I am writing a YA novel that more or less takes place in the future. I need a few tips about the villain. A little backstory: A genetic research project goes terribly wrong and a bunch of wild 10 feet lizards are let on the loose and the humankind is on the brink of destruction. However they manage to hold the lizards of for long enough to build huge walls around large cities surrounded by wastelands occupied by said lizards. Inside this cites life eventually goes on as before, and little by little they manage to build up a society again over the course of couple hundred years. As the lizards are mating and multiplying it gets dangerous leaving the safety of the cities. They still have global communication thanks to satellites, and the whole world are united in an effort to eradicate the lizards. In order to do so, every year the capital sends a plane to each of the cites to gather every male over 16 who volunteer to join the military. The cities are democratic and elect a new government every third year, the citizens pay taxes, work, and are basically living the same life as we do now. Only they can't leave the city. There are no laws against it, but it is recommended that they stay inside the safety of the walls. Everyone who wants leave however, are free to do so. They have their struggles like every other society of course, but it's as good as it gets, or so it seems to the citizens. What they don't know is that there are not many cities left. Most of the world is in ruins, but the few cities left believes that the world is slowly rebuilding. The truth is that there are 3 or 4 large cities in addition to the capital. The lizards are real enough, but they are not so wild as people believe them to be. They are in fact controlled by the government. Shortly after the failed experiment, they regained control over the lizards, but still let them loose on the world. The youths who are recruited to the military is really recruited to work as slaves for the capital. The global communication is also partly a lie. Though the cities can communicate between each other, the government still monitors it. When they "communicate" with a city that doesn't exists anymore, it's really a studio in the capital they communicate with. People that leaves the city are hunted down for sports by the lizards, and shown on the big screen. The people of the capital doesn't know about the other cities, and believe the capital to be the only one left in the entire world. They believe that the lizards spread a virus that killed everybody else. The people that are hunted down by lizards are believed to be infected people, and people hope the lizards will die of it. So far so good, but my problem is simple: Why do the government do this? What motivation do they have? What have they to gain, as the people of the cities also live good and healthy lives. Obviously there are the salves they gather once a year, but they need more of a motivation to do this if they are gonna let the people live as they are free. Any tips and criticism are received with gratitude. Questions are also welcome, but this is a rough first draft and probably not as the polished end product will look like.
Title: Tips on creating a new world First sentence: I don't need tips for the world itself... MISLEADING! I recommend just writing scenes and stuff and see if anything hints at a motive for the antagonists or if you get an epiphany as you world-build. Usually works for me when I need some details to detail.
Why would the government do this? Population control based on the theory that the planet can't support life indefinitely. They need something to blame that makes themselves out to be the heroes. People tend to surrender freedom for security *frownie face*. The inherent nature of the government is to control. If you give it to them, they will gladly take it from you. You don't get it back. Illusion of freedom and choice. The Romans built coliseums to entertain the plebes, cake and circuses and all that.
The plan is that a group of government i.e. the UN, start killing of people to reduce the earths population. This is as you mention, a way to secure the spices continued existence in a world with decreasing resources. Something goes wrong and everything gets out of hand and the virus (or whatever method they use) almost eradicates the whole earth, turning people into zombielike creatures. The few people (A million or so) who are left, start rebuilding cities with high walls to keep the zombies out. The people think that there are many cities like that around, but in reality there is only 2. One to house a now growing population, and a larger one called the capital. So far so good. Sorry if I have repeated myself unnecessary here, but this is where I struggle to come up with motive for the capital. Why would they jeep lying to the other city about the rest of the world? They gather every volunteer over 18 to join an army to fight the zombies, but in reality they are used as slaves in the capital. Somewhere along the line, the capital has gained control over the zombies and can now control them and uses them to kill everyone who leaves the city. It is not however, illegal to leave either the city or the capital, but everyone who does are killed or turned into zombies. Inside the city walls everything is good. There is a well functioning society not unlike todays democracy, with welfare, taxes and so on. There is no real reason to leave the safety of the city. Outside the city there are groups of people surviving by eating animals and killing zombies if they get to close. As the zombies are controlled by the government they have no reason or interest in attacking those groups, and the government doesn't know about them. They have the city under surveillance, but they believe nobody survives in the wilderness. By killing everyone who leaves the city, they also think there are nobody in the wilderness what so ever. Writing this has kind of cleared things up for me, but thanks for the example with the romans. The capital rules the other city, even though they are not that aware of it as they live good lives. They can do whatever they want within some borders the capital has set but not told them about. The capital also keeps the illusion going with the whole "the whole world is slowly rebuilding" lie, to keep them from revolting.
Why does this sound so much like Attack On Titan? First thing I think of when I see "walled-off cities" coupled with a corrupt, manipulative governing body. Also the zombies part.
I have yet to see/read attack on titan, so I can't really answer it. Though it may seem similar, I believe that my story would probably be different still, as it is set both no and in the future. However, I have decided to put this project on hold for a while as I am writing a crime novel.
