In The Android’s Dream There is a minor but important character, named Sam, who’s gender is never identified. There are several readers, myself included, who were under the impression that there is a single passage where the masculine pronoun is used to refer to Sam. Since Sam is in a relationship with a less minor character named Harry McClellan (who is clearly identified as male), Sam’s gender could mean something about Harry. Is Harry gay?

In the end it doesn’t matter. Dream‘s author, John Scalzi, realized this and after writing an entire scene without once identifying Sam’s gender, he stopped and thought, “‘Hmmm, that’s interesting, I wonder what sex Sam is,’ and then I thought ‘Hey, I wonder if I can pull off not saying what sex Sam is all the way through the book’.” (This is all according to Scalzi’s blog, I’m not making his reactions up).

I bring this up because of the last thing Scalzi writes in that blog entry: “And then, when you’ve settled the question of ‘What Sex is Sam Berlant?’ to your personal satisfaction, you can ask yourself another question about The Android’s Dream: What color is its hero, Harry Creek?”

Good question. He never describes it. Yet no one even talks about it until Scalzi points it out to you.

Because his skin color is irrelevant.

There’s not issues of racism within the human species. There’s no cultural information important to character or plot or setting. It’s a non-issue.

So we come to what’s brought this up. There’s a lot of complaints going around the Internet (and by “around the Internet” i mean “my friends on Twitter” — I’m too insular to look further than that) about the “white-washing” (ie, the portrayal of characters of varying ethnicities with white actors) of The Last Airbender.

I’ve never watched Avatar, cartoon or movie. So I don’t know how egregious a crime this is.

I will say this. I assume, most of the time, that a character in an anime is Japanese until I’m given reason otherwise. They aren’t big on accurate portrayal of racial characteristics. Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach has orange hair. It’s not just a visual convention, they refer to the color in dialog in the anime. But he’s clearly Japanese. So when someone wants to make a character with big eyes and blue hair, and someone adapts it for the screen and chooses a white actor. Are they really doing much to change the work?

I argue no, with certain obvious exceptions. If the ethnicity of the character comes into play, as a character driving factor, or an element of the plot, or a flavor for the setting. You are making changes to the main work just by changing the skin color of the actor you use, whether you are doing it on purpose or not.

But such is not the case every time it happens. Shakespeare is performed constantly with different colored actors in various roles. Most of the time it doesn’t matter. If you get a white guy to play Othello, on the other hand, you’ve got a play that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

My favorite case in point is Ursula LeGuin. She complained noisily when Sci-Fi made a movie of Wizard of Earthsea using a white actor in the lead role. In the Earthsea books, it’s a stated fact that most of the characters have dark skin. LeGuin takes umbrage and claims they make thematic changes to the story by this decision.

But she’s wrong.

Yes, she describes her characters with dark skin. But that’s where it ends. It’s a standard fantasy setting, plus islands. It has no overtones of Polynesian culture or plot. It has no themes of any other race either. In fact, they build castles, which is not something islanders I’ve heard of have ever done. Sure, there were fortresses built in the Caribbean, but they were built by white Europeans.

So what, exactly, is the damage done if a producer chooses a white actor to play Ged?

None, really.

So let me break it down. Am I claiming that “white washing” is a non issue? No. Far from it. The term itself bothers me on many levels for the implications it has. White Washing is especially bad when it is used to eliminate cultural information to make it more marketable. If you’re saying that about a producer, you should be careful. Accusing someone of intentional racism is a serious charge.

But is every time they change a skin color a case of rewriting a work and participating in the suppression of minorities? I don’t think so.

Because I am, apparently, a cynical person, I have to always first mention the specific things that distracted me. Don’t worry, I’ll leave aside things I’ve mentioned before.

It seems that Warren is advocating a bit of predestination here. Did God plan every choice I’ll make? And if so, do I really have any choices? And if not, then why does it matter if I’m obedient? This sort of question bothers me because it gets at the core of justice, mercy, and identity. If I don’t have freedom to choose, then how can God be just if I “choose” not to follow him and he punishes me for it? There’s a fine line Warren approaches here, and his lack of subtlety worries me that he teaches the wrong part.

Not that I’m advocating any lack of omniscience in God. He certainly knows what choices we will make, because he does know us better than we know ourselves. He did plan our identities. He planned our spirits and planned the bodies we would inhabit. He knew what our capabilities would be and planned to put us in situations that would best teach us and let us use those abilities to further his work.

Again delving into my own religion and not general Christian beliefs, I believe in a pre-earth life. God created our spirits and we lived with Him for a time before we were sent to live in our physical bodies. In that time, He chose some of us as prophets, as leaders, and so on. How detailed was this foreordination? I’m not sure. It was not something forced upon us, but a calling, and it is something we could then and still now can reject by our choices. If we choose not to follow Christ, then we lose the privilege of the blessings he set before us.

When I was 18 I received a patriarchal blessing. (Don’t worry, I’ll bring this all back again). A patriarch in the LDS church is a priesthood holder set apart to give blessings of instruction and insight. These blessings are much like those given by Adam to his seed, or by Isaac to Jacob, or by Jacob (Israel) to his sons. Anyway, in mind I was told that God knew me in the pre-earth life, and that He “observed my humility and diligence.”

It’s ok, you can laugh now. Knowing me you know that I am neither humble nor particularly diligent.

I had a discussion once with a mission companion. He was struggling with obeying the rules strictly. He said “that’s just not me.” And that’s when it all came clear to me. Maybe I wasn’t living life in a particularly humble or diligent manner. But God knows me better than I know myself. Inside, my spirit, my core, I had a humble nature. I just have lived on Earth in a way to bury it.

God knows what we’re capable of, and He has set us so that our strengths, and even our weaknesses, can be used for His work.

So the point of the chapter is that we’re not an accident. God knew, planned on, in fact, the adverse circumstances we would be in. Out sorrows and disadvantages are not punishments. They are the things God knew would be able to pull our best selves out.

So:

Point to Ponder: I am not an Accident.
My compulsive tendencies, my ADHD, these are not curses. These are the things God gave to test and try me. And given those traits, which God planned in me, I am suited for the purposes he has for me. I’m not unwanted, no matter how the world around me makes me feel. In fact, I am needed.

Verse to Remember: Isaiah 44:2 (KJV version): “Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb.”
God planned me before I was even born. Before I was even conceived in fact.

Question to Consider: I know that God uniquely created me. What arezas of my personality, background, and phsyical appearance am I struggling to accept?
Well, as I mentioned before, I have personality disorders: Depression, ADHD, compulsive tendencies. These are not just things that I’ve developed, they are a part of my genetic makeup. Do thy cause unhappiness? Sometimes. But part of the plan God has is learning to cope with these things, or even use them. I have become largely at peace with a lot of them, at least in terms of how I think of myself. I still struggle with adjusting my life to live with them appropriately.

I had a discussion recently about the temptations of Christ. Not the movie. But the temptations we actually have recorded in scripture.

Christ is the example. He’s shown us the way in all things. It’s a nice principle to think of, but it’s also one we need to study for it to be of any worth. It is one thing to say He leads us; it’s another entirely to understand enough to use it.

Christ spent forty days in the desert fasting (Matthew 4:1-2). At the close of this spiritual preparation, Satan appeared and tempted him three times. The first temptation used his mortal frailties against him – he told Jesus to prove he was the Son of God by turning the rocks to bread (v. 3). Christ responded by quoting scripture (v. 4). Then Satan told Jesus to prove he was the Son of God by jumping from the pinnacle of the temple (v. 6). Again Jesus quoted scripture (v. 7). Finally, Satan told Jesus he would give all the kingdoms and riches of the world if he, Jesus, would worship him (v. 9). Jesus told him to go away, and backed it up with scripture (v. 10).

The first, rather obvious, example that comes to us here is to read the scriptures. In all three instances He quotes scripture as part of his rebuttal. That alone is a way to counteract the temptations of the devil. When we read scripture we can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit’s presence can go a long way to removing the feelings of temptation and replacing them with better feelings.

But He doesn’t just quote random scriptures. He quoted scriptures that were relevant to the situation and the deeper situation. When tempted to turn stones to bread, he quoted what is now Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This is, at the very least, a witty response, to quote a scripture about bread when tempted to abuse his godly power to create bread. It shows a deep familiarity with the scriptures. But even more so, the passage in Deuteronomy is talking about when God created manna for the Israelites ─ when bread was miraculously created for them in the desert. Christ knew, this of course. He was showing that he understood why this would be an abuse of his power. He was aware of the context and the similarities, and He knew when it was appropriate and when it wouldn’t be to use his power. Clearly, He was able of surviving without having bread right at the moment. Yet after forty days without food, can we really argue that He didn’t have a need? At the very least, a compelling want.

Throughout these temptations, the challenge is very explicitly to the faith Jesus had in his calling. Was He truly the Son of God, Savior of the world? If so, prove it! Satan is casting doubt, much in the way a child would on the playground. When they are at the pinnacle of the temple, he says “If you’re the Son of God, then God won’t let you get hurt. Jump off and angels will catch you.” He even quotes scripture to back it up ─ a passage from the ninety-first Psalm, which is a prophecy about Christ.

Christ is equally sly in his response, however. He quotes a passage from Deuteronomy again: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord they God (6:16). The passage refers to when the people made a golden idol to worship while Moses was receiving the ten commandments. They “tempted” the Lord in that they were testing the boundaries. How far could they go before there was some sort of punishment. In Deuteronomy the Lord tells them not to do that sort of thing. Don’t test where the line is, just stay well within it. Would angels have caught Him? Well, sure. But Christ didn’t need to prove his divinity, least of all to Satan. Not even to Himself. He knew who He was and didn’t need a miracle to prove it. Some say that faith precedes the miracle, but in some cases, faith might preclude the need for a miracle.

