Write something about your setting, and the rest of us will help you develop it

Well the attacks happened so suddenly, so no nation was really prepared to fight back.

Also, several of countries in Europe and Africa received most of the attacks, so they really had no chance to survive.

The Girok are obsessed with planet hunting. They've probably colonized over 500+ planets so far.

 

Well the U.S. and the U.K. weren't involved in this war.

Japan and China were going at it.
Russia invaded Germany.
Australia was wiped out by Korea.
Indonesia and Pakistan wiped each other out.

Those were the countries involved and this all lasted for half a year.

 

Really? The US relationships with Japan weakened enough for them not to help and were willing to let china run rampant?
Russia pushed through all of eastern europe without the UK or US getting involved?
There's literally no point in holding Australia as it has very little tactical value.
And I feel you mean India and Pakistan.

 

Mine is set in a parallel universe, in the year 2016. It's the Seventh Realm out of fourteen main realms. There are a few time travelers who have been to other realms, but most people are completely oblivious to this fact. There are four main countries/continents: Bellica, Maccabe, Glenndells, and Annandells. Glenndells (where my story is set) used to be part of Annandells but they broke off into their own country after a war a long time ago. A narrow strait divides the two countries and they're collectively known as the Dells. Maccabe is a huge, powerful country that has nothing to do with the Dells after both sides failed to keep their agreement in another war. Bellica used to be called Talmarain, but it was taken over by a wizard king named Rex Bellum. The Dells used to capture slaves from Talmarain, so Rex Bellum has made it his mission to destroy the Dells. Since Maccabe is not an ally of the Dells anymore, they are for the most part left alone. Seventeen years ago, the Dells and Maccabe fought together to stop the growing tyrant of Bellica (this was the war that severed Dellian and Maccabean ties). It ended in a semi-truce. Bellica got control of both air and water, so they completely dominant the Navy and the Air Force now. Also, they bombed the Dells to pieces, destroying the oil rigs, and won control of foreign oil. So The Dells now rely on electricity and that is how they power their cars. There are no cars out in the country because the charging stations are too far apart and you would run out of electricity. The major form of transportation is steam trains. Otherwise there is running water, etc., the big cities have electric dams while smaller villages have wells. There are telephone lines and radio, no TV or Internet. I would greatly appreciate anyone helping me come up with a reason for no TV or Internet.

 

Yes. Actually a lot of relations with other countries have died out due to most countries becoming stingy with their resources.
Basically, most of the world's resources were depleting. However, some countries were doing a lot better than others (China, Europe, ect.) and these countries became independent and kept them to themselves. This is what sparked a war.

The surviving countries don't re-ally again and put all of their remaining resources together until after the Girok attack.

 

I'm writing a story set in a dystopian version of the future and I need some quirky or half-baked features to lighten the mood. In this world, the roads have high speed-bumps to force traffic to drive slowly and cars have sophisticated suspension to allow them to drive over high speed bumps comfortably at speed. The lifts insist on you showing your identity card before boarding for health & safety reasons and will only allow you to use them a small number of times before refusing to budge because you haven't filled out a user feedback questionnaire.

If anyone has any daft ideas, I'd be most grateful.

 

Do you have anything more specific than "dystopian future?" That's pretty vague and not much to go on to find things that will fit your setting.

 

The day-to-day lifestyles of people are much like those of modern life so anything that would fit a near future version of a western society would fit. Politics has been infiltrated by religious bigotry and become generally dysfunctional (imagine many government officials as Kim Davis type characters). Beliefs are important to people so society is deeply divided in many different ways including a 'cast' type social order, male/female discrimination and sectarian tensions. Roadblocks with checkpoints are positioned between Christian and Muslim areas. Open discrimination is permitted on the grounds of religious freedom. Features don't have to be specifically related to this. Technology has moved ahead but in a haphazard and uncoordinated way. I'm looking for ideas that seem plausible enough in theory for a society to accept them but dysfunctional enough in practice to cause tensions for characters and amusement for the reader. Lightbulbs sometimes don't come on because they're downloading software updates. A character is injured and calls out to his digital assistant software on his mobile device, 'I need an ambulance!' The digital assistant replies, 'I've added, ambulance, to your shopping list.' My novel needs to be partly humorous because it's deadly serious.

 

An advanced Alien society ruled by a queen. They value intellect and host sports-like competitions that use strategy and intelligence. Their queens can live for centuries at a time. That's all I've got so far .

 

How long do the standard ones live?
Why are they biologically different from the queens?
Any of them thought of democracy?
How advanced are they?

 

The whole "lightbulbs don't come on" is a little silly but a great starting point all the same. Your smart-house software update took forever, and suddenly Siri (or whoever) will only speak and understand French. There was a power outage due to a thunderstorm, and all of your door are either locked or unlocked. The lift won't work because your fitbit shows that you're running a step-count deficit and you need the exercise of walking up the stairs to work. Your SmartFridge (in partnership with Hershey's!) orders chocolate milk every week unless you remember to opt out each and every time. Your car navigation system has your home and work addresses, but it reminds you that you haven't entered your church address yet, every time it starts up.

 

They live for a little over a hundred years at a time. Queens live longer because they consume others of their kind in a ritual that lengthens their life. Besides this, queens are usually larger and stronger than standards.
They have a bit of a constitutional democracy so the people get their say, but the queen still has a little bit more power. Most people dont have a problem with the situation, but that may be because they're too frightened to try and fight her.
Their technology ranges from hovercrafts and teleportation to advanced medicines that can heal broken bones within days. Just average sci-fi stuff. They haven't solved the mysteries of the universe or anything like that.

 

A semi-fantasy world

 

I feel that they would be rebelling if the upper class were literally eating them. Doubly so considering how advanced they are technologically.

 

Are these competitions physical, or completely mental? When I first read that I immediately thought of Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game, which is an example of the latter (although in a setting without aliens).

 

Agreed :/ I've still got a lot of stuff to work out

 

Sort of both? I imagined them happening in a sort of football stadium/arena where competitors are physically in the competition but have to solve puzzles and problems with their minds rather than just athleticism/strength.

 

Not if this is an integral part of their biology. Or so deep in their belief that most people just go with it as long as it's not on an extinction level.

 

A counterpoint. They may have surpassed their biology through technology. E.G if the queen needs to eat them for sustenance, creating synthetic food, or artificial insemination if it's for reproductive purposes. And all beliefs can slowly be crumbled with time.

 

It's just the rough sketch, but I was thinking of a YA hard science fiction series. It involves a secret society which take teenagers from across the world which all are hand picked as extremely talented children, mainly technologically and scientifically focused.
This organisation is called SARET and are meant to keep world peace, focusing mainly on global threats on an international level.
I want this to be different from any other spy series in that it will be as scientifically accurate as possible. And hopefully be able to help scientific ideas be more reachable to readers.

 

Keeping world peace could mean trolling social media in particular countries to influence voting in elections to keep 'unapproved' politicians out of office. Also they could engage in creating and propagating fake news to influence public opinion so arms sales to the 'right kind' of foreign governments can be authorised. Then the kids work out who is pulling their strings, who is making money for all this and who is suffering as a consequence. Then, everything changes.

 

That's actually a really interesting storyline that I'm sure will be put to use

 

Demosthenes and Locke from Ender's Game, at an organizational level.

 

How bad is it that I never read that book?

 

(Kidding aside, I wouldn't say it's the Harry Potter of modern sci-fi but it's kind of close.)