#gonegods

Project Reintroduction: GONE ARE THE GODS

They say the War destroyed the earth. What remains of the gods’ bounty has crawled on bloodied hands and knees here, to Olympia, and locked itself away in twelve city-towers: each dedicated to one of the Olympians. They say we're the last. The last humans. The last hope. 

They say that if we fail, if our bloodlines dry up, if we disgrace the gods, the legacy of humanity and the old gods will dry up too. This is not a choice. This is a test. 

They say the only way to restore the earth is if we all work together, all 700,000 of us locked away in our towers, to put the War aside--that if our goodwill strikes true, only then will the gods return, aglow with beneficence, to rescue us from our self-made hell. But the gods have always warred among themselves, and were we not made in their image? 

Heavily inspired by Orwellian and cyberpunk themes, GONE ARE THE GODS explores perceptions of reality, freedom, control, and the intersection of religion with technology. GONE ARE THE GODS features twelve stories, each taking place in a dystopic city-tower themed after a different Olympain. 

Even within the same tower, people were not equal: there were no illusions of fairness beyond those we created ourselves. Aptitude tests were doled out more frequently than candy. Things that we thought couldn’t possibly be tests were. The words we chose. The games we played. Everything determined where we would go, what role we would take, which floor we would die on. The lower the floor, the lower your standing--we all wanted to be higher, to be closer to the heavens. 

The heavens had made their choice long ago. They would not save us. 

There was no hope beyond what we created ourselves.

A brief introduction to the city-towers of Olympia. While Layers of Hell takes place in Demeter, each tower has a vital role to play in the precarious post-War economy. 

Fun(?) Facts: 

No one leaves the tower they are born in, with a few exceptions: Overs, Staffers, and Venters can move between towers with relative freedom; medics trained in Apollo and religious leaders trained in Dionysus may be moved once in their life to serve their destination tower accordingly, but will be unconscious for the duration of transport between towers for security purposes. 

Staffers are responsible for transporting bulk goods between towers. 

Airlocks are set in place between towers. If correctly applied, an entire tower can be cut from the intricate ventilation system without harming the remaining 11 towers--exposing the selected tower to lethal radiation in the event of any attempted uprisings.

The top 10-20 floors of any given tower are reserved for Overs, Staffers, Venters, and their families. These floors are considerably less populated than those below. 

The city-towers of Olympia have a combined population of roughly 627,000 people. 

Click on the photos for better resolution!

Project Moodboard: OPEN VALVE

“It was not Orpheus who betrayed me--curiosity is man’s nature. It is not the snake who betrayed me--venom is the snake’s nature. Yet there is much in a god’s nature that is not cruel, and cruelty is what the gods chose.

“The sun is just another star; I have seen the skies, and there are endless stars in the universe. Will I forgive the gods? Will I bow? No: even if Apollo came to me, dragging along Helius himself, I would not bow.”

In the dystopic city-tower of Apollo, famed for its medicinal research, Eurydice is a valued commodity: a human test subject. Subjected to testing a psychoactive designer drug, Eurydice is entered into a simulation where she relives the myth of her namesake. 

Emerging disoriented and aggrieved, the real test is yet to come: relaying the events to the Apollo System. 

A cyberpunk retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Open Valve is a short story exploring reality, perception, and the tragedy of love.

more... the GONE ARE THE GODS collection

Some of my favorite lines from day one of Camp Nano, which I’m doing to work on my story collection GONE ARE THE GODS! I’m hoping to share some lines every day this month to keep me accountable 💖 

Camp NaNo April ‘19 | Day 2 Recap | Words: 1,979 | Total: 3,122/30,000

<The Apollo System will now issue you a series of statements based on your simulation experience. Please determine whether these statements are true or false. Please answer these questions correctly. Your answers will be used to calibrate the system for later questioning.>

<You have selected an incorrect answer. You don’t really believe you could ever have had a happy ending, do you?>

Camp NaNo April 19 | Day 5 Recap | Words: 1,126 | Total: 6,434/30,000

I spent yesterday restarting my draft for LAYERS OF HELL, which, despite initially being a bit frustrated about, I’m looking forward to. I think I’ll be able to capture the characterization a lot better this time around, and that’ll help the plot fall into place--and move a helluva lot faster.

Camp NaNo April ‘19 | Day 4 Recap | Words: 1,008 | Total: 5,308/30,000

<Did Orpheus betray your trust, when he turned for a glimpse of you?>

“I feel betrayed, but not by him.”

<Who betrayed you?>

“The gods, for tearing us apart. The gods, for throwing me about like a toy. The gods, for their snake’s bite; for their honeyed sting; for tearing him to shreds; for making me watch. I know Orpheus loved me. I cannot say the same of the gods.”