Last is the temptation that I, personally, understand least. Satan offers Christ, literally, the world. Now, I have no doubt that Satan was capable of delivering. At least in the immediate sense. If he couldn’t, that would have been the most incredible bluff ─ which hardly disqualifies the possibility. Satan is, after all, the father of lies. But it was a question of patience. Christ framed the world. It was all his anyway. All the rulers in the world reigned at his sufferance. I think that this temptation was more than just a test of patience. It centered on the Atonement itself.

In his mortal life, Christ descended below them all, and as a result, He was crowned with glory, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But in order to return to His Father and receive His reward, He had to fulfill His mission. He had to suffer more than any mortal man could bear. Satan was hoping that by offering Jesus the kingdoms and riches of the world, he could make Jesus think he would bypass that suffering and receive the reward.

Christ is better than that. And this time, he doesn’t just quote scripture. And when he does it’s more abrupt ─ no clever explanations, simply “Thou shalt worship the Lord they God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Straight up, one of the ten commandments. A simple “That would be wrong.” But He preludes the scripture with “Get thee hence.” No more indulging the temptation. “Go away!”

I confess that I think a little of Smeagol when I think of this. “Go away, and never come back.” But it’s a useful comparison. Too often do we indulge the temptations that beset us, and then bemoan the fact that we succumbed. And then we often even have the gall to wonder why we succumb to temptation. We succumb because we let it stay on our mind!

Well could we learn from the example of the Savior and say to our temptation “Get thee hence!”

Being LDS, this chapter grates a little. Not a lot, but the feeling is probably why I didn’t get further than the first chapter the last time I tried this.

Not that I disagree with any doctrinal point I can indicate here, at least, none which comes to mine. It’s the tone it strikes. (Also, I have a strong preference for the King James Version of the Bible — it’s what I’m comfortable with and I think it sounds better than any of the modern versions, which sound silly to me.)

No, I think the biggest thing that gets to me is this string of six words: “It’s far greater than your family.” And on the surface, that’s true. Ultimately, the Plan of God is much greater than my family. But what that sentence connotes is pretty disagreeable.

God’s purpose for me is inextricably intertwined with my family. Whatever ultimate plan He has for me, what He wants me to do, will have to do with my family. Yeah, it’s not just my family. But starting off with saying that it’s far greater than my family seems to turn my attention too far away from my family.

Also, our desires and interests are involved with the purpose God has for us. Our talents and abilities and passions can be used for God’s work, and there’s hardly a reason why he wouldn’t use that. Certainly we are required to align our will with the Lord’s, not the other way around. And if our values don’t match His, we have the wrong values. But when our hobbies, interests, and skills do not contradict His commandments, why wouldn’t an omnipotent Creator seek to use those abilities rather than have us ignore them? They’re part of the spiritual gifts He has given to us, after all.

However, a lot of that can seem like picking at nits. The main thrust of the chapter is to find our purpose from God. Just because I take issue with the feeling of his tone doesn’t mean that Warren is wrong in his meaning.

He’s right of course that unless the help is grounded in God’s plan, self-actualization isn’t going to get you to your purpose. He’s right that focusing on our own plan and will isn’t going to get us to fulfillment. If they are saying “I think” or “I believe” it’s not really coming from God’s word. And, in the end, his point to ponder is a good one. “It’s not about me.” It really isn’t.

Maybe I’m just a cynic, but the reasoning in the chapter is weak. The examples, while sometimes illustrative, aren’t very meaningful. And that’s irritating, because this chapter could have been so powerful. “There is an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life. It’s revelation.” That’s very strong. The word of God is powerful and sharper than any sword. Using it would be a lot more helpful than the simplistic examples I see here. Instead of telling us a story about being lost on a mountain to introduce a cliché phrase — skip the cliché and just tell us. Also: go light on the exclamation points. Putting one in doesn’t add power to your writing. It makes us think you wanted to add power, and if we don’t feel that power from the words themselves, we’ll be disappointed.

This is my problem. I read everything from a good writing analysis. And Warren is, honestly, not the best writer. And it’s hard for me (personally) to ignore when the flaws with his writing are so intimately connected with his message.

So now that this is out of the way, what about actual response to the message of this chapter?

The message is that it is futile to begin your search for meaning in any place but with God. You can achieve success, but not fulfill your purpose by looking elsewhere.

And I agree. I’m not sure that I’ve been the best practitioner of this concept however. I am very self absorbed. I look at my fulfillment primarily in my writing. This might not be the worst thing, but it doesn’t start with God, and it’s short lived. If I’m looking for long lasting change in how I feel about myself, I probably need to look more specifically at how God wants me to use this talent. What can I do to learn more about it.

Point to Ponder: “It’s not about me.”
Clearly, my attitude in the past has been, consciously or unconsciously, that it is about me. After all, it is me. I don’t expect anyone else to think it’s about me, but for me, it has been me. I’m going to make a conscious choice to try and look outside of me for purpose. Maybe it will make working easier, since I do that primarily for my wife and kids. But then, that’s still not thinking about starting in God, completely. It’s just a step closer than where I am. I’m hoping that the next 39 chapters will help me look to find other ways to make it less about me.

Verse to Remember: Colossians 1:16 – “all things were created by him, and for him.”
Note, I’m rendering these in the KJV, for my own reasons
Well, for Him, but didn’t He create the earth as a place for us to learn and grow? It’s to fulfill His plan for us, to save all His children. I guess I should see it as He didn’t create the earth just for me, but for all of us. And he has created so much more than just this earth. He cares for me, but as a specimen of His children, I’m a very small part of it all. He wants me to be there, but He wants my function to be about more than just me.

Question to Consider: “In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?”
It’s a good question, and I don’t have an immediate answer. Prayer, however, is always an obvious answer. Praying as an act in itself should be a reminder of God’s presence in my life, and if I’m praying about His will, that should be a constant reminder that it’s not about me.

I started this partially to work with a friend, who needs some purpose and direction. I reckoned, I do too. I don’t feel at liberty to quote the letter, and I’m editing what I wrote for this blog.

One of my favorite hymns (my father’s as well) is “Lead, Kindly Light”:

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.

So long thy pow’r hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Sometimes, you can’t see the next step. You just have to trust and put your foot forward. We don’t know all God’s plans for us, even when we understand our purpose. I prayed to ask if I should marry Kirsti, and I received an answer that I have never ever been more sure of in my life. And then, a couple weeks later we broke up. I never doubted that answer, but one night, I was pretty despondent about it. I just told God in my prayer that I didn’t understand what what going on or how to reconcile my answer with what was going on, but that I was going to trust him. Well, it worked out in the end. But even if Kirsti and I hadn’t reconciled, I was finally at peace with it in that moment. Even when I didn’t understand what was going on, and it didn’t seem to make sense, I had chosen to trust God. I think that was my moment of Abrahamic trial. It was hardly my first born son, let alone one I’d been promised for decades, but it was pretty important to me, and I don’t think I have the faith of Abraham anyway.

I’m sure your familiar with the scripture where Paul says “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (I prefer the KJV, though I suppose if you prefer NIV there’s “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” There’s a Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, who says “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” Very similar sentiments. Using those as the basis for understanding, I want to look at what you said. “I really do believe and have faith.” You accept that God lives, you don’t doubt it. You accept, as well, that Jesus is your Savior (I’m inferring that, but it’s true, correct?).

That’s pretty much where I stand, myself. I have never wavered in my acceptance in the reality of God, nor in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. A lot like Joseph Smith said, “I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it.”

Have I always trusted him? Not really. Rather than trust a relationship with God, I have in the past sought out one of the more insidiously deceitful forms of false intimacy. While doing that, I wasn’t hearing anything from God. I’m sure He tried to speak with me, through others and through the Holy Spirit, but I was beyond hearing it.

When I finally made the choice to let Him lead me back to him, things changed dramatically in a short amount of time. I’m amazed at how I was able to become so resistant to the whispers of the Holy Ghost. Amazed at how awesome listening to God’s guidance can be. I’ve still got a long way to go, but those first few steps were very impressive.

There’s a book that’s popular among LDS people called Believing Christ. I’ve never read it, myself, but I bring it up because it draws a distinction. See, there’s also an LDS hymn called “I Believe in Christ.” Very stirring. But there’s a difference in those two titles. They both seem to be declarations of faith, but there’s a big meaning shift from believing in Christ, to believing Him, believing what He said and what He’ll do for you. Another Book of Mormon scripture comes to mind. When Christ was crucified, there were terrible storms, earthquakes, and destruction in the New World, which were followed by 3 days of darkness. During the darkness, the survivors heard the voice of God speaking to them: “And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.” He wants to protect us, to hold us close. But He waits for us to choose to do so.

There’s a lesson in the Old Testament about this. When the Israelites wandered the desert, there came a plague of poisonous snakes. The venom was deadly and many were dying. The Lord told Moses to raise a staff with a brass serpent on top of it. Any Israelite who looked to the serpent lived. Those who did not died. (That’s in Numbers 21). And because it was so easy to do, or for whatever stubbornness, many didn’t look. But those who looked, not knowing how that would work, they lived.

I think there’s more to faith than just believing. There’s an element of trust in it as well.

If I may be permitted to draw on the Book of Mormon again, The prophet Alma (the same one I mentioned above) made a comparison between faith and a seed (yes, the Savior did too, but this was a more detailed explanation than what we have in the New Testament). He says you plant the seed. You take care of it. Then it grows. and then it stops being faith. It grows, so you know it’s a true principle. It’s not faith anymore because you know. Takes a long time to get to that point. How do you develop faith into knowledge when you don’t have the faith to start with? Alma asks us to “exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you.” That’s all it takes. A “mustard seed” of faith indeed. You don’t have to have faith to part the Red Sea. You just have to have enough to take a step.

But the Lord does require us to take that step, spiritually. We don’t have to change everything. We just have to open a little to see if something will come inside. The rest comes latter.

