Talk:Atlantis
(brandon) Hello, all accessing this web page. That means you have an account! Congrats!
Now here's a little on how to work this page. The main article page is where most of the writing will take place, where the heroic story goes on. I'll add a new link to a new page when we need it for a new chapter. Here, this page, the discussion page, is where most if not all of the discussion will take place. Now, with a couple different people talking on the same page, its difficult to tell who's who. So, when you start typing, put your name in parentheses (these things () that are really cool like I just did) and then start typing whatever you wish to type.
On this page is where we talk, about the plot, characters, and just anything in general. Another lesson.
NO INDENTING IS REQUIRED ON A WIKI. In order to start a new line, press enter twice. If you only press it once, then your line will seemingly start a line below in the edit format, but in the actual reading format it will appear as part of the original line.
That brings up something else. To edit this page, click on the little button that says edit next to the discussion button at the top of the bar once you are logged in.
Simple, right?
Now, we'll probably be talking alot, so to make sure we don't crash the page with too many entries, I'll put up a new section whenever the previous one is getting full. To edit just one section instead of the entire page (recommended if you don't want to crash you machine) click on the edit button next to the section name, again once you are logged in.
Example:
Section 1 (example section)
Alright.
Just a few updated ideas that I randomly came up with over the course of a couple weeks or so. Feel free to laugh at any and all of them.
1) The crew (That's Scar, Holly, and Matt) each have specialized armor sets custom-tailored for different environments, such as one for Desert-ops, one for Arctic-weather-ops, and one for Space-ops (there will probably be a scene in some part of the book where at least one of the crew will be sent on a mission to the International Space Station, which I will determine later).
The general-purpose assault armor has a hard, bullet-proof-ceramic plating shell on the torso, with similar pieces as upper arm guards, gauntlets, upper and lower leg guards, and helmet. The gauntlet has a slot that contains a medium-sized, potently lethal double-edged knife that can be ejected rapidly on a spring and then retracted with an internal mechanism (original idea comes from the PS3 game Assassin's Creed) or pulled out and used manually.
Helmet has integrated HUD (heads-up display), comm. system, Friend or Foe (FOF) monitor, and Global Access Command Board (GACB) that links the individual soldier to the rest of his/her squad, regiment, brigade, etc. and lists available air, ground, and Naval support options.
Also, the Warfighter Physiological Status Monitor Subsystem (WPSMS, which is an actual military technology) can monitor the vital signs of a soldier, such as blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, hydration and stress levels, and workload capacity, as well as automatically notify Medics and Commanders if a soldier is wounded or fatigued. Furthermore, in the book (thanks to Dr. Stephens's handiwork) the WPSMS will have a built in Morphine (a potent pain-killer drug) injector and store a small bladder of other medications according to the combat conditions that can be fed into the soldier's bloodstream.
The armor is comprised of multiple layers;
The outer shell, which is made of thin but hard and bullet-proof ceramic plates coated in "Shear-Thickening Liquid" (See Wikipedia; Liquid Armor) that is sprayed onto the plates and a special bullet/fragment proof weave of M5 Fiber that makes up the non-plated area of the armor;
Second, the power-centric layer houses a Micro Turbine fueled by a miniature fusion cell (did I mention, thanks to Dr. Stephens, Fusion power is reality?) that can supply power for up to a week of continuous use;
Third, the Thermal Micro-climate Condition Subsytem layer houses narrow tubing that can provide heating or cooling to the soldier. This is where the auto-medication-dispensers is housed.
2) The US military has their second-largest Air Force base in the Azores mountain range, which is part of Atlantis. When Atlantis resurfaces, the base rises along with Atlantis, and the US launches its first assault from up there. The Azores are on the Northern end of the island. In the war campaign, USA forces will attempt to push their way South from the Air Force base and procure a foothold at a lower elevation. At the part of the war the crew is introduced to, the Military has built three such bases, plus the already established Air Force base: A Naval base in the middle of a lake, a USMC stronghold guarding the Western frontier at the edge of the Azores, and an US Army stronghold guarding the Eastern frontier at the edge of the Azores (see map to be roughly sketched later).
