Taqfleck
Taqfflcc (The Actually Quite Far From Los Caídos Commune), usually written as Taqfleck just for simplicity, is an anarchist commune founded by Zero. As the name implies, it several miles away from Los Caídos proper, but most of its people are former residents of the city of Los Caídos.
Taqfleck was formerly known as LCC (Los Caídos Commune). The name was changed after Zero left, so she sometimes uses the old name. Legally speaking, the commune owns the land that it is built upon, which was a seaside hotel that eventually was abandoned when the planners went bankrupt.
Taqfleck can be accessed via a coastal forest, through various footpaths and a handful of dirt roads. These entrances are all guarded. One side of it backs up to a small beach, one that is somewhat private due it forming a small bay.
There are a total of forty neighborhoods so far in Taqfleck.
Demographics
Although the founder population was mostly XRAIs/Zedheads, over time demographics have shifted. The smallest minority are non-infected, followed by Nosfuratu.
There has been recent spike in new arrivals who have Southern accents.
Government
The commune is "governed" using direct democracy as much as possible. First of all, each and every neighborhood is allowed to have its own rules, and to handle "crime" and punishment as it sees fit. Second, each and every neighborhood can elect one delegate to serve as their representative in the Community Council. These delegates can be recalled by their neighborhood at any time, and must be elected when each and every member of that neighborhood is present and able to vote. (The exception are children, the infirm, and workers with odd shifts--see chart for more details.)
There are a few rules that apply to the overall commune, known as the commune agreements:
We are only strong when we are together. We are only together when we respect each other.
Neighborhood agreements cannot override commune agreements.
We live in a precarious position, and cannot afford to alienate the city of Los Caídos. As such, all incidents in which an uninfected has been killed, bitten, assaulted, or seriously injured by any member of Los Caídos Commune must be investigated by the Community Council.
No neighborhood can allow any of the following behaviors:
Theft of food
Murder
Rape
Harsher punishments on the grounds of race, sexuality, sex, gender, or ethnicity
Do not talk to local police, state police, or federal investigators.
Do not give any interviews to any journalist.
Do not provide information to or in any way work with ICE.
Well-Known Delegates
- Catalina: An elderly woman who speaks with a strong accent and even stronger conviction. Always dresses in bright colors.
- Cipher: A somewhat enigmatic man, he was one of Zero's first Southern California contacts. Infected with lycantrophy, he used to lead a pack in Los Angeles.
- Ethan: The youngest delegate in Taqfleck, he started when 16. During delegate meetings, he attempts to dress formally, but his suit never seems to fit. Delegate for Gadsden.
- Firebrand: Delegate of Salvo. She masterminded the plan for stealing food, and ultimately took responsibility for it, resulting in her face being branded with the letter S, blinding her in one eye. She was elected as the delegate almost immediately after. Firebrand is also responsible for restoring Zero's sight. Firebrand tends to dress plainly.
- Hawk: A former IT professional known for his love of birds. After his face was injured by Aoide, he restored his eyesight using tissue transplants from a hawk. Usually dresses in monochrome. Due to Zero being overwhelmed with the kids, he was the chief delegate for quite some time, but has since stepped down.
- Kenneth: Delegate of Southside. During Cybil's attack on the commune, most of Kenneth's face with burned off, leaving mostly bone. While he retains his tongue and is able to speak, his VNO and eyes were damaged beyond repair. Having a damaged VNO means that he is immune to Zero's pheromones. As such, Zero often seeks him out for advice. Usually dresses in blue, wears a knit hat, and dons opaque sunglasses over his empty eye sockets.
- Liam: Lives in a neighborhood near Salthill. About 23 years old. Scrawny. Speaks better Irish than Zero, because he actually took the Leaving Cert. Seems to like sports jerseys, regardless of the weather.
- Perla: Delegate of AFM. She sometimes annoys other delegates due to her laughing off stress, giving the appearance of not giving a damn. Easily spotted thanks to always wearing The Jacket Of Truth--a long leather trenchcoat with "AFM" fingerpainted all over it that's been passed around every delegate they've elected.
- Tackle
- Zero: yeah she's there too
Industry & Trade
Taqfleck does not have "careers" in the traditional 9-5 sense. However, those that are capable of performing some kind of useful task are expected to do so. About one fifth of the workforce continue to secretly work their "day jobs" that they held in Los Caídos. This is something Taqfleck allows, and even encourages for infected that safe to be around uninfected, because they generally give a large portion of their salary to Taqfleck and it has a small chance of spreading the infection. Of those that remain, about half of them gravitate towards one particular job, while the other half tend to do whatever is needed at the time.
Not everyone in Taqfleck is able to work. Children under 16 are taught in school. At the age of 16, they can choose to work, or to continue school until 18. The elderly and disabled often contribute by minding children of working adults or keeping track of records. Due in part to the communal mindset of the virus, refusing to contribute out of spite is simply not common.
Because of the tendency for infected to fall into a RAASC (Rumase-Associated Altered State of Consciousness), at any given time Taqfleck usually is operating at about 75% employment. This creates the need to develop a enormous support system for its people and to stockpile food well ahead of time. This sometimes leads to resent from Carriers and Asympototes as it implies they have to work more than Cyclers and Romeros.
Common Occupations
- Divers -- The ocean near Taqfleck is sometimes used as an illegal dumping ground. Divers regularly check up on the area to salvage anything useful, and to perform basic tests to make sure it said waste is not leeching toxic chemicals into their water supply.
- Farmers
- Fishermen/Fisherwoman
- Guards
- Runners -- Without an assigned role, they tend to help with odd jobs, or transport. For instance, if someone was injured on a construction site, a runner could bring them medical supplies from the nearest first aid tent, or help carry them to the hospital. With the advent of better supply lines and transportation this role has greatly lessened.
Guilds and Factions
Some of the more notorious neighborhoods:
- Ass-Faced Monkfish
- Gadsden
- Goldman
- Salthill
- Salvo
- Southside
Architecture
Housing within Taqfleck used to leave much to be desired. Due to California being in earthquake country and lacking the resources to build earthquake-safe architecture, they previous took the same approach to building as rural parts of Costa Rica. This means that most of their housing is designed to be the kind that can be easily replaced, and won't kill you if it collapses on top of you. With the exception of a few permanent structures that were already present on-site, the vast majority of the residents were housed in shacks, huts, simple cabins, or tents.
Nowadays, the vast majority of residents are permanently housed on-site thanks to an elaborate construction effort. There are a variety of rooms, but most of them are set up as two bedroom apartments. Kitchens are communal, usually one per floor. Due to the population increasing by several hundred per month, construction is practically continuous, and not everybody is housed permanently. There is a small minority of people in Taqfleck who prefer to avoid traditional housing and live in tents or shacks. In part due to her claustrophobia and seismophobia, Zero is one of those people.
Alternative Name(s)
The Actually Quite Far From Los Caidos Commune
Type
City
Inhabitant Demonym
Taqs (sounds like tax)
Included Locations
Owning Organization
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