I guess, to shorten it up, what I’m saying is that you don’t have to be a spiritual equivalent of Superman to let God in and begin a relationship. And you can’t have a deep relationship without starting one first. So just open up and be ready to shake God’s hand. God actually arriving in your life is what He will do, you don’t have to get him a ride. Just crack the door.

So today I got pointed over to Philip Athans’s blog and his brand new willingness to try a romance novel because he recently had the (mis)fortune to accidentally listen to an Andy Gibb song.

On the surface, one would assume that Mr. Athans either suffered a head injury or else the hearing of the succulent voice of Andy Gibb either traumatized his mind or turned him gay. Or possibly both.

But I appreciate Philip’s position (did you see that unprofessional way I switched to his first name? It’s as if I decided, most suddenly, that I wanted to use it instead of something more formal… because that is The Way. I. Roll.)

Now, I should clarify. I don’t know any Andy Gibb songs and I have no desire to learn them. I also still hate Abba and the Bee Gees (“it’s those blasted Bee Gees!”). My wife doesn’t share my opinion. Neither does her family. I have to hide in solitary when we go to family gatherings for fear of being forced into a “Dancing Queen” sing along.

But let me back up. Since Philip used music to introduce it, I’ll use music too.

In seventh grade.. ish… I listened to Top 40 music. I really hadn’t been introduced to anything. Kiss 98 was what played at the swimming pool in the summers when I lived in Nebraska, so I knew Sting singing “Free, Free, set them free” and Tears for Fears singing “Everybody wants to rule the world.” So when we moved I naturally found the top 40 stations. By 9th grade my favorite albums (on tape) were Starship’s Knee Deep in the Hoopla, Heart (the one with “These Dreams”, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Up Your Alley, and Cutting Crew’s Broadcast. Though close follow ups were Huey Lewis and the News Sports and the soundtrack for Ghostbusters. Thing is I knew I liked guitar, but, I had no idea what real guitar sounded like. I had an inkling of good bands, but with the possible exception of Joan Jett, none of those are close to the artists’ finest moments (well, maybe Huey is an exception too, but that’s a completely different story). And really, there were better bands out there. Especially with Starship. I mean, technically it was almost the same band that had played at Woodstock. WOODSTOCK. Grace Slick had once told us to “go ask Alice,” a song that resonates through all kinds of different layers socially and musically, and in the one I liked, the lyrics went

Knee deep in the hoopla
Sinking in your face

I mean… what?

(Not that I hate that song, but let’s move on before we talk about why I wasn’t wrong here).

I happened to be a loser. Not quite a nerd, then I would have had science club or AV club friends or something. but more of a Dork. I had… one (ONE. 1. Uno. Einz. 01.) friend in seventh grade. Aaron had been heavily influenced by his almost pothead brothers. He liked metal. Led Zeppelin was the best any music could ever aspire too. Randy Rhodes was brilliant.

I never got fully into his music, though now I’d dig on it a lot more. But he opened my world. By the time I was in tenth grade, I was listening to classic rock and everything else SUCKED.

I have a debt to Aaron for opening the door to music. I never would have found the best of hte best of the best, 99% of the music I adore now, if it hadn’t been for him. Of course, he also stunted me. The classic rock or die thing was his fault too. So I really missed out on some awesome music while it was on the air waves. But still.

Gradually, I learned a bit of other stuff. I made fun of people who like Morrissey, and even though I went through a metal phase (I bought the soundtrack to Shocker… which was a disservice, featuring as it did a lame cover of an Alice Cooper song), I was peer pressured into destroying my tape of Run DMC’s Raisin’ Hell (though I have managed to recover that on LP, a treasured possession now), I disavowed several other things I loved, and I alienated people that could have helped.

In 1990, however, the world fell in love again. We were marching hand in hand (though we didn’t know why), and a brand new record came out. They Might Be Giants brand new album Flood. This album is a work of pure genius. I heard that The Band’s (The Band, not the band They Might Be Giants) Music from Big Pink changed lives. Well, Flood changed mine.

Suddenly, music didn’t have to be 20 years old to be any good. (In truth, I had adapted that rule. I couldn’t like Clapton’s Journeyman otherwise. But it was something like, 20 years old, or by someone who was recording 20 years ago — still lame. It took me years before I finally bought my own copy of Kill Uncle, an album I still adore.

Over the years, my taste has only expanded. I still don’t like country or most gangsta rap (but it most assuredly is all about the Benjamins). But Johnny Cash and the Fat Boys are in my regular rotation. There probably isn’t a genre of western music that isn’t on my iPod. There are some eastern music too, but I have less exposure to that, so I don’t have as much. I can consider a song on its own terms now, instead of assuming that I know what it’s about just because of what radio station it’s on.

A lot of people think they’re open minded because they listen to both country and Top 40. That’s not what I’m talking about. Let me emphasize to you. I will listen to Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” followed by P.O.D. doing “Lights Out,” which will then transition to Dynamite Hack’s hilarious early-20th century-esque cover of “Boyz in the Hood.” Followed by MC 900 Foot Jesus doing “The City Sleeps,” Bela Fleck doing “How Can you Face Me Now,” a performance of Holst’s planets, and finish the short burst out with The Ramones. (Oh yes, Joey, I do remember rock’n'roll radio). And yes, I put kids songs in the playlist too.

Thing is… I’m still a snob about it. There is music I hear and then simply Will. Not. Touch. of my own accord ever. And people who like those songs are often as not morons in my head. But I have, at least stopped telling people that. To their faces. Very often.

A similar thing happened to me with movies.

I was into movies, but I was very careful about my reasons for watching a movie. Story was highest on my list. Solid story, then well-acted performances. If I couldn’t justify it, it was kind of a shameful viewing.

Then I realized… it’s OK to watch a movie because it was eye candy. Great special effects, beautiful cinematography, or even just great explosions. Then there came other reasons – Jackie Chan flipping around was suddenly appealing.

These days I enjoy what I call “bad cinema.” A Godzilla movie holds a lot of appeal for me. Not any movie will work, though. A movie has to be trying, at least. Or at least have one great idea. A lot of dumb comedies try to hard to be in your face and absurd. Juvenile. But I like 80s teen movies — John Hughes never talked down to me; he always seemed to know what he was talking about. His characters, even if they could only be properly described as losers, never seemed like a waste of space.

So that brings us back to music. I will listen to Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper. I can put them on a playlist with Bob Dylan and Joe Satriani. Because I listen to each of those for a different reason. Not every song hits me, but if it does, I’ll listen to it more than once.

It’s the same with books, really. Comics, for example. Sturgeon’s law applies. Most of it is horrible, but even a lot of that is still fun to read. And what’s wrong with reading for fun? I have a guilty pleasure I like to indulge — reading Shoujo Manga (Japanese made comics targeted toward a female audience). I love Azamanga Daioh and Gina Biggs is a wonderful writer.

So, yeah, I’m not ready to seriously investigate the romance genre at this time (which, going back to the begining, was Philip’s reason for mentioning Andy Gibb). I reckon, however, it has something it could teach me about writing. There’s a reason romance is so successful. And it’s not because it’s horrible. Horrible it may be, but there’s something there that appeals to people.

I don’t make these names up.

And not that I’m in a position to take advantage if I happened to win, but I reckoned I’d spread the word. I have writer friends (who don’t read this) who could use it:

half a million and counting!
Ed Ass got its 500,000th hit today. This makes me feel old and venerable.

Naturally, I wanted to celebrate. I mean, with you guys, since you made it happen. But how?! No one has yet invented a giant internet pie.

Jamie Harrington, clever thing, had the idea that I have a giveaway contest, the prize being a first 20 pages crit. So that’s what it is! I’ll give away one crit of a book’s first 20 pages (size 12 font, double spaced, .5 margins for you sneaky sneakies out there).

You’ll be automatically entered to win if you do any or all of the following things:

1) repost this on your blog

OR

2) retweet my Twitter announcement

OR

3) link to this post on Facebook (make sure you include @Moonrat in the post so I’m notified of it)

I’ll close the contest at 11 pm EST tomorrow (March 31). The Rally Monkey will randomly select one winner without my input (as if I could make him listen to me, anyway).

Yay! I’m really excited now.

“This is what you call fun?”

The question should have made me wince, I suppose, but since she was looking the other way, I just grinned as I shoved her through an unmarked door. Bullets snapped as they impacted the wall, just missing us. I briefly wondered what material the wall was made of to produce that particular noise.

The truth was that not only was this not what I had planned for my first date with Cynthia, it was the last thing I had expected to actually happen — which meant, to my surprise, and probably hers as well, that the black-clad assassins were here for her. This made her much more interesting.

And yes. I did think it was fun.

The way I see it, anyone who devotes his life to a career he doesn’t enjoy is a fool and has thrown away his life. That includes those few of us left in the… hands on security and espionage industry.

The hallway we turned down led away from the main concourse. It was narrow with several doors at intervals on the sides. I had mixed feelings about the lack of people. There was no one in our way as we darted down it, but if we didn’t get out before our pursuers got in, we’d be easy targets. If we did, though, we’d be a step closer to throwing them off, and a lot closer to the trains that would take us to safety.

Cynthia’s breath was coming heavy already. She didn’t look unfit — I wasn’t too picky about body type, but my friend, Sven, who set up this blind date, knew that I insisted on a healthy life style. Cynthia clearly wasn’t a sprinter, let alone a long distance runner. “Don’t think about it,” I told her. “It’ll just discourage you.”

She sneered, clearly not impressed with my advice.

I glanced over my shoulder. One of the assassins was rounding the corner. I grunted an expletive and dragged Cynthia the last few feet to the end of the hall then yanked her to the left just as the bullets started spraying.

“What the heck is going on?” she hissed.

“Shut up,” I said simply. I don’t like rudeness as a rule, but it wasn’t the time. All thoughts needed to be on escape. Plus, other than the immediate escape I didn’t know what was going on. “Come on,” I said more gruffly than I intended as I took her hand and led her into the crowd on this concourse.

