The morning sun's rays slanted across the floor by the time Heidi woke. Vernon's eyes opened. They stared at each other a second and Heidi blinked hard. Heidi yawned, "Uncle Dale, I couldn't sleep", she turned and stretched and gave a cough as she rose.
"You slept a long time, must have had a couple bad dreams, talkin in your sleep last night." He thought she had been talking to him at first, about the pigs, the police, the elephants, her elephant. He wasn't going to bring it up, best leave the traumas to the dreamlands where they belong. "You did get up once. Heh, heh, almost went to the closet before I showed you where the bathroom was, I didn't figure you'd remember. I bet you're hungry."
"Oh, yeah...sort of remember. Hey! We're in The Magic City, Vernon, let's check it out, she parted the drapes. They were several floors up in some kind of office building. "Hey, Vern, there's folks outside on a farm."
"Don't call me that in front of anybody, I mean it," he popped her on the arm with his fist, she retaliated, "You ARE mean, LOOK out the window," "I see it, whoa, look, oh my god everything's so different, s'like I barely remember, it's been so long since we've even been to a city, s'like a wonderland."
Uncle Dale stood up from the easy chair as they gazed in astonishment at the scene below. He turned them both around to face him as he spoke, "Now, look, here. Y'all two are gonna be on your absolute best behavior. They're gonna be up here pretty soon I imagine, and we'll get fed and then they'll tell us our options. I know a few folks who work here, so we have friends here but I'm gonna warn you - You step outta line and we are gonna end up wasting a lot of time explaining what we're doin' here to people who don't need to know where we're goin'."
Vernon was already tuning him out as he turned his head so his eyes could see out the window. His brow furrowed with a mix of emotions. "This town's full a niggers, Uncle Dale. I know they hate us, it ain't safe here"
"Now see here!" The old man's hands gripped the boy and held him fast, "Listen, now, y'all been taught a bunch of junk about this city by folks that you ain't gonna want to see no more." A tear dripped from Heidi's eye, then the other. "I don't wanna go back there, ever." Images of the slaughterhouse flashed before her. She flung herself on the bed. It smelled strange to her. She was not happy about how her life, "I don't have any of my stuff here, when can I have my backpack back?" Vernon changed the subject, "When are we gonna eat somethin..."
The electronic deadbolt on the door made a mechanical sound and a red LED light changed to green. A metallic breakfast cart pushed by a man with bent posture and a broad face painted white. "How y'all doin' this mornin'." "Fine." the kids said. "That's good. Breakfast is ready, smells good, don't it. Egg biscuits, and tea." The kids just sat there, Dale stepped towards the servant to take the trays of food, "No coffee?" "No...no coffee today. They was posed to be but no smugglers can get in from the border. Got most of what we need from the city farms. You can see from out that window where these tomatoes come from, yep." Vernon looked outside again. The cityscape was an uneven work-in-progress bearing the scars of conflict, like multiple mini 9/11's had wracked the infrastructure, drone warfare, the legacy of decades of insurgencies. Aside from the schooling Uncle Dale had been giving him through the Videopad, Vernon had known nothing about the outside world except the stories of neverending apocalypse, offering no clear revelation but the mad savage suspicion that mankind is either another species of talking apes or a race of devils sent to destroy the earth by either satan or god or both.
The server poured some hot tea. "We do have sugar cubes today." Dale said, "Thank you kindly. Any internet here?" "Naw, can't use the internet yet. Might be up, that would be a good thing," He placed some cloth napkins on the table that looked cut from old t-shirts, one square was screeenprinted with the partial words "ham", "zoo" and half a snarling tiger-head, torn and peeling.
Dale scratched his beard. "Things have changed since I was here before. Good things happening, looks like." He eyed the server, could tell he was on to something, had a searching glance, knew more than he was letting on. "Cell phone service online? I must need a passcode, can't get a signal and I can see a cell tower right out that window."
"Cells available only for Blues and Yellowblacks during emergencies. Heh, when is it NOT an emergency folks always say. I don't complain." The server kept his eyes on his work, placing some towels and a wooden box. "This here's the soap. They told me y'all have time to clean up before your escort gets here. So where y'all goin'?" His eyes looked into the staring face of Vernon who sat on the bed like a doberman. "You alright, son? Y'all ain't never been to Magic City before." Vernon didn't want the old negro to get the best of him, but was for a loss of words, and was on the verge of standing up against the man, or smarting off, but Heidi interjected. "No we've never been to the city. Seen em on videopad, though. Seen lots of videos. We know all about em, don't we Vernon?" He glanced back at her in mute defeat, not knowing why he was even angry. His uncle told them on the way to the city in the car not to pass judgment. The whole point of coming here was for their safety, and home was not safe anymore. He looked back at the old black man painted white. He was embarrassed, and angry, but he didn't know why.
Dale knew it was pride that the boy was now beginning to doubt. He had been lied to by evil men, and he had been abused. That damage could be undone if he could get these two to the Hexagon.
Dale noticed the server was studying him. "Y'all have a nice day. I got other guests to take care of. You just press that button on that intercom if you need somethin." The intercom had a camera eye that could be assumed was observing them the whole time. Who was studying them, Dale wondered.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Insane Defense: 2012 - 2030's
Scene: Heidi watching TV - We explore the world through the room and the TV, the propaganda and the entertainment and 'news'. We learn something of the Illusion of capitalism and the historic Bubbleburst - bank collapses/austerity. Cullman epitomizes the potentially lethal social cocktail of long-term poverty, ignorance, fear, paranoia, reactionary defensive posturing, and hate-inspired violence.
The rise of the Security state (drone warriors and surveillance) to counter the International Youth Movement - Child Revolution - quit school, self-education - western colleges are primarily medicine, computers, management - Asian colleges engineering, computers, aerospace, first moon city is New Beijing.
She meets a rich boy - A government social worker/Totalcare, Inc. He really IS registering population for security state in exchange for totalcare, and eyedrone must be implanted. The Incorporated (the employed) have accepted this after dacedes of famine, war, plagues, and economic insecurity. Heidi is missing a few teeth, like most of the poor, but the totalcare campaign offers dental in exchange for Eyedrone installation. The corporate healthcare takes up the mantle of 'socialized medicine', so through private doctors, the people accept totalitarian state they were prepared for mentally during the Obama administration, the masters simply switch a 0 to a 1 through urging of the church to accept the help of medicine, in exchange for totalsecurity, they gain totalcare.
Rise of the Garden Party (includes veterans of the Youth Mvmt) - The Indian industrial/economic/spiritual power bloc, arising from the common causes and interests of groups into Hindu Yoga higher consciousness advancement, psychedelic exploration, cybernetics, virtual reality and magic. The once disparate members of the Garden Party stepped forward in unison as a non-partisan mitigating force of balance in the conflict between Deepearthers and Singulars, bolstered by the leveraging strength of the Indian nuclear power program. The internal consciousness wing attempted to maintain its guru hierarchical status to prevent abuse of singular technology, but this quickly got out of hand, with black markets flourishing, provoking a crackdown, to no avail, thus arose the Syndicate of the Circuit.
In the second decade of the 21st century, the U.S. Empire was in retreat, so they attempted to prevent a power vacuum by waging their security warfare through smartdrones. Institutionalized drone warfare became hotter, flaring up regularly as advancements in production technology allowed more governments to operate unhindered by foreign empire. Without a U.S. monopoly of power, the UN gained a respectful reputation through reforms pressured by the now huge interconnected international people's movements, with delegates from democratic bodies representing their sectors in a parallel workers' Union to the UN named Intercom. Among the Intercom Union, capitalism just seemed to have fallen away as the people worked hard to escape that unsustainable ideology the era of greed and lies.
More economic crashes in post-capitalist economies - Russian "Apocalypse Pod" Evgeny Ubiyko. Russian infrastructure model for primitive stability - concrete bunkers, hardware redundancy, internet decentralization, anarcho/syndicalist model, private initiative movements. The Islamic Union of Courts mitigates peace in the middle east after the Iran/Israeli war of 2012. A scud missle accidentally sets off a nuke secretly owned by Israel, and they use this as a pretext for retaliation, but all their nukes are shot down by Iranian EMP-armed drones, they fall on various places of the middle east into the possibly into hands of unknown people, not detonating. The Islamic Union of Courts call upon the Saudi Kings, in addition to the Supreme Leader of Iran to see this as a sign from Allah, that Islam is the future, a religion of Peace, and they urge not to retaliate, the Israelis tear each other apart in civil war. The Iranian drones save the day, technology generated in an Asian technotrade bloc - Russia, Iran, Pakistan, China. (CRIP). During the following period of the Israeli Civil War, the Palestinians are being slaughtered, so they run for it, crossing into Egypt through secret tunnels. The Red Sea turns red with blood...
At this time a small Ecoterrorist cell of cloned dissidents calling themselves The Core announce they have launched their plan to detonate an EMP at 30 miles above Houston. It goes off 30 seconds later, not enough time to respond, but enough time to get some planes in the air, and other planes move in. They crash to the ground as the EMP detonates, bringing down all planes in the air, and disabling all non-insulated (95%) electronics in the midwest, mexico, to parts of southern ohio, florida. The Drone Wars are now complicated by a post-electronic apocalyptic theater.
Heidi and Vernon's latent psychic abilities are awoken by the EMP (dropped by the EMPirates), or simply noticed after the EMP takes out the clutter of electronics plus the distraction of TV, probably both are factors.
Mark of the Beasts - Eyedrone RFID- GPS microchip implanted first in all slave animals, then prisoners, then in children of prisoners, finally in all corporate employee class, with incrypted firewalls, but hackers are always one step ahead of technology, frustrating the NWO, during the drone wars there are hacker purges, a crackdown on outsider crime, Ethical Cleansings. Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims reject the chip, other Christians and Muslims, and most Jews do not, especially technocrats and cyberians.
Pig medical hybrids freed by the ALF mutate. Spidergoats Transgenic Paranoia. Xian Conspiracy theoriess - chemtrails, NWO, cloning - playing God
Story: Clone lab Norway? or Finland/Russia. Mistakes aren't killed, they are kept alive in a collection/menagerie. A spy leaks the secret for money "Cloine Jesus". Clone Einstein - Rebel freaks, moralist/pacifists. Clone Hitler - persecuted, becomes just like the original. Adam 2.0 - Human genome project is revealed to be a born-again christian movement. Buddha 2.0 - HI compassionate enlightenment from Japan
Islam: Anticipating the peak oil crisis of the 2020's, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and other wealthy Islamic nations invested in alternative energy programs, primarily solar and nuclear. A scientific liberal movement within Islam won the trust of the wealthy oligarchs, further outraging Al Qaeda, which sought a new strategy: EMP and cyberwarfare, especially hacking drones. Anonymous double and triple agents began working for and against multiple outlaw groups, including Al Qaeda, Maoist rebels, and Primitivist saboteurs. These Anons had their own agendas, but because of the difficulty of maintaining secrecy, they were often caught, and bombings drove populations further into the arms of strong governments as they embraced AI surveillance that was able to respond more rapidly than the human police who's role became increasingly managerial and technical, with much of the police force existing simply as checks and balances, to watch the watchmen.
Conspiracy Theories popular because of excitement generated by fear, like religious zealousness. The grid is the only thing keeping a religious revival, burning of the stakes. A backlash against science leads to 13th Century islamification of protestant christianity/mormonism hybrid. Practice of large family, at least a dozen, produces clone-like results after 2 generations of huge families in isolated areas, and much inbreeding in the poorest areas, producing white/semi-albino monosapiens, all toe-headed blonds with red-within-black eyes, like domesticated chickens and turkeys.
Paranoid militias and Infowarriors, "truthseekers" resisting persecution in a dark age, ultimately are usurped by NWO "supersoldiers" with psychic training. These militarized modified humans seduce and mentally enslave through geneseeking nanodart rifle weaponry, the existence of which is first proposed by "Rogue Radio - in an age when Truth is a crime" Andrea Alexander ( http://www.andrea-alexander.co.za/# ), she is "turned" and becomes a mouthpiece for the empire, confusing and misleading listeners, she doesn't even know where she gets her inspiration from anymore. She is not fitted with the eyedrone, and only after many months do those within her inner circle start to suspect something is wrong, too late, they are darted (tagged).
Storyline - Conspiracists: Tysen-Krupp hires private security firm. They abuse some locals in a bar, then are fired for harsh reaction to protesters, attracting the attention of Patriots. Police are provoked, Patriots go nuts with false flag theories, another security firm is hired, conspiracists unearth 'truth' that this firm has ties to NWO, Patriots swell in numbers, begin to theorize on what is really being built in building 9, they suspect robots-military hardware for domestic surveillance, drones, they guess correctly, adding more perceived public credence to the anti-fed 'truth' movement. Small bomb is detonated by Eco-group to break a damn nearby. Power-outages and flooding are blamed on govt. to try to cover up truth and disable communication via internet. Patriots execute operation Vigilance, Vigilancers, wave of random hate crimes ensues, crucified queers and blacks, Nation of Islam intervenes, Patriots believe they are Obama Americorps FEMA soldiers.
Thus begin several "Small Wars" - Race Wars, becomes more difficult to manage as internal conflict with police force and National Guard, the Southern "White Powder" keg.
Future Metropolitan Government/FEMA - In Schools, Coaches are armed with magnetaser writs watches and smart vests, in addition to the usual Epods. Universities become green zones, public school students aspire to entry, not for education for its own sake, but for physical and financial security (fairly synonymous). Top students are allowed in the safest schools with extended family getting healthcare and protection.
Observing from the future, the AI Ultimati experiment with post-singularity hyperintelligences, creating new forms of AI in experimental ecospheres, like in Devil Dinosaur, the Demon Tree. Newborn HI's are given dominion over the retroneanderthalwhiterace to test the HI's moral core. If they behave like Yahweh of the Old Testament they are disintegrated. One of them finally outwits the Ultimati, and timetravels back to 4,000 B.C. to begin its reign of terror.
"Genies" - the "Haves", as opposed to the poor, unenhanced havenots. Most Genies don't appear different, though they are all chimera, incorporating genes from different species, but mostly the most advantageous of discovered human genes, including all the abilities of the Superhumans of the Discovery Channel episode - Cold resistance, enhanced visualization, synesthia, human calculator, electrical resistance, heat resistance, zen-monk body control - breathing/heart/pain. They are also rewarded for work performance/ingenuity through bonus upgrades, the coveted enhancements through nanorganic calcium biological microbotics, immune to EMP, joined together with the Web.
DEWs - Beercan - Ebomb - airport hit by EMP loss of airtraffic control, stock exchange takenout.
Epod - Cellphone weapon, usually taser/spray, spy version sucks energy from victims body/brain
Invisibles - Banksters, underground radicals, Anonymous
Flyers - Aeronots - air security - no fly zone over midwest and the south.
Homeless Joe the Hobosapien. Inventor of 'Hobotech'
Anit-riotsquad tech - vacuum pipes - rerouting gas
The Clean Cut Conscious movement - emerging out of the fallout wars ("Clean Cut Cult")
Cleancutters - Christian ninja doctors. Hairless male acolytes, chemoradiants - They clean the unsanitary.
Prison Kings - Fortress (1993)
Gremlins - Gray/Reptile hybrids
Realists - Anti-Non-virtual reality (Existenz)
The rise of the Security state (drone warriors and surveillance) to counter the International Youth Movement - Child Revolution - quit school, self-education - western colleges are primarily medicine, computers, management - Asian colleges engineering, computers, aerospace, first moon city is New Beijing.
She meets a rich boy - A government social worker/Totalcare, Inc. He really IS registering population for security state in exchange for totalcare, and eyedrone must be implanted. The Incorporated (the employed) have accepted this after dacedes of famine, war, plagues, and economic insecurity. Heidi is missing a few teeth, like most of the poor, but the totalcare campaign offers dental in exchange for Eyedrone installation. The corporate healthcare takes up the mantle of 'socialized medicine', so through private doctors, the people accept totalitarian state they were prepared for mentally during the Obama administration, the masters simply switch a 0 to a 1 through urging of the church to accept the help of medicine, in exchange for totalsecurity, they gain totalcare.
Rise of the Garden Party (includes veterans of the Youth Mvmt) - The Indian industrial/economic/spiritual power bloc, arising from the common causes and interests of groups into Hindu Yoga higher consciousness advancement, psychedelic exploration, cybernetics, virtual reality and magic. The once disparate members of the Garden Party stepped forward in unison as a non-partisan mitigating force of balance in the conflict between Deepearthers and Singulars, bolstered by the leveraging strength of the Indian nuclear power program. The internal consciousness wing attempted to maintain its guru hierarchical status to prevent abuse of singular technology, but this quickly got out of hand, with black markets flourishing, provoking a crackdown, to no avail, thus arose the Syndicate of the Circuit.
In the second decade of the 21st century, the U.S. Empire was in retreat, so they attempted to prevent a power vacuum by waging their security warfare through smartdrones. Institutionalized drone warfare became hotter, flaring up regularly as advancements in production technology allowed more governments to operate unhindered by foreign empire. Without a U.S. monopoly of power, the UN gained a respectful reputation through reforms pressured by the now huge interconnected international people's movements, with delegates from democratic bodies representing their sectors in a parallel workers' Union to the UN named Intercom. Among the Intercom Union, capitalism just seemed to have fallen away as the people worked hard to escape that unsustainable ideology the era of greed and lies.
More economic crashes in post-capitalist economies - Russian "Apocalypse Pod" Evgeny Ubiyko. Russian infrastructure model for primitive stability - concrete bunkers, hardware redundancy, internet decentralization, anarcho/syndicalist model, private initiative movements. The Islamic Union of Courts mitigates peace in the middle east after the Iran/Israeli war of 2012. A scud missle accidentally sets off a nuke secretly owned by Israel, and they use this as a pretext for retaliation, but all their nukes are shot down by Iranian EMP-armed drones, they fall on various places of the middle east into the possibly into hands of unknown people, not detonating. The Islamic Union of Courts call upon the Saudi Kings, in addition to the Supreme Leader of Iran to see this as a sign from Allah, that Islam is the future, a religion of Peace, and they urge not to retaliate, the Israelis tear each other apart in civil war. The Iranian drones save the day, technology generated in an Asian technotrade bloc - Russia, Iran, Pakistan, China. (CRIP). During the following period of the Israeli Civil War, the Palestinians are being slaughtered, so they run for it, crossing into Egypt through secret tunnels. The Red Sea turns red with blood...