3)Really, in the writing, I need to describe more thoroughly how much power a gun holds. A gun can take somebody's life, can actually kill a person, so that they aren't in the world anymore. That's a powerful piece of hardware, and I haven't emphasized that enough.
4) Some plant life includes cycads, bennettitaleans, ginkgoes, pine, and fir trees, as well as swamp cypresses.
5) One of the main SMGs used is the Pulse R71 SMG. In addition, the FN P90 USG, LWRC Personal Defense Weapon (PDW), and LWRC PDC are also good candidates for weaponry used by standard infantry and vehicle crews especially.
6) Change the perspective of the combat. Nature (dinos) are in control. You just don't dispute that when you're staring down a Rex or Raptor or Dilo. You're pretty much dead. And also, Raptors are intelligent pack hunters. A classic ambush pattern would be for one to distract and cut off the path in front while two others come in from the sides, attempting to catch you unawares. If there are enough Raptors, they can use advanced tactics, such as sending two more around to the rear as backup and cut-off.
Another classic hunt-pattern would be for one or two Raptors to herd a group of people or other prey to the edge of a hill or other elevation. Post one or two Raptors at either side of the hill and post another two on top of the hill as Overwatch and backup.
Of course, no matter how smart Raptors were, they still weren't and aren't as smart as humans. When a group of soldiers is confronted with Raptors, it becomes a frantic race; flank, counter-flank, out-flank, kill. Usually, Raptors still win. It might have something to do with the enormous 6 inch claws that are on each hand and foot. Or maybe its that they're abnormally strong. Being able to run as fast as a cheetah and jump 12 feet in the air might do it as well. Just a thought.
7) Atlantis is a tropical paradise, if you take away all the battle and bloodthirsty dinos. And that raises item # 8:
8) In real life, carnivores wouldn't attack every human that came their way. They'd kill their share of meat and eat it, but leave the rest for scavengers. Since they've been on the same island as humans (albiet Atlantians who are extremely gifted warriors/hunters/people in general), somewhere along the line they must have realized that people are easy to kill and eat. It's not as difficult to kill a human as it is to kill a Stegosaurus. The exception to this is a Raptor. Raptors kill for fun, just as humans do. So they will attack any human that comes their way.
9) Call signs. The military uses call signs to distinguish different squads. A couple examples: "Sierra", "Sigma", "Scarecrow", "Outlaw", "Phoenix"
10) The Atlantian's version of America's Bald Eagle is a Phoenix, which is indigenous (native) to the island. Yes, a Phoenix, like in Harry Potter. But these Phoenixes are the original pyrokinesis users. The ability to control fire started with them, and the Atlantians learned from the Phoenix how to control fire. They're limited with it, but some of their High Priests can, as well as their king, a descendant of King Minos.
Still working on what the original controllers for geo, hydro, and aerokinesis were.
11) Have an action scene on the top of a semi-truck, like in The Matrix
12) Cover art for the first book: a Phoenix, circled in gold-orange flames, with the main characters built up below and in front of it in a row, arranged according to importance. In the first book, Scarlett (whose personality is based on the delightfully cheerful Emma Reifenberger [did I spell that correctly?]) will be the main character. Scar will be in front, Holly (with the personality of the lovely Wellie Delmer) will be directly to her right, Matt (played by grumpy ol' Brandon Krupczak lol) will be on her left, Kate Alabaster (thanks to the cheery Madeline Hill) directly beside Matt, and Dr. Stephens, whom we still need a first name for (Thanks to the dedicated and impossible-to-be-mad-at-for-more-than-an-hour Stephen Borrelli), will be directly beside Holly.
In the second book, it will change, and Holly will be the main character. The cover art for this book will be the emblazoned title Harvest Reaper with a grain field under it and a squad of soldiers back-to-back with weapons facing outward in the field, with the shadowy Grim Reaper lurking beside them, unseen. This time the same row of characters is below the grain field, but this time with Holly in the center and the others arranged behind and beside her.