I’d been on protection detail many times, and I’d grabbed a lot of people a lot of ways. But taking Cynthia’s hand stood out to me. It felt good, like it was made to be in my hand. It irritated me, because twitterpation would just distract me from the current crisis.

Fortunately, Cynthia didn’t resist as I wove through the crowd. Our pursuers followed us into the mass of people and were considerably less polite than I was, shoving individuals aside. No one had noticed the gunshots — the killers had relatively quiet weapons and the crowd was loud. But there were a lot of shouts and protests at this.

“There’s a shuttle to the other side of the complex,” I said. “It’s not an escape, but it’ll buy us a moment to rest.”

She nodded without saying anything. Her face was turning red. We needed that rest.

At least she was trusting me. That made doing my job that much easier. The thought prompted me to shake my head. This had started as a date, and now it was a job. That was not a promising sign that this would be a relationship. Also, I wasn’t being paid.

Cynthia continued her relative silence, as we pushed through the edge of the crowd and crossed the relative open space to the line for the shuttle.

To the credit of their parents, some people have been trained in their manners that even when their person is in eminent danger they are unfailing in their courtesy. It was gratifying to me that Sven had set me up on a date with someone possessed of such fine etiquette. However, it was also disconcerting to me that Cynthia moved toward the end of the queue for the shuttle. I hissed softly through my teeth and jerked her toward the front. I intended to make some people angry.

The shuttle was just opening its door to bring in passengers as I shoved the line leaders aside ungently and push Cynthia in. I followed immediately on her heals and smashed my hand on the door’s controls, shutting them. My date fell into a chair as I slapped a magnetic hacknode on the manual override panel. I hadn’t been expecting assailants, but certain small devices, like the hacknode, were so convenient and useful that I always have one with me.

Symbols flashed across the security pad for a second, and then the controls popped out of their panel. I slammed the start button.

The shuttle was a vehicle designed to automatically fit a couple dozen people and carry them the twenty-five kilometers to the other end of the Nyark Mercantile Complex — the largest shopping mall on humanity’s home world. It slid smoothly into movement. We had about five minutes to breathe. I allowed myself to smile as the people I had shoved grappled our pursuers, clearly unwilling to allow anyone else to cut the line. The assassins would not be getting on the next shuttle without indiscriminate show of force. I hoped, even with the bluntness of their assault, the assassins would try to keep collateral damage to a minimum.

Cynthia was regaining her breath. “What is going on?” she asked again. I didn’t believe it was possible to lace a question with more impatience than she did.

I couldn’t afford to calm her though. I turned on the heads-up implant in my eye with a thought and took hold of her wrist. I was gentle enough that I wouldn’t hurt her, but firm enough that if she resisted I wouldn’t lose my grip. I looked her in the eye and asked, “Are you really an assistant at the Drieter firm?”

She tried only for half a second to pull away, and not with much force. “What are you talking about? Why would I lie about that?”

“Just answer.” I kept my voice low. I didn’t want to make her upset. In fact, I was hoping to calm her. But I needed the answers more than anything else.

She glared, but answered. “Yes, I am. I told you…”

I nodded and interrupted. “Do you have any enemies? Anyone who would have a reason to hurt you?”

“What? No! I’m just an assistant. Why would I have enemies?”

I didn’t have an answer to that. More importantly, the bio-readings in my HUD confirmed that she didn’t have an answer for it either. She was worked up but wasn’t holding back.

I released her hand and sat back in the chair facing her, my arms spread across the backs of the seats next to me. She ran her fingers over the spot I had been holding. It was time to review my earlier thesis. I had friends. With a little work I could get a good outlook for my immediate future. To be sure, I had enemies as well. But I didn’t actually interact with many of the people I dealt with professionally, targets or colleagues. My identity was a closely guarded secret – completely divorced from my work. I had safeguards and triggers in place to let me know the instant anyone so much as looked at a file containing information about me. There hadn’t even been a sniff. Nothing’s one-hundred percent, of course, but I had confidence that this was about her, not me. It just remained for me to figure out why.

“Look,” I said calmly. ” I considered that these guys might be after you. If you knew what I really did with my life, that would be the reasonable assumption. But…” I held up my hand to quiet her interruption. “Those men aren’t good enough to go after me, and anyone competent enough to even figure out who I am would know that. And there’s the snippets of chatter I’ve managed to hear from our attackers. Their target appears to be a woman. And I promise I haven’t lied about that.”

I was in luck. That remark elicited the slightest of smiles from her lips.

“But why would they come after me?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I am going to find out. More to the point, I feel responsible for you. These guys have pissed me off by going after you while you were in my care.” It sounded corny, like an old, twentieth century vid, and I was a little bit surprised to hear myself talk like this. Funny thing was, I rally did feel that way. A half dozen guys with guns after one woman was hardly fair – but this type of thing was never about anything fair. But they had also ruined my date.

“So you don’t think chivalry is passé?” She said, the tiny smile returning to her full lips.

It was infectious, and I smiled broadly. “I suppose not. I hope that’s not a bad impression for modern times.” After a brief pause I continued. “I know this has been strange and probably frightening, but I need you to trust me so I can get you out of here alive. It’s not done yet. They’re far behind us, but they might have reinforcements at our destination.”

She caught my gaze and held it, looking into me with her sharp green eyes. “I trust you,” she said.

What an amazing woman.

###

The shuttle followed the track it was attached to until it reached the friend of the complex. I had a few moments to look over my date. Her wide eyes were set under thin, dark eyebrows. The left brow was pierced with four gem like studs. The crystal structures held her ID and credit info, attuned to her DNA. Her raven black hair dangled close to her brow in front, and in back was held in a series of silver colored rings that made her single pony tail hand down from a point several inches away from her head. It was a chic style. By contrast she didn’t wear the form fitting coveralls that were all the rage. Instead she wore an old-fashioned skirt to her knees with a short-sleeved blouse. It was a less explicit demonstration of her figure, and it made her seem less common — it suited her. The material her skirt and blouse were made of was quasi-reflective and of a silky texture. The color seemed to shift with her movements and the light — for the skirt dark colors: blue, green, black, red; the top played in lighter colors but always complemented the bottom.

The shuttle bumped to a stop, shaking me out of the observation. I wondered for a moment why they couldn’t invent a way to smooth out those stops, but evenas I did I waved Cynthia to join me near the door. “Stay with me,” I told her. “Remember, you’re not safe until I say so. Until then, assume that somewhere there’s a guy trying to line up a shot at your head.” It was blunt, but break was over; speed was again imperative. I saw her head nod quickly as my attention turned toward the outside. I felt a small weight leave me, she really was putting her trust i me.

There wasn’t anyone down below the shuttle who looked like the attackers. Either we really did have some breathing room (too good to be true), they had disguised themselves (unlikely given the short time), or they were hiding, which miggt even mean a sniper.

I pulled my hacknode off the controls and the door slid open. Cynthia took my hand as I stepped out. It was strange, but exiting the shuttle felt like enteringa completely different environment. My senses, even th cybernetic ones, were reaching out, finding suspicion in everyone and everything around us.

We pushed through the light crowd toward a nearby hallway.

And the bad guys revealed themselves. From both sides a group of two or three appeared.

They were dressed in black still, and making too much noise. “These guys really suck at this.” I said. It had stopped being fun and was just annoying now. These guys were nothing but thugs, not remotely professional. Beneath me, really. If it weren’t for Cynthia, I would have just stopped and beaten them to death. Well, maybe not to death, at last not all of them. Somebody would need to learn how deep the trouble they volunteered for was.

But Cynthia was with me, so instead I just led her away, breaking into a run she could keep up with. The main hallways were too wide – they provided no cover. So I found myself again turning to side passages.

The Tylerian Empire is an aggressive, rigidly stratified empire with institutionalized racism, religion, and forced labor. Their compulsive military service for all men keeps them powerful, but their strict laws prevent them from becoming the economic powerhouse that would help them conquer the world.

Physical Geography

Tyleri is Azmoth’s largest jungle. For many, the empire and the jungle are one and the same. This perception conveniently ignores the vast plains on the eastern end of the empire, but this is largely because the grip Tyleria holds on the plains is much more precarious.

However, there are other geographical types in the empire. The mountains on the south and west are tamed to a certain point, though they are much more frontier style settlements. Beyond the patrolled areas however are wildlands. There are some reports of human life in the heights of the Steelpeak mountains separating Tyleria from Silkur and Bregtoran, but the government’s official position is that they are uninhabitable, and nothing lives there. The more common belief is that the mountains are home to trolls, darklings, and other dark beasts – if nothing lives there, why would the Imperial Forces patrol this frontier? All that is certain is that it isn’t safe to leave settled lands, whether for bandits, darklings, or the weather and treacherous terrain.

The Wall of Elu to the south is another matter. It is well documented that the upper reaches of these mountains are home to darklings and giants. It is, after all, from the Wall of Elu that the Darkling Emperor hailed. It is also from these directions that darkling forces attacked during the various collapses of the empire. While there are a few settlements in the foothills of the Wall, the Imperial Forces maintain their fortresses and garrisons a good distance from them.

The Wall is the cause of a good deal of religion and superstition. In one of the few cases where official religion approves of folk belief, it is held by the churches in Tyleria that The Wall was placed there by Anhouim to fulfill a direct order from Az-Mozeth to protect the empire from the evils that dwell further south. For this reason, as well as the historic difficulty they have had, Tyleria has no interest in expanding southward. Indeed, there have been those who have pushed such an agenda who have been labeled heretics and sacrificed to the The Shining One.