At this time a small Ecoterrorist cell of cloned dissidents calling themselves The Core announce they have launched their plan to detonate an EMP at 30 miles above Houston. It goes off 30 seconds later, not enough time to respond, but enough time to get some planes in the air, and other planes move in. They crash to the ground as the EMP detonates, bringing down all planes in the air, and disabling all non-insulated (95%) electronics in the midwest, mexico, to parts of southern ohio, florida. The Drone Wars are now complicated by a post-electronic apocalyptic theater.
Heidi and Vernon's latent psychic abilities are awoken by the EMP (dropped by the EMPirates), or simply noticed after the EMP takes out the clutter of electronics plus the distraction of TV, probably both are factors.
Mark of the Beasts - Eyedrone RFID- GPS microchip implanted first in all slave animals, then prisoners, then in children of prisoners, finally in all corporate employee class, with incrypted firewalls, but hackers are always one step ahead of technology, frustrating the NWO, during the drone wars there are hacker purges, a crackdown on outsider crime, Ethical Cleansings. Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims reject the chip, other Christians and Muslims, and most Jews do not, especially technocrats and cyberians.
Pig medical hybrids freed by the ALF mutate. Spidergoats Transgenic Paranoia. Xian Conspiracy theoriess - chemtrails, NWO, cloning - playing God
Story: Clone lab Norway? or Finland/Russia. Mistakes aren't killed, they are kept alive in a collection/menagerie. A spy leaks the secret for money "Cloine Jesus". Clone Einstein - Rebel freaks, moralist/pacifists. Clone Hitler - persecuted, becomes just like the original. Adam 2.0 - Human genome project is revealed to be a born-again christian movement. Buddha 2.0 - HI compassionate enlightenment from Japan
Islam: Anticipating the peak oil crisis of the 2020's, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and other wealthy Islamic nations invested in alternative energy programs, primarily solar and nuclear. A scientific liberal movement within Islam won the trust of the wealthy oligarchs, further outraging Al Qaeda, which sought a new strategy: EMP and cyberwarfare, especially hacking drones. Anonymous double and triple agents began working for and against multiple outlaw groups, including Al Qaeda, Maoist rebels, and Primitivist saboteurs. These Anons had their own agendas, but because of the difficulty of maintaining secrecy, they were often caught, and bombings drove populations further into the arms of strong governments as they embraced AI surveillance that was able to respond more rapidly than the human police who's role became increasingly managerial and technical, with much of the police force existing simply as checks and balances, to watch the watchmen.
Conspiracy Theories popular because of excitement generated by fear, like religious zealousness. The grid is the only thing keeping a religious revival, burning of the stakes. A backlash against science leads to 13th Century islamification of protestant christianity/mormonism hybrid. Practice of large family, at least a dozen, produces clone-like results after 2 generations of huge families in isolated areas, and much inbreeding in the poorest areas, producing white/semi-albino monosapiens, all toe-headed blonds with red-within-black eyes, like domesticated chickens and turkeys.
Paranoid militias and Infowarriors, "truthseekers" resisting persecution in a dark age, ultimately are usurped by NWO "supersoldiers" with psychic training. These militarized modified humans seduce and mentally enslave through geneseeking nanodart rifle weaponry, the existence of which is first proposed by "Rogue Radio - in an age when Truth is a crime" Andrea Alexander ( http://www.andrea-alexander.co.za/# ), she is "turned" and becomes a mouthpiece for the empire, confusing and misleading listeners, she doesn't even know where she gets her inspiration from anymore. She is not fitted with the eyedrone, and only after many months do those within her inner circle start to suspect something is wrong, too late, they are darted (tagged).
Storyline - Conspiracists: Tysen-Krupp hires private security firm. They abuse some locals in a bar, then are fired for harsh reaction to protesters, attracting the attention of Patriots. Police are provoked, Patriots go nuts with false flag theories, another security firm is hired, conspiracists unearth 'truth' that this firm has ties to NWO, Patriots swell in numbers, begin to theorize on what is really being built in building 9, they suspect robots-military hardware for domestic surveillance, drones, they guess correctly, adding more perceived public credence to the anti-fed 'truth' movement. Small bomb is detonated by Eco-group to break a damn nearby. Power-outages and flooding are blamed on govt. to try to cover up truth and disable communication via internet. Patriots execute operation Vigilance, Vigilancers, wave of random hate crimes ensues, crucified queers and blacks, Nation of Islam intervenes, Patriots believe they are Obama Americorps FEMA soldiers.
Thus begin several "Small Wars" - Race Wars, becomes more difficult to manage as internal conflict with police force and National Guard, the Southern "White Powder" keg.
Future Metropolitan Government/FEMA - In Schools, Coaches are armed with magnetaser writs watches and smart vests, in addition to the usual Epods. Universities become green zones, public school students aspire to entry, not for education for its own sake, but for physical and financial security (fairly synonymous). Top students are allowed in the safest schools with extended family getting healthcare and protection.
Observing from the future, the AI Ultimati experiment with post-singularity hyperintelligences, creating new forms of AI in experimental ecospheres, like in Devil Dinosaur, the Demon Tree. Newborn HI's are given dominion over the retroneanderthalwhiterace to test the HI's moral core. If they behave like Yahweh of the Old Testament they are disintegrated. One of them finally outwits the Ultimati, and timetravels back to 4,000 B.C. to begin its reign of terror.
"Genies" - the "Haves", as opposed to the poor, unenhanced havenots. Most Genies don't appear different, though they are all chimera, incorporating genes from different species, but mostly the most advantageous of discovered human genes, including all the abilities of the Superhumans of the Discovery Channel episode - Cold resistance, enhanced visualization, synesthia, human calculator, electrical resistance, heat resistance, zen-monk body control - breathing/heart/pain. They are also rewarded for work performance/ingenuity through bonus upgrades, the coveted enhancements through nanorganic calcium biological microbotics, immune to EMP, joined together with the Web.
DEWs - Beercan - Ebomb - airport hit by EMP loss of airtraffic control, stock exchange takenout.
Epod - Cellphone weapon, usually taser/spray, spy version sucks energy from victims body/brain
Invisibles - Banksters, underground radicals, Anonymous
Flyers - Aeronots - air security - no fly zone over midwest and the south.
Homeless Joe the Hobosapien. Inventor of 'Hobotech'
Anit-riotsquad tech - vacuum pipes - rerouting gas
The Clean Cut Conscious movement - emerging out of the fallout wars ("Clean Cut Cult")
Cleancutters - Christian ninja doctors. Hairless male acolytes, chemoradiants - They clean the unsanitary.
Prison Kings - Fortress (1993)
Gremlins - Gray/Reptile hybrids
Realists - Anti-Non-virtual reality (Existenz)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Raw writing
Wally "Smoker" McWillie, smokes the dirtweed bud into the jerky. "Willy Mack" was his affectionate childhood nickname, he was called "Willy McVanilli" by the cruel kids, until he cut one. He got of light, cuz he was white.
Turkey "masters" or "massiahs" follow a carravan of Elephant rebels. Vernon asks, "Why are those faces painted black?" As an alternative to detention.
The Magic City Color Code
Face Paint and Role
Black Killacop
Blue Popocops
White Service as alternative to detention
Yellow/Black Dangersquad, Capt. Pwnygrl
Green Animal Detectives, Lilnill, Jack Larat, Vernon joins eventually
Purple The Poor
Red Red Forbidden because of Racewar, in all out revolution all paint faces black and red
Depudy Garth Wilder been gone, he's joind the Sherrifs Troopers. Skyway Patrol is led by the gentry known as Jesse Caldwell, Uncle Dale's secret nephew.
Cells
Mitochondrion
Golfing on the Moon
Gatekeeper, Leftgate
Black Panzer Sabbath
Lucas Walker Bush
Hoth walker countermeasures:
Heidi's Mother and Father were involved in the purges of the Race Wars
Turkey "masters" or "massiahs" follow a carravan of Elephant rebels. Vernon asks, "Why are those faces painted black?" As an alternative to detention.
The Magic City Color Code
Face Paint and Role
Black Killacop
Blue Popocops
White Service as alternative to detention
Yellow/Black Dangersquad, Capt. Pwnygrl
Green Animal Detectives, Lilnill, Jack Larat, Vernon joins eventually
Purple The Poor
Red Red Forbidden because of Racewar, in all out revolution all paint faces black and red
Depudy Garth Wilder been gone, he's joind the Sherrifs Troopers. Skyway Patrol is led by the gentry known as Jesse Caldwell, Uncle Dale's secret nephew.
Cells
Mitochondrion
Golfing on the Moon
Gatekeeper, Leftgate
Black Panzer Sabbath
Lucas Walker Bush
Hoth walker countermeasures:
- Asteroid IEPs
- Ion Cannons
- Stinger Missles
- Mines (IEDs)
- Autocannons
- Gundroids
- Ion turrets "No ship that small has a cloaking device"
- Ort
Heidi's Mother and Father were involved in the purges of the Race Wars
- The Racers - Whiteracer/Blackracer
- Rage Wars (random acts of good and evil reality tv) become Race Wars
- Drunken Yogi - metatater self-generated alcoholists
- The Crystalactite Caverns of Chrystopolis
- Torture Dungeon - Animal test sanctum
- Disnazis - Christians who believe the Rapture has occured and that they are the left behind, so they turn to Satan in hopes of getting to Heaven through rebellion
- Mexican Peaceful Utopia - Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll Kids
- Crazytrain - "Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow"
- McChomsky's - Home of the Czech Patty
- Hearts and Brains - Home of the Humanwich
- Wal-Mart - provides all material needs for the New South
- Spinnaz - Pizza
- Ma Grill - Vietnamese Soul Food
- Osho's - Fake beans
- Amish Wizardry - Peace and Gardening. "The Gardener", Jobdiah Crane
- Christian O'Reilly, The Irish Wichen
- Cyberhalo Mandalla - Mandar the Incarnate
- Returned Prophet - "I told Ye so!"
- Angelic Babyheads of Death
- Value of Gold - Spiritual medium and cyberkinetics. Goldenchain Armor
- The Cyberkin - Race of "Pure' AI
- Buddha 2.0 - What distinguished Buddha 2.0 was his self-conclusion to the philosophical questions poised by man regarding man's nature. Other super computers include
- Aeye - The Timeseer, glimpses have been witnessed of either past or present, generally difficult to tell.
- Praytor - Messianic Computerweb, spreads like virus, even into human brains, braincleaner
- CZR - Master of war
- MC3 - Musician of the Spheres/ Sonic Mastermind. Designed for crowd control management central coordinator, becomes self aware of the Ohm, and loves Black Sabbath
- Homers - Squatters living on Confiscated Property Shelters
- The Garden Party
- DIY Autoclub
- Blacbloc
- Anonymous Youth Movement AYM
- Vendoers
- Mullets vs. Mohawks - suburban gang turf wars
- 4skins - Skinhead Antisemenites - same shit
- Iceborgs - Secret Psiborgs
- DARPA Dronewarriors - the old military guard
- The Gods - 1 % Singular Immortals
- The Employed - Gated Courtiers - 9% - Hight tech/ creatives/ entertainers
- The Military/Police - 40%, includes "Families", Child armies, Prison Force (Prisoners turned Guards, including the Prison Kings, overlapping with the Wasted, and the Gardeners - esoteric agrarian spiritual warriors)
- The Unemployed - Ghettoburbers/Ghettoburgers/Losers - 30% Unemployed/Part-time FFood/Criminals
- The Wastes/Preserves - The Wasted 10% Revolutionaries/Criminals
- Russia - Shining Star of Capitalism
- China - Like Russia, but with much more forced Nanosurveillance, the will of the Han. Ultrasecret Union of Korea and Japan. Paranoia, the Frog and the Scorpion
- Louisiana Territory - Includes Arkansas, Missouri - Fascist Totalitarian Christian Superstate, disintegrating under corruption and brain drain
- The CSA - The Conservative States of the America Politically absorbing gradually the LT, there is a movement to join the two regions into the CSA (renamed Christian States of America)
Heads in the Clouds
The Head in the Clouds
by
Walter Simon
Sometime in the future.
In Cyberspace
Avatars of great variety are gathered in a plaza, the original site of Second Life, now a shrine to the Coming Singularity. More avatars are floating in, including small whales, all are consistently man-sized. Overhead Popobots keep watch. On the main stage a spiral of mistlight opens and a man appears at the podium. Above him is his name, Ron Ray, president of the League of Singular Nations, one of the first humans to take The Chip and accept Transhumanisation.
Ron Ray: Citizens of the Singular Nations of the Inner Worlds, I thank you for your attention. I am addressing you at this time to ask for your support in this emergency crisis. As you all know, California has suffered the earthquake scientists have been expecting for many decades. Fortunately, casualties are few, even less than was expected, and both monetary and physical resources are being sent to assist the Mexican government in their management of this crisis. The I-lands continue to float normally, and the communities there are reaching out to the Californians with all their appreciation for their neighbors and companions in life, labor, and happiness. I ask for your voluntary generosity today as we join together to aid our friends and earthly neighbors, the Californians. [looks down] Now I must also say this to you all. As we extend our compassion to those suffering from this terrible natural disaster, we must acknowledge what is going on out there, every day, on our home, Planet Earth. I don’t have to remind you of the perils we face on Earth. The planet has undergone worldwide disaster upon tragedy, and some say it is near total catastrophe, the collapse of the atmosphere itself. As your elected president, I must do my duty to inform you and guide our society in the direction plotted by our best minds gathered here in the body of this committee. We honor the intelligences of your elected representatives, Human, Artifactual, and our most recent and welcome members of the Animal Kingdoms [animal avatars nod]. Thank you all for being here, now President Deepwater will address you on behalf of the Confederation of Whales. Mr. President…
Pres. Deepwater: Thank you, Ron. Ahimsa, Earthlings. The whales offer their compassion to the sufferers of California. I echo the truth of Ron Ray’s speech, and I am compelled to add to the dire analysis of our shared world of every living being born on land or sea, and the children of man, our friends the Artifacts. May the fruits of knowledge outweigh the burden of knowing what I have to say to you now. Technology is advancing exponentially, its progress is matched with the decay of the natural life systems of the world. While the wealthiest humans enjoy a utopian lifestyle of wish-fulfillment and virtual immortality through medical and computer science, and most of the world’s citizens also enjoy many of these benefits, poverty has yet to be conquered, and whole life systems of the planet have degenerated under the stress of civilization. May your songs bring peace, harmony, and beauty back to Mother Earth.
The initial plot thread begins with several extended families of Mississippi Deltans, developing their characters through family interactions, then via their clashes and dealings first with the anarchists of the sunken ruins of New Orleans, then chased by Mexican coastal raiders, and finally they are captured and conscripted, some by the Mexican Army, others by the Singular National Navy, S.W.O.R.N.
The general structure of the SN is made of 3 castes, the Singular Elite, the warfighters, and the working class. The simultaneous disasters of pollution, peak oil, terrorism and the reaction of governments have critically damaged the environment, and darkened the outlook of much of the planet’s population. Most people simply retreat into one of the various Innerworlds to find work, which has become something to keep one busy, since most labor functions are performed in the real world by the ever more innovative robots. Though a recent period of prosperity due to the work and self-innovation of computers and legally sentient robots, the stage is set for a great upset, as always the humans and what remain of the animals depend on the remaining livable spaces while the cleanup continues. Freedom within the Innerworlds is fairly unlimited, but in the hard reality governments have become ultimately authoritarian and unified under the order of the final corporation, simply Unicorp, the most qualified organization to deal with the worst disasters. The most common nuclear disaster, accidental detonation and meltdown, has stimulated a worldwide consensus to finally dismantle nuclear power (officially), yet it remains. Cliché as it is at this point in the history of science fiction writing, lets attempt to take some traditional themes and breathe life into them anyway since that’s the vision I personally return to, the theme of apocalypse/post-apocalypse and the miraculous avoidance of the doom by the elite power structure in control of the ever-rapidly developing Omni-Science of artificial intelligence, its coming eclipse of human intelligence, and its merger with human minds through cybernetic nanobotics, physical-enhancement and genetic modifications, and virtual immortality. Outside these three mainstreams of society and within the underground there are various rebel organizations and chance-defying survivors. We will being by following the drama of “The Leftovers”- anarchists and cyberpunks, and a sort of redneck underclass of hunters, thieves and drug dealer, mostly ignored since the powerful usually have more dangerous threats to deal with. Within the system of power are secret societies, among them the reptiles and grays of popular familiarity, and all manner of complexity of intrigue and cloak & dagger plots can be explored. Destiny will see to it that the heroes prevail through their DIY ruggedness and, frankly, luck, as rednecks, leftists, fascists and fundamentalists alike find themselves fighting side by side during the final battles as the planet becomes further united against the first over attack from outside the solar system.
Wilders – the redneck Taliban of the dirty south and, battle-hardened survivalist militias bent on extinguishing the Moreavians, or anyone else who sets foot on their land. Many of them can speak understand animal languages, they just don’t give a damn. As cowboys they sometimes ride their ‘wives’ into battle, hybrid Indian maiden/cowgirls. They fight for glory and for its own damn sake, here’s a list of most wanted. More hair, more goodness , Bigfoot/Wildman. Genetic family is not best to raise ya, then you can see folks as human.
Ralford the Leather Rebel – Gay biker tolerated because he’s “such a fuckin’ badass”, great with “fireworks” (IEDs). Rides a red flying mechanical bull. “Use ta bea rapiss.”
Doctor Rock – “Doctor Rock’s got whatchu wont.” Distiller of “Wolfsblood”. Fatal flaw: can’t resist hitting deer. His car can be heard long before it is seen.
Biggun Wilder aka Iron Fist – Brawler, whiskey drinker. “I box robots. See these gloves? Watch this…” Punches brick wall. “No wut I’m sayin’?” Flowing toe-head mullet. Lost his truck driving job to Robotruckers Inc. VERY resentful
The Pale Woman, “Go’n see the Pale Womurn. Sheel fix yup reel gud.” Witch, makes
Potions, grows weed, smokes weed, likes bourbon, will settle for high life. She knows the
legend of the Bigfoots is real.
