The city block goverment of Humans

700 years ago a small group of humans founded a city based on the values of cooperation, discovery, and optimization of resources and called it New Ipsos after their previously lost city. This was necessary to avoid being outcompeted by the much longer lived and successful Elfe.
A sharp explosion in population rate eventually led to the one city sending out settlers and producing 4 daughter cities, all run more or less independently from each other, called either 'states' or 'blocks' for their general appearance from the outside. Around these cities, small independent villages stand, started by people hoping to be granted citizenship. Current inhabitants of these villages are no longer that interested in that, having access to merchants traveling to and from the cities. Most of these villages are pretty well off, though vastly inferior in technology. New Ipsos is the largest and considered the central hub and face of the human world government.

Each city is governed by specific city governments that are in charge of regulating everything from education, infrastructure, production, research, peacekeeping, and healthcare. Each individual subdivision has it's own specialty and sphere of responsibilities though they overlap at the highest and lowest ranks.
New Ipsos size in area is not that impressive, it is built for height and it spans well below ground level. Large, slightly reflective glass surfaces divide the outside from the inside and block out curious gazes and intruders. From the outside, the city looks like a massive glass block, but the inside is densely packed with offices, hospitals, sick houses, schools, libraries, food stalls, homes, and more. All connected by a network of small trainlike magnetically propelled transportation systems.
Passing through different sections of the city requires an access code for doors and transportation systems. Children born in the city are granted their own access cards at 6 years of age when they start their education. This cards access is upgraded as they grow older and are allowed to roam pretty freely in the city, excluding, of course, restricted areas. Despite the high rate of supervision, nobody in the city is a captive and they are free to leave when they have reached a mature age. Citizens who want to migrate to another city can do so with the help of a travel and trade agent from the Department of Travel and Trade. Younger citizens may attain a student visa by contacting their education manager. This is seen as a huge merit later in life.
Many who have grown up in the city, who decided to leave it later in life, end up feeling restless and missing the comforts they have grown used to. Having problems adapting to the many differences prove too much for many city citizens who most often end up returning to the cities.

Structure

Cities have no official leading council but one forms naturally from the upper echelon of each department. These higher ranks from each department are frequently in communication with each other in an effort to find solutions and optimize the workflow of their specific department.
Ranks exist in each department, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the most coveted. No matter which department you chose to start in you will start as a level 1 member, this means doing menial work such as cleaning and fetching until you have proven yourself and showed that you capable of performing more complicated and exciting work. Getting a rise in rank means that people will jump from a job they excelled at to a completely new job that they may have no previous experience in, work tasks often times being radically different between jobs. This is desired and seen as a chance to learn something new which is highly lucrative for every worker. The accumulation of experience is seen as an important step to rising in rank and becoming a person of interest. POI, also known as a rank 5.
Higher rank positions in a department require a more comprehensive understanding of fundamental principles OR are simply seen as being more fun and bringing a feeling of accomplishment to the worker. There is no real difference in salary between different ranked positions. Instead, privileges are awarded to higher ranked workers, for example, better rooms, better worktimes, customizations of uniforms. Higher ranked officers are sometimes exempted from rules and may take company money for their own gain, this will be overlooked and regarded as a privilege of a hard worker as long as the sums taken are seen as 'reasonable', aka, in line with the persons worth to the company. POIs are exempted from some of the stricter social rules on behalf of being so ridiculously successful and important that people will excuse most eccentric behaviors.

by HAYATE

Changing direction within a department may lead to you lacking vital qualifications for your required work, which might temporarily delay your rise in rank while you restudy. There are no wrong ways to POI, just detours.

The five values

The city-blocks are built on five fundamental values, being able to prove proficiency in the core values is guaranteed to grant you a rise in rank.
-Money, aka material recourses.
Sometimes you are just blessed, other times less so, but that matters not. Being able to use what you have in front of you is a virtue that is highly appreciated. Not using it is showing your own lack of foresight and thus makes you look stupid.
-Natural talent and ease of learning.
Learning tasks easily and fast makes it easier to accumulate more information. Working with a clever person is nice for everyone.
-Dedication and hard work
Being a lazy genius won't get you anywhere. If you are too good for any tasks you are useless.
-Being well spoken
Being able to formulate and explain things in the most efficient way is highly coveted. Having a way with words can open many doors. Being a genius is useless if you can not make yourself understood.
-Ability to work with and bring out the best in human nature
All of these skills have the potential to be useless if nobody can work with you. If you do not understand people, if you can not read the mood of the room, you will become a burden. Show that you can use your money in the best way, show that you see and work with the people around you and you will surely do great things.