The most famous geographical feature to break the jungle façade of Tyleri, however, is the Treib River. It is far from the only river in the rain forest; the jungle is criss-cross by smaller rivers, many of which are tributaries of the Treib, streams, and runs. It is hardly possible to take any journey of more than a mile or so without having to cross at least one stream. However, the Treib stands out for it’s size. It is famous in that it is navigable its entire length to The Wall of Elu, where a massive waterfall inhibits further travel. There is a cateract that formerly blocked the progress seaworthy ships at Tyleria itself, but the empire has long ago dug canals of sufficient size and capacity that it is no longer an obstacle.

The Treib runs fast and deep in most. There are few place safe to cross without a ship, and even fewer to swim safely. However, there is a massive fishing industry because of it’s size. It is so capacious, in fact, that freshwater fish is more prominent in the average Tylerian’s diet, surpassing sea fish even along the much of the empire’s coastline.

Tyleria also controls the entirety of the Zaamon river, which is the location of the sudden border between rainforest and temperate plains. The Zaamon is much less friendly to travel, and it has many more fords. This has been a great source of consternation for the Tylerian government, as the sheltered Bay that the Zaamon feeds is an ideal port. Normally, such a locale would become a popular port anyway, but due to Tylerian tariffs and regulations, almost all traders and merchants prefer to dock in the free city of Carpath at the mouth of the Ourismi River, despite it’s tendency to flood and the frequency of disease from the nearby swampland. Tyleria tried for centuries to take Carpath, but the ferocity of the allied free cities to prevent such an incursion held them off. Today, there is an uneasy truce between the empire and its closest eastern neighbor.

The flood plains that Tyleria controls are where most of it’s farming is done. It is not a popular place to live, however, because of the frequency of disease. Criminals who are not sacrificed to The Shining One are usually shipped to the flood plains to perform forced labor on the farms there.

Tyleria produces more rice, indigo and smokeleaf in the floodplains than the rest of the world combined. Rice bread is considered the primary food of the common people in Tyleria, where only the very wealthy can afford to eat food made of wheat or corn regularly. The abundance and fertility of this region is also why Tyleria has the only common population who use smokeleaf, which is usually only available to the rich in other place.

The insect population and unhealthy hygiene of the floodplains, has led to frequent disease, lowering the life expectancy of this region considerably. As there are few trees, the jungle humans who make up the vast majority of Tyleria’s population is uncomfortable here anyway. On the positive side, however, these work camps have led Tylerians to a number of medical advances: primarily using herbal and mineral remedies for disease.

However, despite this significant diversity, the vast expanse that makes up most of the Tylerian Empire is filled by the Tyleri Jungle. Botanists from Parthann have identified more than 3000 breeds of trees in this luch region, but the locals group them into only a few groups.

Tylerians build their cities and homes high off the ground in the branches of the giant tripolod trees. These trees grow for thousands of years, and grow to be hundreds of feet tall. Most, notable, however, is the triple trunk of the tree, each of which can be hundreds of feet around (they grow in thickness nearly as fast as they grow upwards). Tripolod trees send out sprawling branches of immense girth on which the villages are built. Between the branches and the gigantic trunks, these trees appear round when separated from surrounding trees. Occasionally a petrified tripolod will have structures built within the tree itself. The most famous example is the Imperial Palace at Tyleria City, which thoroughly uses the inside of the tripolod where it is built, with many hallways built inside the branches. All the structures on this tree are part of the palace itself, and the city is built primarily in the trees surrounding the palace.

Juntel trees bear food, and thus it is forbidden to cut a live juntel down. The leaves are useful for food, the smallest branches can be boiled to a soft shoot that can be added to nearly any meal. The bark is ground into a fine spice that enhances the flavor of most any food it is put in. Juntel spice is one of the reasons that a vigorous trade with Tyleria still exists. The fruit of juntels is used as a staple of Tylerian diet, supplementing fish and rice.

There are actually a wide variety of juntel trees, bearing different fruits and with different flavorings that come from the twigs. However, there is little variation in the flavor of the spice made from the bark of these different varieties, except in intensity.

Dead juntel trees are considered property of the government, and the lumber from them is made into exquisite furnishings and décor. It is not, however, a sturdy enough wood for construction or for weaponry.

Construction that is not done with tripolod trees is usually done with parxess trees. When treated with sap from a trill tree, parxess trees are incredibly strudy and strong. Depending on how the trill sap is treated, it can also have various levels of rigidity, from solid enough to make weapons to flexible enough to curl into circles. Both parxess and trill trees are very common throughout the jungle.

The colonies established by Tyleria are poor and ill developed. Since Bask discovered the only known jungle land in the north, Tylerian colonies are settled next to rivers in open land. This makes most Tylerians very uncomfortable with living there. The land is fertile, and the three rivers that sport major Tylerian settlements are broad and non-treacherous. One Tylerian colony, Tyllana (Tyl on the bay) is established on a very major river on the most ideal bay in the world. There are traces of civilizations lost in the large forest in Tyleria’s colonized area, but Tylerians have not explored them yet, being confounded by the falsely familiar, yet totally alien trees there.

Cities

The most important city in the Tylerian Empire is, of course, Tyleria itself. The capital is the largest city and the economic center of the empire. Situated as it is on the Treib it is a very useful location. The main part of the city is built on a tall hill which can see a great deal of the surrounding territory on which a dozen or more of the largest tripolods on record stand, all of which have been built up to capacity. The most important of the aristocrats live atop the hill, but primarily it is used for the palace, government office, food hoards, and mercantile concerns. However, the area can be very quickly converted to house hundreds of residents of the city should invasion ever occur, which hasn’t happened since the fourth empire was formed.

A hundred yard area of the hill at the bottom has been razed and cleared of all brush. This is to promote the ability to defend the city. As jungle humans have no problem moving from tree to tree, especially when they are the size of tripolods, this is the Tylerian equivelant of a wall.

Huge tracts of the Tyleri jungle have been built into villages. There are few places where the tripolods don’t grown, and as they seem to have some sort of symbiotic relationship with certain kinds of juntel trees, it is easy to make a home most anywhere. There are, however, portions of the jungle that are still not explored, noteably in the northeast. Wild game is still here in abundance, and one may enter only with Imperial sanction.

Barcx is another of the large population centers with it’s own identity. It was founded at the mouth of the Zaamon with the hopes that it would become a second economic center. However, trade at this location did not pan out as planned. Due to a large stretch of parxess trees, however, much construction is done at Barcx still, and it is a very important military town to the empire. Much of the expeditions to the northern continent left from Barcx, though in the last half-decade or so a small town known as Maryez at the northeast tip of the peninsula has become the first stopping point for these expeditions. Only a few people live in Maryez, and it is a well-known secret that the primary inhabitants are actually Baskers. It has not been enough of an issue for the Tylerian government to take control… yet. Taxes… more properly a tribute, is paid from Maryez, and they don’t ask for protection, so they Maryez is permitted to exist.

The final important population center in Tyleria is Bardenstock. Bardenstock is the only free city Tyleria managed to take and hold. It was accomplished through internal treachery and a large segment of the population with sympathetic with Tyleria. It is another strain on the relations of the empire with it’s eastern neighbors, but it is no longer a source of contention.

Most Tylerian exports that do not leave directly from the capital go through Bardenstock, for distribution to the free cities and Tarth. Thus it is tightly guarded and a heavily fortified city. Bardenstock is also the administrative center of the agriculture of Tyleria, and it is not unusual for laborers and soldiers to be sent to Bardenstock before they are send to their post of duty, even though it is on the far side of the plains from the jungle.

Because of it’s history and economic importance, Bardenstock is the only place in the empire where the institutional racism of Tyleria is not enforced. Here you will find a disproportionate number of humans who are not jungle or river. It is also the only place where you will find churches that would be considered heretical in any other part of the empire.

Tyllana and the other colonies exist primarily on imported goods from Tyleria, making them a very unprofitable enterprise despite their ideal locations. Few Tylerians who have a choice in the matter stay in the north more than a couple years. Yet, Tyleria refuses to give up gains, due to it’s manifest destiny, so there are large garrisons in the three major colonies and heavy fortifications. Parthites have petitioned Tyleria to allow them to stay in Tylerian colonies so they can investigate the rich cultural ruins and artifacts they are sure exist there, but thus far, permission has been refused, and the colonies remain primarily large military forts distant from the empire, and without enough workers to feed the residents. More river types live in the colonies than jungle types, simply because of their location. But even these don’t care for the northern rivers as well as the Treib or the Zaamon, since they were raised in the jungle.

History

Three thousand years ago a few families banded together in a tribe like existence and decided to call their village after their leader: Tyl.

Tyl was built into the trees at the top of a steep hill where the normally treacherous Treib River settles down for a couple miles. It became an ideal location for trade because of river, and was easily defensible because of the hill. Thus it was an attractive place to settle, and soon others were coming to join the original settlers and the village grew into a town.

Over the first few centuries Tyl tried to be a peaceful village. However, the local jungle tribes, out of hostility, jealousy, or mere desire for conquest, were aggressive and wars are not infrequent. Tyl, being nigh unassailable, eventually won all these wars and took control the nearby habitations, exacting simple tribute from them, but also defending them when their neighbors attack. Eventually, however, they began to pursue an approach of preemptive war. Other cities or tribes would eventually attack them, so they decided it would be best to conquer the region before that could happen. Slowly but steadily the empire grew from a collection of small villages and towns to control all the land bordering on the Treib River.

Some four and a half centuries after the founding of Tyl, the central issue of any politics was how much Tyl can righteously conquer. The prevailing decision was more or less to take as much as they can, the whole world, if possible. They began by pushing westward. It is at this time that they changed the name of the empire to Tyleria and began reckoning time from the founding of Tyl.

By the ninth century, the Tyleria empire stretched from the Steelpeaks to the Zaamon, and by the eleventh, they ruled the entire, vast jungle.