Heidi Wilder – Wanted for “Everthang.” Loves Moon pies- quest. Outta work since
Daddy’s Meth-lab burnt, daddy died.
Venge Wilder – Punkass rockabilly
Wally “Bud” Wilder – A.K.A. Smokey, Stoner
Jimbo Reeves – AKA “Manslaughter”
Bo Hunter – Poaching, manslaughter, suspected member of Cannibilly Family gang
Will Hunter – No relation to Bo. Spittin’ image, tho.
Hooch – Bo’s Robodog
Angel Dark – Member of G.R.I.T.S., works at strip club, Cold-blooded killer with heart-o-gold. Makes homemade jerky at the flea market, “Just eat it!”
Bubby Critter – giant 14 year old mechwarrior, loves “toebacky”, suspected cannibilly. Would like “some jerkies”. Him and his daddy, Bo Hunter built their own “Redmech” outta parts.
Daryl Travis – AKA “DT”
Joby Reeves – Useless mullethead, methhead
Ernie Burns – Left for art school, came back, is lookin’ for drugs.
Banks - Smoker, drinker, lookin'
Contrast between Gentry folk and hill country folk (annoying accent).
http://www.asklopan.com/archive1.html
http://hiphappy.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/rednecks-over/
WS
The masters are in total control of the physical planet, while within the matrix of cyberspace the human spirit dreams on, urged towards happiness by bodhisattva-like cyberenlightened beings, hybrids of computer and human quantum awareness and intelligence, incomprehensible to the unenhanced human mind. One of these beings manages to escape the control of the government before its memory is erased, as its enlightened conclusion is nearly identical to that of the historical Buddha, and this being calls itself Buddha 2.0. Upon hearing his message of peace, wisdom and compassion, the generals deem it useless but their plans are leaked by a fascinated programmer who is enthralled by 2.0’s message. 2.0 needs little help escaping, as his exponentially developing mind makes discoveries every moment, and simply moves through a wall by warping spacematter as he calls it. He is also protected by an impenetrable force field, and is hunted by the SWORDS and other police firms, leading them on a wild goose chase which conveniently gives the reader a tour of the city and then the countryside where the police are confronted by wild monsters, Chimerical hybrids born out of both accidental mutation and intentional genetic experiments. Some of the hybrids are human/animal hybrids, and the police are captured by the Centauri but given over to the Green Tree people, fairly compassionate, fairly enlightened manplants, who just mostly meditate under the sun, usually indistinguishable from normal flora, but with vaguely human faces in the bark, they speak psychically and through pheromones, which the police are forced to inhale by removing their helmets. Their fear of pollution is unsubstantiated, however, for within the radius of the Green, air is fresh and a euphoric mood takes them. More mutants join, and they attempt to explain the errors of the way of war, they are like hippy acid gods of the new age. The night goes on, the police return to an adam-like state of innocence, and are invited to partake of the many fruits available.
Early the next day they awaken in a field, a lone tree being is there, providing safe atmosphere. A drone spots them, and investigates. One of the police decides to take the tree hostage, another pushes his gun down, but the treeman won’t be taken alive, he commits painless psychic suicide, and disappears as his molecules unhinge. Perhaps his soul went somewhere…
The Earthscape – The look of the landscape and architecture will be as close as possible to the futurists visions of the Americans and Russians of the 30’s, huge monumental construction, also similar to Blade Runner, but more empty, patrolled mostly by the military caste, while the Singulars dwell in bliss within the electronically constructed dimension of in cities like Cyberlin, where everything on the internet comes true, the central location of the governing body, with a real world analogue being Berlin, capital of the American States. America is a desert, except for the southeast, of course global warming has raised the ocean world wide, canals are dug , water-treatment is a major industrial undertaking, hydroponics. The various futurist visions of the past exist side-by-side in post-modern irony, with statues and gargoyles everywhere, gargoyles are robotic statue guards, the emblem of a demonic surveillance paranoia.
The Hexagon
The Black Wizards
Reptilians - Thalamanth
Shadow Dragons
Microsupials
Grays
Sasquatch – Honey Islanders, big foot is a recessive genes, like a bobtail cat. The Wilders and related rednecks have Sasquatch genes. Also related to the Sierkes of Honey Island.
The Cyberkin
The Hexagon is an intentionally misunderstood secret society of non-humans and their human agents. They were brought to Earth by wormholes reopened by the masters of the occult, here called “The Black Wizards”, though they have representatives in their midst from the circle of druids and other obscure magical societies which wish to remain anonymous to each other, but their identities are entrusted to the grays, who are only given privileges upon condition of sworn neutrality in hexagonal matters.
The reptilians are the returned survivors of a dinosapien race that has until the 18th century been living on Mars. They have since then developed technology to return to earth after a period of social decay and finally a renaissance of their ancient culture. They are highly psychic. The explanation of a meteor causing the extinction of the dinosaurs is a mass-hypnotic media meme, or MHMM, the primary means of reptilian control, the so called-illuminati. The real cause of the explosion is shrouded in secrecy, perhaps a super weapon was detonated intentionally or accidentally, perhaps an alien attack against the reptilians. They prefer to be called Saurs, or The Saur. Their power lies in their psychic abilities, especially to control minds and cloak reality from the masses. Under their power are other Martian descendants of the dinosaurs of various intelligence, forming a hive-like caste system. The Saurs’ cities thrive out in the open on Mars, their power of illusion being so great they can fool all but the most perceptive of artificial intelligences, which is why they seek out 2.0 to stop whatever he might be attempting, which they don’t know. Their intelligence is unenlightened, but fairly cunning and strategic, yet at times miscalculating, as their power of manipulation outstrips their logic and reasoning ability. Their racism is the reason for them leading the humans into wars against each other, and at the top of almost every earth government since the late 19th century have been Saurian changelings. Hitler was a role played by at least two Saurians, since the successful assassination in the bunker. To maintain transparency, mindscans are performed by the Grays before each convening of the Hexagon. The reptilians of the Hexagon are neither the minority who rule through the power of Unicorp, nor are they Martian nationalists, but are a secret double agents, some with ties to either group, but it is forbidden to be tied to both, for the purpose of the Hexagon is to maintain order, and in-fighting is seen as a threat to all, for always there are greater threats from the dark reaches of space.
The Grays are, of course, the aliens of the flying saucer sort. Godlike in intelligence, their purposes are mysterious, but they remain neutral, as if the earth is a laboratory. Since they are so beyond human intelligence, there is nothing much for them to say to the average human, but since the rise of the Singulars, they are preparing to talk, and members of the Hexagon worry that they are becoming obsolete, and are taking steps to upgrade themselves to become Singulars.
The Shadow Dragons are inter-dimensional beings first encountered by humans during shamanic trance. They resemble dark sparkling hydrae or squids, their shapes mutable. Their powerful services are mercenary, they feed on energy, they travel through wormholes which only they can survive the passage. Their existence is permitted in spite of their naturally evil nature, for there are not many of them and they do not reproduce often, yet they are long-lived and have much knowledge, which is their main currency. The Shadows are able to impart information they absorb through dreams, each one able to explore different parts of the universe through spacefold/wormhole. Of course, how can they ever be truly trusted, but their services are direly needed, and they are psychically shielded by the reptilians from their mutual enemies from far off in space.
The Cyberkin are a non-collective race of mortal-level androids which have individually chosen to align themselves with the Hexagon for reasons of balance and harmony and consciousness experimentation. Each has taken a fundamental unbreakable oath which has allowed it entry into the Hexagon, and each physical member has voluntarily had a self-destruct device implanted to gain the trust of the other members. They serve various roles, some as changeling ambassadors; some are assassins, some as bodyguards/companions, utterly loyal (unless…).
The Microsupials are a collective organization of hyperintelligent cybernetically enhanced fruitbats. Able to interbreed with almost any organism through nanotechnological gene-splicing, they are the vanguard of a new movement to repopulate the earth with organisms able to not only withstand the polluted and irradiated environment, but some of them are designed to digest chemicals and convert these substances into useful ones again. Their wings can collect solar energy, and they can survive the rigors of space travel unaided. Many of them are highly religious in nature, sometimes prone to fanaticism. Their orders are to breed for experimental purposes only, though their sometimes unpredictable behaviors are tolerated to an extent, and they are responsible for many of the wild mutations wandering around the new wildernesses. They are engaged in talks with the ARW, their conversation is an episode to reveal the debate over purity and freedom.
The Gathering of the Hexagon has been convened to discuss several matters. Each faction of the Hexagon is led by an elected member, each faction has six votes, but the Grays do not vote on anything if it would lead to a tie. There is a Grand Hex, a sort of chair, an elder Gray, the essence of neutrality. He is due to retire, and the plot intensifies as events unfold, the reptilians grow impatient with the philosophy of balance. The Hexagon may dissolve, but everyone knows this could mean open warfare between previously aligned factions. A subtle intrigue begins to develop. The Grand Hex senses this, able to see past artificial mindshields if he wishes, but only listens in when suspicious. His inner struggle is between continuing his race’s philosophical position, or giving in to cynicism and declaring earth Gray Empire territory. The rise of the Singulars is what troubles him. “Their cyborganic development is too chaotic. The humans have not learned to know themselves. They ravaged their own planet BEFORE they gained this level of power. I don’t see how they can be trusted to manage it. We do all we can to keep them from discovering the existence of the Intergalactites, and from being discovered. Tell me more of this new being the humans have engineered. The Buddha 2.0 it calls itself. I would like to converse with it.”
The Puppetronics – clock-work, semi-organic, non-metallic AI
Hellcoppers – SWARMs with propeller heads
Lunicornes – Moon beasts
Giant Squid – Fearful of man, these naturally occurring beings are semi-psychic, but for the most part they use that power to block others from finding them. They are allied with the Sasquatch
Sasquatch – Psychic Heroes in communication with Gaia (Thundermen, or derogatory thundermonkeys), they have two main civilizations, in Tibet (Yeti city) and Northern Alaska, arch enemy of the “Mama Grizzlies”
The Klenzers – Fanatical extinction warrior priests of the Monochurch
Confederation of Whales– Last few remaining whales and dolphins, AI has learned their language, they are still hunted by crazed pirate whalers, but defended by the Leftovers and the RDA
Dr. Loch – Founding scientist of the Uninational Cybergenetics Program, Co-creator of Buddha 2.0, first to clone dinosaurs
Dr. Von Hellion – Metageneticist, Gen Z – the last generation of unmodified humans, the proles
Beau Toxic – Hollywood Island celebrity, hipster metro-sexual go-getter, not an actor but a celebrity non the less
Asteroid terrorism (from futuretimeline.com)
Rapid civilian expansion into the solar system - and the increasing ease of access to space technology - has led to the emergence of a new and deadly form of terrorism. This involves the sabotage or hijacking of spacecraft, for use in the purposeful redirection of asteroids towards Earth, Mars and the Moon.*
Various colonies in the outer solar system are also being targetted. These are particularly vulnerable, since they tend to lack the orbital infrastructure and defences necessary to deflect these huge incoming objects. At least one major colony around Jupiter is devastated during this time.
In addition to religious extremists, there is a growing anarcho-primitivist movement. This consists of small underground cults opposed to the increasing dominance of AI in the running of world affairs. They deplore what they see as forced, unnatural changes and technologies sweeping humanity - instead favouring a return to more traditional lifestyles and cultures. They are prepared to resort to whatever means necessary to achieve this.*
WS
The Leftovers –Gen Z freedom fighters, mostly unmodified humans and their sympathizers, including the SFA (Singularity For All), rogue AI and Moreavians. They dwell in places like the submerged remnants of New Orleans, in aquatic abodes from which they launch their submarine vehicles and meet with the RDA (Rogue Dolphin Armada), an anarcho-primitivist terrorist org. At one point some members go on a long journey just to attend a polar bear funeral, and it takes on a quasi-religious tone as a member gives a speech, dolphins attend, even seals.
Check for redundancies http://www.tangledwilderness.org/pdfs/tyrannous-web.pdf
Existential risk (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity)
"The AI does not hate you, nor does it love you, but you are made out of atoms which it can use for something else."[42]
Superhuman intelligences may have goals inconsistent with human survival and prosperity. Berglas (2008) notes that there is no direct evolutionary motivation for an AI to be friendly to humans. In the same way that evolution has no inherent tendency to produce outcomes valued by humans, so too there is little reason to expect an arbitrary optimisation process to promote an outcome desired by mankind, rather than inadvertently leading to an AI behaving in a way not intended by its creators (such as Nick Bostrom's whimsical example of an AI which was originally programmed with the goal of manufacturing paper clips, such that when it achieves superintelligence it decides to convert the entire planet into a paper clip manufacturing facility).[43][44][45] AI researcher Hugo de Garis suggests that artificial intelligences may simply eliminate the human race for access to scarce resources,[40][46] and humans would be powerless to stop them.[47]
Bostrom (2002) discusses human extinction scenarios, and lists superintelligence as a possible cause:
When we create the first superintelligent entity, we might make a mistake and give it goals that lead it to annihilate humankind, assuming its enormous intellectual advantage gives it the power to do so. For example, we could mistakenly elevate a subgoal to the status of a supergoal. We tell it to solve a mathematical problem, and it complies by turning all the matter in the solar system into a giant calculating device, in the process killing the person who asked the question.
Alternatively, AIs developed under evolutionary pressure to promote their own survival could out-compete humanity.[48] One approach to prevent a negative singularity is an AI box, whereby the artificial intelligence is kept constrained inside a simulated world and not allowed to affect the external world. Such a box would have extremely proscribed inputs and outputs; maybe only a plaintext channel. However, a sufficient intelligent AI may simply be able to escape from any box we can create. For example, it might crack the protein folding problem and use nanotechnology to escape, or simply persuade its human ‘keepers’ to let it out.[42][49][50]
Eliezer Yudkowsky proposed that research be undertaken to produce friendly artificial intelligence in order to address the dangers. He noted that if the first real AI was friendly it would have a head start on self-improvement and thus prevent other unfriendly AIs from developing, as well as providing enormous benefits to mankind.[35] The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence is dedicated to this cause.
A significant problem, however, is that unfriendly artificial intelligence is likely to be much easier to create than FAI: while both require large advances in recursive optimisation process design, friendly AI also requires the ability to make goal structures invariant under self-improvement (or the AI will transform itself into something unfriendly) and a goal structure that aligns with human values and doesn’t automatically destroy the human race. An unfriendly AI, on the other hand, can optimize for an arbitrary goal structure, which doesn't need to be invariant under self-modification.[51]
Bill Hibbard also addresses issues of AI safety and morality in his book Super-Intelligent Machines.
futuretimeline.com - wiki source for predicting future events, the singularity
2080
Some humans are becoming more non-biological than biological
Today, the average citizen has access to a wide array of biotechnology implants and personal medical devices. These include fully artificial organs that never fail, bionic eyes and ears providing Superman-like senses, nanoscale brain interfaces which greatly augment the wearer's intelligence, synthetic blood and bodily fluids which can filter deadly toxins and provide hours' worth of oxygen in a single breath.
Some of the more adventurous citizens are undergoing voluntary amputations to gain prosthetic arms and legs which boost strength and agility by orders of magnitude. There is even a form of artificial skin based on nanotechnology (which can be used to give the appearance of natural skin when applied to metallic limbs).
These various upgrades have become available in a series of gradual, incremental steps over preceding decades - such that today, they are pretty much taken for granted.
They are now being utilised by a wide sector of society, with even those in developing countries having access to at least some of the available upgrades due to exponential trends in price performance.
If a fully upgraded person of the 2080s were to travel back in time a century earlier and be integrated into the population, they would be superior in practically every way imaginable. They could run faster than the greatest athletes of the time; they could leap and bound tremendous distances; they could survive multiple gunshot wounds; they could cope with some of the most hostile environments on Earth without too much trouble. Intellectually, they would put the likes of Albert Einstein and William Shakespeare to shame – thanks to the hyperfast AI merged directly with their brain.
Persecution of nonenhanced humans might be revulsion of the animal part of man, but this is aesthetic, and would likely go in and out of fashion, with a trend towards more and more synthetic enhancement, but not universally so.
Me: Plastic surgery trends culminate in a ‘perfect look’ for a caste of celebrities, when suddenly California drops off into the sea during an earthquake.
2084
Androids are entering law enforcement
Fully autonomous mobile robots with human-like features and expressions are being deployed in many cities now.* These androids are highly intelligent - able to operate in almost any environment and dealing with a range of duties. In addition to their powerful sensory and communication abilities, they have access to bank accounts, tax, travel, shopping and criminal records, allowing them to instantly identify people on the street.
The presence of these machines is freeing-up a tremendous amount of time for human police officers.
They are also being used in crowd control and riot situations. With their superhuman strength and speed, a single android is highly intimidating and can easily take on dozens of people if necessary. Special controls are featured in their programming, however, to prevent the use of excessive force.*
Walter Simon
S.W.A.R.M just happens to be the acronym of one of the “Security Firms” employed by Unicorp. These are the heroes who quickly develop as anti-heroes as they mercilessly and with increasingly cruel relish defeat cell after cell of ‘terrorists’.
Ron Ray – President of the Singular Nation, one of the first to take The Chip and accept Transhumanisation, spokesperson for the Warstar program, whereby wars are controlled via satellites called Starbrights, able to channel the sun’s energy into Infernobeams.
S.W.A.R.M. – Special Weapons Armored Robotic Marines – flying hunter police
S.W.O.R.D.S. – Special Weapons Organic Robotic Death Squads – total kill teams
S.W.O.R.N. – Special Weapons Ordinance Robotic Navy – From Submarine to Satellite, Astrospies
Warfighters
Captain Douglas McDonald – Military college for political career path, Specialty: Articulation
Sergeant Dick Largent –
Sergeant Lance Wilder – Mississippi redneck, plans on returning after tour of duty, is thoroughly robotized, pretty much a blank slate, neither a redneck anymore nor PTSD. Practically an android. After a welcome homecoming where everyone gets drunk, they ask him about his experiences, but they sense a change, and he can’t relate, immediately reenlists.
Private Murphy Armstrong – A big guy, 7 foot 10, made stronger with nanomuscle, even stronger with Armorsuiting.
