{"sf1_id":135325,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse. The Setting: Ratherbigshire, UK","author":"comidacomida","words":2233,"posted_at":"2010-03-30T08:11:00.000Z","tags":["No-Yiff"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/135325-zombie-apoc-fur-lypse-the-setting-ratherbigshire-uk","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/135325","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=135325\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Welcome to Ratherbigshire, UK  \nPopulation: ....dropping.  \n  \n  \nOverview  \nRatherbigshire is located in the East Midlands of England.\u0026nbsp; It's county town, Ratherbig, is  \nsituated on the remnants what was once the Avalon River.\u0026nbsp; The river, which once provided ample  \ntrade opportunities and plentiful water, ceased to exist due to irrigation practices and water  \nrights revisions after World War I.\u0026nbsp; The cleared land has since been very useful in expanding Ratherbigshire into the bustling metropolitan area it is today.\n\nBefore the 'event', Ratherbig had a city population of over 300,000, with a total of nearly a  \nmillion people within Ratherbigshire.\u0026nbsp; While the city is approximately 20 minutes off the M1  \nmotorway, it does have a fair number of larger A roads including single and double digit roads,  \nalong with numerous B roads.\u0026nbsp; The Centerland Prime Line railway also has a hub station within  \nRatherbigshire, not far from the county town.  \n  \n  \nTopography  \nWhile Ratherbigshire once had the Avalon River running through its land, that river has long  \nsince been diverted for different use.\u0026nbsp; There are several sections of the county that still have  \nman-made canals which criss-cross the landscape like crevases.\u0026nbsp; The landscape otherwise is  \nsoftly rolling with no large mountains and no deep dales. Ratherbig City is more heavily treed  \nthan many other English cities and several county parks find favor in tourists by showing off  \nthis trait.\u0026nbsp; Despite its even terrain, Ratherbigshire is relatively high above sea-level,  \nleading to snow being more common than in the lower elevations.\n\n\u0026nbsp;  \nClimate  \nAlthough Ratherbigshire can have the same extreme shifts in weather as most other parts of  \nEngland, the majority of the time the city enjoys a temperate-to-cool atmosphere.\u0026nbsp;  \nRatherbigshire usually doesn't rise above 30 degrees (85F) in the summer months, and it usually  \nremains above -5 degrees (23F) in the winter.\u0026nbsp; Percipitation is a way of life in Ratherbigshire,  \nwhether it be rain in the spring and summer, or snow in the late fall through eary spring.\u0026nbsp; Fog  \nis also a common weather condition, and most vehicles in the area have fog lights standard  \nissue.  \n  \nLanguages  \nBeing a region of highly diverse backgrounds, there is a wide scope of languages spoken in  \nRatherbigshire.\u0026nbsp; English is the most common language, though there are over 70 different  \nlanguages/dialects spoken within Ratherbig and includes others such as French, Urdu, Arabic,  \nPolish, German, and Gujarati.\u0026nbsp; While the language barrier may occasionally cause tension between  \ndiversified elements of the city, most consider it daily life.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \nCulture  \nDue to the melting pot of different cultures within Ratherbigshire, a large number of  \ncross-cultural events have come into being.\u0026nbsp; Many culture-specific celebrations have also become  \nmore mainstream.\u0026nbsp; A week long Diwali celebration is held in the city, and the lunar new year  \nfestival is likewise celebrated.\u0026nbsp; The city also has more mainstream events such as a short film  \nfestival for international film makers, and a 3 day long comedy festival held during the summer  \nthat is open to comedians from throughout the UK-- and occasionally one or two from the United  \nStates.  \n  \nRestauraunts also tend to be highly influenced by culture.\u0026nbsp; While fish and chip storefronts,  \npubs, and occasional delis are still popular, kebab stores and gyros have grown in abundance  \nwithin the last 10 or 15 years.\u0026nbsp; Indian food is also quite popular, and 'burger joints' have  \nalso grown in fame.\u0026nbsp; American style pizza and fried chicken 'fast food'locations are also  \nincreasing their presence in the ever-growing British eat-out market.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \nTourism  \nRatherbigshire is a city with much history, and there are numerous tourist hotspots for anyone  \ninterested in the past.\u0026nbsp; Roman occupation in the BC era left landmark roads, walls, and  \narchitecture that appeals to historians and sight-seers both.\u0026nbsp; Jeweler's Wall was built by the  \nRomans and even though medieval farmers removed large sections of it for plot boundary stones,  \nthe majority of the structure is still in place.\u0026nbsp; The Gravellhall Grange is an older building  \nfrom the Anglo-Saxon (5th century) age.  \n  \nAnother location of interest include Knightfield, a large open stretch of land where a yearly  \nmedieval faire is held, attracting interested revelers from all around England and points  \nabroad.\u0026nbsp; The City Centre is also a place many tourists tend to go due to the excellent shopping  \nopportunities, and to visit Ratherbigshire Stadium for city sporting events.\n\nFinally, many of the older houses of worship tend to be tourist spots themselves.