Rising in rank

To rise in rank you must prove that you possess these important skills. You do that by submitting tests and texts that must be composed and handed in before deadlines. A sufficient number of recommendations from workers in your immediate rank must also have been submitted. Acquiring recommendations through the use of any of the core values is acceptable and seen as a good use of resources. Certain flaws in core values can thus be covered by using and showing other values. Value nr 5 though is usually seen as the most vital since the lack of it can destroy a workplace.

Rank responsibilities

In all departments, rank 1s are responsible for: Cleaning, running errands, stocking and ordering supplies and running the lunchrooms. Middle-rank responsibilities are unique to the department they work for. In all departments, rank 5s are responsible for: Running the department, overseeing other ranks, contacting and coordinating with other departments, changing and making regulations to ensure smooth operations and managing the department's finances with the help of the Department of Statistics and Finances.

List of some of the most important and well-known departments in each city block:
Department of Healthcare This department makes sure that everyone is in good physical health.
Middle ranks of this department handle healthcare, dental care, palliative care and special needs care, making sure that people who need extra help to function in their day to day life can have that.
Department of Education This department is in charge of education. From ages 6-12 the section of child education handles the children's studies and curriculum. Kids at this age have no control over their own studies. When they reach age 12 and enter pre-word-educational-studies they may choose to become exchange students in another city. Pre-work-educational-studies span ages 12-15 and are mostly focused on making sure that the student can make an informed choice in regards to which department they want to join. The Department of Education also offers guidance to adults wanting to switch or reeducate.
Middle ranks in this department teach and counsel people of all ages on their educational choices, making sure everyone can be their very best.
Department of Information and Quality Control This department is in charge of managing information flow in and between cities. Often collaborating with the Department of Statistics and Finances to spread knowledge to the people. Networks for speedy information relay between cities exist but are strictly regulated and must be submitted for approval by a communication officer before being sent.
Middle ranks working in this department write the news channel bulletins, manage information flow between cities, handle all the communication channels, investigating the general lives of POIs and sometimes also works with the Department of Justice to investigate complaints of misuse of resources, aka, corruption.
Department of Complaints This is the department where people go to complain. Complaining is considered healthy when it is directed, so this office is where everyone can make their voice heard. This is also the mental health facility and the first step to getting help for people feeling down. The departments face outward is currently Aaron DeWinter( owned by Dragon ), previously named the nicest person on Earth.
Middle ranks working in this department counsel and care for peoples mental health. They also carry out research on mental health issues and cognitive processes together with the Science and Healthcare departments.
Department of Justice This department manages the law system.
Middle ranks in this department investigate, catch, judge and punish crimes. More serious crimes go to higher judgment councils. Judges are rank 4.
Department of Statistics and Finances This department oversees the city's statistics and finances. They may budget cut departments that overspend.
Middle ranks in this department work closely with all other departments gathering data. Other departments consider them to be both disruptors of peace and spies. Data collectors in this department are in the strange position of being simultaneously sucked up to and talked down to.
Department of Warding and Climate Control This department has all the Elfe workers, seeing as it mostly deals with magic and its uses, however, most of the workers are still human. This department makes sure the wards in the City works and integrates with the technology correctly. Important ward functions include climate control, food preservation, and disinfection.

Uniforms

by Hayate

Rank 1 uniforms look universal across all departments. Only the print on the back is different. The colors and cuts of higher ranks may differ across different departments and positions.
The warding department has the most radically different work uniforms of all departments as they have a lot of Elfe workers, most of which don't fit in nor like the looks of the more common uniform cuts. Ranks are signaled with color and badges but Rank fives can opt out of wearing their uniform if they want to. However most just chose to customize or accessorize.

Public Agenda

Never again falling to Elfe rule.