In the twelfth century, disaster struck. A massive army, made up of trolls, giants, and darklings, began coordinated strikes. They seemed to attack everywhere at once. In a matter of weeks, the entire empire had been reconquered and a new emperor set on the throne (see sidebar). Thus began the first dark age of Tylerian history. For two centuries Tyleria was occupied by the monsters and humanity was enslaved. There was a resistance movement through most of this period. However, it wasn’t until 1456 that a force united behind Gollend Tyl managed to dethrone the so-called Darkling Emperor. Without central leadership, the rest of the army was disorganized nine months later they had been driven to the southern mountains.

Tyleria reorganized in much the same way as it had previously, though with the Tyl family becoming somewhat more central to religious practice. Gollend was seen as a deliverer sent by the Anhouim. Emphasis came to be placed on order and strict hierarchy. The celebratory-oriented Tylerians were not quite ready for the authoritative rule that was emerging, however, and a blight affecting the juntel trees and causing mass famine triggered a second overthrowing of the empire only a century later. This second dark age was hardly as chaotic as the first, but it didn’t teach the society anything. It lasted roughly 20 years, and a reactionary emperor took the throne.

This emperor showed very little interest in control or authority. Local authorities and Treeheads were given leeway and a number took it upon themselves to consolidate a new empire. The emperor’s dynasty lasted four generations before, once again, the empire collapsed, this time into a vast swath of individual kingdoms and baronies resembling Silkur or Bregtoran as much as anything.

Eventually factions came together and formed alliances. While this “dark age” resembled the second more than the first, it lasted much longer. Three emperors, all claiming the name of Tyl and all claiming rights to the imperial throne fought a long war of attrition. At last one of the emperors was killed, and the two remaining, after pursuing three more years of bloody war, came to a compromise. The inheritance of the emperor’s seat until this point had been a matter of strict primogeniture. Under the compromise, the emperor would choose his heir, and he would be required to choose an heir of the other house, subject to approval from a council of nobles. This served them well until the end of the eighteenth century by Tylerian reckoning.

Squabbling led to petty politics, which led to assassinations, and the period known as The Fifty. In this time, fifty emperors ruled over the course of only three years. The last one, a child of four, was killed on the throne with no declared heir. Another dark age ensued.

Approximate 2000 years after the founding of Tyl, the empire was reforged. Relying on common identity as Tylerians, another man going by the name of Gollend Tyl led a group of militant priests gathered from throughout the jungle. Through a combination charismatic evangelism and selective, but effective, physical force, most of the jungle fell to his rule in a short time. Gollend retained the tradition of selecting his own heir, but dispensed of the needed approval of the council. Military campaigns conducted by his son restored the empire to its previous size, and then beyond in eastward expansion toward the free cities. By 2150, the empire was stable. The emperors gradually realized the value of an administrative council and the small council that runs things today was formally formed in 2216. The emperors gradually surrendered the day-to-day running of the empire to the council, but retain formal authority.

The Tylerians Themselves

Naturally, due to the geography, an overwhelming majority of Tylerians are of the Jungle type. This is promoted by state instituted racism, as well. Marrying outside your own racial type earns one a demotion in the strict status hierarchy in the society. Jungle humans are the at the highest level of this hierarchy, naturally, with desert types being at the lowest level. Nearly every Tylerian respects and honors the hierarchy, even those at the bottom, and there has been little or no movement to change it for hundreds of years. Obviously, the Emperor and all the aristocracy are jungle-types.

There are a significant number of river-types in Tylerian, however, due to the troublesome nature of the major rivers in the empire. River-types receive very little persecution and are often quite rich, earning positions of importance in the bureaucracy. The third most common type, though significantly fewer than river-types, are the ocean types. Traditionally anyone not of the river or jungle type has been treated with great disregard, but it was, not surprisingly, an ocean type who captained the expedition that discovered the northern continent, thereby earning much more respect for his people.

Plains-types are nearly all laborers in the farms, and their lot is not a good one. There are very few mountain types as well. Those that do exist are attached to the military for duty in the south and west. They more or less exist outside the social stratum.

Government and Military

The government of Tyleria is ostensibly headed by The Shining One, what they call their emperor. However, very little real decision making is done by The Shining One. Generally he lives a life of leisure. Most decisions are made by a small council of nobles who are picked from the leading houses by the The Shining One. However, while the emperor generally plays a small part in the government, it is not because he has no power. The emperor can at any time choose to veto or overrule any mandate or law formed by the informal council, and he will be obeyed. The people of Tyleria, and the military especially, are zealous in their loyalty to the The Shining One, to whom they swear their fealty.

The Shining One is an inherited position, with primogeniture being favored but not an absolute rule. It is not unheard of or considered strange for an emperor to appoint a younger son, brother, or even a nephew as an heir. Oddly, this is not a source of civil conflict. The Shining One appoints his own heir, publicly, and it is immediately acknowledged, the military even taking an oath of loyalty to protect the heir. It is also not unusual for The Shining One to change heirs, thus he can appoint one relative when he first ascends to the throne, and then change his mind later when a better candidate manifests. It is traditional, however, to appoint former heirs to the council, and no emperor has ever changed heirs more than twice.

The current council consists of three nobles: Xavier Styll is a brilliant strategist and is typically given carte blanc when it comes to maneuvering the military. The Styll family is nearly as old as the lineage of The Shining One, and there is nearly always a Styll on the council. Branc Brutell is of another prominent family, yet was an unusual pick that most people had not predicted, for while his family is prominent they have not traditionally been influential or well off. The decision has proven to be a good one, however, as Brutell has shown himself to be a remarkably capable diplomat, especially when dealing with foreign powers, such as Bask, and has a very good head for economics. The final member of the council is Consen Tyl. Consen is the eldest nephew of the current Shining One, and is in fact older than his uncle (the Tyl family, to promote stability, tends to marry early and have many children, currently, The Shining One has 25 male children and 150 nephews). Consen was picked as the first heir, fifteen years ago when the current Shining One rose to power. He has been replaced as heir by his cousin, as was expected when the boy demonstrated his brilliance in military service and became a favorite in the noble social circles. The council’s loyalty is beyond question.

There are various other nobles, most of them related to the Tyl family by marriage or descent, and they could generally be grouped into 3 or 4 clans. Nobles have little power other than being eligible for leadership positions in the government and the military. Because of their connection to the Shining One, however, they profit greatly from the junkel tree trade and are rich.

The only other civil government positions of political significance, besides the Shining One and his informal council, are the TreeHeads. Only nobles are eligible for these positions, and it is, essentially, a neighborhood chief. Each TreeHead is responsible for the management and accounting for all the businesses and residences built in the tripolod tree to which he is assigned, and all his orders must be obeyed, although nobles can appeal his decisions to the council. Generally, the noble lives in the tree he rules, though it is not necessary, especially in cases where no nobles live in a particular tree. It is a practice, though not a requirement for the TreeHead to appoint three assistants, each responsible for one of the trunks of the tree. These assistants are usually nobles, but as it is not an official government position, merchants or artisans with high social standing are often asked to serve. The TreeHead is responsible for recompensing his assistants, but he receives a generous stipend from the Shining One to compensate for the work he does.

Clearly, this system does not work east of the Zaamon, where the tripolods don’t grow. But generally, this is unimportant, as nearly all those living in the floodplains are either in the military or are forced laborers. The exception, of course, is the few communities, including Bardenstock. Most of these population centers simulate the system, dividing themselves geographically into boroughs or wards they call Branches, which are then grouped into Trunks, headed by assistants chosen by the noble appointed to head the city (not generally an envied position, as it pulls the noble from the jungle). Bardenstock follows this system as well, but a certain degree of anarchy brought on by its proximity and history with the free cities is also included. There is less strict obedience, and popularly organized militia/police forces enforce the law, keeping crime still at a minimum.

Tyleria maintains a standing army, justifiably feeling that its western and southern borders are threatened, and believing that an eastern show of force is necessary to keep any of the Free Cities from forgetting their place. All males, whether citizen, noble, or not, are compelled to serve five years in the military and must keep a sword, shield, spear, and bow in good repair in their homes, to be called on in a moment’s notice, which partially explains why Tyleria has never been invaded – the defense force would be the entire healthy male population, well trained and loyal to the death. Most mountain types tend to make careers out of military service, even though they are prohibited from becoming officers.

Unit sizes in the military vary, but they are typically set up in groups of nine led by an officer, and then put into 9 groups, and then another 9 groups, making a battalion of 820 soldiers and officers. Officers fight along side their soldiers, though the lowest social caste (typically non river, ocean, or jungle types) are given the most menial tasks, rarely asked to fight, and it is considered punishment for an officer to be given charge of such a group, hardly better than being posted in the north.

Culture

Despite the intricacy of the government and the rigid social structure, most Tylerians are very simple people. They have no interest in deep scholarship, philosophy, theology, or other learning except as it directly affects their daily lives. However, true to their jungle nature, they live life passionately, and laziness it the cardinal sin above all others.

Each tripolod tree holds a celebration of some sort at least once a month, some of them as often as once a month. These celebrations, many of which have no purpose other than to have a gathering, usually start off with a sacrifice in The Shining One’s honor. The sacrificial animal is typically a dozen or so of the colorful birds that live throughout the Tyleri Jungle or else if the TreeHead is wealthy, a grond, a large, slow moving, but tough-hided herbivore that Tylerian nobility enjoys.

In the case of a grond sacrifice, the meat is cooked after the sacrifice and set out for all to partake. While many of the jungle birds are considered delicacies in places like Parthann and Tarth, Tylerians do not enjoy their taste and so they bodies are usually discarded. In any case, the feast is supplemented by whatever junkel is easily available, a variety of rice dishes, and plenty of fish. Everyone is permitted to eat as much as they want, but few overeat, both because it makes climbing through the trees more difficult and because after the feast the competitions are held.