\u0026nbsp; The Ratherbig  \nCathedral is the oldest structure downtown.\u0026nbsp; Directly across the street from it is the  \nRatherbigshire Hospital, a 30 story medical building that doubles as a hospital and  \nadministrative centre for city healthcare.\u0026nbsp; The combination of old and new is one thing many  \ntourists find charming and attractive about the city... not to mention the Oakfield Castle about  \nten minutes north of Ratherbig the castle is one of the biggest tourist spots in the county.\n\n\u0026nbsp;  \nShopping  \nRatherbigshire has ranked within the top 20 large cities in England's retail shopping league for  \nthe last several years.\u0026nbsp; Although there are numerous stores and shopping locations throuhgout  \nthe city, there are two main shopping centres in Ratherbig: \"Lowbridge Ratherbig\" and \"The  \nRatherbig Center\".\u0026nbsp; Both locations have parking for more than 1000 cars with busses going to and  \nfrom, and multi-levels of shopping convenience.\u0026nbsp;  \n  \nWhile both are approximately the same size, \"Lowbridge Ratherbig\" recieves a larger amount of  \nfoot traffic as it appeals to the general public and the stores within match the price range for  \nmost of Ratherbigshire's population.\u0026nbsp; It has a dozen restauraunts, almost two hundred stores,  \nand a cinema.\u0026nbsp; \"The Ratherbig Center\" also does brisk business, but its shops are aimed for the  \nhigher income earning families; it has become a matter of status to say that you shop at \"The  \nCentre\".\u0026nbsp; The city's annual Diwali celebration also happens to be held in the spare parking  \nsection for \"The Ratherbig Center\", providing it a revenue boost during the fall.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \nReligion  \nHistorically, Ratherbigshire has been predominantly Christian.\u0026nbsp; Other significant religions  \nwithin Ratherbig include Hindism, Judism, and Islam.\u0026nbsp; There is a Hare Krishna temple in the  \nsouth-end.\u0026nbsp; Many of the oldest buildings still standing in Ratherbigshire are religous sites  \nfrom the medieval (and pre-medieval) era; from that time period, the city has a cathedral and a  \nmonastary, all still in active use today.  \n  \nSince a radification of the British census in the early 2000s, a Jedi temple has opened in the  \nnorthern portion of Ratherbig, but it has yet to attract more than cursory glances and a few  \neclectic followers.\u0026nbsp; Other than the difficulty of being taken seriously, the 'Ratherbig Jedi  \nOrder' has the most trouble from its schism within-- one portion of the congregation believes in  \nfollowing the Orthodox Jedi Way (OJW), while another faction refers to itself as the Force  \nReformist League (FRL).\u0026nbsp; Due to recent zombie-issues, this problem will either sort itself out  \n(everyone will die), or it will have to be addressed later.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \nSports  \nRatherbigshire is as active as any other large British city with numerous sports programs  \navailable for kids, teens, and adults.\u0026nbsp; Favored sports include Rugby, Cricket, Football (again,  \nthat's 'soccer' to those of us from the USA), and, most recently, motorcycling.\u0026nbsp; Other sports,  \nincluding horse racing, bicycling, and swimming also have a place within the city, though they  \nare not as highly organized as the main sporting events.\u0026nbsp; Ratherbigshire stadium hosts both  \nRugby and Football events, though it causes no end of headache to the groundskeepers who are  \nconstantly required to replace turf after particularly heated rugby matches.\u0026nbsp; So far, no  \nalternative has been found.  \n  \n  \nTransportation  \nRatherbig City has the usual transportation services for most larger cities including roadways  \nthat feature a highly advanced mass transit bus system.\u0026nbsp; The rail system is featured quite  \nextensively, allowing commuters to travel north and south along the main line for hundreds of  \nmiles.\u0026nbsp; Newer additions to trains also allow for shorter commutes throughout the Ratherbigshire  \narea.\u0026nbsp; The combined transit system also allowes train travelers to purchase a ticket that will  \nallow them to make full use of the busses at their end location.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Although it is several km from any major motorways, Rathebigshire does have several A roads pass  \nthrough it and numerous B roads spider-webbing their way throuhgout. These roads make travel  \neasy enough but, the further you go from Ratherbig City, the more likely you are to encounter  \nsingle carriage roadways-- a very unqiue experience for anyone not familiar with British  \nroadways. Other than these thin roads leading into the countryside, A roads and the train are  \nthe only real way out of Ratherbigshire.  \n  \nRatherbigshire has an airport, but it is not what would be considered a high-traffic  \ncommercial airport.\u0026nbsp; Used mainly by low cost carriers and charter companies, the Ratherbig  \nAirport is about a 45 or 50 minute drive from Ratherbig City.\u0026nbsp; While most of the shuttles to and  \nfrom Ratherbig go to main national hubs like Manchester and Heathrow, there are occasional  \ninternational flights to Frankfurt in Germany, and Air France has a single gate for trips to  \nParis.  \n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \nMilitary Presence  \nAlthough not a military town per se, Ratherbigshire has a minor military presence due to a field  \noffice for Project Argus.