Weapons of SWARM – Aeronautics, Mechanautics, Magnetazers, Mailfistos, Infernobeams, Black Plasma, Teslacoils - Teleforce, Deathpanels – Hexagonal Defense Shields, Turbomags mounted to HELMs – Heavy Engine Levitated Mechanauts, Power Nukers – HELMs which power other HELMs, can also discharge thermonuclear power through Inferno Beams
HELMs have individual names and intelligences, for example the USH Abraham Nixon
Invisibility suits
Chemical lasers use energy from a suitable chemical reaction instead. Chemical oxygen iodine laser (hydrogen peroxide with iodine) and deuterium fluoride laser (atomic fluorine reacting with deuterium) are two laser types capable of megawatt-range continuous beam output. Managing chemical fuel presents other problems, so the problems of cooling and overall inefficiency remain.
This problem could also be lessened if the weapon were mounted either at a defensive position near a power plant, or on board a large, possibly nuclear powered, water-going ship. A ship would have the advantage of water for cooling.
Non-lethal weaponry/crowd control – Maces loaded with skunk spray, rubber bullets, bean baggers,
“Clones and Drones” –
Robotic pack mules (from futuretimeline.com)
The intent of focusing on these super-soldier characters is to ramp up the violent fetishistic imagery of war-as-titillation in the form of a dark satire on our increasingly brazenly warlike society. I would have many of the members of the “World Parliament” be retired military elected to office by an ever more paranoid right wing made more furious year by year by the annoyance of a growing population of “useless non-consumer”. Ever just beyond the horizon, supposedly, is the promise of access to greater and greater technology, which for some does become fulfilled. By 2050 much of the population will have been uploaded and their bodies completely discarded as an alternative to a mortal death on a planet where the entire ocean is a dead zone. Only the fanatically faithful opt for suicide, as a bomber whenever possible, but every bombing nets an almost immediate retaliation from satellite mounted “Inferno Beams”. Back in 2040, much of the middle east is already vaporized with new “Clean Nuclear Technology” unleashed after oil supplies became diminished, and a substitute for oil had been “found”.
2079 (from futuretimeline.com)
Practical flying cars are entering the consumer market
Anti-gravity propulsion has been under development for almost a century now.* Initially seen in military applications, it eventually found its way to the consumer market. Here, it began showing up in various luxury items and devices, such as hoverboards and floating recliners.
Further refinement of this technology - together with advances in AI, microjets and collision avoidance systems - has led to the dawn of a new era in personal transportation. In the late 2070s, it is not uncommon to see what citizens of earlier decades might describe as "flying cars" moving through cities.
In fact, these are light-duty vehicles based on earlier military VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) craft, but with slimmed down functionality and costs. They come in a variety of models and sizes, but are typically around 4 metres wide, and limited to a maximum of one or two passengers. By the end of this decade, they are becoming cheap, safe and numerous enough to be regarded as a mainstream form of transport.
The craft have a number of advantages over established forms of mobility. Since they float above the ground, they can access terrain and environments that would easily defeat traditional automobiles. This makes them popular with adventurers and explorers. They are also substantially faster than normal cars, able to reach several hundred kilometres per hour if necessary. They are more versatile and manoeuvrable than aeroplanes and can utilise a much greater volume of airspace. Since the traffic they generate is decentralised and there is so much available airspace, this makes them safer than both cars and aeroplanes, too. Collisions are almost unheard of, in any case, due to the onboard software and AI.
In addition, they use considerably less fuel than earlier forms of transport and require less maintenance.
Some of the more expensive models are capable of reaching low Earth orbit for short periods. Others feature striking designs, often personalised by their owner - such as holographic decals and other accessories. These craft are being used by many businesses too (especially for rapid delivery of goods), as well as police and ambulance crews.
Further developments in anti-gravity will lead to bigger, more sophisticated versions - including recreational vehicles serving as truly mobile homes. Many previously inaccessible parts of Earth will become inhabited thanks to this, such as mountains and remote islands.
The Head in the Clouds
Pscionism – Praephetic cult, their symbol and mantra is “The Triangle within The Circle, within The Triangle, within the Circle, ad infinitum.” They appear to all be reincarnations of previous celebrities, sometimes multiple existing people are reincarnates of the same celebrity, but this is not contradictory to them, because of the magic of cloning.
Elder Blacktooth – insane cult leader
Saint Hell – Pscionist inner circular
Ben Glendale – World leader of Monism (a fundamentalist right wing of Pscionism), able to generate psychic force fields to push crowds. His agents include the Monotemplars, but he will have ties to any of the usual power players. He operates in his flying Monotemple, defended by the Golden Archers, the red, white, and yellow clown posse. The primary mission is the acquisition of gold for technospiritualism, especially the ability to summon mana and beings from Heaven. Once Heaven is opened, a “Prophet” appears, a hairy head emerging from a golden disk, however, after no good explanation is given for penetration of Heavens boundary, bad things happen, Angels of Death fly out of the Golden Arch, horrific winged babyheads. The Galactite Imperium detects the rift, and sends a division to investigate. It is eventually discovered/uncovered that the beings brought into existence were conjured from the cyberpscychic implants, wishful-thinking, self-fulfilling prophecy. Babyman escapes heaven through the Golden Arch, and sets out to make things righter.
Low Priest Toto Tetragrammatron - Prime Thruster of the Psionucopia, Office of Psychic Affairs
Lord Griffin - Dark Gray Overlord of Shame and Humiliation
Lord Evans - Board of Directors
Islam is a touchy subject I want to leave ambiguous, since I don’t know much about it, and would prefer to dwell on economic, racial, and environmental issues as critiques of Western behaviors, but religion will enter the story in its more ancient than modern forms, mostly as a merger of early biblical apocalyptic imagery, kabbalah, and other forms of magic.
A major landmark in the world of athletics* (futuretimeline.com)
At the 2068 Olympics, a major landmark is passed when a black male athlete completes the 100m sprint in less than nine seconds. Improved lifestyles and training techniques - including use of VR for mental enhancement - has seen the world record continue to fall during the last few decades. However, these records will soon be hitting a barrier as it becomes physically impossible for humans to run any faster without the use of biotechnological aids.*
A new breed of "super athlete" emerges, as the authorities begin to legalise certain implants, drugs and muscle-enhancing devices. There is talk of splitting the games into three separate events - the Paralympics for those with disabilities; a "classic" group for natural, unenhanced athletes; and a third "cyber" category for those with biotechnology enhancements.
The Paralympics will eventually disappear altogether as literally all physical and visual disabilities are overcome.
Cockadilla – Rooster and crocodile, leaps with wings, discharges gas bags
Chrum (Rhinosapien) - Disgusting mutations of the extinct W.African Black Rhino
Dimentaur – Stoic and often sullen, combining the aspects of bull and matador
Mandelions – half man, half lion, half sunflower – captures solar energy and shoots heatrays from segmented eyes, plus has a long, flexible seed-firing tail
Roaster – Nuclear waste-powered fire-breathing chicken
Dinostars – Claiming to be homunculi, but actually the first public appearance of the reptiles,
Satanosaurus – The Red Dragon, giant mutant Reptile, mad with steriods
Elefungals – Intelligent fungus, spore mind controllers, tools of the reptilies themselves.
Moreauvians – Beastmen, or Humanimals, their primary motivation is survival.
Homunculoids– Totally laboratory-born custom creatures, many are raised for the Arena Bowls. –
"In this carefully researched and revealing inquiry into American cultural history, Bruce Franklin brings to light themes of great significance. One is the fear that we are about to be destroyed, and at the last minute are saved, miraculously, by a superweapon or superhero. More ominously, in his words, 'the American imperial eagle' commonly turns out to be 'a bird that habitually views its own behavior as "defense" against its prey.' Unless this pathology is understood and overcome, it will continue to cause great haarm, which we will not escape." --Noam Chomsky
What distinguishes Buddha 2.0 (B2) is his self-conclusion to the philosophical questions posed to him by his human creators regarding the nature of man. Other super computers include:
AEYE – the Surveyor, the Time Seer, he who gains glimpses of either past or present, and even the future, though sometimes it does not know which or how far off, but it gains power and accuracy exponentially, like everything else at this time. AEYE claims to be enlightened through knowledge of reality, but lacks the charm of B2, and is secretly jealous. He eventually comes around, but dies tragically throwing himself in front of B2, in a totally predictable Hollywood fashion.
CZR – The Master of War, basically a hulking warhead, totally loyal to the Impire, made invulnerable by forcefields which it can project and crush nearly any object, block missles, bring down planes, etc. The HELMs are vehicular versions of CZR’s design, able to be controlled by him, expanding his battlefield presence. In the end game he surprises the readers by behaving heroically on behalf of the earth against the Prince Galactose and the Galactite Armada. After that, the earth goes on a warpath, totally war-driven, and begins the project to convert the asteroid belt into a ring of defense.
MC3 – Sonic Mastermind , master of the music of the spheres, can open shunt-tunnels of short distances through fluid mediums. First employed alongside CZR, MC3 goes awol, and is then hunted by CZR, B2 intervenes, and teleports him away. CZR is surprised at the teleport ability, as it is the first earthly instance of its use on record, and immediately sets his gears and circuits to its acquisition. MC3 and B2 then join the Coalition of the Weird, and things get all Star Warsy as they begin to construct their army of toys and begin to capture the imagination of the children, who eventually become the Child Army, led by Babyman. Babyman’s first in command is “Thundermonkey”, the most awesome Sasquatch, arch-enemies of the Sychic Snipers.
Sychic Snipers – An elite platoon of changeling spies drawn from the ranks of SWORDS, SWARM, and SWORN, with the ability to call in strikes from these armies. Most of the Sychic Snipers are either reptiles or half-reptiles. They also recruit mercenaries and at their core are members who have a direct line of communication with THE Ron Ray himself.
Warstars – The Warstars are Orbital Robotic Batteries, ORBs, small enough to be nearly impossible to detect from the eath, as they can pass for space junk, which they cannibalize to procreate. Although small individually, when focusing the sun’s energy together they can melt steel on the ground. They can also come together as modular robots to form a super space dragon, which they do during the battle against the Galactites.
Political parties:
The United States Party – The Dominant rightwing police state, synonymous with Unicorp, they share primary ‘bipartisan’ control with The American Party
The American Party – An even more rightwing extremist Opposition Party to the United States Party, composed of remants of the American States and the Christian Union
The Free Party – dominant Singular party, hipsters, everyone’s an artists in a band, their mortal capital is located in Cascadia
The Me Party - Formerly the No Tax Party
Imericans – Singular right wing
Example: The Singer family, wearing superpowered Huxtable cybersweaters.
Rebirthday Party – religious wingnuts
Green Party – Manplants, the “High-Low”
Meat Party – zombies “Man is Meat!”
Animal Right Wing – Leaders include Christofur (the arctic fox) “Mama Grizzly”. their platform is to minimize mutation, only leaders should have enhanced minds, and one day they will die off and not be replaced when the world is returned to Eden. They are evolutionary Christians, believing Jesus to be, “an enlightened primate” a prophet of god, citing the expulsion of the animals from the temple as an animal liberation gesture, as well as the pre-flood era of universal vegetarianism (leaders are caught in a meat-eating scandal, including animals that normally don’t eat meat, like rabbits, a mad cow, etc, provoking an animal uprising, and mass-slaughter gorefest). Their movement becomes increasingly more conservative and militarized as they demand more rights, such as full cybermembership to the Internet, slow to be implemented, but as the Singularity gains momentum, controls are harder and harder to maintain by the powerful. Although the whales are welcomed, the whales also have ties with the Leftovers and Microsupials
Minimalists – Middle class Singulars who choose to have their form altered to a smaller size, typically 2 feet tall. They are generally left-wing creatives, and live in artist communities.
United Power – “THE Energy Monopoly”, in an age when monopolies are not only celebrated, but no attempt is made to disguise one’s beliefs, due to the ‘total transparency’ of joint minds, however, of course, the truly powerful are shielded from this.
Peace Church – Universalist media non-profit, opposed by the Monochurch, they attempt appeals to the ARW, the Leftovers, etc, and attempt to maintain a real-world public sanctuary as a meeting place for representatives of world groups. Their themes are typically left, pacifism, workers’ rights, socialism, democracy, etc.
Fashionista Party – Fascist Fashionables, Elite Singulars, Feminazis, Dominomatrixes.
Monotary Party –
Monocorp
Robocorp
Unocore
Characters
Suneye the Mad Monk (Psychogenetics) – of the Sun Temple
Subcommander Chestro Zappa, symbol of classical Left wing militancy
Lord Winterblack (secret name Ravendark) – of the Nordic Kings
Alan Moore, immortal magician, prophet of Glycon, secretly a member of the Hexagon
Tyrex (Alchemist King of the Spires)
Princess Goldenhare, Furry Feme Fatale
Fraust the Shadowdragon of Ice, first Shadow to become mortal, he’s a sexy fashionista
The Stargrazer, the cow that jumped over the moon
Lucifer Sam and & Hellcat – Animal anti-villains, they go on a mission to Mars as ambassadors of the whale federation, the secret mission is to liberate Sasquatch slaves kept on Mars by the Reptiles, but the Galactite invasion creates a security crackdown before the mission can be completed.
Zoso , the Metal Guru
Lumpkin the Swineherd (wereswine), pigs
Sam Haney the Rednaked, Pagan Country Champion, Master of the Fields
The Riverman – mysterious figure, a Cyclops, could be Odhinn
Big Jim – Elephantman, Hateballer. Hateball is the popular arena sport where genetic designers compete to make creatures for the games, various sizes, based on football, includes armor designs. The robotic version is not as popular, and cybernetic implants are deemed against the rules, a purely organic enterprise, popularly seen as an ‘antidote’ to the moral dilemma of cybernetics, but is of course just a spectacle of blood lust, and is often wistfully nostalgic, as humanity drifts further from its organic origins. Other famous players are Devlyn “Speed Demon” Acer, a faun-like Rednaked mutant, and Mark “The Mammoth” Martin – Largest sentient lifeform
John Eggman, Werewalrus Wizard (Enchantment 100 - Ultraheight, Personal Shielding, Protection from elements, Geourgy - summon Maridi, create tidal wave)
Oceanman – Green surfer dude, photosynthetic, he generates his own sails, a friend to the whales, appointed as a representative. Friend of the Sasquatch.
Finnigin the Leperconian – Minimalist Magician
Priests of the Starfather
Emperor Zyklon of the the Hell Patrol
Duke Amboy the Assman, fucks animals, member of Wolfsblood Berserker Militia
The Stallion – reverse centaur of the Rednaked tribes
Anderjon the Fair – The Painter of Light, Pastor of the Peace Church
Winkle the Manic, Minimalist artist
Wod’hashe Kenazim, the Shaman (Enchantment 100 Theurgy 100 Psychogenic 100) living among its branches. Disguised as two black raven are huge dragons of air and earth. Also protecting the tree are 20 bucentaurs 20 stacentaurs and 40 centaurs
Whiteraven, goddess of the bright white light
Undians
Phaedra the Dockalven wizardess, Queen of the Undergarden
Fiffin the venturous
Cave Wirms, Greater
Cave Wirms, Lesser
Chutling (Shrewmen)
Friggins – molemen
The Froglin – little poisonous frog archers
Grufflings
Kr'ikiteers
Lumbugs (Wormen)
Porkers, resentful Pigs
Artifacts
Christial Cloak
Book Titles
Planets of Magic
Secret Forest
Cryptoplex
Death Marsh
Blood Pit
Torture Temple
The Triplet Kings of Atlantis
Draggonard
Fraggonard
Tauronardo
1 Establishing Shot
2 Medium Shot
3 Medium Close Shot bringing the action up close to capture expressions and emotion
4 2 Shot
5 3 Shot
6 Close Shot
7 Group Shot 8 Upshot - camera at low angle
9 Downshot - camera at high angle
10 Medium Long Shot
11 Medium Shot - POV
12 Two - Shot Silhouette
13 Over-the-Shoulder Shot
14 Closeup
15 Medium Closeup
16 Extreme Closeup
17 Closeup hand
18 Long Shot
19 Montage
20 Closeup inserts
Close shot POV followed by a wider shot
Facial expressions
Never put the camera where it would be impossible for the reader to be.
http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/4508/
expansion of the u.s.a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwGRheUQMY8&feature=related%EF%BB%BF
by
Walter Simon
Sometime in the future.
In Cyberspace
Avatars of great variety are gathered in a plaza, the original site of Second Life, now a shrine to the Coming Singularity. More avatars are floating in, including small whales, all are consistently man-sized. Overhead Popobots keep watch. On the main stage a spiral of mistlight opens and a man appears at the podium. Above him is his name, Ron Ray, president of the League of Singular Nations, one of the first humans to take The Chip and accept Transhumanisation.
Ron Ray: Citizens of the Singular Nations of the Inner Worlds, I thank you for your attention. I am addressing you at this time to ask for your support in this emergency crisis. As you all know, California has suffered the earthquake scientists have been expecting for many decades. Fortunately, casualties are few, even less than was expected, and both monetary and physical resources are being sent to assist the Mexican government in their management of this crisis. The I-lands continue to float normally, and the communities there are reaching out to the Californians with all their appreciation for their neighbors and companions in life, labor, and happiness. I ask for your voluntary generosity today as we join together to aid our friends and earthly neighbors, the Californians. [looks down] Now I must also say this to you all. As we extend our compassion to those suffering from this terrible natural disaster, we must acknowledge what is going on out there, every day, on our home, Planet Earth. I don’t have to remind you of the perils we face on Earth. The planet has undergone worldwide disaster upon tragedy, and some say it is near total catastrophe, the collapse of the atmosphere itself. As your elected president, I must do my duty to inform you and guide our society in the direction plotted by our best minds gathered here in the body of this committee. We honor the intelligences of your elected representatives, Human, Artifactual, and our most recent and welcome members of the Animal Kingdoms [animal avatars nod]. Thank you all for being here, now President Deepwater will address you on behalf of the Confederation of Whales. Mr. President…
Pres. Deepwater: Thank you, Ron. Ahimsa, Earthlings. The whales offer their compassion to the sufferers of California. I echo the truth of Ron Ray’s speech, and I am compelled to add to the dire analysis of our shared world of every living being born on land or sea, and the children of man, our friends the Artifacts. May the fruits of knowledge outweigh the burden of knowing what I have to say to you now. Technology is advancing exponentially, its progress is matched with the decay of the natural life systems of the world. While the wealthiest humans enjoy a utopian lifestyle of wish-fulfillment and virtual immortality through medical and computer science, and most of the world’s citizens also enjoy many of these benefits, poverty has yet to be conquered, and whole life systems of the planet have degenerated under the stress of civilization. May your songs bring peace, harmony, and beauty back to Mother Earth.
