, save the center areas, protected by equal repelation on all sides, the city would simply fall away into the ocean. would it survive? it's possible, but the scientists have no way of knowing for sure.
Currently, they are looking for a way of creating their own weaponry. nothing militaristic, but rather an extremely elaborate defences system, able to protect them in case one of the land based civilizations find them, and attack. Overall, the city can is said to be a safehaven, though darker truths still lie within the scientific community. Who knows what will become of this town?
um.... Luxstrom, in case you are wondering, is derrived from Dutch 'luchtstroom' or, Air Current. Current refers to magnetic current, and also fits nicely with air. i wanted to do something simple, yet I wanted it to sound just elegant and towny enough. Dutch usually isn't elegant, but it worked here... also, the concept for the city is based off of a bed I once saw.
I also wanted the city to be able to have a meaningful storyline. this type of thing is prime material, be it for a game... a book, or an RP even. like I said before, please leave some feedback of what you think of the idea, preferrably in a PM, 'cause I'm not sure leaving it in this thread currently seems appropriate.
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:47 am
Over the years of abuse and misuse of our fair planet, humans have finally come to realize their mistakes. They've depleted the oil reserves, most of the ground and sea water is so acidic that nothing can live in it or be done to make things live in it or drink it, and the atmosphere is so toxic that most cannot breathe it without the aid of some device that filters and purifies the air as they breathe it. The ground is a complete wasteland, partly from acid rain, and partly from the overabundant human population that sprawls over what should have been farmland and forest. In spite of all of this, some people still live in this desolate wasteland because they have not the means or the fortune to live in one of the floating cities, inhabited by the most wealthy.
These floating cities have been suspended about a mile over the ground - give or take a few hundred meters - for three decades now. It had been decided long before that something had to be done, to make a livable place for humans and animals alike, but since no planet in the solar system could sustain life, humans had to make their own, and they did so with great electromagnets. They used the Earth's own magnetic field to set them afloat, with the aid of technology to make giant platforms with their own magnetic field, using the same poles as Earth.
These giant platforms, or plates, have a dome around them to seal in the "good atmosphere", another product of technology. Any traffic between these plates, though, comes through the ground of these plates, which is sealed much like a space port in a science fiction movie. However, because of their limited space, not many can live on these plates, and most that live there - though they are wealthy - live as little more than farmers, keepers of the fields and forests and waterways and animals. They do not wish to repeat the mistakes of humanity in the past with their only option left for survival.
Each plate is an ecosystem of it's own, and each ecosystem is a little different, according to where it originated from. The North American plates, for example, have a lot of trees and grass and other plants that maybe you would not see in the Asian plates, and vice versa. Each plate has it's own economy and means of agriculture, and to help ease trade, a universal currency has been put into place - the euro. Each plate also has it's own water table, but none of them have any oceans, or any body of water larger than a lake, neither are these lakes polluted by human bodies, so swimming is unheard-of.
Because each ecosystem is such a delicate balance, the population of each plant, animal, and human is strictly watched. While many think this is going too far - and in a way it is - many more agree that it must be done, as uncouth as it is. If there are a few children, or animals, more than should be born in a year, they are either given to couples who cannot reproduce, or are killed. Because of the limited resources, meals are also strictly limited, to help preserve such a delicate balance.
To help preserve the atmosphere, vehicular traffic is limited as well, and consists of vehicles that run not off of fossil fuels - the planet had long since run out of those anyway - but from solar energy. Those not lucky enough to own a solar powered vehicle - which is very expensive, even by the standards of those living on these plates - either walk or ride bicycles.
The inhabitants of these plates depend on which plate they live on, according to the geography of the poor, depleted wasteland below them. Those of the North American plates are varied in hair and skin color, as well as physical build, stemming from their history on the ground as being a mixing pot of cultures. Those of the Asian plates are typically fair or somewhat tanned of skin, dark of hair and eye, and of course have almond-shaped eyes typical of Asia. The Russian plates are, ironically, almost sub-tropical, rather than the desolate ice wasteland they used to be on the ground, so the inhabitants are dark of hair and eye, and fairly tanned. There are not many African plates, but those that exist still have some of the animosities of the past in them, so they are separated, those of dark skin and hair and eye living on different plates than those of Dutch descent. The European plates also tend to be a mixing pot of cultures, ranging from fair of skin and hair and eye, to dark of skin and hair and eye, each with various languages being spoken in them.
Each plate, or area of plates, also has something it excels in, something it can provide in trade that the other plates do not, or cannot, provide. While for the most part each plate offers produce in trade, some also offer certain technologies, parts for vehicles, parts for repairing what breaks on these plates, and some tourism, though tourism isn't as large as it once had been, due to the expense.
