The Natives of Pangaea (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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drowningdeep2020-06-21 01:37 am
pangaean) wrote in drowningdeep2020-06-21 01:37 am
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PANGAEA
The country is Pangaea is large enough to call a continent rather than an island, but only just. Few citizens of Pangaea dwell much on its size; even without the bullet trains, which through a combination of magic and technology can traverse the country within an hour, there’s nothing to compare it to. As far as anyone knows - and as far as most anyone cares - Pangaea is the sole bastion of human civilization. Pangaea isn't just the country, it's the entirety of the livable planet. (As such, the planet itself has no name; the word 'Pangaea' encompasses the whole world.) Nothing but empty ocean exists beyond its coasts, and to go more than a half mile out into them is suicide. The oceans are dangerous; no one who’s ever gone out any further than that has ever come back. In fact, no one’s certain anyone has gone out further than that; there are stories, but they smack of urban legend.
Pangaea doesn’t have a country-wide government; each city is its own governing body. But the capital city of Babel has the most clout, and the most powerful families from each city have family roots there. As such, whatever policies Babel sets, the other cities tend to emulate it in short order. Likewise, the country has a standing military, but it isn’t one which operates on a national level. (There are no outside threats to defend from or attack, after all.) The military operates out of bases within each city, funded by wealthy families rather than a central government. They quell any disturbances of the peace that the (equally privatized) police forces aren’t equipped to handle. Usually, such disturbances are uprisings of the disenfranchised against the wealthy. (As such, a standing military is always considered a wise investment among the rich.) No uprising ever gets far, and one’s attitude toward the military - as courageous servants of the greater good or men who murder the weak for pay - depends on one's class. Feelings toward the police are similar, if somewhat less extreme. They're a gang in uniform funded by rich families to protect their interests, and pay little attention to any injustices against people who aren’t paying them to care.
How long have things been this way? Always, or so anyone you ask will tell you. Pangaea is a strange country in that it has no recorded history - or, if it does, no one is sharing it. Pangaea’s establishment some 700 years ago is a known and celebrated fact, and most things since are a matter of public record. But nothing about how or why Pangaea came to be, what existed before, or how the families came into power, is ever referenced. Fairy tales and origin myths may theorize, but only in the fantastical sense. Taking too much of an interest in such ancient history is frowned upon, considered almost deviant. There is a vague, nationwide awareness that some sort of tragedy happened back then, and not only is it pointless to speculate on it, but unforgivably rude. Rather more sinister, and a more effective deterrent, is the fact that anyone who’s persisted in investigating has disappeared.
Few people navigate Pangaea without the use of the bullet trains; it’s both discouraged and considered borderline illegal. The bullet trains require your ID; it’s assumed anyone opting for a slower method of travel does so for criminal purposes. As one can go from watching the sun rise over the sea at one end of the country to having an early brunch on the coast of the other within an hour, Pangaea can almost feel small. But this is an illusion.
The sheer number of cities in Pangaea is astounding. Anyone doubting the size of the country can gauge how large it must be to house them all and still have room for any space between them. What’s more, each city is unique in its cultural identity. Many are recognizable cultures from Earth - Japanese, French, Italian, the American South - and have the architectural styles to match. Of course, many have evolved further from their perceived roots, due to the unique influences of Pangaea. And some cities are centered around cultures that have no recognizable cultural equivalent at all. You’re not likely to find out what culture did influence it, even if you ask; the culture of each city originated there, of course, and they’re very proud of it. What other source could there ever have been?
(It’s not recommended to insist otherwise. Outsiders sometimes do, and the reactions are never pleasant ones.)
Pangaea doesn’t have a country-wide government; each city is its own governing body. But the capital city of Babel has the most clout, and the most powerful families from each city have family roots there. As such, whatever policies Babel sets, the other cities tend to emulate it in short order. Likewise, the country has a standing military, but it isn’t one which operates on a national level. (There are no outside threats to defend from or attack, after all.) The military operates out of bases within each city, funded by wealthy families rather than a central government. They quell any disturbances of the peace that the (equally privatized) police forces aren’t equipped to handle. Usually, such disturbances are uprisings of the disenfranchised against the wealthy. (As such, a standing military is always considered a wise investment among the rich.) No uprising ever gets far, and one’s attitude toward the military - as courageous servants of the greater good or men who murder the weak for pay - depends on one's class. Feelings toward the police are similar, if somewhat less extreme. They're a gang in uniform funded by rich families to protect their interests, and pay little attention to any injustices against people who aren’t paying them to care.
How long have things been this way? Always, or so anyone you ask will tell you. Pangaea is a strange country in that it has no recorded history - or, if it does, no one is sharing it. Pangaea’s establishment some 700 years ago is a known and celebrated fact, and most things since are a matter of public record. But nothing about how or why Pangaea came to be, what existed before, or how the families came into power, is ever referenced. Fairy tales and origin myths may theorize, but only in the fantastical sense. Taking too much of an interest in such ancient history is frowned upon, considered almost deviant. There is a vague, nationwide awareness that some sort of tragedy happened back then, and not only is it pointless to speculate on it, but unforgivably rude. Rather more sinister, and a more effective deterrent, is the fact that anyone who’s persisted in investigating has disappeared.
Few people navigate Pangaea without the use of the bullet trains; it’s both discouraged and considered borderline illegal. The bullet trains require your ID; it’s assumed anyone opting for a slower method of travel does so for criminal purposes. As one can go from watching the sun rise over the sea at one end of the country to having an early brunch on the coast of the other within an hour, Pangaea can almost feel small. But this is an illusion.
The sheer number of cities in Pangaea is astounding. Anyone doubting the size of the country can gauge how large it must be to house them all and still have room for any space between them. What’s more, each city is unique in its cultural identity. Many are recognizable cultures from Earth - Japanese, French, Italian, the American South - and have the architectural styles to match. Of course, many have evolved further from their perceived roots, due to the unique influences of Pangaea. And some cities are centered around cultures that have no recognizable cultural equivalent at all. You’re not likely to find out what culture did influence it, even if you ask; the culture of each city originated there, of course, and they’re very proud of it. What other source could there ever have been?
(It’s not recommended to insist otherwise. Outsiders sometimes do, and the reactions are never pleasant ones.)