literature

The setting for a story.

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Literature Text

The City of Sidus


The city of Sidus was named for its appearance.  Its name comes from the Latin word for constellation.  It is a bustling metropolis that sits in the middle of a large lake… an island of light.  The only way into the city is via a vast network of underwater glass pathways that eventually wend their way into the city's underground.  Within the lake, the pathways are arranged in levels with subway tunnels that snake their way along the bottom, car paths suspended in the middle, and foot paths that run just a few yards beneath the surface.
The city itself was made to astound all who behold it.  The buildings are made of glass, and polished,  semi-precious metals, such as copper or brass, with many extraneous moving parts floating and gliding in intricate clockwork mechanisms on a grand scale.  The sidewalks and streets were made from cut and polished stone of the highest quality, such as marble or granite.  Everything appears clean, smooth, and multi-faceted like jewels.
During the day, the inhabitants of the city can be seen moving inside their various shimmering places of occupation, but what Sidus is really known for is its spectacular nights.  As the sun sets, everything comes alive in moving lights and colors that dance through the air.  Everywhere you look things are sparkling, glittering, glowing and shining, all at varying paces.  Anything that doesn't produce this intoxicating light will reflect it as it moves and changes, thereby compounding its brilliance.
The different colors and forms of light swimming around your vision create an unearthly feeling in the air, as if the air itself is alive.  It almost seems as though you can absorb the light in the air just by breathing it.  This is another part of why people flock to Sidus… because they want to feel alive.
The reach of the city's glow extends so far that the underwater footpaths, for the most part, do not even need to be lit.  The light from the city floats down through the water like an amorphous pool of stained glass being stirred.  From out across the water, the city shimmers like a restless nova of color.  The water reflects it flawlessly and it doubles in its intensity, creating an illusion of exponential light and life.
In spite of all the excess light, the stars around Sidus are still visible above.  The city is the only brightly lit area for miles and miles.  The stars too are reflected in the edges of the lake, creating a dark backdrop sprinkled with tiny glittering pinpoints on which Sidus displays itself.
Sidus at night is a thing of beauty that people dream of and wish for.  Anyone who has the good fortune of being able to live there is looked upon with envy.  Everyone desires a piece of the glistening treasure that sits atop the lake.  All of the large residential buildings that climb their way into the clouds look like pillars leading up into the dome of the sky.  There isn't a person in all the world that wouldn't want to live in that crystal clear, gravity defying space.
However, the city also represents the epitome of technological advancement, all of it put towards making it a grand spectacle.  Wonders of engineering are a commonplace in Sidus, though the ends met by these wonders are mediocre at best.  Such impossible feats are accomplished not out of necessity, but for the entertainment of the city's patrons.
The simplest mechanisms can inspire awe because they were made more complex than they ever needed to be, and they are made that way for the beauty and wonder of it.  Everything in Sidus has been reinvented from its simpler form specifically for the purpose of maintaining its whimsy.  It was all conceived on the basis of pleasure, not practicality.
It is obvious that such things are what draw people to Sidus, like moths to a flame.  It is the whole reason for beauty's existence in Sidus.  Yet Sidus is not so one-dimensional as to truly be a perfect paradise.  Sidus is multi-faceted.  Just as the mechanics of Sidus are impressive on the surface yet ultimately a redundant creation, the beauty of Sidus tends to hide the potential ugliness of its inhabitants.
The most dangerous element of this city is that feeling of breathing life from the very air during the nighttime hours.  The saturation of energy and vitality can throw people into a state of restless delusion.  The city lights infect people with a feeling of false power that tears them from their good judgment.
As I look out over this shining city, I am proud to say that I am one of the few who can see it for what it is.  It is a beautiful decorative flame that, if left unattended, has the potential to set everything around it ablaze and burn it until there is nothing left but ash.  Every day I watch as people play with fire as though it were a toy that one might give to a small child.  It is my job to attend to these people, and make sure that the consequences of their actions don't light up this pretty little perfect world like a roman candle, sending it crackling into oblivion.
I am slowly but surely working my way towards writing a story, and this is just a description of the place where it'll all go down. That's all I really want to say about it at the moment, but I'd apreciate it if no one else used this.
© 2011 - 2024 manga-kat
Comments15
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CNat's avatar
sounds awesome, you way you use your decriptive words is smart and not repeptitive
can wait to hear more of the story the settign is already like a character itself P=