World-Building Project Final

Reflection

For an uncreative mind, building a world was no easy feat for me. All of my ideas, even in the final world I chose, seemed generic. They weren’t new ideas, but rather, recycled ones with a small twist here and there. So, in order to make the decisions for this final world, I had to gather some inspiration. For me, those came from TV shows and movies. For example, as a fan of the Hunger Games series, I recycled the polarizing relationship between the Capitol and the districts, or in other words, the typical conflict of the rich vs. the poor. Also, I enjoy the TV show, The Medici; therefore, it became the inspiration for Cerulean’s “Florence during the Renaissance” description. I also used TV shows ideas I’ve never watched as well, but only heard of. For example, the primitive lifestyles of the Wysterians came from my original perceived idea of the TV show, The 100. I’ve never watched the show, much less a trailer; however, the posters of the show, at least for me, showcases a group of people trying to survive off very little. The entertainment industry is filled with great ideas. As a supporter of the industry, it comes to no surprise that I would take inspiration from them.

Although most of my ideas came from the entertainment industry, I also used inspirations from my life experiences as well. I’ve always liked the beach and the water. In fact, I have wished I could live underwater more than a few times in my life. As a young kid, when I would go swimming, I use to imagine I was a mermaid and tried to live my dream underwater life. In addition, I was also inspired by my personal like for the myth of the sunken city, Atlantis. I’ve always wanted to believe it true. For these reasons, I created the world of Startisa and the city of Cerulean for the mermaid-like Startisans. In some ways, the world I built is what I wished was my reality.

In literature, for the world to have reality, rhetoric must be used to create the verisimilitude of my fantasy world. My first decision I made regarding this concept was choosing the write my world as a creative piece—almost as if I was writing a book. The next critical decision was to help me write this “book.” I have no experience in writing non-fiction, much less creating a fantasy world. So, to gather some rhetoric I could use, I looked to a recent excerpt I read: the first three chapters of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. When I read this excerpt, I was simply amazed by the book. Therefore, I assume it must have well-thought-out rhetoric. In some ways, I’ve tried to mimic it. For example, I start of the book with an aside from a character within my “book.” I continue with this character throughout this project as commentary and clarification to my description of the world. As one of the cursed ones, this character adds ethos to my own description of the world, much like Adeyemi did with Mama Agba. (Refer to my Reading Response #1 for more explanation.) In my opinion, my choice of using this type of rhetoric and writing style has helped me convincingly write about my world. Thank you, Tomi Adeyemi, for the help.

As for my own use of rhetoric, the most notable one I implemented was my shifts in tone, as I talked about Wysteria and Startisa. For example, when describing Wysteria, I used negative connotative words, such as “grotesque” and lots of negatives, such as “never,” “much less,” and “impossible.” In contrast, when describing Startisa, I bring up the idea of light and words indicating plenty and life, such as “plentiful,” “littered,” and “teeming.” These choices allowed me to paint Wysteria, as the lesser of the two, and Startisa, as the better world. Eventually, I almost reversed these descriptions when describing Wysteria’s new rise and Startisa’s decline. These rhetorical choices help further the distinctions of rich vs. poor, old vs. new, and furthermore, good vs. evil. Such skills of choosing the right words to say and when to say it has significant advantages as well in real life. For example, choosing one’s words and tone in an interview or networking event could mean the difference of a job offer or walking away empty-handed. It can completely change how people see you as a first impression. Are you good or evil? Are you confident or nervous? These are just some of the few things an employer can tell just by the way you choose to speak. Tone and word choice are incredibly important, whether it’d be writing a book or interviewing a job. It is an incredible tool and mastering it could do no harm.

Project

The cursed ones. The ones who didn’t evolve. Why was I born like this? 

Long before the current times, the world of Wysteria was peaceful and fair, but that did not mean it was not an easy life. The people of Wysteria lived like a caveman, playing the survival game every day. Wysteria’s land was very primitive. It was mostly water with a few scattered islands of practically uninhabitable land. All of the available land totaled to the size of current Australia. The islands of land were either mountainous range with peaks beyond the naked eye, or a dense forest teeming with the unknown. Those who chose to live on the mountains suffered year-round cold weather as the sun was far below them. And those who lived in the dense forest lived in constant thick fog conditions as the clouds laid on the forest floor. Yes, unlike your world, the clouds rested on the surface of the land, and the sun hibernated under the water. Wystreia may have existed for millions of years, but new technology was never developed. The inconvenience station of the sun made it impossible to farm the land, much less allow natural vegetation to grow or animals to thrive. On land, the only food source were the rodents, skittering across the land and surface of the water. While the land had nothing, the water had an abundance of food. The sun shined into the water, allowing a plentiful of natural vegetation to thrive. Along with vegetation, it was home to wonderous and herds of sea animals. Crustaceans littered the water’s floor. Fish was always in abundance. Sea turtles and whales roamed the water in large herds. Sealions and dolphins zipped around the water with speed and ease. Everything was under the water. In order to survive, the Wysterian people lived off the water mostly. However, their reach into the water was severely limited by human breath. Every day, Wysterians dived into the water and gathered their food for the day, whether it’d be a small fish near the surface or even, just the tips of the blades of seaweed. They got progressively better in the water, but nowhere near the capabilities to pick up a lobster on the water’s floor or catch tastier fish further below the surface. For the longest time, Wysteria’s people lived in hardship, never knowing what tribulations and food, if any, the day will bring.