\u0026nbsp; As part of a counter-terrorism initiative across the UK, Project  \nArgus focuses on preventing, handling, and recovering from a terrorist attack.\u0026nbsp; While most  \ncivilians are aware that the field office works in an advisory capacity, there are rumors that  \nit may also house several squads of elite counter-terrorist units.\u0026nbsp; There are further rumors  \nthat high level military grade equipment up to and including tanks may also be located within  \nthe compound's fenced campus.\u0026nbsp; These rumors are heavily denied.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \nEducation  \nRatherbig is home to two universities, the Ratherbig University, which attained its Royal  \nCharter in the early 1920s, and Scottsfield University, which opened in the early 1960s as  \nRatherbig Polytechnic, but it earned university status in the late 1980s.\u0026nbsp; Despite two  \nuniversities, the standard for education in Ratherbigshire unfortunately remains relatively low.  \n\u0026nbsp;Due to budget cuts and restricted funding, most primary and secondary education remains  \nwoefully inadequate and graduation rates are depressed  \n  \nThanks to the numerous manufacturing jobs within the economy of Ratherbigshire unemployment is  \nnot as bad as it could be, but the city council is still working to remedy what is considered a  \ngreat inadequacy of the education system with the construction of the Churchill Academy, a  \nsecondary education school which will be projected to draw interested students from outside as  \nwell as inside Ratherbig.\u0026nbsp; Funding, however, is still contested.  \n  \n  \nCrime \u0026 Law Enforcement  \nLike many large cities in the UK, Ratherbigshire has its share of crime.\u0026nbsp; Differing forms of  \nlarceny contribute to the largest percentage of crime being property-based.\u0026nbsp; Assault, brawling,  \nand other violent crimes are present in smaller quantities, and riots are commonplace after  \nparticuarly touchy football matches (soccer, to those in the USA).\u0026nbsp; Recent financial troubles in  \nthe UK have restricted the police force within Ratherbigshire, and it has been relying more and  \nmore on Community Support Officers (CSO)s, a move that has resulted in a lot of criticism by  \nconcerned residents as a cheap and ineffective alternative.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; There are two police forces in Ratherbigshire:\u0026nbsp; City of Ratherbig Police, and the Metropolitan  \nPolice Service.\u0026nbsp; The former handles all policing within the city itself, while the latter  \nrepresents the police force for the outlaying the rest of Ratherbigshire including outlaying  \nvillages and townships.\u0026nbsp; As with most police forces within the UK, firearms are not as widely  \nspread as with their counterparts in the United States.\u0026nbsp; A field office for Project Argus does  \nkeep a supply of sub-military grade small arms including rifles and SMGs, along with the Fire  \nArms units of the local forces but these are not common issue for patrol officers in either  \npolice force.  \n  \n  \nDemographics  \nThe most recent survey done of Ratherbigshire was don in early 2009, the population is not  \nassumed to have changed dramatically.\u0026nbsp; While it is a melting pot of cultures, many of them are  \nsectionalized, not only by race, but also by ethnicity.\u0026nbsp; The majority of races are standard  \nfurs.\u0026nbsp; A few mythological furs can be found along with several pockets of humans.\u0026nbsp; Bigotry and  \nracism are usually not tolerated in most civil gatherings, but there are areas where hate crimes  \nare not unknown.\u0026nbsp; This has gotten worse in recent years since terrorism has been pushed into the  \nforefront of the global agenda.  \nStandard Fur:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 63.2%  \nStandard Scale:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 22.5%  \nStandard Feather:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 4.9%  \nHuman:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 4.8%  \nMythological Fur:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 1.5%  \nMixed Race:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 2.6%  \nOther:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 0.5%  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Current estimates, were any available, divide current resident status among four groups based on  \ntheir condition.  \nLiving:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 0.4%  \nUn-Living:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 81.1%  \nDead:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 10.2%  \nUnaccounted For:\u0026nbsp; 8.3%  \n  \n  \nStarting Areas  \nBoth of the groups that will be fighting for their lives within Ratherbigshire will begin in one  \nof the following locations.\u0026nbsp; The locations, and the groups who will begin there, are as follows:  \nGroup 4 (Hospital Group) begins near city center close to the Ratherbigshire Hospital.  \nGroup 5 (South-End Group) begins on the south side of town by the shops.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe setting for the SF stories of the Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse. Behold: Ratherbigshire, UK  \n  \nIf you intend to submit a character for the story, make sure you do! Character submission closes April 3rd!  \n  \nWhat is this for? Go to:  \n[http://sofurry.com/page/131743](http://sofurry.com/page/131743)  \nto find out!\n\n  \n  \n\n"}