There are three major superpowers: Antarctica, Africa and Asia. There is a basic cold war between Antarctica and Africa, and Africa and Asia are allies. They all proclaim to be the pinnacle of civilisation, but all have their hidden sides. There's a deep space race going on, but that isn't really relevant to the SB. The only legal passage between the continents is for diplomats and leaders. Antarctica : Ruled by a council Africa : Democracy Asia : Democracy
Nikara:
What they don't tell you before you apply to enter Nikara is that it's split in two: the Upper for the rich and the Neath for the poorer. (Unless you have enough money when you apply, you're immediately put into the Neath. You have to apply again to move into the Upper, and it's hard to make the change) The organisation everyone knows as 'The Collector' works from the Upper, with access to their head offices and storage tightly surveilled at all times, but they collect the memories in the Neath.
The Neath:
Made up of about 20-50 levels, the Neath is the home of the black market and the gangs and the ghettos. The Neath has been built into a chasm and the rock surrounding it, so unless you watch your step around the edge, you could fall, with no net to catch you. The 'ceiling' is made of one-way glass, to let the light in, but also to remind the people living the Neath of what they can't have. The closer you are to the 'ceiling', the richer. In some places, the metal gives way to the earth with tunnels from where people have tried to dig their way out. In the Neath, a curfew is enforced, officially as a precaution because of the hostilities between Antarctica and Africa, but really just to control the population a little better.
Though there isn't a marked police presence in the Neath, they'll intervene as soon as there's a sign of trouble. The main police force is made up of humans with exoskeletons (a little like robo-cop, but less robo, more cop). The riot police is made up of mainly androids, with no mercy, who will attack anyone who resists.
This is the bit that every foreign dignitary visiting Nikara sees, pristine, ecological skyscrapers, with wealth and peace. There are parks, and museums and malls, and it very much looks like - and presents itself as - a "perfect" city that strives on being environmentally friendly There is almost a competition between the Uppers to show how 'green' they are. But it's rife with corruption and manipulation, and there's always that threat of losing your place. Though you're pretty sure not to lose your memories, you never know what your rival might do. Though down in the Neath, it's a question of survival in the basest sense of the term, the Upper is a survival of the eloquent and the liked, the survival of society.
A few pictures of some of the skyscrapers:
Spoiler! :
Also, some wind power with a sleeker design of these
Marvel-esque (read Stark) technology with electronic contact lenses, chip implants in your brain as a processor (implanted when you're about 10), hoverboards, holographs, electronic paper, projected keyboards/screens that project from a wristband or a ring like this, epic holo-tables The rich can have robotic assistants if they so please, as well as AIs running their houses (think Jarvis), and prosthetics are commonplace among soldiers. In the Neath, the plates making up the structures project announcements(news, projects, etc), and put out the curfew warnings.
The army is pretty far developed, with exoskeletons in mainstream use alongside androids. Drones and whisper-planes are in main use, but there's still the element of espionage in the A.S.S. (Antarctican Secret Service) which is solely composed of humans.
So what's going on?
There has always been tensions between the Nethers, who want more rights and freedoms. In return, the Uppers believe that the Nethers are a stain on the city and should be removed. With fresh water becoming rarer and it becoming more and more expensive to dispose of the by-products of extracting it from sea-water, water became expensive for the Neath. As time went by, Uppers became more and more convinced that Nethers were draining their precious resources and taking up too much space, and have now finally influenced the Council into acting. Every so often, a block in the Neath will suddenly collapse, leaving everyone to evacuate or fall into the chasm.
As well as that, people have started disappearing from the Neath. Slowly at first, so people barely noticed, but now there are more, a steady stream of missing people. The Nethers don't know what's happening, but they know where they're going to point the blame: Upwards.
You read faster than Usaine Bolt sprints xD - Deanie 2014
I wanted all to sparkle and dance in a glorious jubilee. - Cathy, Wuthering Heights
Oh so this is the evolved version of the draft. Interesting. So basically our job is to make Nikara thrive, and we have carte blanche to do so. ...Darn it this IS very interesting. I think I'mma think about a character and join in after the exam period stuff. Maybe. *is pumped up*
"Is there a limit to how much living I can live with my life? How will I know if I've gone too far? And why did I spend my life savings on sunglasses for a whale? I shall find the answers... to these questions."
...*re-reads the SB title. Sees the "closed" part*
...I hate when reality hits you hard like that. Um, ok then. One occasion down for me. I'll just follow the SB as it develops at this point
"Is there a limit to how much living I can live with my life? How will I know if I've gone too far? And why did I spend my life savings on sunglasses for a whale? I shall find the answers... to these questions."
It's fine! I've been told that SBs have a better chance of surviving with not many writers anyway. Let's just hope this SB reaches the end!
"Is there a limit to how much living I can live with my life? How will I know if I've gone too far? And why did I spend my life savings on sunglasses for a whale? I shall find the answers... to these questions."
Gender:
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