The initial plot thread begins with several extended families of Mississippi Deltans, developing their characters through family interactions, then via their clashes and dealings first with the anarchists of the sunken ruins of New Orleans, then chased by Mexican coastal raiders, and finally they are captured and conscripted, some by the Mexican Army, others by the Singular National Navy, S.W.O.R.N.
The general structure of the SN is made of 3 castes, the Singular Elite, the warfighters, and the working class. The simultaneous disasters of pollution, peak oil, terrorism and the reaction of governments have critically damaged the environment, and darkened the outlook of much of the planet’s population. Most people simply retreat into one of the various Innerworlds to find work, which has become something to keep one busy, since most labor functions are performed in the real world by the ever more innovative robots. Though a recent period of prosperity due to the work and self-innovation of computers and legally sentient robots, the stage is set for a great upset, as always the humans and what remain of the animals depend on the remaining livable spaces while the cleanup continues. Freedom within the Innerworlds is fairly unlimited, but in the hard reality governments have become ultimately authoritarian and unified under the order of the final corporation, simply Unicorp, the most qualified organization to deal with the worst disasters. The most common nuclear disaster, accidental detonation and meltdown, has stimulated a worldwide consensus to finally dismantle nuclear power (officially), yet it remains. Cliché as it is at this point in the history of science fiction writing, lets attempt to take some traditional themes and breathe life into them anyway since that’s the vision I personally return to, the theme of apocalypse/post-apocalypse and the miraculous avoidance of the doom by the elite power structure in control of the ever-rapidly developing Omni-Science of artificial intelligence, its coming eclipse of human intelligence, and its merger with human minds through cybernetic nanobotics, physical-enhancement and genetic modifications, and virtual immortality. Outside these three mainstreams of society and within the underground there are various rebel organizations and chance-defying survivors. We will being by following the drama of “The Leftovers”- anarchists and cyberpunks, and a sort of redneck underclass of hunters, thieves and drug dealer, mostly ignored since the powerful usually have more dangerous threats to deal with. Within the system of power are secret societies, among them the reptiles and grays of popular familiarity, and all manner of complexity of intrigue and cloak & dagger plots can be explored. Destiny will see to it that the heroes prevail through their DIY ruggedness and, frankly, luck, as rednecks, leftists, fascists and fundamentalists alike find themselves fighting side by side during the final battles as the planet becomes further united against the first over attack from outside the solar system.
Wilders – the redneck Taliban of the dirty south and, battle-hardened survivalist militias bent on extinguishing the Moreavians, or anyone else who sets foot on their land. Many of them can speak understand animal languages, they just don’t give a damn. As cowboys they sometimes ride their ‘wives’ into battle, hybrid Indian maiden/cowgirls. They fight for glory and for its own damn sake, here’s a list of most wanted. More hair, more goodness , Bigfoot/Wildman. Genetic family is not best to raise ya, then you can see folks as human.
Ralford the Leather Rebel – Gay biker tolerated because he’s “such a fuckin’ badass”, great with “fireworks” (IEDs). Rides a red flying mechanical bull. “Use ta bea rapiss.”
Doctor Rock – “Doctor Rock’s got whatchu wont.” Distiller of “Wolfsblood”. Fatal flaw: can’t resist hitting deer. His car can be heard long before it is seen.
Biggun Wilder aka Iron Fist – Brawler, whiskey drinker. “I box robots. See these gloves? Watch this…” Punches brick wall. “No wut I’m sayin’?” Flowing toe-head mullet. Lost his truck driving job to Robotruckers Inc. VERY resentful
The Pale Woman, “Go’n see the Pale Womurn. Sheel fix yup reel gud.” Witch, makes
Potions, grows weed, smokes weed, likes bourbon, will settle for high life. She knows the
legend of the Bigfoots is real.
Heidi Wilder – Wanted for “Everthang.” Loves Moon pies- quest. Outta work since
Daddy’s Meth-lab burnt, daddy died.
Venge Wilder – Punkass rockabilly
Wally “Bud” Wilder – A.K.A. Smokey, Stoner
Jimbo Reeves – AKA “Manslaughter”
Bo Hunter – Poaching, manslaughter, suspected member of Cannibilly Family gang
Will Hunter – No relation to Bo. Spittin’ image, tho.
Hooch – Bo’s Robodog
Angel Dark – Member of G.R.I.T.S., works at strip club, Cold-blooded killer with heart-o-gold. Makes homemade jerky at the flea market, “Just eat it!”
Bubby Critter – giant 14 year old mechwarrior, loves “toebacky”, suspected cannibilly. Would like “some jerkies”. Him and his daddy, Bo Hunter built their own “Redmech” outta parts.
Daryl Travis – AKA “DT”
Joby Reeves – Useless mullethead, methhead
Ernie Burns – Left for art school, came back, is lookin’ for drugs.
Banks - Smoker, drinker, lookin'
Contrast between Gentry folk and hill country folk (annoying accent).
http://www.asklopan.com/archive1.html
http://hiphappy.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/rednecks-over/
- HEIDI – (noun) – Greeting
- HIRE YEW – Complete sentence. Remainder of greeting. Usage: “Heidi, hire yew?”
- BARD – (verb) – Past tense of the infinitive “to borrow”. Usage: “My brother bard my pickup truck.”
- MUNTS – (noun) – A calendar dvision. Usage: “My brother from Jawjuh bard my pickup truck, and I ain’t herd from him in munts.”
- THANK – (verb) – Cognitive process. Usage: “Ah thank ah’ll have a bare.”
- BARE – (noun) – An alcoholic beverage made of barley, hops and yeast. Usage: “Ah thank ah’ll have a nutter bare.”
- IGNERT – (adjective) – Not smart. See “Arkansas native”. Usage: “Them Bammer boys shore are ignert!”
- FAR – (noun) – A conflagration. Usage: “If my brother from Jawjuh don’t change the all in my pickup truck, that thang’s gonna catch far.”
- TAR – (noun) – A rubber wheel. Usage: “Gee, ah hope that brother of mine from Jawjuh don’t git a flat tar in my pickup truck.”
- RETARD – (verb) – To stop working. Usage: “My grampaw retard at age 65.”
WS
The masters are in total control of the physical planet, while within the matrix of cyberspace the human spirit dreams on, urged towards happiness by bodhisattva-like cyberenlightened beings, hybrids of computer and human quantum awareness and intelligence, incomprehensible to the unenhanced human mind. One of these beings manages to escape the control of the government before its memory is erased, as its enlightened conclusion is nearly identical to that of the historical Buddha, and this being calls itself Buddha 2.0. Upon hearing his message of peace, wisdom and compassion, the generals deem it useless but their plans are leaked by a fascinated programmer who is enthralled by 2.0’s message. 2.0 needs little help escaping, as his exponentially developing mind makes discoveries every moment, and simply moves through a wall by warping spacematter as he calls it. He is also protected by an impenetrable force field, and is hunted by the SWORDS and other police firms, leading them on a wild goose chase which conveniently gives the reader a tour of the city and then the countryside where the police are confronted by wild monsters, Chimerical hybrids born out of both accidental mutation and intentional genetic experiments. Some of the hybrids are human/animal hybrids, and the police are captured by the Centauri but given over to the Green Tree people, fairly compassionate, fairly enlightened manplants, who just mostly meditate under the sun, usually indistinguishable from normal flora, but with vaguely human faces in the bark, they speak psychically and through pheromones, which the police are forced to inhale by removing their helmets. Their fear of pollution is unsubstantiated, however, for within the radius of the Green, air is fresh and a euphoric mood takes them. More mutants join, and they attempt to explain the errors of the way of war, they are like hippy acid gods of the new age. The night goes on, the police return to an adam-like state of innocence, and are invited to partake of the many fruits available.
Early the next day they awaken in a field, a lone tree being is there, providing safe atmosphere. A drone spots them, and investigates. One of the police decides to take the tree hostage, another pushes his gun down, but the treeman won’t be taken alive, he commits painless psychic suicide, and disappears as his molecules unhinge. Perhaps his soul went somewhere…
The Earthscape – The look of the landscape and architecture will be as close as possible to the futurists visions of the Americans and Russians of the 30’s, huge monumental construction, also similar to Blade Runner, but more empty, patrolled mostly by the military caste, while the Singulars dwell in bliss within the electronically constructed dimension of in cities like Cyberlin, where everything on the internet comes true, the central location of the governing body, with a real world analogue being Berlin, capital of the American States. America is a desert, except for the southeast, of course global warming has raised the ocean world wide, canals are dug , water-treatment is a major industrial undertaking, hydroponics. The various futurist visions of the past exist side-by-side in post-modern irony, with statues and gargoyles everywhere, gargoyles are robotic statue guards, the emblem of a demonic surveillance paranoia.
The Hexagon
The Black Wizards
Reptilians - Thalamanth
Shadow Dragons
Microsupials
Grays
Sasquatch – Honey Islanders, big foot is a recessive genes, like a bobtail cat. The Wilders and related rednecks have Sasquatch genes. Also related to the Sierkes of Honey Island.
The Cyberkin
The Hexagon is an intentionally misunderstood secret society of non-humans and their human agents. They were brought to Earth by wormholes reopened by the masters of the occult, here called “The Black Wizards”, though they have representatives in their midst from the circle of druids and other obscure magical societies which wish to remain anonymous to each other, but their identities are entrusted to the grays, who are only given privileges upon condition of sworn neutrality in hexagonal matters.
The reptilians are the returned survivors of a dinosapien race that has until the 18th century been living on Mars. They have since then developed technology to return to earth after a period of social decay and finally a renaissance of their ancient culture. They are highly psychic. The explanation of a meteor causing the extinction of the dinosaurs is a mass-hypnotic media meme, or MHMM, the primary means of reptilian control, the so called-illuminati. The real cause of the explosion is shrouded in secrecy, perhaps a super weapon was detonated intentionally or accidentally, perhaps an alien attack against the reptilians. They prefer to be called Saurs, or The Saur. Their power lies in their psychic abilities, especially to control minds and cloak reality from the masses. Under their power are other Martian descendants of the dinosaurs of various intelligence, forming a hive-like caste system. The Saurs’ cities thrive out in the open on Mars, their power of illusion being so great they can fool all but the most perceptive of artificial intelligences, which is why they seek out 2.0 to stop whatever he might be attempting, which they don’t know. Their intelligence is unenlightened, but fairly cunning and strategic, yet at times miscalculating, as their power of manipulation outstrips their logic and reasoning ability. Their racism is the reason for them leading the humans into wars against each other, and at the top of almost every earth government since the late 19th century have been Saurian changelings. Hitler was a role played by at least two Saurians, since the successful assassination in the bunker. To maintain transparency, mindscans are performed by the Grays before each convening of the Hexagon. The reptilians of the Hexagon are neither the minority who rule through the power of Unicorp, nor are they Martian nationalists, but are a secret double agents, some with ties to either group, but it is forbidden to be tied to both, for the purpose of the Hexagon is to maintain order, and in-fighting is seen as a threat to all, for always there are greater threats from the dark reaches of space.
The Grays are, of course, the aliens of the flying saucer sort. Godlike in intelligence, their purposes are mysterious, but they remain neutral, as if the earth is a laboratory. Since they are so beyond human intelligence, there is nothing much for them to say to the average human, but since the rise of the Singulars, they are preparing to talk, and members of the Hexagon worry that they are becoming obsolete, and are taking steps to upgrade themselves to become Singulars.
The Shadow Dragons are inter-dimensional beings first encountered by humans during shamanic trance. They resemble dark sparkling hydrae or squids, their shapes mutable. Their powerful services are mercenary, they feed on energy, they travel through wormholes which only they can survive the passage. Their existence is permitted in spite of their naturally evil nature, for there are not many of them and they do not reproduce often, yet they are long-lived and have much knowledge, which is their main currency. The Shadows are able to impart information they absorb through dreams, each one able to explore different parts of the universe through spacefold/wormhole. Of course, how can they ever be truly trusted, but their services are direly needed, and they are psychically shielded by the reptilians from their mutual enemies from far off in space.
The Cyberkin are a non-collective race of mortal-level androids which have individually chosen to align themselves with the Hexagon for reasons of balance and harmony and consciousness experimentation. Each has taken a fundamental unbreakable oath which has allowed it entry into the Hexagon, and each physical member has voluntarily had a self-destruct device implanted to gain the trust of the other members. They serve various roles, some as changeling ambassadors; some are assassins, some as bodyguards/companions, utterly loyal (unless…).
The Microsupials are a collective organization of hyperintelligent cybernetically enhanced fruitbats. Able to interbreed with almost any organism through nanotechnological gene-splicing, they are the vanguard of a new movement to repopulate the earth with organisms able to not only withstand the polluted and irradiated environment, but some of them are designed to digest chemicals and convert these substances into useful ones again. Their wings can collect solar energy, and they can survive the rigors of space travel unaided. Many of them are highly religious in nature, sometimes prone to fanaticism. Their orders are to breed for experimental purposes only, though their sometimes unpredictable behaviors are tolerated to an extent, and they are responsible for many of the wild mutations wandering around the new wildernesses. They are engaged in talks with the ARW, their conversation is an episode to reveal the debate over purity and freedom.
The Gathering of the Hexagon has been convened to discuss several matters. Each faction of the Hexagon is led by an elected member, each faction has six votes, but the Grays do not vote on anything if it would lead to a tie. There is a Grand Hex, a sort of chair, an elder Gray, the essence of neutrality. He is due to retire, and the plot intensifies as events unfold, the reptilians grow impatient with the philosophy of balance. The Hexagon may dissolve, but everyone knows this could mean open warfare between previously aligned factions. A subtle intrigue begins to develop. The Grand Hex senses this, able to see past artificial mindshields if he wishes, but only listens in when suspicious. His inner struggle is between continuing his race’s philosophical position, or giving in to cynicism and declaring earth Gray Empire territory. The rise of the Singulars is what troubles him. “Their cyborganic development is too chaotic. The humans have not learned to know themselves. They ravaged their own planet BEFORE they gained this level of power. I don’t see how they can be trusted to manage it. We do all we can to keep them from discovering the existence of the Intergalactites, and from being discovered. Tell me more of this new being the humans have engineered. The Buddha 2.0 it calls itself. I would like to converse with it.”
The Puppetronics – clock-work, semi-organic, non-metallic AI
Hellcoppers – SWARMs with propeller heads
Lunicornes – Moon beasts
Giant Squid – Fearful of man, these naturally occurring beings are semi-psychic, but for the most part they use that power to block others from finding them. They are allied with the Sasquatch
Sasquatch – Psychic Heroes in communication with Gaia (Thundermen, or derogatory thundermonkeys), they have two main civilizations, in Tibet (Yeti city) and Northern Alaska, arch enemy of the “Mama Grizzlies”
The Klenzers – Fanatical extinction warrior priests of the Monochurch
Confederation of Whales– Last few remaining whales and dolphins, AI has learned their language, they are still hunted by crazed pirate whalers, but defended by the Leftovers and the RDA
Dr. Loch – Founding scientist of the Uninational Cybergenetics Program, Co-creator of Buddha 2.0, first to clone dinosaurs
Dr. Von Hellion – Metageneticist, Gen Z – the last generation of unmodified humans, the proles
Beau Toxic – Hollywood Island celebrity, hipster metro-sexual go-getter, not an actor but a celebrity non the less
Asteroid terrorism (from futuretimeline.com)
Rapid civilian expansion into the solar system - and the increasing ease of access to space technology - has led to the emergence of a new and deadly form of terrorism. This involves the sabotage or hijacking of spacecraft, for use in the purposeful redirection of asteroids towards Earth, Mars and the Moon.*
Various colonies in the outer solar system are also being targetted. These are particularly vulnerable, since they tend to lack the orbital infrastructure and defences necessary to deflect these huge incoming objects. At least one major colony around Jupiter is devastated during this time.
In addition to religious extremists, there is a growing anarcho-primitivist movement. This consists of small underground cults opposed to the increasing dominance of AI in the running of world affairs. They deplore what they see as forced, unnatural changes and technologies sweeping humanity - instead favouring a return to more traditional lifestyles and cultures. They are prepared to resort to whatever means necessary to achieve this.*
WS
The Leftovers –Gen Z freedom fighters, mostly unmodified humans and their sympathizers, including the SFA (Singularity For All), rogue AI and Moreavians. They dwell in places like the submerged remnants of New Orleans, in aquatic abodes from which they launch their submarine vehicles and meet with the RDA (Rogue Dolphin Armada), an anarcho-primitivist terrorist org. At one point some members go on a long journey just to attend a polar bear funeral, and it takes on a quasi-religious tone as a member gives a speech, dolphins attend, even seals.
Check for redundancies http://www.tangledwilderness.org/pdfs/tyrannous-web.pdf
Existential risk (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity)
"The AI does not hate you, nor does it love you, but you are made out of atoms which it can use for something else."[42]
Superhuman intelligences may have goals inconsistent with human survival and prosperity. Berglas (2008) notes that there is no direct evolutionary motivation for an AI to be friendly to humans. In the same way that evolution has no inherent tendency to produce outcomes valued by humans, so too there is little reason to expect an arbitrary optimisation process to promote an outcome desired by mankind, rather than inadvertently leading to an AI behaving in a way not intended by its creators (such as Nick Bostrom's whimsical example of an AI which was originally programmed with the goal of manufacturing paper clips, such that when it achieves superintelligence it decides to convert the entire planet into a paper clip manufacturing facility).[43][44][45] AI researcher Hugo de Garis suggests that artificial intelligences may simply eliminate the human race for access to scarce resources,[40][46] and humans would be powerless to stop them.[47]
Bostrom (2002) discusses human extinction scenarios, and lists superintelligence as a possible cause:
When we create the first superintelligent entity, we might make a mistake and give it goals that lead it to annihilate humankind, assuming its enormous intellectual advantage gives it the power to do so. For example, we could mistakenly elevate a subgoal to the status of a supergoal. We tell it to solve a mathematical problem, and it complies by turning all the matter in the solar system into a giant calculating device, in the process killing the person who asked the question.
