Welcome to the Systema Metropolis. If you can help, there will be prizes.

I'm looking for a few different abilities:

Firstly, people who would feel confident in producing images of complex robots in a consistent style. Surroundings and backgrounds are unimportant - I'm more interested in developing the look of the municipalis machines.

Secondly, anyone who's read Dinotopia, and has any iota of experience in either producing images or plotlines.

Thirdly, people who have a veneer of latin vocubulary and think that it would be fun to start coming up with names for species of municipalis.

If you hit any of the categories, read on.

I'm the guy who wrote Systema Metropolis. If you're interested in helping, I recommend reading that at some point, but I'll briefly hit the salient points here,

Evolutionary Technology. Self-propelled robots that can construct copies of themselves, and can systematically add 'mutations' to the offspring thus produced. Generation time varies, as does the exact mechanism of reproduction, and what the ' parent ' does after the fact. Natural selection (of a sort) ensues. Soon, you're knee-deep in these machines, and have no way of classifying them.

Step in the taxonomists, who are fed up with classifying beetles.

A new 'Kingdom' of 'Life' is created to deal with these machines - Municipalis, and the taxonomists take the same approach that has worked so well with attaching labels to biological life.

My short-term aim is to build a list of muncipalis, along with illustrations and descriptions of their mechanisms, population, energy sources, etc.

My long-term aim is to create something akin to 'Dinotopia', but with my machines.

Now, as an incentive. I offer both cash prizes (subscriptions, or their equivalent in paypal'd USDs) and my services as a creator. Since I'm a starving student, the latter is a more significant offer. If you help me with this, I will spend a good deal of time and effort helping you through any of the following activities: proof-reading, copyediting, character design (names, faces, friends, habits, that kind of thing.), concept mapping, advertising...

Short answer, you do this for me, I'll either push a bit of cash your way, or help as much as I can with one of your projects.

Notes or comments here should be good - or on the forum post - or push emails to four.sigma.event@gmail.com. Best yet, add 'rukopashka' to your AIM buddy list and get in touch that way.

Questions about me, or the concept are welcome!

(a note on licencing - SM itself is under a CC by-nc-nd licence. Anything produced in this project should preferably be under the same. This does mean, if you wish to make something, you have to ask me first!)

(Mark Dion's Installation at the NHM, the original inspiration for SM.)