Over time, their constant reliance and expertise in the water led to the Wysterian’s people evolution. The period of evolution was known as the Curse Lifting. For those who evolved, it represented the end of their struggle. Their evolution gave them powerful webbed feet to propel them throughout the water at alarming speeds and the ability to breathe underwater indefinitely. No longer were the difficult days of swimming in the vast oceans for hours for just a bit of food or the agonizing wait for traps to fill up. Now, they could go further and for longer underwater. They were able to catch larger fish that lasted the typical Wysteria family a whole day, or sometimes, even longer. Even more incredible, with their newfound abilities, Wysterians were able to wrestle with whales in the water and win. Whales, with an abundance of meat, skin, bone, and fat, were rare, and catching one was no easy feat. However, the reward allowed a family to live in a comatose food state for months and materials to survive the land’s terrain and weather for years to come. If a family caught a whale, they were considered royalty. At least, back then, they were kind and shared their benefits to unfortunate ones like me. Why couldn’t they be like that today? Life on Wysteria drastically improved and no longer bound to everyday struggle, the people were much happier.

Soon enough, it no longer made sense to live on land. Their new abilities allowed them to choose life underwater, plus everything they needed was also there. Evolved Wysterians grasped at the opportunity and moved off the land into the water. A new world, below the water, became the norm, and life was much easier and prosperous. Down there, they were able to enjoy more space and warmer weather, provided by the undersea sun. This underwater world and mermaid-like people became known as Startisa and the Startisans. Although Startisans lived throughout the water, most of them lived at Startisa’s epicenter, Cerulean. Cerulean was like Florence during the Renaissance; it was filled with incredible things and ideas. It was also the center of commerce. Every good available could be found here. Buildings in Cerulean, crafted by strong coral and limestone, towered and housed businesses and its people. Life in Cerulean was modern. New ideas flowed. Technology developed. Culture created. Just as life improved on land due to their evolution, the quality of life significantly improved to new heights in Startisa, especially in Cerulean.

Cerulean seems so beautiful! Only if I could live there. However, an unfortunate few did not evolve. Known as the cursed ones, they were still bound to the hard-knock life of Wysteria’s land. Life would have been the same as the primitive years, but Startisa threatened their way of life. Startisans heavily discriminated against the cursed ones. They aimed to hurt, instead of providing aid to their unfortunate counterparts. Startisa banned the cursed ones from using the water for food. Now, their only food source were the grotesque rodents from before. Not only were they hard to catch, but they also provided not nearly enough food and materials. Illegal harvesting and hunting of the water’s resources became common and resulted in many unnecessary deaths by the hands of Startisans. We are of the same people! How could they be so cruel? Due to such food scarcity, the land was a dangerous place, ridden with crime and constant stealing. It was every man for themselves on Wysteria. With more struggles, life was harder now than before the Curse Lifting. The remaining land people longed for their evolution to come, so they may be relieved from the chains of Wysteria’s curse. But it never came.

As hard times went on, Wysteria’s cursed one became restless. Wysteria and its people were angry at Startisa. Incredibly angry at Startisa. Fed up, Wysterians began dumping their trash and feces into Startisa and Cerulean. Disrespect, you say? Well, we were disrespected first! When the injustice did not stop, tension grew even higher between the two worlds. In retaliation, the cursed ones brought upon an act of war against Startisa. With the abundance of clouds on land, Wysterians used them to their advantage and moved them, effectively clouding the sun. Startisa no longer was enlightened by the sun. Now in complete darkness, the one grandiose water world started failing. Sealife plants and animals died one by one. Cerulean life halted and became eerily quiet. Unrightfully so, Startisans became angrier with the Wysterians. As tensions continue to grow, Wysteria and Startisa edged towards the brink of war. War!

Unbeknownst to them, the war would be devastating for both Wysteria and Startisa. Wysterian cursed ones were skilled in survival. No Startisan could compare to a Wysterian in strategy and combat. Startisa may have weapons technology, but they no longer had the means to upkeep and use them without the sun’s light. Both were disadvantaged and equally advantaged on land or in water, respectively. This could very much be a war with no end, and even if it does, there will only be misery and destruction at the end of it. You are right! War is not the answer! I must stop this! What must I do?