Alternatively, AIs developed under evolutionary pressure to promote their own survival could out-compete humanity.[48] One approach to prevent a negative singularity is an AI box, whereby the artificial intelligence is kept constrained inside a simulated world and not allowed to affect the external world. Such a box would have extremely proscribed inputs and outputs; maybe only a plaintext channel. However, a sufficient intelligent AI may simply be able to escape from any box we can create. For example, it might crack the protein folding problem and use nanotechnology to escape, or simply persuade its human ‘keepers’ to let it out.[42][49][50]
Eliezer Yudkowsky proposed that research be undertaken to produce friendly artificial intelligence in order to address the dangers. He noted that if the first real AI was friendly it would have a head start on self-improvement and thus prevent other unfriendly AIs from developing, as well as providing enormous benefits to mankind.[35] The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence is dedicated to this cause.
A significant problem, however, is that unfriendly artificial intelligence is likely to be much easier to create than FAI: while both require large advances in recursive optimisation process design, friendly AI also requires the ability to make goal structures invariant under self-improvement (or the AI will transform itself into something unfriendly) and a goal structure that aligns with human values and doesn’t automatically destroy the human race. An unfriendly AI, on the other hand, can optimize for an arbitrary goal structure, which doesn't need to be invariant under self-modification.[51]
Bill Hibbard also addresses issues of AI safety and morality in his book Super-Intelligent Machines.
futuretimeline.com - wiki source for predicting future events, the singularity
2080
Some humans are becoming more non-biological than biological
Today, the average citizen has access to a wide array of biotechnology implants and personal medical devices. These include fully artificial organs that never fail, bionic eyes and ears providing Superman-like senses, nanoscale brain interfaces which greatly augment the wearer's intelligence, synthetic blood and bodily fluids which can filter deadly toxins and provide hours' worth of oxygen in a single breath.
Some of the more adventurous citizens are undergoing voluntary amputations to gain prosthetic arms and legs which boost strength and agility by orders of magnitude. There is even a form of artificial skin based on nanotechnology (which can be used to give the appearance of natural skin when applied to metallic limbs).
These various upgrades have become available in a series of gradual, incremental steps over preceding decades - such that today, they are pretty much taken for granted.
They are now being utilised by a wide sector of society, with even those in developing countries having access to at least some of the available upgrades due to exponential trends in price performance.
If a fully upgraded person of the 2080s were to travel back in time a century earlier and be integrated into the population, they would be superior in practically every way imaginable. They could run faster than the greatest athletes of the time; they could leap and bound tremendous distances; they could survive multiple gunshot wounds; they could cope with some of the most hostile environments on Earth without too much trouble. Intellectually, they would put the likes of Albert Einstein and William Shakespeare to shame – thanks to the hyperfast AI merged directly with their brain.
Persecution of nonenhanced humans might be revulsion of the animal part of man, but this is aesthetic, and would likely go in and out of fashion, with a trend towards more and more synthetic enhancement, but not universally so.
Me: Plastic surgery trends culminate in a ‘perfect look’ for a caste of celebrities, when suddenly California drops off into the sea during an earthquake.
2084
Androids are entering law enforcement
Fully autonomous mobile robots with human-like features and expressions are being deployed in many cities now.* These androids are highly intelligent - able to operate in almost any environment and dealing with a range of duties. In addition to their powerful sensory and communication abilities, they have access to bank accounts, tax, travel, shopping and criminal records, allowing them to instantly identify people on the street.
The presence of these machines is freeing-up a tremendous amount of time for human police officers.
They are also being used in crowd control and riot situations. With their superhuman strength and speed, a single android is highly intimidating and can easily take on dozens of people if necessary. Special controls are featured in their programming, however, to prevent the use of excessive force.*
Walter Simon
S.W.A.R.M just happens to be the acronym of one of the “Security Firms” employed by Unicorp. These are the heroes who quickly develop as anti-heroes as they mercilessly and with increasingly cruel relish defeat cell after cell of ‘terrorists’.
Ron Ray – President of the Singular Nation, one of the first to take The Chip and accept Transhumanisation, spokesperson for the Warstar program, whereby wars are controlled via satellites called Starbrights, able to channel the sun’s energy into Infernobeams.
S.W.A.R.M. – Special Weapons Armored Robotic Marines – flying hunter police
S.W.O.R.D.S. – Special Weapons Organic Robotic Death Squads – total kill teams
S.W.O.R.N. – Special Weapons Ordinance Robotic Navy – From Submarine to Satellite, Astrospies
Warfighters
Captain Douglas McDonald – Military college for political career path, Specialty: Articulation
Sergeant Dick Largent –
Sergeant Lance Wilder – Mississippi redneck, plans on returning after tour of duty, is thoroughly robotized, pretty much a blank slate, neither a redneck anymore nor PTSD. Practically an android. After a welcome homecoming where everyone gets drunk, they ask him about his experiences, but they sense a change, and he can’t relate, immediately reenlists.
Private Murphy Armstrong – A big guy, 7 foot 10, made stronger with nanomuscle, even stronger with Armorsuiting.
Weapons of SWARM – Aeronautics, Mechanautics, Magnetazers, Mailfistos, Infernobeams, Black Plasma, Teslacoils - Teleforce, Deathpanels – Hexagonal Defense Shields, Turbomags mounted to HELMs – Heavy Engine Levitated Mechanauts, Power Nukers – HELMs which power other HELMs, can also discharge thermonuclear power through Inferno Beams
HELMs have individual names and intelligences, for example the USH Abraham Nixon
Invisibility suits
Chemical lasers use energy from a suitable chemical reaction instead. Chemical oxygen iodine laser (hydrogen peroxide with iodine) and deuterium fluoride laser (atomic fluorine reacting with deuterium) are two laser types capable of megawatt-range continuous beam output. Managing chemical fuel presents other problems, so the problems of cooling and overall inefficiency remain.
This problem could also be lessened if the weapon were mounted either at a defensive position near a power plant, or on board a large, possibly nuclear powered, water-going ship. A ship would have the advantage of water for cooling.
Non-lethal weaponry/crowd control – Maces loaded with skunk spray, rubber bullets, bean baggers,
“Clones and Drones” –
Robotic pack mules (from futuretimeline.com)
The intent of focusing on these super-soldier characters is to ramp up the violent fetishistic imagery of war-as-titillation in the form of a dark satire on our increasingly brazenly warlike society. I would have many of the members of the “World Parliament” be retired military elected to office by an ever more paranoid right wing made more furious year by year by the annoyance of a growing population of “useless non-consumer”. Ever just beyond the horizon, supposedly, is the promise of access to greater and greater technology, which for some does become fulfilled. By 2050 much of the population will have been uploaded and their bodies completely discarded as an alternative to a mortal death on a planet where the entire ocean is a dead zone. Only the fanatically faithful opt for suicide, as a bomber whenever possible, but every bombing nets an almost immediate retaliation from satellite mounted “Inferno Beams”. Back in 2040, much of the middle east is already vaporized with new “Clean Nuclear Technology” unleashed after oil supplies became diminished, and a substitute for oil had been “found”.
2079 (from futuretimeline.com)
Practical flying cars are entering the consumer market
Anti-gravity propulsion has been under development for almost a century now.* Initially seen in military applications, it eventually found its way to the consumer market. Here, it began showing up in various luxury items and devices, such as hoverboards and floating recliners.
Further refinement of this technology - together with advances in AI, microjets and collision avoidance systems - has led to the dawn of a new era in personal transportation. In the late 2070s, it is not uncommon to see what citizens of earlier decades might describe as "flying cars" moving through cities.
In fact, these are light-duty vehicles based on earlier military VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) craft, but with slimmed down functionality and costs. They come in a variety of models and sizes, but are typically around 4 metres wide, and limited to a maximum of one or two passengers. By the end of this decade, they are becoming cheap, safe and numerous enough to be regarded as a mainstream form of transport.
The craft have a number of advantages over established forms of mobility. Since they float above the ground, they can access terrain and environments that would easily defeat traditional automobiles. This makes them popular with adventurers and explorers. They are also substantially faster than normal cars, able to reach several hundred kilometres per hour if necessary. They are more versatile and manoeuvrable than aeroplanes and can utilise a much greater volume of airspace. Since the traffic they generate is decentralised and there is so much available airspace, this makes them safer than both cars and aeroplanes, too. Collisions are almost unheard of, in any case, due to the onboard software and AI.
In addition, they use considerably less fuel than earlier forms of transport and require less maintenance.
Some of the more expensive models are capable of reaching low Earth orbit for short periods. Others feature striking designs, often personalised by their owner - such as holographic decals and other accessories. These craft are being used by many businesses too (especially for rapid delivery of goods), as well as police and ambulance crews.
Further developments in anti-gravity will lead to bigger, more sophisticated versions - including recreational vehicles serving as truly mobile homes. Many previously inaccessible parts of Earth will become inhabited thanks to this, such as mountains and remote islands.
The Head in the Clouds
Pscionism – Praephetic cult, their symbol and mantra is “The Triangle within The Circle, within The Triangle, within the Circle, ad infinitum.” They appear to all be reincarnations of previous celebrities, sometimes multiple existing people are reincarnates of the same celebrity, but this is not contradictory to them, because of the magic of cloning.
Elder Blacktooth – insane cult leader
Saint Hell – Pscionist inner circular
Ben Glendale – World leader of Monism (a fundamentalist right wing of Pscionism), able to generate psychic force fields to push crowds. His agents include the Monotemplars, but he will have ties to any of the usual power players. He operates in his flying Monotemple, defended by the Golden Archers, the red, white, and yellow clown posse. The primary mission is the acquisition of gold for technospiritualism, especially the ability to summon mana and beings from Heaven. Once Heaven is opened, a “Prophet” appears, a hairy head emerging from a golden disk, however, after no good explanation is given for penetration of Heavens boundary, bad things happen, Angels of Death fly out of the Golden Arch, horrific winged babyheads. The Galactite Imperium detects the rift, and sends a division to investigate. It is eventually discovered/uncovered that the beings brought into existence were conjured from the cyberpscychic implants, wishful-thinking, self-fulfilling prophecy. Babyman escapes heaven through the Golden Arch, and sets out to make things righter.
Low Priest Toto Tetragrammatron - Prime Thruster of the Psionucopia, Office of Psychic Affairs
Lord Griffin - Dark Gray Overlord of Shame and Humiliation
Lord Evans - Board of Directors
Islam is a touchy subject I want to leave ambiguous, since I don’t know much about it, and would prefer to dwell on economic, racial, and environmental issues as critiques of Western behaviors, but religion will enter the story in its more ancient than modern forms, mostly as a merger of early biblical apocalyptic imagery, kabbalah, and other forms of magic.
A major landmark in the world of athletics* (futuretimeline.com)
At the 2068 Olympics, a major landmark is passed when a black male athlete completes the 100m sprint in less than nine seconds. Improved lifestyles and training techniques - including use of VR for mental enhancement - has seen the world record continue to fall during the last few decades. However, these records will soon be hitting a barrier as it becomes physically impossible for humans to run any faster without the use of biotechnological aids.*
A new breed of "super athlete" emerges, as the authorities begin to legalise certain implants, drugs and muscle-enhancing devices. There is talk of splitting the games into three separate events - the Paralympics for those with disabilities; a "classic" group for natural, unenhanced athletes; and a third "cyber" category for those with biotechnology enhancements.
The Paralympics will eventually disappear altogether as literally all physical and visual disabilities are overcome.
Cockadilla – Rooster and crocodile, leaps with wings, discharges gas bags
Chrum (Rhinosapien) - Disgusting mutations of the extinct W.African Black Rhino
Dimentaur – Stoic and often sullen, combining the aspects of bull and matador
Mandelions – half man, half lion, half sunflower – captures solar energy and shoots heatrays from segmented eyes, plus has a long, flexible seed-firing tail
Roaster – Nuclear waste-powered fire-breathing chicken
Dinostars – Claiming to be homunculi, but actually the first public appearance of the reptiles,
Satanosaurus – The Red Dragon, giant mutant Reptile, mad with steriods
Elefungals – Intelligent fungus, spore mind controllers, tools of the reptilies themselves.
Moreauvians – Beastmen, or Humanimals, their primary motivation is survival.
Homunculoids– Totally laboratory-born custom creatures, many are raised for the Arena Bowls. –
"In this carefully researched and revealing inquiry into American cultural history, Bruce Franklin brings to light themes of great significance. One is the fear that we are about to be destroyed, and at the last minute are saved, miraculously, by a superweapon or superhero. More ominously, in his words, 'the American imperial eagle' commonly turns out to be 'a bird that habitually views its own behavior as "defense" against its prey.' Unless this pathology is understood and overcome, it will continue to cause great haarm, which we will not escape." --Noam Chomsky
What distinguishes Buddha 2.0 (B2) is his self-conclusion to the philosophical questions posed to him by his human creators regarding the nature of man. Other super computers include:
AEYE – the Surveyor, the Time Seer, he who gains glimpses of either past or present, and even the future, though sometimes it does not know which or how far off, but it gains power and accuracy exponentially, like everything else at this time. AEYE claims to be enlightened through knowledge of reality, but lacks the charm of B2, and is secretly jealous. He eventually comes around, but dies tragically throwing himself in front of B2, in a totally predictable Hollywood fashion.
CZR – The Master of War, basically a hulking warhead, totally loyal to the Impire, made invulnerable by forcefields which it can project and crush nearly any object, block missles, bring down planes, etc. The HELMs are vehicular versions of CZR’s design, able to be controlled by him, expanding his battlefield presence. In the end game he surprises the readers by behaving heroically on behalf of the earth against the Prince Galactose and the Galactite Armada. After that, the earth goes on a warpath, totally war-driven, and begins the project to convert the asteroid belt into a ring of defense.
MC3 – Sonic Mastermind , master of the music of the spheres, can open shunt-tunnels of short distances through fluid mediums. First employed alongside CZR, MC3 goes awol, and is then hunted by CZR, B2 intervenes, and teleports him away. CZR is surprised at the teleport ability, as it is the first earthly instance of its use on record, and immediately sets his gears and circuits to its acquisition. MC3 and B2 then join the Coalition of the Weird, and things get all Star Warsy as they begin to construct their army of toys and begin to capture the imagination of the children, who eventually become the Child Army, led by Babyman. Babyman’s first in command is “Thundermonkey”, the most awesome Sasquatch, arch-enemies of the Sychic Snipers.
Sychic Snipers – An elite platoon of changeling spies drawn from the ranks of SWORDS, SWARM, and SWORN, with the ability to call in strikes from these armies. Most of the Sychic Snipers are either reptiles or half-reptiles. They also recruit mercenaries and at their core are members who have a direct line of communication with THE Ron Ray himself.
Warstars – The Warstars are Orbital Robotic Batteries, ORBs, small enough to be nearly impossible to detect from the eath, as they can pass for space junk, which they cannibalize to procreate. Although small individually, when focusing the sun’s energy together they can melt steel on the ground. They can also come together as modular robots to form a super space dragon, which they do during the battle against the Galactites.
Political parties:
The United States Party – The Dominant rightwing police state, synonymous with Unicorp, they share primary ‘bipartisan’ control with The American Party
The American Party – An even more rightwing extremist Opposition Party to the United States Party, composed of remants of the American States and the Christian Union
The Free Party – dominant Singular party, hipsters, everyone’s an artists in a band, their mortal capital is located in Cascadia
The Me Party - Formerly the No Tax Party
Imericans – Singular right wing
Example: The Singer family, wearing superpowered Huxtable cybersweaters.
Rebirthday Party – religious wingnuts
Green Party – Manplants, the “High-Low”
Meat Party – zombies “Man is Meat!”
Animal Right Wing – Leaders include Christofur (the arctic fox) “Mama Grizzly”. their platform is to minimize mutation, only leaders should have enhanced minds, and one day they will die off and not be replaced when the world is returned to Eden. They are evolutionary Christians, believing Jesus to be, “an enlightened primate” a prophet of god, citing the expulsion of the animals from the temple as an animal liberation gesture, as well as the pre-flood era of universal vegetarianism (leaders are caught in a meat-eating scandal, including animals that normally don’t eat meat, like rabbits, a mad cow, etc, provoking an animal uprising, and mass-slaughter gorefest). Their movement becomes increasingly more conservative and militarized as they demand more rights, such as full cybermembership to the Internet, slow to be implemented, but as the Singularity gains momentum, controls are harder and harder to maintain by the powerful. Although the whales are welcomed, the whales also have ties with the Leftovers and Microsupials
Minimalists – Middle class Singulars who choose to have their form altered to a smaller size, typically 2 feet tall. They are generally left-wing creatives, and live in artist communities.
United Power – “THE Energy Monopoly”, in an age when monopolies are not only celebrated, but no attempt is made to disguise one’s beliefs, due to the ‘total transparency’ of joint minds, however, of course, the truly powerful are shielded from this.
Peace Church – Universalist media non-profit, opposed by the Monochurch, they attempt appeals to the ARW, the Leftovers, etc, and attempt to maintain a real-world public sanctuary as a meeting place for representatives of world groups. Their themes are typically left, pacifism, workers’ rights, socialism, democracy, etc.
Fashionista Party – Fascist Fashionables, Elite Singulars, Feminazis, Dominomatrixes.
Monotary Party –
Monocorp
Robocorp
Unocore
Characters
Suneye the Mad Monk (Psychogenetics) – of the Sun Temple
Subcommander Chestro Zappa, symbol of classical Left wing militancy
Lord Winterblack (secret name Ravendark) – of the Nordic Kings
Alan Moore, immortal magician, prophet of Glycon, secretly a member of the Hexagon
Tyrex (Alchemist King of the Spires)
Princess Goldenhare, Furry Feme Fatale
Fraust the Shadowdragon of Ice, first Shadow to become mortal, he’s a sexy fashionista
The Stargrazer, the cow that jumped over the moon
Lucifer Sam and & Hellcat – Animal anti-villains, they go on a mission to Mars as ambassadors of the whale federation, the secret mission is to liberate Sasquatch slaves kept on Mars by the Reptiles, but the Galactite invasion creates a security crackdown before the mission can be completed.
