Post by Zaezar on Feb 23, 2017 6:20:42 GMT
I have realized now that I never posted anything about New London save for a single drawing of the under city. Odd because I have made references to it in a lot of posts!
Quick info:
New London is similar to our London name only. It has spread out over the years to encompass an area many times larger than it originally did. Over the years they have replaced any and all major landmarks and covered all the things they couldn't just replace. Then it grew upwards. Building ever taller skyscrapers and buildings to both house the new population and to "one up" the previous tallest construction. What they are left with is a city of patched together walkways and shoddy construction built upon things with an even worse idea of "safety." It always rains here. In the sense that there is always at least a light trickle coming down on you from above. Though that could just be refuse from the higher levels or actual rainwater. Its difficult to tell some days.
Location:
New London's core is basically the same as old London. Just imagine New London is large enough you will never leave and place skyscrapers literally to capacity within it. There is no new construction around the edges that is not intended to "beat" the things around it. Most interesting things happen closer to the core where history has shown what will stand and what will not. Its at least safer to be surrounded by death you know than new unfamiliar things.
Culture:
Most people just try to irk out a living in any way they can. Getting low paying jobs so they might be able to afford rent in their small box rooms they call a home. There is no prejudice between cultures or species here. No one bothers to care when they are on about trying not to starve. The only things that matter to a lot of people here are Money and Power. If you have more than someone else, they are jealous of you. If you have less than someone else, you are worthless to them. This has caused "levels" to be formed vaguely being so many floors from the ground. If you are on a higher level then you have more money or more power. So the people below you will hate you. You can be anything and no one will care. But the moment you move up in life expect to lose friends.
As you get higher and higher up the levels you are met with better construction and better ease of living. Cleaner streets, better businesses, and less crime are all things you can expect. But obviously no one in the higher levels wants the scum of the lower levels around them. So there are tolls and stops on the elevators used to get between these levels. Only the rich can afford to move up in life. Those stuck in the lower levels often resort to violence to survive. Taking from others is just as easy as earning it. Sometimes easier, actually. Its common to see gangs form and wars break out in the lower levels. The hunger for power, to force others to bend to your will, is very strong here. You fight to survive in any way you can or you die hungry, scared, and wet in the streets. You could just pay off a local gang member or mafia group to keep you "safe" so long as you pay. So you don't have to be an evil person and steal everything to stay off the street.
Technology:
Tech is very sought after in New London. New items are developed and sold to people. New weapons are made by the gangs or upper city assassins. Scraps and junk are put to new use by the slums so they can live a little easier. If you have a good head on your shoulders to make and tinker you might be a bit better off than your peers here. Most items that are deemed "old" or "out of date" are almost instantly dropped for the newer one. The lower levels obviously end up getting these things by trash or sale. Some businesses even sell old items as brand new "just made!" technology in order to get more money out of people. Because of this mentality of out with the old, paper and coin currency is basically useless. You have an account with the government opened when you are born and you have a card or some other system to transfer funds out of or into it. With some fees, of course. The only people that use any paper currency are those that don't want the government to follow their actions. So it does see some use still. Though if you want to buy a meal at a common store you will certainly get some strange looks if you wave around a piece of metal and some paper.
Common things you see around the cities are hard light pathways and doors, neon, and screens replacing everything imaginable. Hard light was developed years ago and runs on simple Aether batteries or is hooked up to the local power system. As the name suggests, its just a solid material made out of light. It only works while it has a charge, so some people are naturally uncertain of it in the lower levels where power outages may occur. Almost all normal lights have been replaces with neon and other "brighter and newer!" light sources. As a final item lighting up the streets in the day are the constant barrage of advertisement and screens trying to sell you another thing to make your life easier. Drenching the streets in hues of purple, pink, orange, and every other color you can imagine to take your attention.
Government:
The government in New London does not care about you at all. Via corruption and death people are pretty comfortable with the idea that they will never be lowered in life. They do make power grabs to raise themselves up and gain more, however. So there is always a job for those with... certain skills in removing opposition. The people in these higher positions also hate all of those below them. Either they are "trying to grab MY position or they aren't paying enough money for MY paycheck." So they are completely happy with taxing people more and limiting their access to going up in level. A poor stupid population means less opposition for their advancement.