Thus we see humanity's last attempt at survival on a planet that can no longer support life on it's own. Thus we see the intricacies of a once-blue planet, mimicked the best that humanity could do, redone to support what is left of life on Earth, a final cry for help, the final attempt at survival before all is lost.
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:13 pm
█║█║▌│█║▌│║║█thє cítч σf cαєlus█║█║▌│█║▌│║║█ αpríl 29th 2097: people of all races, backgrounds, and lifestyles have been headed onto a magnificent creation, that had been years in the making. The Caelus, a flying city, created through technologies of the Americans, and Russians combined. People flood out of the boarding room, and into a large briefing room, located on the second level of the ten level structure. Once the masses are finally seated, and silent, a projector sends the 3D image of a man onto the screen. Alexie Gynnavide, one of the creators of Caelus. His Russian accent clear as he speaks. "Welcome! One and all to the Caelus. You were all specially chosen, not just out of a group of a thousand, but out of all of mankind. You were chosen, because you display special talents, and well, wonderful genes, that we hope will give mankind a second chance to live, once things on the World Below clear up. I'm sure you'll all enjoy your stay on Caelus. I assure you, the airship has been tested, is fully functioning, and able to meet all your needs. Please keep in mind that you are to stay on your assigned levels to avoid confusion in the housing. You are only to leave your resident level in a time of a security breach, which is virtually impossible, as well as highly improbable. So, go fourth! Live, and enjoy living aboard Caelus!" The people are then sent off to their assigned quarters. Out of the ten levels, seven are residential. The other three include: Scientific, Control, and Medicine. Caelus is beautiful. Yet, there always seemed to be something wrong with the way things were set up...junє 5th 2086: Earth had been through many struggles, but no one was prepared for what was occurring as of now. There was a situation going on in New York City, as well as another in Philadelphia. The areas had been quarantined, but no one was for sure on what was going on. The government was good at keeping things to themselves. The total lock in of everyone around the two cities lasted for a month. When it was over, both cities were opened, as if nothing had ever happened. What was the government hiding? Why did they not address anything related to the issue? The answer was simple. Invasion. The United States had been attacked by a force they'd never seen before. They'd also received calls involving similar attacks against their Ally, Russia. Both superpowers were able to stop the attacks, but were unsure of the source. Surely, it was not from poverty ridden countries such as England, or China. The U.S. territory of Japan was incapable of such things as well. The attackers responsible had been captured, and after much interrogating, revealed a total takeover plan of Earth. Not to destroy it, but to control it. To live here, to own the human race as nothing but slaves. Of course, an invasion. All the stories of Aliens living in the ocean, or using pyramids as symbols had been wrong. Everything humanity knew, was wrong. We were the real aliens. The real invaders. The worst part, was that they looked just like us. They weren't robots either. Humans and the Race shared the same genetic codes. Karrin Falcor, a Race woman, shared the history of our species, how the war against Humans began.
kαrrín fαlcσr's stσrч: You humans betrayed us from the very start. We both lived in peace, able to cope with our differences, and live on separate lands. But you got greedy. It all started when a man you praise as Christopher Columbus began is rape of our lands. You know what I'm talking about, so I'm sure I don't have to go into detail about it. You killed off a whole group of our people, wiped them out like savages. But did you ever disclose that we weren't humans like you? That we've been here longer than your Isabella? No. Never. We were just the people you had to kill because we were 'fighting back'. We did not do such thing. We only wanted to live together, to form an alliance. But you saw us as freaks, even though we look just as you do. The only difference, between you and I, Commander, is when we bleed. Your kind is red, we are the blue. Cliche right? That's because your cliches come from our past. We are not savages, we just want to live like we used to, be like we used to. You never gave us the chance, so now you will understand why you are the weaker being. The war will ravage the lands, and we will regain what was ours. Humans will pay, you will all pay! αugust 3rd 3020: The City of Caelus was untouched by the Race as they destroyed the lands it navigated above. The Race didn't care about a flying city composed of Human technology. They were taking over the grounds first. They figured, Caelus would land eventually, then they'd put a final stop to Human resistance. Plus, it helped that they had human traitors aboard Caelus this whole time. The rioting that occurred aboard the ship was known to them, and they were rather pleased by it. The Human race had easily fallen as they thought it would. dєcєmвєr 24th 3005: It began. The turmoil aboard Caelus began. It started as a small murder. A young woman had been killed in her room. Her throat slit, and a 'R' cut into her cheek. The officials aboard Caelus didn't understand what was happening, so they overlooked it as a minor crime committed buy a shut-in who'd gotten stir-crazy. The woman's husband was arrested for the crime, and executed. Then screams ran out as a whole family was found on a totally different level, their throats slit, R's on all their faces. How was this happening? They thought the culprit was somehow moving between levels. So they went into lock down. No movement between levels at all. Security was tight, and the officials had been locked into a safe room. With a dull flicker, the lights went out. At first, they thought someone had cut all power, because the entire airship jolted, as if falling, but eventually re-stabilized. There was scuffling noises, as security hesitantly squinted in the darkness, fumbling for night vision, and lights. Screams echoed through, and several guards would go out into the dark to find the source. Little did they know that this was happening on all seven residential floors.