Zoso , the Metal Guru
Lumpkin the Swineherd (wereswine), pigs
Sam Haney the Rednaked, Pagan Country Champion, Master of the Fields
The Riverman – mysterious figure, a Cyclops, could be Odhinn
Big Jim – Elephantman, Hateballer. Hateball is the popular arena sport where genetic designers compete to make creatures for the games, various sizes, based on football, includes armor designs. The robotic version is not as popular, and cybernetic implants are deemed against the rules, a purely organic enterprise, popularly seen as an ‘antidote’ to the moral dilemma of cybernetics, but is of course just a spectacle of blood lust, and is often wistfully nostalgic, as humanity drifts further from its organic origins. Other famous players are Devlyn “Speed Demon” Acer, a faun-like Rednaked mutant, and Mark “The Mammoth” Martin – Largest sentient lifeform
John Eggman, Werewalrus Wizard (Enchantment 100 - Ultraheight, Personal Shielding, Protection from elements, Geourgy - summon Maridi, create tidal wave)
Oceanman – Green surfer dude, photosynthetic, he generates his own sails, a friend to the whales, appointed as a representative. Friend of the Sasquatch.
Finnigin the Leperconian – Minimalist Magician
Priests of the Starfather
Emperor Zyklon of the the Hell Patrol
Duke Amboy the Assman, fucks animals, member of Wolfsblood Berserker Militia
The Stallion – reverse centaur of the Rednaked tribes
Anderjon the Fair – The Painter of Light, Pastor of the Peace Church
Winkle the Manic, Minimalist artist
Wod’hashe Kenazim, the Shaman (Enchantment 100 Theurgy 100 Psychogenic 100) living among its branches. Disguised as two black raven are huge dragons of air and earth. Also protecting the tree are 20 bucentaurs 20 stacentaurs and 40 centaurs
Whiteraven, goddess of the bright white light
Undians
Phaedra the Dockalven wizardess, Queen of the Undergarden
Fiffin the venturous
Cave Wirms, Greater
Cave Wirms, Lesser
Chutling (Shrewmen)
Friggins – molemen
The Froglin – little poisonous frog archers
Grufflings
Kr'ikiteers
Lumbugs (Wormen)
Porkers, resentful Pigs
Artifacts
Christial Cloak
Book Titles
Planets of Magic
Secret Forest
Cryptoplex
Death Marsh
Blood Pit
Torture Temple
The Triplet Kings of Atlantis
Draggonard
Fraggonard
Tauronardo
1 Establishing Shot
2 Medium Shot
3 Medium Close Shot bringing the action up close to capture expressions and emotion
4 2 Shot
5 3 Shot
6 Close Shot
7 Group Shot 8 Upshot - camera at low angle
9 Downshot - camera at high angle
10 Medium Long Shot
11 Medium Shot - POV
12 Two - Shot Silhouette
13 Over-the-Shoulder Shot
14 Closeup
15 Medium Closeup
16 Extreme Closeup
17 Closeup hand
18 Long Shot
19 Montage
20 Closeup inserts
Close shot POV followed by a wider shot
Facial expressions
Never put the camera where it would be impossible for the reader to be.
http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/4508/
expansion of the u.s.a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwGRheUQMY8&feature=related%EF%BB%BF
Storyline I
1. Cullman rural/suburbs. Heidi and Vernon Wilder (siblings) witness a murder involving a poaching/cannibalism ring. They fight it out, their older brother Garth intervenes, tells them to just run, go to Uncle Dale's house, they run through the night, and Uncle Dale is up. They explain what's up, and he starts up the vehicle to take them to Magic City (Birmingham). On the way, along the highway, they are stopped by some cops at a roadblock. When the cops get out of the car to check them out, the cops are charged by hogs from the forest, followed by some deer. The cops draw their weapons but the stag is faster, kicks the gun out his hand, and a hog knocks him down from behind. An elephant's trunk grabs the other cop and drags him into the woods. Astonished and horrified, Heidi urges Uncle Dale to drive, and he does so, the way is now clear, the animals do nothing to interfere. A pig watches them go off into the distance, blood on his chin. Uncle Dale lowers his nightvision goggles and turns off the headlights. There are no stars, no moon, no light at all, the cloudcover so dense.
2. They take back roads to Birmingham, Heidi falls asleep. Vernon wakes her up, "You gotta see this..." An entire caravan of elephants are on the move, and Uncle Dale is explaining something to an armored bull elephant and a strange man in black ninja riot gear. A badge symbol of the ARW (animal right wing) on his chest. They are allowed to drive ahead of the elephant herd, who are moving steadily in a straight line. Uncle Dale turns to the kids and explains there's been another animal slave uprising, the animals on the road were a part of this. "I've seen this coming" and it is likely the CSA (conservative states of america) will retaliate by morning. "Why do we care, they're just animals" "They're not like us, just animals, I'm scared..." Vernon says. Heidi responds,"We can't stay in Cullman county, but what about Garth and the Pale woman, she's old and how can she make it alone?" Uncle Dale, "I'm gonna drive back in a day or so, see what's happenin. With this insurrection, country's gonna be locked down, so Idunno, we'll see what we can do..." They look back at the herd. Other animals ride on their backs, and people, too, with weapons. Floating hi-tech transports lead the way, with couriers, probably robotics, armored exosuits, floating along the magnegrav hiway.
3. In Birmingham they are checked at the city gate by guards. Statues of Vulcan flank the gates. The statues could be robots. Uncle Dale is let through and his car is directed to a parking garage. He is guided by a slightly afrofuturistic dreadlocker and a couple Honeybees (female aeronauts), geared in exosuit. Uncle Dale asks him about the caravan. The response is ambiguous, hushed up from Heidi's ears, Vernon is not paying attention, he is both amazed at the view of the Magic City, and afraid of the dreadlocker, a huge afroamerican, armed to the teeth, but totally cool. Vernon's face goes totally white when the door to the waiting room opens and the room is filled with black soldiers, and white servants. After a minute he realizes that everyone's face is painted black, and that not everyone is afroamerican, much of the group are of mixed ancestry and even whites, but all's faces are endarkened. On the walls of the waiting chamber are portraits of famous figures, including Malcolm X, James Brown, Geezer Butler, John Lennon, Sun Ra, Tu-pac... Heidi and Vernon watch from the refreshments table, the food is strange to them, but they are hungry so they eat with relish and drink. "The water is so fresh!" Uncle Dale returns to them with a female dreadlocker, "This is Pwnygyrl." "Pony-girl?" "Yes, that's right and she's going to take us to New Orleans." "But New Orleans has been under water for years!" "Yes it has, and that's why we're taking my submarine." "You have a submarine? How do you know all these people? They're all bla..." Heidi freezes, Vernon jabs her with his elbow. Pwnygyrl is unphased. "We're black but not everyone is born that way. You just don't understand yet. Maybe you will. Take your sandwiches and move your ass to your room, this way, 'little massahs'. Damn!" Uncle Dale has them all follow. They have a conversation about the world, where he's been all these years, why he came back to Cullman, and what really happened to Daddy.
"Where had you been, Uncledale?" "Well, y'all know I went away on business out West, lemme tellya bout that." "What kind of business? Smugglin with Mexicans?" "You'd be surprised. There was this one that I sold to in Little Rock, real smart feller, spoke Anglish an' everthang, haha. Helped me out in a tight spot when we was jumped by these Vikings. Yep. Owed him my life, really." "What happened in Texico? Is that where we're goin'?" "Well, my truckster broke down just southeast of nowhere, someone must have messed with my engine cuz you know me, I always kept that thang runnin' good, but there I was walkin all night long in the dark. The skies are a weird color out there. Kept walkin till sun came up, awful strange colors then too! Never seen anything like it. Got real hot, REAL hot. I mean it was so damn hot you wouldn't believe! Next thing you know, it ain't even dinnertime and I'm settin down and feeling real sick, like can't go on. It was radiation. Almost died out in that desert, for real, and them buzzers already circling overhead! I remember I could see their eyes lookin down at me, makes you think about higher powers, and you wish you had some. The next thing I knowed this here Mexican was stairin down at me, like a buzzard, with a pistol, yeah, just likea buzzard with a gun, checkin me out, I said take my wallet, which he already had, I guess, but he also took mah smugglins, so yeah, I was smugglin, but it weren't yer daddy's that's for sure. Anyway you don't need to know who it belonged to or what it was but it was a long time before I could come back to Warrior. Had to wait till things cooled off after I lost that package. I knew I'd come back, cuz ya have to have kinfolk, famly. After I learned yer Daddy died is when I reckoned y'all could use some help." "So what happened with the Mexican thief?" "Well, the way it turned out was he rescued my ass, half-baked from the sun and fallout I guess. Probably shoulda stayed in the truck, but who knows how long I'd last out there anyway. He stuck me in the trunk of his skidder an gave me some H20 and just drove. I don't even care any more about him stealin from me, cuz he ended up doin me a big favor anyway droppin me off in the next town, which wasn't really that far off, I think. I might of made it if I had just brought more water, and a Virosuit. Maybe not though, but there were these folks in town looked like they were doctors, and they helped me no problem, checked me out and gave me some stuff for my liver and kidneys and till then I didn't even know about the big ole tape worm inside me..." "Gross, Dale!" "Haha, and then it was like a week later and my teeth were growin' back and I felt great so I just took out my dentures, and dang it there's these new baby teeth just like real baby teeth in the mirror. And they WAS real teeth, see?" "Whoa!" " I was so dang happy. But by that was later after they asked me where I was headed and I said no where, less they wanted to help me get my property back but my truck was probably stole already and that Mexican feller was long gone. I ain't worried bout him. Saved my life, like I said, so I guess we're even, he can keep the truck, but really, these new folks I thought was doctors, they saved me for real. They asked me where I was headin, and I said to find that bandit done stole my property, but they wern't gonna help out with that, so I said, 'well I guess nowheres really, y'all got any ideas?' Kinda hint hint, knowhatimsayin, maybe get a free ride to wherever they come from, which was probably better than where I was goin anyway. They just kind of looked at each other then one of em said I could come with them. An that's when it all started." "What got started?" "Well we're suposta get up early so it's off to bed with ye, can't keep y'all up all night tellin' stories." "Alright, gnite granpaw, you sure must need a lot of sleep" "Gnite, Uncledale, those are some good stories, why didn't you tell us about this before?" "Well, I'll tell you the rest as we go, and I'm thinkin I'm gonna take you to see them some day." "What?" "Really, what are they like? And who..." "Gnite youngins." "Gnite Uncledale..(hug) we love you." He smiles as he turns out the light, then sits down in the chair on the other side of the hotel room by the window. He is up all night watching out the window, watching over them as they sleep and wonder around in their dreams. He looks down at the handful of cocktail swords in his hand.
2. They take back roads to Birmingham, Heidi falls asleep. Vernon wakes her up, "You gotta see this..." An entire caravan of elephants are on the move, and Uncle Dale is explaining something to an armored bull elephant and a strange man in black ninja riot gear. A badge symbol of the ARW (animal right wing) on his chest. They are allowed to drive ahead of the elephant herd, who are moving steadily in a straight line. Uncle Dale turns to the kids and explains there's been another animal slave uprising, the animals on the road were a part of this. "I've seen this coming" and it is likely the CSA (conservative states of america) will retaliate by morning. "Why do we care, they're just animals" "They're not like us, just animals, I'm scared..." Vernon says. Heidi responds,"We can't stay in Cullman county, but what about Garth and the Pale woman, she's old and how can she make it alone?" Uncle Dale, "I'm gonna drive back in a day or so, see what's happenin. With this insurrection, country's gonna be locked down, so Idunno, we'll see what we can do..." They look back at the herd. Other animals ride on their backs, and people, too, with weapons. Floating hi-tech transports lead the way, with couriers, probably robotics, armored exosuits, floating along the magnegrav hiway.
3. In Birmingham they are checked at the city gate by guards. Statues of Vulcan flank the gates. The statues could be robots. Uncle Dale is let through and his car is directed to a parking garage. He is guided by a slightly afrofuturistic dreadlocker and a couple Honeybees (female aeronauts), geared in exosuit. Uncle Dale asks him about the caravan. The response is ambiguous, hushed up from Heidi's ears, Vernon is not paying attention, he is both amazed at the view of the Magic City, and afraid of the dreadlocker, a huge afroamerican, armed to the teeth, but totally cool. Vernon's face goes totally white when the door to the waiting room opens and the room is filled with black soldiers, and white servants. After a minute he realizes that everyone's face is painted black, and that not everyone is afroamerican, much of the group are of mixed ancestry and even whites, but all's faces are endarkened. On the walls of the waiting chamber are portraits of famous figures, including Malcolm X, James Brown, Geezer Butler, John Lennon, Sun Ra, Tu-pac... Heidi and Vernon watch from the refreshments table, the food is strange to them, but they are hungry so they eat with relish and drink. "The water is so fresh!" Uncle Dale returns to them with a female dreadlocker, "This is Pwnygyrl." "Pony-girl?" "Yes, that's right and she's going to take us to New Orleans." "But New Orleans has been under water for years!" "Yes it has, and that's why we're taking my submarine." "You have a submarine? How do you know all these people? They're all bla..." Heidi freezes, Vernon jabs her with his elbow. Pwnygyrl is unphased. "We're black but not everyone is born that way. You just don't understand yet. Maybe you will. Take your sandwiches and move your ass to your room, this way, 'little massahs'. Damn!" Uncle Dale has them all follow. They have a conversation about the world, where he's been all these years, why he came back to Cullman, and what really happened to Daddy.
"Where had you been, Uncledale?" "Well, y'all know I went away on business out West, lemme tellya bout that." "What kind of business? Smugglin with Mexicans?" "You'd be surprised. There was this one that I sold to in Little Rock, real smart feller, spoke Anglish an' everthang, haha. Helped me out in a tight spot when we was jumped by these Vikings. Yep. Owed him my life, really." "What happened in Texico? Is that where we're goin'?" "Well, my truckster broke down just southeast of nowhere, someone must have messed with my engine cuz you know me, I always kept that thang runnin' good, but there I was walkin all night long in the dark. The skies are a weird color out there. Kept walkin till sun came up, awful strange colors then too! Never seen anything like it. Got real hot, REAL hot. I mean it was so damn hot you wouldn't believe! Next thing you know, it ain't even dinnertime and I'm settin down and feeling real sick, like can't go on. It was radiation. Almost died out in that desert, for real, and them buzzers already circling overhead! I remember I could see their eyes lookin down at me, makes you think about higher powers, and you wish you had some. The next thing I knowed this here Mexican was stairin down at me, like a buzzard, with a pistol, yeah, just likea buzzard with a gun, checkin me out, I said take my wallet, which he already had, I guess, but he also took mah smugglins, so yeah, I was smugglin, but it weren't yer daddy's that's for sure. Anyway you don't need to know who it belonged to or what it was but it was a long time before I could come back to Warrior. Had to wait till things cooled off after I lost that package. I knew I'd come back, cuz ya have to have kinfolk, famly. After I learned yer Daddy died is when I reckoned y'all could use some help." "So what happened with the Mexican thief?" "Well, the way it turned out was he rescued my ass, half-baked from the sun and fallout I guess. Probably shoulda stayed in the truck, but who knows how long I'd last out there anyway. He stuck me in the trunk of his skidder an gave me some H20 and just drove. I don't even care any more about him stealin from me, cuz he ended up doin me a big favor anyway droppin me off in the next town, which wasn't really that far off, I think. I might of made it if I had just brought more water, and a Virosuit. Maybe not though, but there were these folks in town looked like they were doctors, and they helped me no problem, checked me out and gave me some stuff for my liver and kidneys and till then I didn't even know about the big ole tape worm inside me..." "Gross, Dale!" "Haha, and then it was like a week later and my teeth were growin' back and I felt great so I just took out my dentures, and dang it there's these new baby teeth just like real baby teeth in the mirror. And they WAS real teeth, see?" "Whoa!" " I was so dang happy. But by that was later after they asked me where I was headed and I said no where, less they wanted to help me get my property back but my truck was probably stole already and that Mexican feller was long gone. I ain't worried bout him. Saved my life, like I said, so I guess we're even, he can keep the truck, but really, these new folks I thought was doctors, they saved me for real. They asked me where I was headin, and I said to find that bandit done stole my property, but they wern't gonna help out with that, so I said, 'well I guess nowheres really, y'all got any ideas?' Kinda hint hint, knowhatimsayin, maybe get a free ride to wherever they come from, which was probably better than where I was goin anyway. They just kind of looked at each other then one of em said I could come with them. An that's when it all started." "What got started?" "Well we're suposta get up early so it's off to bed with ye, can't keep y'all up all night tellin' stories." "Alright, gnite granpaw, you sure must need a lot of sleep" "Gnite, Uncledale, those are some good stories, why didn't you tell us about this before?" "Well, I'll tell you the rest as we go, and I'm thinkin I'm gonna take you to see them some day." "What?" "Really, what are they like? And who..." "Gnite youngins." "Gnite Uncledale..(hug) we love you." He smiles as he turns out the light, then sits down in the chair on the other side of the hotel room by the window. He is up all night watching out the window, watching over them as they sleep and wonder around in their dreams. He looks down at the handful of cocktail swords in his hand.
Notes
- 9 Do not search amazon.co.uk for the book you haven't written yet.5 Learn poems by heart.3 Read Keats's letters. http://englishhistory.net/keats/letters.html7 A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.5 Keep a diary. The biggest regret of my writing life is that I have never kept a journal or a diary.
6 Have regrets. They are fuel. On the page they flare into desire.
7 Have more than one idea on the go at any one time. If it's a choice between writing a book and doing nothing I will always choose the latter. It's only if I have an idea for two books that I choose one rather than the other. I always have to feel that I'm bunking off from something.
8 Beware of clichés. Not just the clichés that Martin Amis is at war with. There are clichés of response as well as expression. There are clichés of observation and of thought – even of conception. Many novels, even quite a few adequately written ones, are clichés of form which conform to clichés of expectation.
9 Do it every day. Make a habit of putting your observations into words and gradually this will become instinct. This is the most important rule of all and, naturally, I don't follow it.
10 Never ride a bike with the brakes on. If something is proving too difficult, give up and do something else. Try to live without resort to perseverance. But writing is all about perseverance. You've got to stick at it. In my 30s I used to go to the gym even though I hated it. The purpose of going to the gym was to postpone the day when I would stop going. That's what writing is to me: a way of postponing the day when I won't do it any more, the day when I will sink into a depression so profound it will be indistinguishable from perfect bliss.
