"Flowers of the non-state."

The Smyrnian Flux State covers the eponymous settled region and is generally considered as an anarchist state, which would be a contradiction in terms.

Very few of the Smyrnian region powers are in fact anarchies. Most of them are somewhat centralized microstates with a few cooperatives and the odd dictatorship thrown in the mix. Their relationships are, at best, tense, and none of them has any clear advantage over the other. The result is a chaotic region with thousands of unresolved conflicts for control that, by definition, cannot create definitive conclusions through regular means.

Enter the Smyrnian Flux State. It is not a government in the commonly accepted sense of the word: it does not provide any specific services or overarching structure. It is just a framework within which the multitude of conflicts in the regions can be solved without excessive bloodshed through the application and organisation of Flower Wars. A forum for flower pilots and diplomats, a theatre of war in the most literal sense. Flower Wars in the Smyrnian region happen constantly and are drawn-out, spectacular affairs the Flux State frames and organizes. Anarchies necessarily rely on cooperation and common trust. The Flux State of Smyrnia, in contrast, actively encourages conflict.

Many a superpower have considered the Flux State as easy prey in the past. Surely, a "state" based on organizing constant pretend wars is not hard to infiltrate and corrupt, right? Nevertheless, the Flux State has proven harder to crack than anticipated. The intricate web of alliances, traditions and ideas that enable the Flux State to exist give it unexpected resilience and consistency against all odds -- because none of its constituents can afford to let it fail.

Flux State logo created by Lazare Viennot.