Hello, I'm the author of this story. A story I'm well aware is full of flaws, as it is the first work I have published. Its episodic nature means going back to fix flaws in the story doesn't really work out, and one of those flaws is that I have failed you in describing Farbanti. Farbanti is named for a city from the Ace Combat series, a city being swallowed by the sea, high rise buildings crumbling into the waves. This Farbanti, however, does not share the same fate. Farbanti is a city that is notable for its cheap, concrete architecture, leftovers from its early days as the first terraformed colony in the galaxy. These structures are similar to the ugly apartments, shops, and other structures you see when you visit the city, and much like a real city, they're covered in graffiti. But the graffiti has taken over, and isn't the dark, moody kind you're probably thinking of. I took inspiration from Shibuya Punk, a style that's familiar to anyone who has played Jet Set Radio. The graffiti is bright, neon green, pink, yellow, and blue, and is accented by jungle foliage, giving the city an almost abandoned atmosphere. But it's also full of futuristic tech, vending machines that 3D print hot food, neon and hologram signs, air purification systems, exposed machinery, all surrounded and covered by vines and other greenery.
Farbanti is a mashup of Shibuya Punk, Cyberpunk, Solarpunk, abandoned cities and Urbex, and urban Japan. Only a few areas are spared this concrete and spraypaint treatment: the 'new town' with its kilometer tall white and glass skyscrapers, Synthtown, which mimics the cyberpunk streets of the artificial 'space islands' that synths originate from, with its dark, pillar-like buildings, and the suburbs, with normal, graffiti free homes. But if you left Earth and arrived in Farbanti, aside from the tech and the towers, it would feel like a mix of every other city you've been to or seen photos of. Densely populated mixed use areas resembling Japan, modern townhomes, large metroparks like Cleveland, the New York style metro, the open courtyards of Europe, and many other influences. One day, I might learn to draw, and the city will truly be unveiled. Or maybe I'll just build various locations in Minecraft, and take photos of that. Whatever I end up doing, do your best to just imagine Farbanti in the meantime. And one last tip: Imagine the sun cascading through the scenery, bringing bright colors and reflective metals to life, the sea air washing over open shops and food stands. It is the tropics, after all.
Sincerely, fellow nerd Recordspinner
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Cars, Love, And Farbanti
RomanceGoing to college can be scary- especially when you only moved to a new planet and galaxy a few weeks ago. Fortunately, Mike's roommate has been here a lot longer than he has, and so has his group of friends: the animal-like inhabitants of the city o...