They say the halls ran with red that night. Red, red with human blood. Humans had created a city that would fly through the sky. But the Race had created a revolution that would last for centuries, and go down in books. Humanity had lost its war. ----- I wanted to do more than just a description of the city, so I came up with a back story of why this was built, and what would be going on at the time. I decided to keep things vague on purpose so people would be forced to draw their own conclusions, seeing as I am a big fan of movies, books, and tv shows that do that. d:
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Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:56 am
"Welcome to Launch Day!"
The voice was heard by roughly 500 people directly as they stood gathered on a landing platform in the Pacific some fifty miles from the coast of California. The rest of the world heard this voice via radios, TVs, or computer monitors as the event was broadcast live and streaming. The man was Clive Gilliam. The event was Launch Day- specifically the launching of Daedalus- named after the Greek father of flight who was intelligent enough to steer clear of the sun, unlike his own child, Icarus. Daedalus was a massive structure with a diameter of exactly three miles, its underbelly a metallic half sphere, its head crowned with innumerable skyscrapers bound for heights previously unimagined.
Many wondered, "Why?" There was no war, poverty was within typical parameters, and his homeland of America wasn't being excessively unjust... so why? When interviewed, he answered:
"Because there are people in this world who strive for- and in turn deserve- better. And I'm going to give it to them. And together, we will prosper in our floating utopia, above and beyond your pettiness."
But why couldn't the whole world reap of his genius, share in the wealth of his work? Why not start a revolution?
"Because the world is filled with lazy people; entitled people; assholes. It's my creation, and the world damn well won't tell me what to do with it."
To get away? Then why not an island? A colony?
"Because I CAN, that's why. I'd like to see the rest of you try."
And so away they went, Clive and his chosen ones, into the sky on nuclear-powered wings, figuratively speaking. While propulsion was primarily nuclear, wind and solar power supported the majority of the infrastructure. Food was hydroponically grown, and the working men made regular trips down to the ocean to fish. Cows and chickens were raised in a small pasture. The government was a dictatorship. All decisions were made and finalized by Clive Gilliam, who relegated to his advisers positions of administration. They were the seven: Agriculture, Education, Sciences, Economics, Politics, Engineering, and Tactics.
Despite what the world may have wanted- maybe even hoped for- Clive's dream came true. Daedalus soared, moving with the seasons as it pleased, and steering clear of all national lines. There was no internal strife, no civil war for control, no oppression of the denizens- just one wonderful place to live, far from the aggressive patriotism and mucky politics of the earthbound realms.
Then came the first attempted infiltration & sabotage. Clive returned China's spy, but not before making a video of his decapitation and delivering it to the world. The message had only one line: "I mean this in the most diplomatic way: ******** you China, and anyone else who thinks they can ruin us."
Though there were more strikes, without success the world gave up and its media did a mighty fine job of pretending to forget Daedalus existed- which was just the way Clive preferred things. All he really wanted was to be left alone, to enjoy the world he had built with his own hands, and to share it with those who shared his ideals. That was all he wanted.
By blood, sweat, and tears, it was had.
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:54 pm
An Obvious Nod to a Certain Doctor
Couldn't help myself but tried to make it different enough to not be exactly the same while staying with the style.
There is a place unseen by you or I, a wonderful city floating in the sky. Where every day is fun and the streets are clean. Where everyone is happy and no one mean. It may sound too good to be, but there it is floating by – that little speck up in the sky. It's full of people and of things floating not on mayfly wings but with twirlygigs and huffabloos, propellers and bellows to me and you, enough to carry the tiny load of this little city no bigger than the toe of a toad.
Though they can't be seen by naked eye, the people there are real and true as you or I. They have families and friends and homes and jobs. They have places and possessions and rulers and laws. They live their little lives coming and going simply carried wherever the wind is blowing. No one knows how or why they came to be, no more than can be said of you or me. They've never known another way not in all their lives that last just one day.