Tylerians typically do not enjoy dancing, so dancing is not a common feature of their celebrations. But they love physical exertion, and so races (on foot or through the trees), sparring matches (in various armed and unarmed styles), endurance contests, marksmanship, and other sports last long into the night. The focus of most celebrations, however, is the Tchonna game.

Tchonna is a team sport with many variations, and the same group will play different ways so that every game must start with a reading of the rules, to make sure everyone has it straight, but the basic structure is the same.

An area of the surrounding jungle is proscribed, and that territory divided into three sections, one for each team at either end and a "no man’s land" in between. Some variations make the game more difficult by making either the no man’s land or the ends a clearing. Each team is given a certain number of rings, depending on how long a game desired and the number of players on each team. A general rule is to have at least as many rings as players, but most games use a few more rings than this. The longest game on record was played during a week-long festival at the coronation of a new Shining One – there were a hundred rings for each player, and the game lasted the entire festival.

When the rings are handed out, each time has approximately a half hour to hide their rings. The time granted is extended if there are significantly more rings than players. It is usually a rule that all players on a team must participate in hiding the rings, thus none of them can follow the other team and spy out the hiding places early. There are rarely restrictions on where rings may be hidden except that they cannot be buried or covered completely. One historic team was made completely of river people, who hid their rings in plain site, but over and in the Treib, making it very difficult for any of the other players to retrieve them. The river people, while not as agile as the jungle folk, were used to living in the trees and had an easier time gathering rings than their opponents. Unfortunately, this was forbidden in the Imperial Games that year, and while the team of river people made a good showing, they ultimately lost.

When the time for hiding the rings is done, the real competition begins. Each team begins hunting out the rings hidden by their opponent. This is complicated by the fact that most of the players (if not all) will be carrying peace-bonded weapons coated with dye and arrowed with soft tips filled with dye. Points are scored for finding rings, with bonuses at pre-defined proportions. Points are lost for each mark of dye on players on your team. This is what makes clearings so difficult, as it is both relatively unfamiliar terrain and it exposes you to the opposing team’s fire.

A player may only carry one ring at a time, and is generally of sufficient size to guarantee that the player can only use one hand at a time (rules state that the rings must be carried my the hands). The ring is then brought back to a judges’ circle, often an stadium area where audiences may sit and the judges may gather. No points are gained until the ring is placed on one of several hooks or pegs in the judges’ circle. These targets are rarely accessible, so the rings must be tossed onto them. Judges give extra points based on shot difficulty and style. This is clearly subjective, but it is a dependable that a player who makes the shot more difficult for himself will be awarded more points. "Ringers," where the ring doesn’t bounce off anything before reaching the target, are also given more points.

Ending conditions are variable. Some games are played to a certain score. Others are played until all the rings, or all of one team’s rings, are found (extra points usually awarded for the team that gathers all their rings first). Others are played based on an amount of time.

There are few restrictions on behavior. Players are permitted to bodily restrain other players, though causing an injury will usually bar a player from the rest of the game. Players are also permitted to block attempts at throwing the ring. It is tempting for some teams to use a blocker of some sort to guard their targets, though this usually doesn’t do enough good to ensure that the opposing team doesn’t get points, as it leaves the guard exposed and ring carriers can throw at different targets.

Tchonna tests a players ability to track and hunt, his fighting ability, endurance, and marksmanship, as well as a sense of strategy. Thus, while players will make extravagant displays to please audiences, it is universally considered better to play than it is to watch. Men, children, and even women are avid players of Tchonna.

Other than their enthusiasm for Tchonna and thinking up new rules and strategies, Tylerians are generally a straightforward people. They do not delve deeply into their religion or their way of life. Politics are not interesting to them, even the nobles who tend to be better educated in terms of theology, and thus there are few power games for control. The typical Tylerian, indeed, most Tylerians, heartily believe in their current social and religious structure, and resist change. They are a conservative people, and they adore their emperor. Since the Shining One is rarely seen in public, it is difficult for them to become disenchanted with him.

The Shining One is also the focus of the official religion of Tyleria. While a great deal of variation is permitted in the various cults, there are a few doctrines that are enforced, with heresy punished by sacrificing the guilty. Among these doctrines are the holiness of the emperor and the chosen status of Tyleria. It is believed, not just as nationalistic fervor, but as a literal religious dogma, that Tyleria is to one day rule the world and finally throw the Shailumen forces off Azmoth. Some cults go to extremes, claiming the Shining One is an angel, or an anhouim. Some even claim he is an Elumen, possibly an incarnation of Az-Mozeth himself. Anything more than an angel, however, is generally regarded as suspect. Clearly the Shining One is picked by Az-Mozeth to rule, but to say is he is much more than that seems absurd to most Tylerians.

Priesthood is an occupation about on par with artisans in Tyleria. This means that priests, while they have more influence that most citizens, have little absolute political power, and nobles rarely, if ever, choose to become priests. Exceptionally good priests, like skilled artisans, are given grants by the government and nobility to do their work, thus it is an attractive career choice for anyone who can draw a congregation.

All Tylerians attend the worship services of at least one cult, and many attend several. Technically it is a law in Tyleria to attend worship and pay obeisance to the Shining One. However, there is no working reporting system, and it is generally held that there are so few who break this law that it need not be regularly enforced. Those few who do not attend, however, are quiet about it. There’s no point in building up interest from soldiers who are charged with enforcing the law. It’s also looked down on so severely by the conservative people of Tyleria that it can only harm one’s reputation and business to have it known that you are not religious.

Tylerian art is bold and bright, and usually considered garish and tacky in other lands. They make use of only the brightest colors in paintings and clothing, often using contrasting colors for dramatic effect. Sculpture utilizes exaggerate features that call attention to themselves. Even their theater is overacted in foreigners’ opinions, often shouted or screamed for large portions of the drama.

Tylerians Abroad

Tylerians rarely leave Tyleria except on military campaign or a few merchants on trading missions. The one exception is to colonize the northern continent, and this doesn’t remove Tylerians from their culture. There are a few diplomats and ambassadors who represent the empire in places like Bask and Tarth, but there are almost no expatriates to speak of. Those who encounter Tylerians out of their homeland find them to be haughty and self-important, especially if the non-Tylerian is not a jungle type.

Foreigners are also rarely welcomed onto Tylerian soil, with two exceptions. A very few Parthann scholars are welcomed with whom a very few nobles like to speak, to hear their outlandish ideas. Though it is not popular for Parthannites to make this journey, realizing that they are entertainment, rather than educators. The other exception are skalds from Bregtoran. Tylerians enjoy their stories and songs, often commenting that the foreigner (who is rarely of a jungle type) is "very good for a Breggie." Most skalds have difficulty with this journey as well, as Tylerians do not usually follow the Bregtoran rules for skald audiences.

History

In the 2060′s unrest in the Middle East had not quieted significantly. The United States maintained a large military presence in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, as well as small forces in other key Arab countries (such as Saudi Arabia). It was in this state of affairs, with military forces stretched far too thin, that prompted the Second Civil War.

Texarkana (formerly the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas) had been planning a secessionist move, quietly building up their national guard units. Oil tycoons had recently been extremely prosperous in that region, with several new locations of untapped crude discovered. Businessmen and politicians in the region had realized that, without the consumption of the other 46 states (Puerto Rico voted for statehood in 2052), Texarkana would be an oil exporter. With the military strained, Texarkana was able to dissolve ties with the US without much of a fight in 2065.

Under these circumstances, public confidence in Middle Eastern peace-keeping efforts fell dramatically, and by 2073, all US forces had been withdrawn from the region. Without US military solidarity, what fragile peace existed in the Middle East died completely when a Syrian nationalist group systematically destroyed Saudi oil fields, blaming their westernization on their great wealth. Sides in the war were taken, but just as quickly swapped as the fighting became more intense. For nearly a century now, The land from the Sinai to Afghanistan has been in a constant state of chaos and war under the acrid smoke of burning oil fields.

Texarkana’s first move after separating from the US was to join OPEC. Within a decade, however, the chaos in the Middle East left Texarkana, Venezuela, and Indonesia as the only members. The near total loss of oil available in the world left people looking for alternatives.

The US capitalized on this search by finally supporting ethanol manufacturers. With switchgrass-based ethanol, Des Moines, IA, and Omaha, NE became home to some of the wealthiest men in America. Since Ethanol was no so much cheaper, most of the world started using it instead of petroleum, which in turn nearly bankrupted Texarkana.

In the 2090s, The US felt up to playing world police again. Tensions were on the rise in Pakistan and India, and the US, with relations warming with India while cooling with Pakistan for the last half-century, agreed to send a large force to help India suppress a Pakistani insurgency.

It wasn’t until the 2130s till anyone learned that China had perpetrated the incident, but in 2097, a “dirty bomb” was set off on a US military installation just inside the Pakistan border. The Pakistan government blamed India and claimed it was an attack, and immediately launched nuclear warheads. They had secretly been producing more of the weapons for decades, and the destruction was terrible. India responded in kind and now the region is destroyed. Cruises are available to see the destruction, but the inhabitants of the region are still stunted and sickly, and very few have the courage to explore more than the very fringes of the area. New nuclear explosions are detected every few months, proving that most organizations had vastly underestimated the number of warheads in the region.

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China had made the bomb and given it to local terrorists to blow up, as well as planted people in the Pakistan government to encourage officials to act rashly. They had done this to rid themselves of potential opposition and to hurt the US’s military capability. They were successful, and the US again withdrew their forces back home. The US has not sent a significant military force to foreign lands since.

China used the opportunity, and their alliance with North Korea, which they dominated, to take total control of the Far East. By 2143 they controlled everything from Indonesia to Mongolia, including the Phillipines and Japan, and even parts of eastern Russia. While successful, their military campaign had been very costly, and they still desired to take more of Russia to increase their ethanol production capability. In a deal supported by most US businesses, the US agreed to buy Japan from China.