Buildings:
The one thing that people could call impressive is the effort they put into the structures in New London. If nothing else, the ingenuity needed to figure out how to add a new skyscraper to a broken down thing AND have it pass safety inspection at all is amazing. Most buildings are made with what you would expect. Metal and steel and rivets. Though they probably rely a bit too much on duct tape in the end. Some structures use a new technology that is sweeping the city at the moment. They have a solid rigid structure made of an electromagnetic metal. Its build like the frame of a house, just to a larger scale with less detail put into it. Then they throw blobs of a material that has object memory to it. They can program it to take on a certain shape, and when they give it some power it will go to a certain spot on the structure and take said shape. After its formed they simply need to give it a bit of power and it will fix any damages the structure may have suffered. They use this material for the entire building so if they need to they can just add some more and power it. It will find the spot it was programmed to find and add its material to the damages, repairing them. Of course, this is new and only somewhat tested. But that didn't stop many officials looking to make themselves seem interesting from using it already.
Weather:
The weather is pretty straight forwards here. Every day it has 100% chance of rain. It can be a slight drizzle that only barely counts as rain all the way to a practical flood level of water coming down. Most days its rather mild. Enough to get you wet running out without an umbrella or jacket of some sort. The people here are used to being wet outside. The businesses and shops always have spots to leave your overcoat near your seat and floors that aren't slippery if wet. The people here aren't annoyed at the rain. Especially those that have lived here their whole life. Most of the time its seen as a nice cheap way to clean up the streets on heavy rainfall days. The only issue is that the water gets swept down drainage pipes leading to the levels below them. Only causing them more problems since the water is now a bit grimier and cruddier. When it gets to the lowest levels it can become dangerous and caustic as it picked up chemicals and runoff. There are many reasons why certain levels are said to be unfit for living. The main one is that its too much effort to fix the chemical runoff problems.
Other info:
There is one area of the lower levels that SHOULD be deemed unfit for living. Maybe the local gangs have fought to keep it legal, maybe higher ups have noticed that they can get enough money from the people living there, maybe its a loophole in the system that keeps it legal, or maybe the person responsible just doesn't care for the people's lives. No matter what, "The Leaky District" is a notorious place to have an incredibly cheap place to live. Its one of the places with such bad runoff that it basically drips acid from the ceiling in the walkways constantly. Requiring the people who pass through it to use special umbrellas with a wax coating that won't burn from it. Its this that causes it to have some sense of added security. Who would just wonder in here and break into my home? They would need to own special gear that they may not even afford. Whatever the reason, there have been lots of people who actually want to live here. Just the same, there have been people who want to move out but simply cannot afford to. Too bad everyone is out for themselves, otherwise they could strike a deal.
This was pulled from SeaJay's story "The Umbrella" projectcyden.boards.net/thread/46/umbrella
And said I could use it for New London here: projectcyden.boards.net/post/118/thread
There are open areas sporadically set around New London. Like a giant knife was taken to the area, you can see many layers deeper than you would normally walking around. Likewise, this is an opportunity for those on the lower levels to see sky, get some fresh rainwater, or catch a glimpse of the higher levels. These get filled with advertisements as they reach more eyes than they would normally. Maybe these companies are the ones paying off the builders to keep clear. Nonetheless its a nice view for a lot of people.
Due to the sheer size of New London and their general acceptance of cultures and people, there are a lot of areas where one culture is dominant. Imagine a "Chinatown" but of every group you can think of. Just look hard enough and you might find the place you need somewhere. It just might be a day's travel away and a few levels lower than you might be comfortable with. Otherwise the city is just like you would expect. Only some areas are this culturally focused.
Travel around New London is normally slow. Its almost strictly walkways on the lower levels of the city. With Public transportation being spotty and sporadic where it is supposed to go. As you get to the higher levels you see better maintained walking paths and actually working trains and large bus-like vehicles on rails on the ceiling. But only on the highest levels where they have the most room do people actually have their own vehicles to drive. These are all hover something-or-another that became popular to avoid roadwork and traffic.