In the third book, I may or may not be the main character, I'm not sure. I haven't gotten around to cover art or a title for the third book, but the title will be something related to water or the Ocean if I'm gonna be the main character for that book. Cover art might be a soldier's helmet resting on the beach with blood dots next to it and the tide coming in. It might also be a rifle stuck in the sand with the helmet on top of it and the surf coming up. The rifle and helmet is the traditional grave marker for a serviceman who has died in the field and had to be buried in a hurry.
13) Certain leaves of certain trees on Atlantis can be used and digested through the appendix (just a bit of quick background, the appendix is a digestive organ that hasn't been used for centuries in humans. It is believed by scientists to have been once used to help digest leaves or other plants in the Neolithic Era [cavemen times], although now the appendix is not used for anything in the modern human.) to temporarily augment psychokinetic powers.
14) Another kind of psychokinetic power is to absorb the energy out of living organisms, like in Christopher Paolini's Eldest. The restraint for this is that to absorb the energy, firstly the victim must have active psi abilities and you must enter the mind of the supposed victim. All people with psi abilities can shield their minds from mental invasion, and as such in order to absorb psi energy you would have to breech the defenses of the victim's mind.
15) The Egyptian Pyramids are actually of Atlantian design, and were built for Pharaohs as a sign of thanks for services that were delivered from Egypt to Atlantis. Also, the Pyramids were a symbol of Atlantian authority to the people of Egypt, as Atlantis was the ruler of most of the world. They had also discovered the Americas in 11,000 B.C. and the Amazons were a previously Atlantian culture. The Amazons once belonged to an Atlantian colony, but they rebelled and won independence, just like our own Revolutionary War.
16) Atlantis had colonies and military/religious outposts in most of the world. Crete was an Atlantian colony overseen by king Minos, the oracle of Delphi was an Atlantian priest, Bermuda triangle is an Atlantian military Naval outpost that exists to this day and is the explanation for so many lost ships/planes, Nazca Lines was a religious sign/gate of some kind (I'm still working on a good theory for the book on the Nazca Lines), Bimini Road was a path that led from the Bermuda Triangle to another Atlantian supply depot.
17) The "Spaceman" carving in Chichen Itza is actually a carving of an Atlantian diver
18) Atlantians invented a non-volatile and environmentally friendly power source that provides the same amount of energy as fusion (still working on the idea for what kind of power source).
19) Atlantians were extremely advanced for their time, and they invented air and marine travel. For air travel, they took their power source and combined it with glider-type craft at first to make powered gliders, and later used Titanium and Orichalcum from the ore deposits on Atlantis to make a true metal aircraft and armed it with unguided bombs made of a gun-powder like substance obtained from certain trees on Atlantis inside a hard-clay casing for the world's first bomb. They also made a sort of rifle like the early Chinese "Firesticks" that shot a variety of projectiles for the world's first single-shot rifle. On their aircraft, they made a 5-barreled version of their rifle and wired it into the nose of the aircraft, setting up an automatic projectile loader for the world's first Gatling gun. They then dominated the skies and controlled the land through this means.
Their war-subs and warships also were equipped with early cannon that fired more clay balls with the gunpowder substance inside, using their power source as a launcher. It could launch a projectile up to 2000 feet without breaking the cases of the cannon balls upon launching. They also outfitted their warships with battering rams on the prow of the ship that held the gunpowder substance in the wood that would explode upon impact with another boat. They shaped the charges by putting the sap of a certain plant in the rod at the back, so that the explosion rebounded off this hardened sap (amber) and was force out the narrow ram into the enemy boat.
The 5-barrled Gatling guns were used as well on their warships.
20) A dinosaur named Seismosaurus weighed up to 100 tons.
21) Incan pyramids were variants of Atlantian pyramids, and the designers were the Amazons. The two pyramids were similar because as mentioned before, the Amazons came out of the Atlantians.
22) Atlantian rule was overthrown for multiple reasons. Firstly, a comet impact that created what is now Hudson Bay wiped out most of the shore-dwelling, intelligent humans at around 9000 B.C. The dramatic change in climate and spin in the Earth's rotation caused a series of chain reactions that devastated the globe. Atlantis, the continent, used their power source to fuel their High Priests and give them psi energy so that they could erect massive psi-shields around the entire continent and isolate themselves from the rest of the world.