In the early 21st century, Hong Kong had split with China, and, joining with Taiwan, had formed the New Chinese Republic. The NCR has little in the way of natural resources or production facilities, but they are the biggest and richest banking center on the planet. There are very few business in the world that do not have some sort of representation in the NCR. Due to it’s economic importance, China decided that conquering the NCR would not help their situation, and the rest of the world were sure to defend it, thus the NCR remains independent and financially important to this day.

Egypt, being more western than most Arab states, but not having the wealth that Saudi Arabia commanded, managed to extricate itself largely from the problems in the Middle East. Instead it turned to it’s own imperialistic designs. Absorbing Ethiopia and other surrounding nations, they formed the Grand Kingdom grew slowly, but Egypt was clear about establishing it’s authority, and took to building obelisks and pyramids in the regions it conquered. The Grand Kingdom controls most of Mediterranean and northeastern Africa.

A second empire, established along the Ivory Coast, holds less permanent and exclusive control over its territory. The African Empire claims to control nearly all of the Atlantic coast, but there are many cells of resistance and locations where the Emperor has no control at all. The African Empire is brutal in its attempts to control its people, however, and genocide is not infrequent. Many of those who resist imperial control are small tribes, and they are wiped out entirely rather than pacified. The remainder of Africa remains controlled by small groups: villages or tribes or even family groups. The major exception is South Africa, which remains autonomous and relatively strong.

In 2031 a minor gold rush sparked some interest in Peru, but the fervor quieted quickly. A few prospecting groups remained, however, and in 2059 a group sponsored by Gomez-Martin-Smith, a Venezuelan investment firm, discovered rich uranium deposits. Several others were also discovered by agents of the Peruvian government, and Peru began to use it’s wealth to gain dominance in South America. A major university was developed as well as a state-controlled arms and computer research organization. Because wages and resources were so abundant, some of the greatest minds in the world were soon employed by Peru. By 2088, Peru felt they could attempt anything. They quickly took Much of eastern and northern South America, however, Brazil prevented further movement to the south, and aggressive Peruvian expansion seemed to be complete by 2119. Today Peru is the major power in South America, and is perceived as a bully by the other nations on the continent. They have solid production power and a well-trained military, and are not afraid to use either to enforce their interests

Australia, though ideologically close to many of the major players on the world stage, chose to sit out the various wars and struggles by avoiding entanglements on all sides; the nuclear devastation of Southeast Asia has acted as a buffer zone giving them an extra layer of separation from world affairs. In light of this, Australia has become a haven for people from all over the world seeking to escape the turmoil or oppression of their native region; its primary defense is a lack of offense. While Australia has a healthy economy, it doesn’t have anything so desirable that the five major powers of the world want to expend resources to control the distant region. It doesn’t seek to tell other geopolitical entities what to do, and thus it is largely left alone. Australia has discovered a number of oil producing sites in Antarctica, which they remain quiet about hoping no one will take it from them. Thus they have very little dependence, if any, on the US for fuel and energy.

In the 2080s, Europe was decimated by several plagues. Livestock diseases led to contaminated food. Even when it was detected before sale it led to a decline in the availability of food, leading to malnutrition. But contaminated food was reaching consumers with greater frequency. Then some strains of livestock virii mutated and began infecting humans directly. The borders of Europe were almost entirely closed, with the exception of food imports.

The EU was faced with severely declining birth rates, and rising death rates due to disease and terrorism (most of it originating from European groups). Many business were failing simply because there was insufficient labor or professionals to keep things running. To save itself from burning out altogether, the EU governing body declared martial law and took complete control of all industry in order to improve the situation. Only the United Kingdom, by refusing to allow EU policies to take their independence, remained separate, though they continue to suffer from many of the same problems. Perceiving Ireland as a backdoor threat, the UK (with semi-secret US support) conquered it and now occupies the island with overwhelming military force. European citizens are stereotyped by the rest of the world as unmotivated drunkards, but the government is desperately trying to reverse the massive depopulation problem and rebuild their infrastructure.

The 2110s saw an economic depression in most of the world. The two countries to endure it well were the NCR and the US. The US used large grants of aid and loans to coerce most Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean into policies favorable to US interests. Over the next several decades, US control became more strict, and eventually most of these countries voted to become states in the US in order to have more say in their governance. Newfoundland, Greenland and Haiti (comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic) are the only non-US controlled territories in North America or the Caribbean, the remainder have become US states.

A New Development

In 2150, the world was witness to the longest total eclipse of the sun ever documented. It was predicted to be 7 minutes in length, long in and of itself, but for reasons astronomers try to explain with terms like “interstellar cloud” or “dark matter manifestation,” the sun was hidden for more than ten minutes, and this “eclipse” was visible over the entire sunward facing hemisphere. It is to this event that the origin of metahumans is typically traced.

Each geopolitical entity has its own position regarding the existence of metahumans. The NCR has firmly established them in their legal and judicial systems, affording them identical protections as ordinary humans. The US, EU, and China, however, officially deny their existence, though the normal man on the street generally acknowledges their existence. The “average person” attitude toward metahumans is one of fear and suspicion. Violent demonstrations and beatings of metahumans are not uncommon, and in governments that don’t acknowledge their existence, these are not treated as hate crimes.

The Order of Lichtburn, named after the first metahuman “martyr,” is a covert, private organization, operating primarily in the US, that seeks to discover and protect metahumans. Little is known about their further agenda or motivations, but their operatives, primarily metahumans themselves, are extremely dedicated and effective.

Metahumans are not uber-powerful supermen. They have less glamorous abilities and less raw power than you read in most comics. Someone who could control fire is incredibly powerful, whether or not he could create it. Most powers eat up a lot of stored calories when used, leaving the person using the power exhausted and hungry afterward. Metahumans are also still uncommon. It is estimated one person in 100,000 may have metahuman talents, though actual documented cases are much more rare. Thus there are a possible 100,000 metahumans alive among the 10 billion people on earth, though the more conservative estimates place this at 10-50,000.

US Business in the 22nd Century

By the end of the 21st century the US was more or less crippled militarily, at least in an international sense. However, far from turning the US into a third-rate power, the US found itself an economic powerhouse. Being in control of the “Fuel Basket” in the mid-west, the US controlled fuel prices like OPEC once had. They also retained control of much of the industrial infrastructure in the world, since the EU had collapsed. Thus the most powerful NGOs on the international stage are American. And the most important of these is ASI.

ASI Corp, or Auditing, Security, and Investigation, is a private organization with branches in nearly every nation on earth, including Australia and Korea. The US government often uses ASI for contracts and oversight matters, even though they grumble about ASI’s use of metahumans. ASI is also looked at as a neutral, impartial party in inter-corporation disputes, and is used for mediation more often than the US courts, especially in international cases. It is also well known secret that ASI can be depended on for espionage and counter-espionage, though how far into “black ops” they will go is not commonly known. There has never been substantial evidence to litigate ASI, and they are extremely careful not to abuse their position or to use the information they gain (or are given) except as it relates specifically to the contract. ASI is seen as a scrupulous group by some, and just this side of evil by many. However, it is universally recognized as a necessary and largely impartial entity, and is used even by groups who don’t like them. There exists no better intelligence or security organization on the planet.

ASI is the largest business in Century City, where their world headquarters is located, and a good half of the population works for ASI on some level. Most other local businesses depend on contracts with ASI for their continued well-being, including the prestigious Century City University. There are several buildings and academic programs at CCU named after ASI CEOs and board members, including the physics, chemical, and biology programs, the science building, the political science and law schools, and, oddly, the Classical Studies programs.

Every ASI employee spends at least 6 months in Northern California for training and grounding in the corporate culture. Due to its connection with ASI, Century City is one of the few locations in the US that can openly acknowledge metahumans and not suffer significant consequences on the national level. The stigma associated with metahumans is much less prevalent here, which is why most think that the Order of Lichtburn, known to have an antagonistic relationship with ASI, is also headquartered there.

ASI resources are vast, and include several R&D divisions, technology development, and their security force. Most corporations have a small army (usually referred to as a “security force”), but ASI’s paramilitary security force is larger than most states, if not all of them.

Every business has at least one security employee or contractor (often contracted from ASI) who is trained to kill intruders (no rent-a-cop 60 year olds anymore; security is an important, directly physical business). This has contributed to the blasé attitude toward violence in the US. When you grow up seeing heavily armed soldiers standing around McDonalds, you aren’t bothered seeing men beating each other bloody on TV.

The sports industry has also changed. The culture of violence led to the legalization of manslaughter in most places for “arena sports,” which include things like the new football league and demolition derbies. Gladiatorial exhibitions are common, but this is often viewed as outright murder because it is more intentional, so these fights are usually taken to the point of incapacitation instead of death. Since it is cheaper to repair a robot than pay a human to die, a culture of robotic sports has grown up, but fans still appreciate “real humans” in the games and get more excited about these “Genuine Games.” Many large businesses sponsor a team in at least one sport; the less prosperous ones sponsoring robotic teams, and the rich participating in Genuine Games.

Space programs have been on hold for many decades everywhere. There is enough unrest on the earth to make interest in other planets close to nil. Still, there is the occasional religious group that enters an interstellar craft bound for distant stars at half the speed of light. Obviously, no one has ever heard of these expeditions again. There are rumors that ASI is making plans to set up moon colonies, but since most people have a grandfather who knew someone who died when the last lunar settlement failed, this is typically written off as insane speculation.

Notes on US Politics

While civil rights are still a major internal issue for the US, there is much less concern for what goes on in other nations—cops beating the Hispanic guy next door will cause violent demonstrations, but genocide in the Grand Kingdom will get very little attention.

The federal military is almost non-existent, and most experts agree that a moderately sized company could defeat them. Security forces with other companies prevent this, however. A large majority of the 92 states have a beefed up National Guard force, and all of them have laws compelling corporations to supply military aid in the event of need. Thus government spending on military is much lower, allowing for much lower taxes and great social services.