History

Long ago before the Elfe split into two, before the founding of the city-block government, humans lived in smaller kingdoms and villages. Places that in comparison to Elfe prestige, size, and might, paled. Without the use of magic, humans inadvertently always fell behind on progress in pretty much all aspects of society. This lead to humans not being able to defend themselves against Elfe war efforts.
Human settlements that were close to Elfe cities, in Elfe eyes, was a part of the Elfe kingdom and thus had to live by Elfe rules. Such as paying taxes to the Elfe. This the humans refused to do, seeing as they in their own eyes owned their lands and had no debts to the Elfe people since they never received anything from them. Refusal to pay their taxes led to the Elfe gently shooing the humans from their territory by burning the human cities down with great care and destruction magic. This made humans homeless.
The first city-block government was founded when the city of Ipsos was destroyed after refusing to submit to Elfe rule. A small group consisting of the city's nobles, amongst them, the king's cousin (probably now the legal king) and 3 servants, managed to escape to the plains, hoping to eventually found a new city. After arguing amongst themselves, they established a new way of government after killing their servants, and the king's cousin, to ensure that they would all be equals amongst themselves.
This new government took a lot of the higher nobilities education and workings as a base. Ensuring that all, even the common workers would have a fair starting ground to realize their potentials no matter their way of birth. This new city of Ipsos passive aggressively started paying the Elfe taxes. 700 years later, the Elfe now pays them taxes, hoping to one day send their most talented mages to the human cities to learn and live a comfortable life.

There is a famous fable covering the founding of New Ipsos taught to children of all ages.

Once upon a time, a herd of Oxen migrated across the fields, desperate to find food after a draught. After a long time journeying across the barren grassland, a field rich with food and water entered their sight. "We are saved" "We have found the great garden!" they shouted. But they were not alone in the great garden. Something littered the ground, making the grass harder to reach. "The corpses are a bit offputting." one of the oxen said. "As long as it's not mine I don't care!" Another replied.
They did not know that a large pack of wolves lived, fat and pleased in the garden, feasting on any others who entered their lands. Because wolves are wolves and can not share, only eat, which they do with great care. They also poop with great expertise.
When the wolves heard the thud, thud, thud of the oxen entering the garden, their ears perked up and they went "Ahwoooo!" , "Ahwoooo!" , "Ahwoooo!" with excitement, taking chase hungry for more.
The oxen ran with terrible panic from the garden. "We have been tricked!" they cried, stumbling. Wild with power, the wolves did wolves things and ripped the Oxen apart one after another. The oxen slow with hunger and thirst and the wolves strong with the benefits of a long and comprehensive resume of savage slaughter.
But five brave oxen were not afraid of the wolves. They knew they would just starve in the fields if they ran, dooming themselves by cowardice. These five oxen stayed while the rest of the herd ran to their deaths. But oxen have one fatal flaw, they can only see the wolf that is in front of them and the wolves were many. The oxen realizing this formed a circle, helping each other, covering for their flaws together. One after another, the wolves were stomped, kicked and impaled on the mightly oxen horns.
The garden ran red with the blood of the wolves, who realized they were outmatched and ran, badly injured. The cowardly wolves never bothering them again.

This story has been adapted as a cartoon, in which the oxen manage running a city while keeping it secret that they are also superheroes that can shoot laser beams out of their eyes. The five oxen in the show embody the five values of the city government.
There is also a popular children song called "The wolves never bothered me anyway" dealing with serious issues such as young love, self-esteem and the death of everyone you know.

Technological Level

Pretty good. They have accomplished time travel, but this is of yet strictly forbidden and only used for research purposes to understand the process better, as the technology is still not very well understood.
Some other significant scientific accomplishments include:
Magnetically propelled infrastructures such as elevators, trains, platforms and 'walk' paths.
Their lasers are also pretty impressive and are widely used in surgical procedures, by artists and craftsmen, and as death rays.

Foreign Relations

Cities import Vatten Elfe ward technicians to their cities and in return, they send their own experts and technology. Most cities allow tourists freely, granting them tourist code cards in exchange for W. The cards when hitting expiration date will send out a signal, and then stop working completely, allowing the lost tourist to be safely escorted outside.
Eld Elfe is generally looked down on as being disloyal and uncommitted to anything. Their sense of fashion looks trashy to humans. Many cities still suck up to them in hopes they will settle in their city, to spread their genes, creating a small population of magic users native and loyal to the city.
Vatten Elfe in general is seen as exotic, desirable and skilled. They are also aesthetically pleasing to the general human eye. Their sense of dress and general demeanor would make any human in a relationship with them feel lucky. However female Vatten Elfe in human cities are usually infertile, and if not, always end up taking custody of any Elfe children to raise them in their own Vatten Elfe cities. Humans born from a Vatten Elfe-Human relation do not have any magical talents.
Immigration for foreigners with no valuable skills is very harsh but policies vary between cities. New Ipsos is especially strict.

Five oxen stand strong

Type

Geopolitical, State

Alternative Names

"The Humans"

Government System

Democracy, Direct

Economic System

Command/Planned economy

Currency

Weight. Also called Weigh/Way in daily speech. Abbreviated as W in writing.