Writerverse Challenge #10: The Architect
Sep. 21st, 2012 09:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
n3m3sis43The working name for my universe is Cliffton, after the story that originally inspired it. The original story was about a post-apocalyptic settlement built after a Great War. Not much was known about the people who lived before the War, other than the fact that they invented great machines. Most of my stories take place before the Cliffton settlement existed, at a time when the Great War has been raging for so long, no one knows what started it. People on both sides of the conflict are raised to believe the "other side" is evil.
Although my characters don't know it at first, their peoples were once friends. As the two societies became technologically advanced, their relationship began to fall apart. Unbeknownst to the majority of its population, the people of the North were experimenting with genetic engineering. Even the subjects of the experiments, known as Project Xcellence, were unaware of their participation. Embryos were modified in secret during routine prenatal laser scans. Babies began to be born with strange blue eyes and pale hair, an unintended consequence; the scientists dismissed it as a natural mutation. No one questioned them.
The "Blondies" were superior to the rest of the population in both athleticism and intelligence. As they grew to adulthood, they rose within the ranks of every profession. They became the leaders in every field - the best teachers, doctors, and scientists. Even the police force was mostly made up of individuals with pale hair and ice-blue eyes.
Though the scientists didn't realize it at first, the Blondies' talents came with a price - a predisposition to paranoia. Before anyone knew what was happening, the Northern Territory had become a police state. Laboratories were commandeered and diverted from inventing to weapons development. What had once been little more than a security detail became a military, almost overnight.
After a few years, Project Xcellence was abandoned. Still, the damage had been done. Life in the North changed forever. And while trade between the two cities continued apace, the seeds of distrust were sown.
The fighting began over a trivial concern, a business agreement gone sour. That's not the whole story, though. The people of the South, you see, had grown suspicious of their neighbors to the North. They didn't know about Project Xcellence, but they'd have been fools if they didn't notice the Northerners' changed appearance and aggressive demeanor.
After the trade agreement crumbled, the Southerners began some experiments of their own. While their scientists weren't as skilled with technology as their neighbors', they managed to invent some formidable surveillance equipment. Soon they were spying not only on the Other Side but also on their own people. Books were burned, lives were destroyed, and no one trusted anyone. The records are sparse from that point onward. Though some books were preserved in the Archive, there was no one left to write new ones. Reading and writing were no longer taught. Instead, children learned to fear the Enemy, never knowing the worst Enemy of all was their own fear.
My stories are about a group of young people from both sides of the War who question why they are fighting it. An attempt to stop the War goes awry, and the young people involved are forced to go into hiding. They become terrorists, working to stop the War by any means necessary. Incompetent and goofy at first, their quest for peace changes their lives forever.
This was originally only posted in ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
wv_bookclub but I decided to post it here, too. I think we can all agree that most of this plot is nowhere to be found in my stories so let's just leave that aside for now. I'm character-driven!
Although my characters don't know it at first, their peoples were once friends. As the two societies became technologically advanced, their relationship began to fall apart. Unbeknownst to the majority of its population, the people of the North were experimenting with genetic engineering. Even the subjects of the experiments, known as Project Xcellence, were unaware of their participation. Embryos were modified in secret during routine prenatal laser scans. Babies began to be born with strange blue eyes and pale hair, an unintended consequence; the scientists dismissed it as a natural mutation. No one questioned them.
The "Blondies" were superior to the rest of the population in both athleticism and intelligence. As they grew to adulthood, they rose within the ranks of every profession. They became the leaders in every field - the best teachers, doctors, and scientists. Even the police force was mostly made up of individuals with pale hair and ice-blue eyes.
Though the scientists didn't realize it at first, the Blondies' talents came with a price - a predisposition to paranoia. Before anyone knew what was happening, the Northern Territory had become a police state. Laboratories were commandeered and diverted from inventing to weapons development. What had once been little more than a security detail became a military, almost overnight.
After a few years, Project Xcellence was abandoned. Still, the damage had been done. Life in the North changed forever. And while trade between the two cities continued apace, the seeds of distrust were sown.
The fighting began over a trivial concern, a business agreement gone sour. That's not the whole story, though. The people of the South, you see, had grown suspicious of their neighbors to the North. They didn't know about Project Xcellence, but they'd have been fools if they didn't notice the Northerners' changed appearance and aggressive demeanor.
After the trade agreement crumbled, the Southerners began some experiments of their own. While their scientists weren't as skilled with technology as their neighbors', they managed to invent some formidable surveillance equipment. Soon they were spying not only on the Other Side but also on their own people. Books were burned, lives were destroyed, and no one trusted anyone. The records are sparse from that point onward. Though some books were preserved in the Archive, there was no one left to write new ones. Reading and writing were no longer taught. Instead, children learned to fear the Enemy, never knowing the worst Enemy of all was their own fear.
My stories are about a group of young people from both sides of the War who question why they are fighting it. An attempt to stop the War goes awry, and the young people involved are forced to go into hiding. They become terrorists, working to stop the War by any means necessary. Incompetent and goofy at first, their quest for peace changes their lives forever.
wv_bookclub but I decided to post it here, too. I think we can all agree that most of this plot is nowhere to be found in my stories so let's just leave that aside for now. I'm character-driven!
