Moved this one from both LJ and the meta thread in order to promote discussion w/o derailing. --Mal
First on our tour is the flag of the Fenspace Convention, the half-UN, half-Confederation of North America metagovernment of the greater Solar System:
![[Image: flagofthefenspaceconven.gif]](http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/5551/flagofthefenspaceconven.gif)
This one's still a work in progress; I have an idea of where I want to go with it, but at this point it's still a little muddled. The five stripes symbolize the five major settled areas in Fenspace (from left to right): Venus, Luna/cislunar, Mars, the Main Belt and Jupiter. As colorstripe flags go, it's pretty solid. Still, I keep thinking it needs something. What, I have no idea. I put together an alternate version here,
![[Image: flagofthefenspaceconven.gif]](http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5551/flagofthefenspaceconven.gif)
which looks a little better, but... yeah. Still lacking something. Suggestions are welcome.
Following up on this, we have a few flags representing the Nonaligned Fen. The nonaligneds make up a voting majority of the people in Fenspace, but because of their unorganized nature they don't really have the star power that the other fen factions can bring to bear. There are a few One-Worlder movements where the larger nonaligned populations live, though.
The first one, and the one most likely to succeed, is the Republic of Luna:
![[Image: flagofluna1.gif]](http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7173/flagofluna1.gif)
Unlike Venus or Jupiter, the Moon isn't claimed by a single faction. The lunar colonies are generally controlled by minor factions (such as the Supers in Kandor City) or fendanes (in Port Luna). The idea of pooling resources to present a strictly Lunar view to the Convention as a whole is compelling; as Luna is the largest population sink in Fenspace and will be for some time to come, that would catapult them from a gaggle of minor factions to the big dog. Still, even minor factions are loath to give up autonomy, and so the Republic of Luna remains a pipe-dream. The flag does come out every now and then at astroball games, though.
Next up is the Free Mars flag:
![[Image: flagofmars1.gif]](http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5479/flagofmars1.gif)
Mars is always a contentious place. Unlike Luna, Mars is the home base of the biggest single faction in the Convention (the Trekkies) and most of the other majors have a significant colonial presence in the area. However, there is still a significant nonaligned and fendane population, especially in the Port Lowell and Port Phobos area. Partisans of an independent Martian government fly the Free Mars flag as part of the long struggle to not let the factions walk over them politically. The struggle continues.
Design notes: The current pan-Martian flag on the wiki is the old RGB flag the Mars Society is so fond of. I started out trying to acknowledge that in the flag design, with a red-green-blue cross motif, but in the final analysis it just looked awful, so I went with the pinstripe version you see here. No real idea what it's supposed to symbolize, but a voice in the back of my head calls it the "St. Marvin's Cross," so make of that what you will.
The youngest of these One-World movements is the Cislunar Federation Association:
![[Image: flagofcislunarspace1.gif]](http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/8354/flagofcislunarspace1.gif)
Fueled by the potential of large space colonies, the CFA would like to band all the nonaligned space stations at the Lagrange points together in harmony. So far, they aren't working out so well; though there are rumors that Greenwood Unltd. might take the CFA flag as their own should the petition for Greenwood to join the United States as a territory go through.
Design notes: The design here is pretty simple, alternating blue and green stripes on black, meant to evoke the feeling of an O'Neill cylinder colony. Simple yet effective, IMO.
Browncoat flag redesign snipped. Maybe we'll do that next time.
And some answers to questions asked in the meta thread:
I dunno, the RGB tricolor has a certain appeal to it - easy to make for one thing - and most flags don't adhere strictly to the rules of heraldry anyway. Still, it's not all that interesting as a flag, which is what prompted me to tinker with it.
(It's the same problem I have with the Convention flag, but nnngh.)
Well, tbh the CFA types are looking more towards the future, when nonaligneds and/or fendanes rule the roost in the cislunar. The CFA is banking on the construction & settling of a bunch of High Frontier-style orbitals, which could boost the local population by a few hundred thousand easily *and* probably wouldn't have any direct ties to the major factions. It's a gamble and as you said an uphill battle, but it might work out for them.