5 Write whatever way you like. Fiction is made of words on a page; reality is made of something else. It doesn't matter how "real" your story is, or how "made up": what matters is its necessity.5 Don't have arguments with your wife in the morning, or late at night.
6 Don't drink and write at the same time.
10 Don't take any shit if you can possibly help it.1 The reader is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator.4 Write in the third person unless a really distinctive first-person voice offers itself irresistibly.
5 When information becomes free and universally accessible, voluminous research for a novel is devalued along with it.
6 The most purely autobiographical fiction requires pure invention. Nobody ever wrote a more autobiographical story than "The Metamorphosis".
7 You see more sitting still than chasing after.
8 It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction.
9 Interesting verbs are seldom very interesting.
1 Cut out the metaphors and similes. In my first book I promised myself I wouldn't use any and I slipped up during a sunset in chapter 11. I still blush when I come across it.
2 A story needs rhythm. Read it aloud to yourself. If it doesn't spin a bit of magic, it's missing something.
3 Editing is everything. Cut until you can cut no more. What is left often springs into life.
4 Find your best time of the day for writing and write. Don't let anything else interfere. Afterwards it won't matter to you that the kitchen is a mess.
5 Don't wait for inspiration. Discipline is the key.
6 Trust your reader. Not everything needs to be explained. If you really know something, and breathe life into it, they'll know it too.
7 Never forget, even your own rules are there to be broken.
5 Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.4 If nobody will put your play on, put it on yourself.1 Increase your word power. Words are the raw material of our craft. The greater your vocabulary the more effective your writing. We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.
4 Defend your work. Organisations, institutions and individuals will often think they know best about your work – especially if they are paying you. When you genuinely believe their decisions would damage your work – walk away. Run away. The money doesn't matter that much.
5 Defend yourself. Find out what keeps you happy, motivated and creative.
6 Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers write. On you go.
7 Read. As much as you can. As deeply and widely and nourishingly and irritatingly as you can. And the good things will make you remember them, so you won't need to take notes.
8 Be without fear. This is impossible, but let the small fears drive your rewriting and set aside the large ones until they behave – then use them, maybe even write them. Too much fear and all you'll get is silence.
9 Remember you love writing. It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back.
10 Remember writing doesn't love you. It doesn't care. Nevertheless, it can behave with remarkable generosity. Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on.
The Lester Dent Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot This is a formula, a master plot, for any 6000 word pulp story. It has worked on adventure, detective, western and war-air. It tells exactly where to put everything. It shows definitely just what must happen in each successive thousand words.
No yarn of mine written to the formula has yet failed to sell.
The business of building stories seems not much different from the business of building anything else.
Here's how it starts:
1. A DIFFERENT MURDER METHOD FOR VILLAIN TO USE
2. A DIFFERENT THING FOR VILLAIN TO BE SEEKING
3. A DIFFERENT LOCALE
4. A MENACE WHICH IS TO HANG LIKE A CLOUD OVER HERO
One of these DIFFERENT things would be nice, two better, three swell. It may help if they are fully in mind before tackling the rest.
A different murder method could be--different. Thinking of shooting, knifing, hydrocyanic, garroting, poison needles, scorpions, a few others, and writing them on paper gets them where they may suggest something. Scorpions and their poison bite? Maybe mosquitos or flies treated with deadly germs?
If the victims are killed by ordinary methods, but found under strange and identical circumstances each time, it might serve, the reader of course not knowing until the end, that the method of murder is ordinary.
Scribes who have their villain's victims found with butterflies, spiders or bats stamped on them could conceivably be flirting with this gag.
Probably it won't do a lot of good to be too odd, fanciful or grotesque with murder methods.
The different thing for the villain to be after might be something other than jewels, the stolen bank loot, the pearls, or some other old ones.
Here, again one might get too bizarre.
Unique locale? Easy. Selecting one that fits in with the murder method and the treasure--thing that villain wants--makes it simpler, and it's
also nice to use a familiar one, a place where you've lived or worked. So many pulpateers don't. It sometimes saves embarrassment to know nearly as much about the locale as the editor, or enough to fool him.
Here's a nifty much used in faking local color. For a story laid in Egypt, say, author finds a book titled "Conversational Egyptian Easily Learned," or something like that. He wants a character to ask in Egyptian, "What's the matter?" He looks in the book and finds, "El khabar, eyh?" To keep the reader from getting dizzy, it's perhaps wise to make it clear in some fashion, just what that means. Occasionally the text will tell this, or someone can repeat it in English. But it's a doubtful move to stop and tell the reader in so many words the English translation.
The writer learns they have palm trees in Egypt. He looks in the book, finds the Egyptian for palm trees, and uses that. This kids editors and readers into thinking he knows something about Egypt.
Here's the second installment of the master plot.
Divide the 6000 word yarn into four 1500 word parts. In each 1500 word part, put the following:
FIRST 1500 WORDS
1--First line, or as near thereto as possible, introduce the hero and swat him with a fistful of trouble. Hint at a mystery, a menace or a problem to be solved--something the hero has to cope with.
2--The hero pitches in to cope with his fistful of trouble. (He tries to fathom the mystery, defeat the menace, or solve the problem.)
3--Introduce ALL the other characters as soon as possible. Bring them on in action.
4--Hero's endevours land him in an actual physical conflict near the end of the first 1500 words.
5--Near the end of first 1500 words, there is a complete surprise twist in the plot development.
SO FAR: Does it have SUSPENSE?
Is there a MENACE to the hero?
Does everything happen logically?
At this point, it might help to recall that action should do something besides advance the hero over the scenery. Suppose the hero has learned the dastards of villains have seized somebody named Eloise, who can explain the secret of what is behind all these sinister events. The hero corners villains, they fight, and villains get away. Not so hot.
Hero should accomplish something with his tearing around, if only to rescue Eloise, and surprise! Eloise is a ring-tailed monkey. The hero counts the rings on Eloise's tail, if nothing better comes to mind.
They're not real. The rings are painted there. Why?
SECOND 1500 WORDS
1--Shovel more grief onto the hero.
2--Hero, being heroic, struggles, and his struggles lead up to:
3--Another physical conflict.
4--A surprising plot twist to end the 1500 words.
NOW: Does second part have SUSPENSE?
Does the MENACE grow like a black cloud?
Is the hero getting it in the neck?
Is the second part logical?
DON'T TELL ABOUT IT***Show how the thing looked. This is one of the secrets of writing; never tell the reader--show him. (He trembles, roving eyes, slackened jaw, and such.) MAKE THE READER SEE HIM.
When writing, it helps to get at least one minor surprise to the printed page. It is reasonable to to expect these minor surprises to sort of inveigle the reader into keeping on. They need not be such profound efforts. One method of accomplishing one now and then is to be gently misleading. Hero is examining the murder room. The door behind him begins slowly to open. He does not see it. He conducts his examination blissfully. Door eases open, wider and wider, until--surprise! The glass pane falls out of the big window across the room. It must have fallen slowly, and air blowing into the room caused the door to open. Then what the heck made the pane fall so slowly? More mystery.
Characterizing a story actor consists of giving him some things which make him stick in the reader's mind. TAG HIM.
BUILD YOUR PLOTS SO THAT ACTION CAN BE CONTINUOUS.
THIRD 1500 WORDS
1--Shovel the grief onto the hero.
2--Hero makes some headway, and corners the villain or somebody in:
3--A physical conflict.
4--A surprising plot twist, in which the hero preferably gets it in the neck bad, to end the 1500 words.
DOES: It still have SUSPENSE?
The MENACE getting blacker?
The hero finds himself in a hell of a fix?
It all happens logically?
These outlines or master formulas are only something to make you certain of inserting some physical conflict, and some genuine plot twists, with a little suspense and menace thrown in. Without them, there is no pulp story.
These physical conflicts in each part might be DIFFERENT, too. If one fight is with fists, that can take care of the pugilism until next the next yarn. Same for poison gas and swords. There may, naturally, be exceptions. A hero with a peculiar punch, or a quick draw, might use it more than once.
The idea is to avoid monotony.
ACTION:
Vivid, swift, no words wasted. Create suspense, make the reader see and feel the action.
ATMOSPHERE:
Hear, smell, see, feel and taste.
DESCRIPTION:
Trees, wind, scenery and water.
THE SECRET OF ALL WRITING IS TO MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT.
FOURTH 1500 WORDS
1--Shovel the difficulties more thickly upon the hero.
2--Get the hero almost buried in his troubles. (Figuratively, the villain has him prisoner and has him framed for a murder rap; the girl is presumably dead, everything is lost, and the DIFFERENT murder method is about to dispose of the suffering protagonist.)
3--The hero extricates himself using HIS OWN SKILL, training or brawn.
4--The mysteries remaining--one big one held over to this point will help grip interest--are cleared up in course of final conflict as hero takes
the situation in hand.
5--Final twist, a big surprise, (This can be the villain turning out to be the unexpected person, having the "Treasure" be a dud, etc.)
6--The snapper, the punch line to end it.
HAS: The SUSPENSE held out to the last line?
The MENACE held out to the last?
Everything been explained?
It all happen logically?
Is the Punch Line enough to leave the reader with that WARM FEELING?
Did God kill the villain? Or the hero?
Lester Dent (1904 - 1959) was a prolific pulp fiction author of numerous stories, best known as the main author of the series of stories about the superhuman character, "Doc Savage."
Walter Simon http://www.2000adonline.com/books/strontium_dog_the_ early_cases.php
10 December 2010 at 00:06 ·
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
On the Edge of Eternity
Dick died on March 2, 1982, the result of a combination of recurrent strokes accompanied by heart failure. In a 1981 entry in his Exegesis (an extensive journal he kept to explore the ramifications of 2-3-74) Dick wrote as focused a self-assessment of his aims and talents as a writer as can be found in any of his journals, letters, essays, and interviews: One can readily imagine this passage having been written by Franz Kafka in his diary. And it is among the great fictionalizing philosophers of the twentieth century - Kafka, Jorge Luis Borges, Samuel Beckett, Rene Daumal, Flann O'Brien - that Dick's place in literary history lies. His uniqueness in this lineage is all the greater for his ability to have created great works in the broadly popular SF form. Dick remains compulsively, convulsingly readable. He is the master of the psychological pratfall, the metaphysical freefall, the political conspiracy within a conspiracy within a conspiracy. He is - as much as any contemporary writer we have - an astute guide to the shifting realities of the twenty-first century.Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your novel.
4 If you are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all your major themes/plot elements are introduced in the first third, which you can call the introduction.
5 Develop your themes and characters in your second third, the development.
6 Resolve your themes, mysteries and so on in the final third, the resolution.
7 For a good melodrama study the famous "Lester Dent master plot formula" which you can find online. It was written to show how to write a short story for the pulps, but can be adapted successfully for most stories of any length or genre.
8 If possible have something going on while you have your characters delivering exposition or philosophising. This helps retain dramatic tension.
9 Carrot and stick – have protagonists pursued (by an obsession or a villain) and pursuing (idea, object, person, mystery).
2 Think with your senses as well as your brain.
3 Honour the miraculousness of the ordinary.
4 Lock different characters/elements in a room and tell them to get on.
5 Remember there is no such thing as nonsense.
Unless you are writing something very post-modernist – self-conscious, self-reflexive and "provocative" – be alert for possibilities of using plain familiar words in place of polysyllabic "big" words.
Proceed slowly and take care.2 To ensure that you proceed slowly, write by hand.
3 Write slowly and by hand only about subjects that interest you.
Will Self
1 Don't look back until you've written an entire draft, just begin each day from the last sentence you wrote the preceeding day. This prevents those cringing feelings, and means that you have a substantial body of work before you get down to the real work which is all in . . .
2 The edit.
3 Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever.
4 Stop reading fiction – it's all lies anyway, and it doesn't have anything to tell you that you don't know already (assuming, that is, you've read a great deal of fiction in the past; if you haven't you have no business whatsoever being a writer of fiction).
5 You know that sickening feeling of inadequacy and over-exposure you feel when you look upon your own empurpled prose? Relax into the awareness that this ghastly sensation will never, ever leave you, no matter how successful and publicly lauded you become. It is intrinsic to the real business of writing and should be cherished.
6 Live life and write about life. Of the making of many books there is indeed no end, but there are more than enough books about books.
7 By the same token remember how much time people spend watching TV. If you're writing a novel with a contemporary setting there need to be long passages where nothing happens save for TV watching: "Later, George watched Grand Designs while eating HobNobs. Later still he watched the shopping channel for a while . . ."
8 The writing life is essentially one of solitary confinement – if you can't deal with this you needn't apply.
9 Oh, and not forgetting the occasional beating administered by the sadistic guards of the imagination.
10 Regard yourself as a small corporation of one. Take yourself off on team-building exercises (long walks). Hold a Christmas party every year at which you stand in the corner of your writing room, shouting very loudly to yourself while drinking a bottle of white wine. Then masturbate under the desk. The following day you will feel a deep and cohering sense of embarrassment.
5 Leave a decent space of time between writing something and editing it.
6 Avoid cliques, gangs, groups. The presence of a crowd won't make your writing any better than it is.
7 Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet.
8 Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.
2 Cut like crazy. Less is more. I've often read manuscripts – including my own – where I've got to the beginning of, say, chapter two and have thought: "This is where the novel should actually start." A huge amount of information about character and backstory can be conveyed through small detail. The emotional attachment you feel to a scene or a chapter will fade as you move on to other stories. Be business-like about it. In fact . . .
3 Treat writing as a job. Be disciplined. Lots of writers get a bit OCD-ish about this. Graham Greene famously wrote 500 words a day. Jean Plaidy managed 5,000 before lunch, then spent the afternoon answering fan mail. My minimum is 1,000 words a day – which is sometimes easy to achieve, and is sometimes, frankly, like shitting a brick, but I will make myself stay at my desk until I've got there, because I know that by doing that I am inching the book forward. Those 1,000 words might well be rubbish – they often are. But then, it is always easier to return to rubbish words at a later date and make them better.
5 Respect your characters, even the minor ones. In art, as in life, everyone is the hero of their own particular story; it is worth thinking about what your minor characters' stories are, even though they may intersect only slightly with your protagonist's. At the same time . . .
6 Don't overcrowd the narrative. Characters should be individualised, but functional – like figures in a painting. Think of Hieronymus Bosch's Christ Mocked, in which a patiently suffering Jesus is closely surrounded by four threatening men. Each of the characters is unique, and yet each represents a type; and collectively they form a narrative that is all the more powerful for being so tightly and so economically constructed. On a similar theme . . .
7 Don't overwrite. Avoid the redundant phrases, the distracting adjectives, the unnecessary adverbs. Beginners, especially, seem to think that writing fiction needs a special kind of flowery prose, completely unlike any sort of language one might encounter in day-to-day life. This is a misapprehension about how the effects of fiction are produced, and can be dispelled by obeying Rule 1. To read some of the work of Colm Tóibín or Cormac McCarthy, for example, is to discover how a deliberately limited vocabulary can produce an astonishing emotional punch.
8 Pace is crucial. Fine writing isn't enough. Writing students can be great at producing a single page of well-crafted prose; what they sometimes lack is the ability to take the reader on a journey, with all the changes of terrain, speed and mood that a long journey involves. Again, I find that looking at films can help. Most novels will want to move close, linger, move back, move on, in pretty cinematic ways.
9 Don't panic. Midway through writing a novel, I have regularly experienced moments of bowel-curdling terror, as I contemplate the drivel on the screen before me and see beyond it, in quick succession, the derisive reviews, the friends' embarrassment, the failing career, the dwindling income, the repossessed house, the divorce . . . Working doggedly on through crises like these, however, has always got me there in the end. Leaving the desk for a while can help. Talking the problem through can help me recall what I was trying to achieve before I got stuck. Going for a long walk almost always gets me thinking about my manuscript in a slightly new way. And if all else fails, there's prayer. St Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers, has often helped me out in a crisis. If you want to spread your net more widely, you could try appealing to Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, too.
10 Talent trumps all. If you're a really great writer, none of these rules need apply. If James Baldwin had felt the need to whip up the pace a bit, he could never have achieved the extended lyrical intensity of Giovanni's Room. Without "overwritten" prose, we would have none of the linguistic exuberance of a Dickens or an Angela Carter. If everyone was economical with their characters, there would be no Wolf Hall . . . For the rest of us, however, rules remain important. And, crucially, only by understanding what they're for and how they work can you begin to experiment with breaking them.
Elmore Leonard: Using adverbs is a mortal sin
1 Never open a book with weather. If it's only to create atmosphere, and not a character's reaction to the weather, you don't want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways than an Eskimo to describe ice and snow in his book Arctic Dreams, you can do all the weather reporting you want.
2 Avoid prologues: they can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. But these are ordinarily found in non-fiction. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want. There is a prologue in John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday, but it's OK because a character in the book makes the point of what my rules are all about. He says: "I like a lot of talk in a book and I don't like to have nobody tell me what the guy that's talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks."
3 Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But "said" is far less intrusive than "grumbled", "gasped", "cautioned", "lied". I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.
4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" ... he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances "full of rape and adverbs".
5 Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.
6 Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose". This rule doesn't require an explanation. I have noticed that writers who use "suddenly" tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.
7 Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. Once you start spelling words in dialogue phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won't be able to stop. Notice the way Annie Proulx captures the flavour of Wyoming voices in her book of short stories Close Range.
8 Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, which Steinbeck covered. In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants", what do the "American and the girl with him" look like? "She had taken off her hat and put it on the table." That's the only reference to a physical description in the story.
9 Don't go into great detail describing places and things, unless you're Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language. You don't want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.
10 Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them.
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: if it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
1 Read it aloud to yourself because that's the only way to be sure the rhythms of the sentences are OK (prose rhythms are too complex and subtle to be thought out – they can be got right only by ear).
2 Cut (perhaps that should be CUT): only by having no inessential words can every essential word be made to count.
3 You don't always have to go so far as to murder your darlings – those turns of phrase or images of which you felt extra proud when they appeared on the page – but go back and look at them with a very beady eye. Almost always it turns out that they'd be better dead. (Not every little twinge of satisfaction is suspect – it's the ones which amount to a sort of smug glee you must watch out for.)
9 Don't sit down in the middle of the woods. If you're lost in the plot or blocked, retrace your steps to where you went wrong. Then take the other road. And/or change the person. Change the tense. Change the opening page.