User blog:Holokami/Psychic School Islands

The Psychic School Islands, officially named the Faraday Archipelago, is an island country state of five islands. It was created by Lumi Faraday in January of 2003 and boasts a variety of advanced technologies, and a special kind of technology known as "Psio-Tech", or Psionic Technology. It was created as a place were psionics and invention could thrive, people could live relatively stress-free, and is an attempt at a utopia, as Lumi tries to show the world the best of psionics, and get psychics and normal humans to co-exist.

Geography
The Psychic School Islands are located 485 miles, directly west, off the most westerly point of franc.

There are five inhabited islands, in the group; Maire Island, Charlîle, Augustusaari, New Mind Isle, and Isle of Psionics.

Maire Island has an area of 4,518 sq km (972 sq mi), Charlîle has an area of 2,567 sq km (875 sq mi), Augustusaari has an area of 2,116 sq km (778 sq mi), New Mind Isle has an area of 1,815 sq km (681 sq mi), Isle of Psionics has an area of 1,564 sq km (584 sq mi), for a total area of 10080 sq km (3892 sq mi).

The lowest point on the surface of the skylands is at 2 meters below sea level. The surface of the islands is generally flat, reaching a peak of 579 meters above sea level.

Each island is like a large hill to a small mountain, incline upwards as you go further in land. This allows rivers and lakes to form, the sources of water. Each island only has one river and a lake, other than Maire Island, which has a river, a few small streams, and two lakes.

The islands are mostly grassland, though there are forests on Maire Island, Charlîle and New Mind Island (where Mt Mieli is).

Other than the main five islands, there are six smaller islands dotted around.

Races
The Psychic School Islands is home to three races of beings; humans (both psychic and normal), androids, and psychic beings.

The androids were introduced after Mai was invented, in 2005. Lumi began creating android after android. These androids are created with Psio-Tech, allowing them to be incredibly human-like, in fact, without a really close look, it's impossible to tell they're even androids.

The psychic beings were introduced in 2008, after the Shepherds sought them out in a huge mission.

Politics
The Psychic School Islands are ran by a council of representatives of various sectors (such as construction, electricity, gas and water supply, creative industries, transport and storage, communication, health and social work, e.t.c..), each school of the Psychic School, the student council, the Shepherds, and ambassadors of the androids and psychic beings. Lumi and Eadda also oversee the proceedings, and have the final say on rulings and laws they suggest and wish to pass.

The Shepherds
The Shepherds are an internationally recognized “global psychic population consultancy and management” group set up by Lumi Faraday, but ran by Marcella Beaumont. They use Eadda’s notes and other sources of information to track down psychics who fall into one or more of these categories: The Shepherds always work in teams of two, unless the "client" (the psychic) is particularly dangerous. The teams of two include a consultant, the one who mainly does all the talking, and a guard, there to protect the consultant if the situation gets violent, and do a bit of talking if needed, and sometimes a translator. The goal of being a Shepherd is to hopefully resolve the client's situation, which more often then not means guiding them to the Psychic School Islands to start a new life in an environment which accepts psychic powers. There are many rules and regulations about being with the Shepherds, but there are six rules which they keep at heart all the time:
 * The psychic is afraid of their powers, causing repercussions up to and including possible suicide.
 * The psychic is afraid to show their powers for any reason.
 * The psychic does not realize they have powers, but those close to them do, and the psychic is being treated badly/unfairly due to this.
 * The psychic does not/does realize they have powers, but the powers they do have are too dangerous to keep unchecked.
 * The psychic knows they have powers and are using them for unlawful purposes.
 * NEVER use powers to solve the client's situation, unless absolutely necessary, and with the consent of the client.
 * NEVER manipulate, force, blackmail or threaten the client to do anything.
 * NEVER act in aggression toward a client, unless they are being aggressive.
 * NEVER reveal the details of the client's case to non-Shepherd personnel.
 * ALWAYS contact the client face-to-face first if reasonable to do so, and after the initial meeting, always exchange contact information with the client.
 * ALWAYS have the best intentions at heart, and be tactful at all times.