Quick info:
New London is similar to our London name only. It has spread out over the years to encompass an area many times larger than it originally did. Over the years they have replaced any and all major landmarks and covered all the things they couldn't just replace. Then it grew upwards. Building ever taller skyscrapers and buildings to both house the new population and to "one up" the previous tallest construction. What they are left with is a city of patched together walkways and shoddy construction built upon things with an even worse idea of "safety." It always rains here. In the sense that there is always at least a light trickle coming down on you from above. Though that could just be refuse from the higher levels or actual rainwater. Its difficult to tell some days.
Location:
New London's core is basically the same as old London. Just imagine New London is large enough you will never leave and place skyscrapers literally to capacity within it. There is no new construction around the edges that is not intended to "beat" the things around it. Most interesting things happen closer to the core where history has shown what will stand and what will not. Its at least safer to be surrounded by death you know than new unfamiliar things.
Culture:
Most people just try to irk out a living in any way they can. Getting low paying jobs so they might be able to afford rent in their small box rooms they call a home. There is no prejudice between cultures or species here. No one bothers to care when they are on about trying not to starve. The only things that matter to a lot of people here are Money and Power. If you have more than someone else, they are jealous of you. If you have less than someone else, you are worthless to them. This has caused "levels" to be formed vaguely being so many floors from the ground. If you are on a higher level then you have more money or more power. So the people below you will hate you. You can be anything and no one will care. But the moment you move up in life expect to lose friends.
As you get higher and higher up the levels you are met with better construction and better ease of living. Cleaner streets, better businesses, and less crime are all things you can expect. But obviously no one in the higher levels wants the scum of the lower levels around them. So there are tolls and stops on the elevators used to get between these levels. Only the rich can afford to move up in life. Those stuck in the lower levels often resort to violence to survive. Taking from others is just as easy as earning it. Sometimes easier, actually. Its common to see gangs form and wars break out in the lower levels. The hunger for power, to force others to bend to your will, is very strong here. You fight to survive in any way you can or you die hungry, scared, and wet in the streets. You could just pay off a local gang member or mafia group to keep you "safe" so long as you pay. So you don't have to be an evil person and steal everything to stay off the street.
Technology:
Tech is very sought after in New London. New items are developed and sold to people. New weapons are made by the gangs or upper city assassins. Scraps and junk are put to new use by the slums so they can live a little easier. If you have a good head on your shoulders to make and tinker you might be a bit better off than your peers here. Most items that are deemed "old" or "out of date" are almost instantly dropped for the newer one. The lower levels obviously end up getting these things by trash or sale. Some businesses even sell old items as brand new "just made!" technology in order to get more money out of people. Because of this mentality of out with the old, paper and coin currency is basically useless. You have an account with the government opened when you are born and you have a card or some other system to transfer funds out of or into it. With some fees, of course. The only people that use any paper currency are those that don't want the government to follow their actions. So it does see some use still. Though if you want to buy a meal at a common store you will certainly get some strange looks if you wave around a piece of metal and some paper.
Common things you see around the cities are hard light pathways and doors, neon, and screens replacing everything imaginable. Hard light was developed years ago and runs on simple Aether batteries or is hooked up to the local power system. As the name suggests, its just a solid material made out of light. It only works while it has a charge, so some people are naturally uncertain of it in the lower levels where power outages may occur. Almost all normal lights have been replaces with neon and other "brighter and newer!" light sources. As a final item lighting up the streets in the day are the constant barrage of advertisement and screens trying to sell you another thing to make your life easier. Drenching the streets in hues of purple, pink, orange, and every other color you can imagine to take your attention.
Government:
The government in New London does not care about you at all. Via corruption and death people are pretty comfortable with the idea that they will never be lowered in life. They do make power grabs to raise themselves up and gain more, however. So there is always a job for those with... certain skills in removing opposition. The people in these higher positions also hate all of those below them. Either they are "trying to grab MY position or they aren't paying enough money for MY paycheck." So they are completely happy with taxing people more and limiting their access to going up in level. A poor stupid population means less opposition for their advancement.
