NationStates Jolt Archive

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In a growing society where the greatest achievement one can expect to obtain is respect, it would appear that the single largest growing trend in the Union would be of fine arts, and appearing to be both great men and women. Of course for one to appear and look at their finest, it could be said that deep within the heart of ever Austarian would be a desire for excellence. And this was most obviously reflected on the market. Classical Music as a whole was on the rise, more expensive wines were being released and overtaking cheaper substitutes, art had most definatly replaced television as something to admire, and so forth. Maybe this growing trend was perhaps nothing but a new fad which had swept across the nation with a force, however speculatists were doubtful. Since the economy here had prospered beyond expectation, a household here was making two, three, or even four times than the average in the world. Individuals were had grown to be the most wealthy in the region, and were increasing the gap from the next richest per capita, Menelmacar. If one had the money to spend on the finer things of life, who could blame them? Not I, for one.

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Alexander crossed the busy street, kept alive by Neon Lights and the consistant advertising which flooded the streets. Buildings which had once been plain had been turned into gigantic billboards where a live video feed of the news could be played, or else a more interactive Pink Bunny Cola advertisement. Yes, street lights were mostly pointless in the inner streets of Anatoba City although the government had prefered them to remain. It was a matter of safety afterall for if the streets weren't lit, then who may see where his car is headed. Perhaps it would be lit by other forms of light of course, but it was much less a matter of principle. Besides, the roads would look odd and out of place. Fortunatly the street-lights did exist and they had been joined by other safety features also, such as traffic lights. For if the little symbol telling Alexander to cross did not exist, who was to prevent him from being run-over? Certainly man didnt have the capability to promise such things, so they had instituted technology to do it for them. Some things however we kept lower in technology however as Alexander would find when he entered the building he was headed for; the door mechanism was of a pushing rotating type.

Entering the building, he took off his gloves and read the giant golden sign before him, 'Antonia Exchange'. Alexander smiled, for the instant scent of both mens' and womens' perfume wafted into his nostrils. It was a more pleasant smell than the street outside for sure, the outside smelled of a mix of fog and exhaust fumes. One would think that with the introduction of space-capable craft would also come some more environmentally and health-protecting automobiles. But much was the same in that industry, its regulations being relaxed in the latter years. The same could be said about most of the corporate world, including this. - Alexander was interrupted by the voice of a woman, and turned toward her. She was probably of her mid-thirties but looked in her early twenties. Regular injections of chemicals such as Botox would have once been blamed for this, however lately the pharmecutical corporates had developed new herbal methods of decreasing the aging and lining of skin. Slowly but surely in this society, it was being realised that nature held many of mans' troublesome questions on the world around him, instead of having to develop horrible chemicals that could one day kill you.

"Hello Alexander. How may I help you?" greeted the woman. She smelt of the latest fragrence.

Once upon a time, a customer wandering into this store would have been shocked and surprised that the staff knew his or her name. However the simple strategisation of companies and their every increasing competition with each other had pushed them into new heights of service. MicroChip Enhancements had been made an almost mandatory solution if one was to ever succeed in the corporate world. These enhancements would activate the firing of natural cells in the brain, increasing such abilities as Long-term and Short-term memory. It was the enhancement which had allowed the woman to recognise Alexander, who was by the way a regular customer here. Besides, most of the people who entered had already done so previously, or were being introduced to the company through the network of already existing clientel base.

Alexander smiled at the woman, of whom he didnt recognise, "Actually, I have a package which I have been told to pick up. I believe it should be in my name and already paid for."

She nodded politely and motioned for him to follow, "Well then. Let me go check and I will let you know whats happening."

She disappeared behind a wall of curtain, leaving Alexander waiting at the counter where her own computer had been situated. It gave him time for his eyes to wander around, yet they focused on the giant sign, the name of the company. 'Antonia Exchange' was the leading corporation in both mens' and womens' fashion, and lately they had been made more famous by their newest pitch; to create and build a new design to suit the customers' needs independantly. This was the service which Alexander himself had used in this instant, and he had recieved a personal call from the sales team here that his design had arrived. It was rather simple actually, the client would choose from a range of fabric and colour, then he would choose something which had already been designed. It was up to him to tell the computer what adjustments he wanted to make, and its artificial intelligence would build him an accurate picture of what he had just described. If he liked what he saw, he could make an official order and pay on the spot. And if he didnt like what he saw, then he simply had to erase the design and start again.