The continent sank beneath the sea due to inordinate amounts of volcanic and seismic activity, with only its psi-shields to protect it. The High Priests had almost been wiped out, because the psi shields they made would last for thousands of years, and they had put a lot of energy into it, and most of them had died by giving too much energy. Only one remained to teach a new generation of priests and pass the sacred secrets, etc.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world is dying out, the Dinosaurs all become extinct due to changing conditions. The only people to survive are the once-Atlantian colonists of Crete, now called Minoans (this is where 5th Grade at Trinity comes in handy) and the peoples in Africa at the cradle of life (which also happens to be an Atlantian colony).
As the humans re-populate the Earth as the dominant life form, the Minoans, who are now a shadow of themselves and there former power, are wiped out by a couple of factors; one, the volcanic island of Thera erupts, causing massive tsunamis, etc. (if you really want to know what happened, I can give you my Capstone presentation some time) and Crete is devastated. Years later, the Mycennaeans find the Minoan culture to have been devastated and they conquer it in its weakened state. Then they rebuild, become the Greeks, and do all that Greek stuff that we learned about in 5th grade.
Happy with my explanation of events for the book? Confusing? I'll have to call all you guys later to explain it, probably. I only understand about half of what I just wrote, and I made #22 up completely on the fly. Wow. Am I good or what?
Oh just a random note this armor I'm talking about in the first part? Yeah, its all part of the US Military's Future Force Warrior program. The armor system itself is my own idea, but I've been referencing Wikipedia (I've had a window open to it this whole time lol) and used their explanation of the Future Force Warrior to aid in my own.
Whew! That was the longest entry I've ever done! Hope you enjoy!
(brandon)
Okay, just a few more war ideas I came up with over the past night and morning. I've continued the numbering down from the entry above.
23) Troy (also known as Illia) is an Atlantian military outpost that survived to the late Greek-Bronze stages and was besieged by the Greeks.
24) Atlantians taught the early ascendants of Greeks how to use advanced weapons, armor, and advanced metal working techniques. The crown achievement was the Dendra Panoply, a suit of armor made of 15 overlapping sheets of metal, in this case bronze, that defied arrows. It is actually a real thing found by Swedish archeologists at the site of Troy.
25) Atlantians had tanks made of iron/titanium and had their early cannon and Gatling guns as armaments. The tanks had room for 10 soldiers, kind of like an armored war chariot.
26) Atlantian War Fiber, like modern Kevlar (again a real thing) that also defied arrows except at point blank range.
27) Figure-8 shaped shields with spikes on the front (see sketch, not online yet).
28) Special soldiers were incased in the Dendra Panoply armor (search for photos online at Historychannel.com) that was made of Orichalcum/Titanium
29) Dilophosaur venom was extracted and spread on swords, spears, spikes on shields, etc.
30) ancient Atlantian hand grenades, two kinds; High Explosive/Fragmentation grenades (composed of clay vessels with their gunpowder-substance on the inside) and Napalm grenades (clay vessels filled with Greek Fire).
31) Their almighty power source is a little weird. Its a giant Diamond thats like 50 cubic feet that was imbibed with vast amounts of psychological energy from a psi-well (Stonehenge) when their volcanoe erupted and for some reason forced out energy from the psi-well. Gems, especially precious ones, collect and store psi energy better than any other substance, like in Eragon/Eldest. Their mobile power sources are smaller gems that have been found and imbibed with energy from the large gem. They can then harness the power from the gem to power their technology. That one I'm a little finicky about cause it sounds great in your head but really bad on paper.
And thats all for now folks. Be sure to read my previous entry as well and tell me what you think of it.
(w, will not wellie) sorry 4 breakin ur rules or whatever Brandon. Just wanted to compliment you on the fresh start. It's actually turning out better than the first failed attempt. It's true, we couldn't work well together. And, by the way, if you want me to make a sketch of the number 12 you can say so here... JUST A SKETCH...
