We are working very hard on editing but thought I would shoot a question out to everyone here about buildings on Venus:
So what Victorian era buildings should be built on Venus in the International City? In Hive, Queen and Country (my Steampunk/Victorian Science Fiction gaming setting) Venus is habitable with a "shirt sleeve" environment, so normal buildings will work fine. Building materials include basalt, concrete and wood but probably not brick. The various Great Powers of Earth will want to showcase the best of their architecture and style. Form and function will be on display to the Venusians. The city was designed and built between 1890 and 1900, so buildings should be in that period. Below is a short description and a link to a map. So please send me a picture or link to the buildings of your choice. They can be anything from train stations, to housing blocks, metro stations, factories or markets. The forts are all firmed up (except the Russian one) but barracks buildings will be useful.
A Short Traveler's Guide to the International City
Arrival The International City has a single downport, which serves all visitors from Earth. Customs and quarantine are located at the downport receiving station. Passengers disembark from ships and are taken to the receiving center aboard open-sided omnibuses. The ride to the station is included in all from-orbit fares and takes between ten minutes and an hour, depending upon where the ferry came to rest.
Railways There are now over two dozen railway stations in the International City. One is at the downport, which connects to the mainline. The mainline includes seven stations. The largest of these is Cyreanthian Union Station, which directly connects to the Residential Districts. Other stations are located at the Terni Works, the Old Settlement, the Aero-port, as well as two along the southern shore of the Victoria River.
Steamers Even before the arrival of people from Earth, the native Venusians often traded with each other by using sea craft to travel along their coasts. The volume of trade has since substantially increased by the addition of four Earth-owned lines of coastal steamers as well as three operating on the inland rivers and lakes. Venusian craft are generally owned by the merchant families of Cadu Panonononaxle, although both the Marbii and the jdasei have many vessels with which to ply the coastwise routes.
Hotels With the constant influx of new arrivals, the need for hotels in the International City is obvious. As might be expected, these hotels vary substantially in quality. The highest-rated Earther hotels are the Union Station Hotel and the Grand Aero Hotel. Both offer rooms at various rates and provide the class of service that would be expected at the best establishments in Europe or America. Additionally, many smaller hotels are scattered around the city. Travelers can find almost any type of accommodations they desire. In addition to hotels owned and operated by Earthers, at least twenty "Houses of Welcome" populate the Venusian Quarter.
Restaurants The cuisine of Venus is not for all palates. Luckily, travelers from Earth can find restaurants that cater to nearly every taste. If the local choices are not enough, colonists often bring their own traditional foods with them. Many Earth chefs have also taken to using Venusian foods and spices in dishes and recipes brought from home. Finally, a great many restaurants and street-food vendors serve Venusian dishes.
Cafes The weather on Venus is nearly perfect for outdoor dining and socializing. With no rain, pleasant temperatures, and rather dim sunlight, not even umbrellas or awnings are needed. Most of Venus also lacks airborne arthropods of any sort, eliminating the annoyance of flies and wasps.
Cabs The lack of horses or other conveniently sized beasts of burden means that all cabs are either mechanically powered or pulled by people. Rickshaw-type vehicles, called remymatrycarce or remmies for short, are very common on Venus. Often, this type of vehicle has a spring that the driver keeps wound by pedaling.The mechanically powered machines are generally spring powered. This leads to a unique sound on the streets of the International City.
Omnibus One of the main forms of transport in the International City is the steam- or electrically powered omnibus. Omnibus companies operate out of the British, American, Prussian, and French Quarters.
Tramways All quarters of the International City are linked by elevated railways. This system of electric trains also stops at the downport. The lines between the city and the spaceport are much heavier than those within the city, as they are designed to haul rocket engines and spacecraft to the launch quays from various factories in the city.
Theaters Unlike many other metropolises, the International City does not have a theater district. Rather, each of the quarters has its own theaters. As in so many things, each quarter vies with the others to have the best theaters, both in terms of architectural opulence and the skill of their companies and performances.
Music Halls Music is a critical part of most Venusian cultures, even more so that on Earth. The Venusian principal of Monumental Music, which is thought of more as architecture than entertainment, has begun to spread in the International City, especially in the Venusian Quarter. In addition to the background sounds of the water organs of the Marbii and the chimes of the Naxlii, which can be heard in many parts of the city, the city hosts a number of musical halls as would be found in London or Paris. The Old Settlement area is particularly known for the variety of its music halls.
Places of Entertainment In addition to its many music halls, the International City boasts casinos, a racetrack, a baseball field, cricket and football pitches, tennis courts, swimming pools, and many other athletic and leisure facilities