Being so small the time doesn't seem as short. They do a lot of living full of fun and sport. They laugh and love and cry and play. They sing and write and do and say in their tiny city built of cobweb and dander on a speck of clay. They may not look like you and I, they may have fringe for legs, no heads, and possibly antennae but they live their lives in peace and quiet so we shouldn't judge before we try it. Though they are so different and unseen they are the nicest people that have ever been. And if I could I would without question make myself small enough to fit in this special place that floats away with the winds and puffing power of their bellows and turning propeller.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:41 pm
Moored in the high skies, hidden and out of reach in the hanging clouds, the great pirate fleet Yarmada lies in wait to ravage, or liberate (dependin how ye sees it) the scattered villages and towns of the badland Wastes. To the people below the fleet is a motley collection of fierce biplanes that descend from the cloud cover to make viscous raids on rich caravans and settlements then disappear back to the skies well before the Imperial pilots catch up. In a world where clockwork and steam are the height of most technology the fleet's biplanes are a force to be reckoned with though these are only the frontmen of her glory. To those who know, those that traffic in black market goods and rebel causes, the Yarmada is a floating paradise where the booze are always flowing and the girls are always pretty, where the law is simple and the people Free.
The truth of the fleet is steeped in exaggeration but the meat of the story is that the Fleet's Admiral Calhoon was a deserter of the Imperial Legion. He disagreed with the Empire's general policy of "pissin' on the little guy" and, as story goes, told them to "go f- themselves" then ran off with their mad- I mean head scientist Dr. Vanderfelt who designed the Admiral a mobile base from which to launch a revolution against the Empire's iron fist. Another story goes that the platform was an Imperial prototype for an air-born attack base which the Admiral stole. And yet another version states the platform is old tech discovered in one of the ruined cities of the World that Was, long before the War brought them down and made their air sick.
Whatever her true origins, the platform is a floating city (village at least) full of rapscallion rogues and cut throat pirates evading the Empire's justice and basking in the lawless frontier of the open skies. The only government on the platform and her associated docks is the rule of might with a collective desire to stay hidden and afloat. The Admiral however is generally recognized as the leader of the platform and her crew - a collection of Imperial deserters, merchant sailors, smugglers, and pirates. Other citizens of the platform give the Admiral and crew the respect due those that keep the city floating but official laws are scarce. The only strict laws in the fleet govern the use of fire and all explosives due to the volatile nature of the hydrogen gasses that keep the city afloat.
As hinted above, the Fleet's platform is a sort of giant zeppelin catamaran (a platform suspended below two zeppelins) which relies on cells of lighter than air hydrogen gas to keep her aloft. Alongside (and sometimes above and below) the platform are several smaller zeppelins moored to her docks and all connected by planks or rope net bridges. The fleet's biplanes land within a hangar contained in the platform's lower deck and the city resides within the various zeppelins' compartments but also on the bridges, boardwalks, and platforms connecting them.
It isn't a large city but a lively one with a thriving black market economy and heavy trade in vices of all kinds. Most contraband traded within the Empire and surrounding territories passes through the Yarmada at some point, either manufactured there, imported and sold by Fleet citizens, or simply bought by those living on the platform itself. Stolen goods also traffic between the fleet's many fences and dealers making it a smuggler's paradise.
Out of reach of Imperial law the citizens of the fleet may live life as they choose and indulge in the many freedoms they are not allowed or can not afford within the Empire's strict class structure. Most of the the citizens hold to a vague notion of robin hood justice but live a generally libertine lifestyle. Still, the Admiral only allows biplane raids on the wealthy and corrupt and often provides aid to the poverty class. And it is this, more than hydrogen cells or fierce fighter pilots, that keeps the Yarmada afloat.
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School Of Dedicated RPers Captain
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:21 pm
And this Challenge is officially DONE. That means it's time to vote. Do NOT vote for yourself. Voting has two steps: the first is to utilize the poll. You can vote a SECOND TIME, if you post in this thread which one you voted for AND WHY. If you do not tell why, it cannot be counted. This is to encourage constructive criticism which is integral to a writer's development. Final voting results will be posted on
Thank you all who participated and I hope to see more for our next CHALLENGE!
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:23 am
I chose Umbraja's mainly because of concept. While it is a bit of a mind-stretch to have a miniscule planetoid whimsically floating throughout the atmosphere, I focused instead on the difference of it.
Like mine, hers was removed from the dystopian/wasteland that usually is conceived when it comes to matters such as floating cities.
In short, nobody ever seems to do something because it's neat.
In her case it isn't because it's neat, it just -is- which is also a different way to go.
Woo.
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:36 pm
Voted Jikial's because as he said, too much Wasteland/Dystopia. I'm of the belief that if/when such things come to exist, it will be a lavish place that caters to any and all indulgence of the high-life, not an attempt to escape some horror or atrocity.
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