Buildings:
The one thing that people could call impressive is the effort they put into the structures in New London. If nothing else, the ingenuity needed to figure out how to add a new skyscraper to a broken down thing AND have it pass safety inspection at all is amazing. Most buildings are made with what you would expect. Metal and steel and rivets. Though they probably rely a bit too much on duct tape in the end. Some structures use a new technology that is sweeping the city at the moment. They have a solid rigid structure made of an electromagnetic metal. Its build like the frame of a house, just to a larger scale with less detail put into it. Then they throw blobs of a material that has object memory to it. They can program it to take on a certain shape, and when they give it some power it will go to a certain spot on the structure and take said shape. After its formed they simply need to give it a bit of power and it will fix any damages the structure may have suffered. They use this material for the entire building so if they need to they can just add some more and power it. It will find the spot it was programmed to find and add its material to the damages, repairing them. Of course, this is new and only somewhat tested. But that didn't stop many officials looking to make themselves seem interesting from using it already.
Weather:
The weather is pretty straight forwards here. Every day it has 100% chance of rain. It can be a slight drizzle that only barely counts as rain all the way to a practical flood level of water coming down. Most days its rather mild. Enough to get you wet running out without an umbrella or jacket of some sort. The people here are used to being wet outside. The businesses and shops always have spots to leave your overcoat near your seat and floors that aren't slippery if wet. The people here aren't annoyed at the rain. Especially those that have lived here their whole life. Most of the time its seen as a nice cheap way to clean up the streets on heavy rainfall days. The only issue is that the water gets swept down drainage pipes leading to the levels below them. Only causing them more problems since the water is now a bit grimier and cruddier. When it gets to the lowest levels it can become dangerous and caustic as it picked up chemicals and runoff. There are many reasons why certain levels are said to be unfit for living. The main one is that its too much effort to fix the chemical runoff problems.
Other info:
There is one area of the lower levels that SHOULD be deemed unfit for living. Maybe the local gangs have fought to keep it legal, maybe higher ups have noticed that they can get enough money from the people living there, maybe its a loophole in the system that keeps it legal, or maybe the person responsible just doesn't care for the people's lives. No matter what, "The Leaky District" is a notorious place to have an incredibly cheap place to live. Its one of the places with such bad runoff that it basically drips acid from the ceiling in the walkways constantly. Requiring the people who pass through it to use special umbrellas with a wax coating that won't burn from it. Its this that causes it to have some sense of added security. Who would just wonder in here and break into my home? They would need to own special gear that they may not even afford. Whatever the reason, there have been lots of people who actually want to live here. Just the same, there have been people who want to move out but simply cannot afford to. Too bad everyone is out for themselves, otherwise they could strike a deal.
This was pulled from SeaJay's story "The Umbrella" projectcyden.boards.net/thread/46/umbrella
And said I could use it for New London here: projectcyden.boards.net/post/118/thread
There are open areas sporadically set around New London. Like a giant knife was taken to the area, you can see many layers deeper than you would normally walking around. Likewise, this is an opportunity for those on the lower levels to see sky, get some fresh rainwater, or catch a glimpse of the higher levels. These get filled with advertisements as they reach more eyes than they would normally. Maybe these companies are the ones paying off the builders to keep clear. Nonetheless its a nice view for a lot of people.
Due to the sheer size of New London and their general acceptance of cultures and people, there are a lot of areas where one culture is dominant. Imagine a "Chinatown" but of every group you can think of. Just look hard enough and you might find the place you need somewhere. It just might be a day's travel away and a few levels lower than you might be comfortable with. Otherwise the city is just like you would expect. Only some areas are this culturally focused.
Travel around New London is normally slow. Its almost strictly walkways on the lower levels of the city. With Public transportation being spotty and sporadic where it is supposed to go. As you get to the higher levels you see better maintained walking paths and actually working trains and large bus-like vehicles on rails on the ceiling. But only on the highest levels where they have the most room do people actually have their own vehicles to drive. These are all hover something-or-another that became popular to avoid roadwork and traffic.