From the Chair

[crimsonplum]

The creature on the screen may once have been a person…but what the watcher sees before him is little more than a wraith. He is dumbfounded at how pale the skin, how long and dank the hair, how tattered the scarce rags that hang like a tent from the thin limbs

Comments

[roina_arwen]

Oh, this is good - I really enjoyed this worldview. Karma is a bitch, isn't it?

[crimsonplum]

Thanks! It certainly is :)

[halfshellvenus]

I've read this twice now, and I'm having trouble completely following what's happening because of all the allusions using worldview-specific language.

The Governor groomed Eden to be his sex-slave, and she refused him? So, he is in fact guilty of the worst of all crimes? That would all make sense, but I'm not entirely sure I've got it.

Inquisitor-like religious settings are such interesting dystopias, though sadder still for the fact that there is historical truth in them as well.

[crimsonplum]

Not quite - Peter (in his horror at the punishment and guilt at his past mistakes) sees Eden in his nightmares, but she is not the victim. While I had hoped this could stand a bit more on its own, the world began here: http://crimsonplum.livejournal.com/3930.html and here: http://talonkarrde88.livejournal.com/11349.html (interlinked stories)

The worldview was created to leave a lot of ambiguity and a lot of room for interpretation, though I can understand why that could also be confusing. Some detail may also have been lost due to my time concerns.

I've been fascinated by darker turns and the duality inherent in "good" vs. "evil" this season, so revisiting the dystopia fit right in. I hope to explore this world further, particularly in comparison to the historical examples you mention.

[n3m3sis43]

I'm with you on this... I got the impression that the girl he was talking about in the last section and Eden were two different people, which I'm not sure is correct. I assumed the Comfort thing had to do with sex, but couldn't really figure out exactly what the punishments and Peter's job were supposed to be.

The piece didn't quite stand on its own for me (which I'm mainly sharing because I hope people will do the same for me when I go off on tangents in my worlds they aren't familiar with and don't explain enough in the process). I did find the Inquisitor-like concept interesting, though.

[crimsonplum]

With a bit of time, I can see where this piece leaned a little too much on previous events. There are certainly some blanks I would like to fill in, though I want to do that within the piece (which, given the nature of Idol, isn't feasible at the moment). Certainly food for thought, maybe more on carving out my writing time further from the deadline...

[jem0000000]

I'm glad that the punishment-thing caught even the governor -- it's nice to see that they're not exempt from the laws. :)

[crimsonplum]

Something else I hope to explore further - the idea that in the end, justice is applied evenly in this world. Thanks for noticing!

[jem0000000]

You're welcome!

[eska818]

You always write such beautiful eccentricities and I absolutely love that.

[crimsonplum]

Thank you so much! I love "beautiful eccentricities" - what a great compliment. :)

[bleodswean]

I adore how your world has so much emphasis on language!

[crimsonplum]

Thanks! That's usually my first focus and I'm glad it's working well!