Post by Neko Bazu on Nov 24, 2009 22:15:13 GMT -1
Since there's sod-all happening on the board of late, I'll see if this stirs up any interest - and besides that, I'm looking for as wide a range of feedback as I can get This is my first time writing properly in two years or more, so I may well be a bit rusty!
I envisioned a world several months back, and have started developing it in my mind recently. The writing itself is... well, probably best described as a snippet from a novel? It was really just dipping my toe into the universe, introducing a couple of characters, getting a feel for the place and so forth. I've got a couple more ideas to write too, so hopefully they'll help me expand a bit as well.
Have a nosey if you want; feedback is welcome!
UNIVERSE
I've envisioned a world of Divinities - a world of immortals and beings who harness unique powers. It's a world of great beauty and wonder - not Heaven, but heavenly. It's also a world where free will exists; where the immortal beings aren't bound to pre-set courses. A world of joy, but also of sin and inequality, where some are naturally superior to others. And a world where the greatest punishment imaginable has been determined.
In this Divine world, there is a single punishment to fit all crimes. While immortals can't be killed, they can be displaced and incarnated - their physical bodies are placed in stasis, and their spirits torn out and birthed in a place known as Earth. Here, where the Divinities call them Earth-born beings, they have no knowledge or memory of their true lives, and none of their former powers. They live as a mortal; one who fears, who hurts, who suffers, and ultimately, who dies.
Their crime determines their Earth-life. For the least of sins, they're released from this prison early; maybe a baby that dies at a young age. They learn the cold harshness of this world, but are spared any greater pains. For the worst of sins, a far harsher life exists - a cursed fate. Abuse, violence, rape; these are all possibilities as they're forced to live a life of unending misery, before facing a slow and painful death. For middling sins, there's a middle ground - a life neither of excitement nor horror, but instead an unending lack of fulfilment.
Whatever the punishment, the end remains the same. Upon release, the spirit is returned to the true body, with all those memories and emotions left very much intact. It's a reminder of what could be, if they weren't blessed with the life of a Divinity - and of what might be again. For the Divinities have no life-span; they can be sent down as many times as need be.
To know pain; to know fear; to know true suffering - this is the cost of sin for a Divinity.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Also, here are some universe reference-points - these and the above would already have been established by this point in the hypothetical novel, but warrant sharing here just to make things clearer:
TIME SYSTEM
One 'year' is referred to as a Cycle; this is divided into 40 Quartids (best thought of as weeks), with ten Quartids constituting a Quarter. A half-Cycle is referred to as a Bicut. A Quartid consists of six Days, with each Day consisting of hours, minutes etc as we understand them.
DIVINITES
The 'people' of the universe. Basically immortal beings, who live a closely-watched life.
OBSIDEUM
[This is going to be written about in another piece I'm planning, so I'll leave them for now. The snippet gives enough info for the time being.]
WATCHERS
The enforcers of the world. Accompanied by Seers, they find rogue Divinities, try them, and are responsible for their punishment.
SEERS
"See-ers" are Divinities with an inate ability to perceive beyond the usual range of a Divinity's senses. While the exact nature of their ability varies, they include skills such as reading the past, reading minds, perceiving events far away, communicating with Obsideum, and even - in exceptionally rare cases - flashes of likely futures. For many, these skills aren't entirely controllable, and as such they often wear suppressive collars that reign their abilities in, removing the collars only when needed in order to spare them the risks associated with over-use of their powers.
Story-part to follow in next post.
I envisioned a world several months back, and have started developing it in my mind recently. The writing itself is... well, probably best described as a snippet from a novel? It was really just dipping my toe into the universe, introducing a couple of characters, getting a feel for the place and so forth. I've got a couple more ideas to write too, so hopefully they'll help me expand a bit as well.
Have a nosey if you want; feedback is welcome!
UNIVERSE
I've envisioned a world of Divinities - a world of immortals and beings who harness unique powers. It's a world of great beauty and wonder - not Heaven, but heavenly. It's also a world where free will exists; where the immortal beings aren't bound to pre-set courses. A world of joy, but also of sin and inequality, where some are naturally superior to others. And a world where the greatest punishment imaginable has been determined.
In this Divine world, there is a single punishment to fit all crimes. While immortals can't be killed, they can be displaced and incarnated - their physical bodies are placed in stasis, and their spirits torn out and birthed in a place known as Earth. Here, where the Divinities call them Earth-born beings, they have no knowledge or memory of their true lives, and none of their former powers. They live as a mortal; one who fears, who hurts, who suffers, and ultimately, who dies.
Their crime determines their Earth-life. For the least of sins, they're released from this prison early; maybe a baby that dies at a young age. They learn the cold harshness of this world, but are spared any greater pains. For the worst of sins, a far harsher life exists - a cursed fate. Abuse, violence, rape; these are all possibilities as they're forced to live a life of unending misery, before facing a slow and painful death. For middling sins, there's a middle ground - a life neither of excitement nor horror, but instead an unending lack of fulfilment.
Whatever the punishment, the end remains the same. Upon release, the spirit is returned to the true body, with all those memories and emotions left very much intact. It's a reminder of what could be, if they weren't blessed with the life of a Divinity - and of what might be again. For the Divinities have no life-span; they can be sent down as many times as need be.
To know pain; to know fear; to know true suffering - this is the cost of sin for a Divinity.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Also, here are some universe reference-points - these and the above would already have been established by this point in the hypothetical novel, but warrant sharing here just to make things clearer:
TIME SYSTEM
One 'year' is referred to as a Cycle; this is divided into 40 Quartids (best thought of as weeks), with ten Quartids constituting a Quarter. A half-Cycle is referred to as a Bicut. A Quartid consists of six Days, with each Day consisting of hours, minutes etc as we understand them.
DIVINITES
The 'people' of the universe. Basically immortal beings, who live a closely-watched life.
OBSIDEUM
[This is going to be written about in another piece I'm planning, so I'll leave them for now. The snippet gives enough info for the time being.]
WATCHERS
The enforcers of the world. Accompanied by Seers, they find rogue Divinities, try them, and are responsible for their punishment.
SEERS
"See-ers" are Divinities with an inate ability to perceive beyond the usual range of a Divinity's senses. While the exact nature of their ability varies, they include skills such as reading the past, reading minds, perceiving events far away, communicating with Obsideum, and even - in exceptionally rare cases - flashes of likely futures. For many, these skills aren't entirely controllable, and as such they often wear suppressive collars that reign their abilities in, removing the collars only when needed in order to spare them the risks associated with over-use of their powers.
Story-part to follow in next post.