Or not. That's what we get to decide, after all.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
First on our tour is the flag of the Fenspace Convention, the half-UN, half-Confederation of North America metagovernment of the greater Solar System:
This one's still a work in progress; I have an idea of where I want to go with it, but at this point it's still a little muddled. The five stripes symbolize the five major settled areas in Fenspace (from left to right): Venus, Luna/cislunar, Mars, the Main Belt and Jupiter. As colorstripe flags go, it's pretty solid. Still, I keep thinking it needs something. What, I have no idea. I put together an alternate version here,
which looks a little better, but... yeah. Still lacking something. Suggestions are welcome.
Following up on this, we have a few flags representing the Nonaligned Fen. The nonaligneds make up a voting majority of the people in Fenspace, but because of their unorganized nature they don't really have the star power that the other fen factions can bring to bear. There are a few One-Worlder movements where the larger nonaligned populations live, though.
The first one, and the one most likely to succeed, is the Republic of Luna:
Unlike Venus or Jupiter, the Moon isn't claimed by a single faction. The lunar colonies are generally controlled by minor factions (such as the Supers in Kandor City) or fendanes (in Port Luna). The idea of pooling resources to present a strictly Lunar view to the Convention as a whole is compelling; as Luna is the largest population sink in Fenspace and will be for some time to come, that would catapult them from a gaggle of minor factions to the big dog. Still, even minor factions are loath to give up autonomy, and so the Republic of Luna remains a pipe-dream. The flag does come out every now and then at astroball games, though.
Next up is the Free Mars flag:
Mars is always a contentious place. Unlike Luna, Mars is the home base of the biggest single faction in the Convention (the Trekkies) and most of the other majors have a significant colonial presence in the area. However, there is still a significant nonaligned and fendane population, especially in the Port Lowell and Port Phobos area. Partisans of an independent Martian government fly the Free Mars flag as part of the long struggle to not let the factions walk over them politically. The struggle continues.
Design notes: The current pan-Martian flag on the wiki is the old RGB flag the Mars Society is so fond of. I started out trying to acknowledge that in the flag design, with a red-green-blue cross motif, but in the final analysis it just looked awful, so I went with the pinstripe version you see here. No real idea what it's supposed to symbolize, but a voice in the back of my head calls it the "St. Marvin's Cross," so make of that what you will.
The youngest of these One-World movements is the Cislunar Federation Association:
Fueled by the potential of large space colonies, the CFA would like to band all the nonaligned space stations at the Lagrange points together in harmony. So far, they aren't working out so well; though there are rumors that Greenwood Unltd. might take the CFA flag as their own should the petition for Greenwood to join the United States as a territory go through.
Design notes: The design here is pretty simple, alternating blue and green stripes on black, meant to evoke the feeling of an O'Neill cylinder colony. Simple yet effective, IMO.
Browncoat flag redesign snipped. Maybe we'll do that next time.
And some answers to questions asked in the meta thread:
robkelk Wrote:That "Free Mars" flag is much better than the RGB flag, which doesn't conform to heraldry and thus is difficult to make out at a distance. ("St. Marvin's Cross," eh? Does that include any Illudium Pu-36 in the design?)
I dunno, the RGB tricolor has a certain appeal to it - easy to make for one thing - and most flags don't adhere strictly to the rules of heraldry anyway. Still, it's not all that interesting as a flag, which is what prompted me to tinker with it.
(It's the same problem I have with the Convention flag, but nnngh.)
robkelk Wrote:Anybody involved with this group ask whether the Grover's Corners folks want to be part of something that big, or whether the Warsies are willing to give up control of New Yavin, or whether Noah's willing to let someone else set rules for Stellvia? Because if you don't have the three biggest stations on-side, you're fighting an uphill battle...
Well, tbh the CFA types are looking more towards the future, when nonaligneds and/or fendanes rule the roost in the cislunar. The CFA is banking on the construction & settling of a bunch of High Frontier-style orbitals, which could boost the local population by a few hundred thousand easily *and* probably wouldn't have any direct ties to the major factions. It's a gamble and as you said an uphill battle, but it might work out for them.
Or not. That's what we get to decide, after all.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"