Culture
The Psychic School Islands were built with the ideals that it could be a place where psionics and invention can thrive, where psychics and normal humans can live in appreciation and acceptance of each other, and where people can come for a second chance in life; it was effectively designed by Lumi at an attempt to be a utopia.

The relative stress-free culture of the Psychic School Islands is made possible simply by Lumi and Mai personally managing everything the public would usually pay tax for. Another huge reason why it is as it is, is because of an invention of Lumi's known as the Psionic Energy Conversion Generator, or PEG for short. It's a device which can convert psychic energy into other forms of energy. There are two of them on the islands, but by using crystallized psychic energy produced personally by Lumi, they produce almost limitless supplies of energy.

The Psychic School plays a huge part in the culture of the Psychic School Islands, and not simply the name. The islands first and foremost feel like a student city due to the great number of students there. These means there are conveniences and great prices to be found all across the islands.

The Psychic School also hosts the biennial World Psychic Games. Named "world", as Lumi hopes, one day, psychic schools will appear across the world. These games are like the psychic version of the Olympics, challenging psychics across every area of psionics; telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, astral powers, e.t.c.. They're a great spectacle which usually ends in an all-out fight between teams. While the World Psychic Games is on, everybody is granted a paid holiday for the period, and all important roles left with nobody there are taken over and operated by Mai. The World Psychic Games is simply one huge celebration of psionics.

Technology
The Psychic School Islands boasts highly advanced technology. Super-fact maglev trains, advanced planes, skyships, a space program, holograms- both visual and touch-sensitive, and other advanced areas as well, especially in the mobiles and pc departments. The main technological feature of the islands is Psio-Tech, Psionics Technology which is a connectivity between the mind and the physical word, to a degree. Psio-tech is currently used in all androids, and in the Psychic Energy Conversion Generators. It's also finding its way into Google Glass and Accel World type HUD devices.

Transport to/from the Islands
The only way to reach or leave the islands is by air ans sea. Because of this, the islands have a sizable fleet of aircraft and ships. This fleet varies from airships, to sonic and super-sonic electric planes, and ships of various sizes and functions.

Transport between the Islands
There are many ways to travel between the islands. Ferries, boat buses and taxis, private boats, small aircraft firms, maglev through tunnels, or electric vehicle through tunnels.

Transportation around the Islands
Maglev trains, electric buses, and electric cars are the mains way to get around, though people still use bicyles as well. There is also a healthy number of people who walk all the time.

Androids
The research into the field of robotics, biology, medicine and artificial intelligence, and the invention of Psio-Tech, has lead to these areas becoming significantly advanced on the islands. Androids are considered to be the height of technology on the islands by the rest of the world. The initial stages of androids began as small robot units, able to learn and interact with the world at one year old's level of intelligence (the term "Baby Mechs" was later coined for these). As other engineers and labs progressed, Lumi soared in the development of androids with her private research. When she revealed Mai to the world, there was only shock and disbelief at first, until congratulations and amazement followed. Not wanting to spew out androids for the sake of it, Mai wasn't sure what to do, so, as it could cause trouble making a population of androids for flimsy reasons. Later, Mai, feeling this doubt, requested that Lumi develop more androids so that she didn't feel alone. Having and android want you build more androids to not be alone is a good enough reason for Lumi, and so she began.

There is currently a total population of 432 androids on the islands. There are unusual situations which occur when an android will request for family members or friends to be constructed. Lumi has to unfortunately decline these requests, as it will cause complications.

Electricity, Water and Gas
Natural gas can be found naturally under the islands, a supply plentiful enough for fifty years of use, until other technologies settle in, or are developed. However, the current level of technology on the islands nearly removes the need for gas. Water is collected from rain and in reservoirs, and if needed, imported as well, or taken from the ocean. If it is taken from the ocean, it's made sure that when it's put back in, it's exactly in the state it was when it was removed.

Electricity is produced by the zero-emission, zero-cost to the public, PEGs across the islands. By using this method, nobody pays for electricity. This is also helped by two solar farms and a wind farm.