The woman reamerged from behind the curtain with a large zipped bag in her hand. Within it was assumed that the suit he had ordered lay there in perfect condition. If it was not per the design of the order he created, he could reject the delivery and simply ask for a remake. She lay the bag on the table and unzipped its delicate opening, and revealed to him the design within. It was perfect, exactly as he had ordered and expected. And so he signed for the order completing the transaction, and chose to browse around for an accessory to match his new suit. Things weren't cheap here though, a lady's handbag could quite possibly carry the price of over a thousand dollars. The suit Alexander had ordered for example, held a hefty price of three thousand dollars. Still, money was a resource most could waste lately, and the corporation had been recieving a larger and larger amount of interest from the general public. 'Antonia Exchange' was the future, and had been the reason behind the downfall of price-saving market chains. People didnt want a bargain anymore, they wanted the quality of having the best. You had to be the best afterall here in the Union, and you had to be the one with the greatest of greatest. Success held its price here in the Union, and Success was rampant among even the lowest of social class.

Men with a mission seldom retired without their prize, and completed objective. Instead, it had been bred deep within this society that persistance was key to finishing what had initially set out to be. Ninety-Nine percent of success had been tokened toward something called 'Stickability', otherwise known as one's consistant efforts until result. Alexander of all people held such a common within his character, having being raised in the new educational system. It was entirely privatized of course, ever since Indigo had claimed his right to power. However there was a standard curriculam, and part of such a standard was the injection of civil moralities into the individual. It had been considered possible to adopt new characteristics into the nature of a human being, if it was to be taught as a rule of thumb from the beginning. Persistance, Mateship, Hospitality, Respect; these were just some of the many things which had been promoted into children's lives from the beginning of their official education. Beforehand however, it was expected that the parents would too teach the same values. These were the values which defined this society from such others as Knootoss.

In the meantime Alexander most certainly had been assigned a mission, for next week it was his tenth anniversary. And ten years was most probably a short time considering the average marriage success rate. As compared to most in the world, marriages had been determined by the Bureau of Statistics to be somewhere around the eighty to ninety percent chance. Perhaps it could be mostly attributed to the increase of personal and corporate morals within the ranks of society. Even the lowest of lows adhered to such codes of conduct, and although robberies and affiliated crime were considered beyond these expectations, at least they took attention to most of them. Afterall, should you catch a man with his hand in your pocket, most would likely own up and apoligiese. It was indeed a strange combination which had created the culture that was, yet it worked with magficant Success. Indigo, their ruling-figure and head of state was a clever man. Ever since the introduction of his own policy and standards to the Austar Union, it could be said that the nation had been soaked in prosperity. And my, how much the country here was so similar to a sponge in the context of imagination.

It wasnt long before Alexander was standing in a new shop, the 'Aerie Pavillia'. Such a smaller yet specialised store was among many of its type, yet there was so much room for market potential it was an amazingly successful industry across the board. Of all kinds however, the Austarians preffered the catagorical type of Fine Arts. With a taste for excellence, more people had been enjoying the simple view of a painting of photography, however had a delicate eye for detail. Detail and meaning was everything within these paintings, and with such high disposible income on behalf of possible buyers, an auction was hardly a rare occurance. It was difficult to become known in the arts area, since the industry of painting was rather competetive. One could sell the paintings fairly easy, yet it was almost impossible to become recognised by critics, if you were an artist of course. As such arthouses had become something of a delecacy, whereby an entire shop could be dedicated to the works of just two or three artists. Otherwise, it would specialise in a incredibally small field of art, including stencil and printed, or perhaps even simply the sub-catagory of sculpture. This shop however, focused specifically on the fields of historical portraits. And it held the painting he wanted.

"I see you like this one Sir," greeted one of the assistants, an older gentleman. "It is a personal favorite of my own."

"Yes," nodded Alexander holding his hand to chin. "Actually I am considering it for my tenth anniversary. For my wife of course."

The gentleman assistant smiled, his pale features becoming more apparent. "Ah, congratulations then Sir. What can I say, this is a beautiful choice. May I ask why this one in particular?"

"Actually, the man in that painting is one of her own ansestors," replied Alexander hastily. "She has a fondness for family history, both hers and mine. I would have thought it good that she could experience something this great in her living room, above the fireplace."

Yes, Austarians too held a similar passion. Both men and women were proud of their heritage and of where and whom they came from. Mostly, those who decided to flaunt the history of their blood were those coming from wealthy and/or respected families. Alexander's wife for example had a line of Military Officials, most obviously illustrated in the painting before him. Sir Henry Robertson was the man in the portrait, of whom was a famous general during the time which infamous President Richard Hoffman had ruled the nation. Robertson had been sent into battle himself many times, but was eventually killed in battle not soon after his wife had conceieved, passing on the great legacy. Of course, such a line of Military Officials had died down, and finally the people who shared in their blood had been assumed into regular society, as Lawyers, Doctors, etc. Anyhow. Alexander spoke up after several minutes of pondering and decided on the painting's fate. Without even regard for its several thousand dollar pricetag, he signed himself into another small fortune, into an artwork which could only rise in value.

"I'll take it!" he exclaimed. His wife's happiness was more important to him than anything, especially after such a milestone as this. His tenth year anniversary.