Unified Terran Community

Hey folks! I have posted the first of the Travellers Tales featuring Maeldune and Eris. You can find it by clicking on its name in this post, or in the ‘Stories’ section to the right. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments!

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An end to an extremely lazy day. After overcoming an episode of clinical lethargy late in the afternoon, I managed to make a decent start into the first draft of the first Travellers Tale. It will be up on the site within the next day or two, all going according to plan. I’m going to experiment with different storytelling methods, when writing these since I haven’t done much of that, thus far. So bear with me, everything will be allright… I’ve enjoyed the creation of the first story of Maeldune and Eris, I can see quite a few tales into the future for them. That can’t be bad can it? The thing now is to keep up the momentum, made slightly trickier by being away on holiday and having to negotiate with AOL to access the internet…damn you AOL. Anyway, you’ll have the first Maeldune story in a day or two and the second one will be close on its heels. I’ll also be working on ‘Panic, Frenzy and Madness’ which I’m hoping to get into a first draft reasonably soon. Work is underway, but it’s a bit early at the moment to say when it will be ready. As they say, stay tuned.

unifiedterrancommunity@gmail.com

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I’ve been thinking a bit more about the Traveller’s Tales idea I mentioned in the last Blog entry. After consideration, I’m going to do a few of those as well. The Unified Terran Community setting has grown considerably beyond my initial conception and, I suppose, I hate to see anything go to waste. After all, I am Scottish… That aside, there are parts of the UTC that the background articles won’t really do justice to. I also think it’s a more accessible way to discover the Community, it’s not to everyone’s taste to read through the background articles. This new development doesn’t mean that the initial story arc is being abandoned, quite the opposite! I believe the travellers tales will be an effective supplement to the original stories and will allow the reader to explore parts of the Community that are not directly related to the main plot, but are in themselves still worthy of attention. Part of the necessity of this, is that the Community is being explored through the medium of short stories and by definition details that are superfluous to the plot are omitted. Our two main protagonists are the wanderer Maeldune and his travelling companion Eris. Fans of Greek myth or indeed Discordianism will be aware of the consequences of having Eris as a travelling companion. She will certainly keep life interesting for Maeldune, and who could ask for anything more? A couple of other things; the stories are arranged alphabetically at the moment and are written out of sequence. For those who are interested, the chronological sequence of events is: “The Maiden, The Mother and The Crone”; “Prelude to Penny Dreadful”; “Sinainn”; “Raoul’s Adventures in Wonderland” and then “Penny Dreadful”. As more stories are added, I will construct a time line, to help clarify the order of events. This time line will also include significant historical moments, as they are revealed. The second bit of work will be to consolidate the background articles and organise them a bit more clearly. This is, after all, a working notebook. Anyway, plenty to be getting on with, so I’ll leave it at that for now. Enjoy exploring the site and the Unified Terran Community!

unifiedterrancommunity@gmail.com

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Day to day life in the Unified Terran Community is radically different to life in our own time. As mentioned previously, all of the repetitive, laborious work is now in the hands of specially designed robots. This and the work of the Bio Engineers in providing synthetic but nutritious food for all have profoundly altered the nature of humanity. Freed from the monotony of the capitalist system, with the abolition of currency, the members of the Community are able to focus their energies on more rewarding activities. Numerous project groups exist, developing improved technologies, accumulating centuries of knowledge and providing entertainment for the society. These groups generally have no one who can easily be identified as being ‘in charge’ and conflict is rare. If a group member is unhappy with the direction the group is working towards, he or she need simply leave and find or form another group more suited to their tastes. Many groups have overlapping spheres of activity, indeed, the Life Engineers and the Bio Engineers were one group initially. As time and the Community progressed, the group splintered in two although some technology, such as genetic manipulation and cloning is the product of both groups activities.

Significantly, there is no obligation, no pressure from the rest of the Community, to join a group. The principle reason this is possible is the activities of the Bio Engineers. With their mastery of synthetic biology, these technologists can manufacture limitless supplies of food and are also responsible for ‘growing’ the lightweight, incredibly strong materials that buildings are constructed from. These materials, in turn are developed to be able to convert sunlight into usable energy. Thus with free food, shelter and energy, humankind is finally able to develop it’s potential. An atmosphere of cooperation over competition is created. Obviously, Community members are free, and encouraged, to pursue personal interests as well. The philosophy of the Community is that anything which does not harm the Community, enriches it in some fashion. As all members of the Community are considered equal, so too are the groups regarded. Certain groups would appear to be more crucial to the functioning of the Community, but even these are cross dependent on numerous other groups. Each group requires the others to function to the best of it’s ability.

There is an emphasis on familial groups within the Community. However, with the advent of Seleem’s Mnemosyne Device and consequently a knowledge of past incarnations, the concept of Shadow Families has evolved. The Shadow Family is an extended group of souls, who have, down through the ages, always been born into the same mortal family tree. These souls are considered to be linked in some fashion. Another facet of this idea is that of Shadow Partners, lovers who have frequently or always found each other during incarnations. So far the Psychonauts and Life Engineers have advanced several theories as to why some souls seem eternally drawn to each other, none however has been taken as the consensus opinion.

Individuality is prized and greatly encouraged within the Community. This had lead to eccentric settlements comprised of buildings constructed in a bewildering array of styles, ranging from the ancient to the fantastical. Unhindered by an industry dictating certain modes of dress, the clothing favoured by the Community members is rich and varied. Numerous textile groups exist and manufacture clothing designs limited only by their imaginations. The current fashion for naming in the Community is to employ the name of one’s first incarnation, though this is by no means a firm rule.

The members of the Community are free to pursue their interests and desires, all the Community asks in return is that no harm is brought to the other members of the Community in the process.

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Today was quite busy, I’ve put up another short story, this one called ‘Sinainn’. It explains a bit of why Cailte is the way he is. Really it’s just the bare bones and its a bit clunky, but the seed is there. The next background article, which is nearing completion, covers the day to day life of a few typical members in the Community. As there has been a focus on the out of the ordinary, as depicted by the Mechanics activities, I thought it might be useful to have something to compare it to. I’m also going to use the next couple of background articles to introduce a couple of new characters; Maeldune and his travelling companion Eris. I’m considering a sub section of stories, dealing with their wanderings around the Community, but we’ll see how the characters behave when they’re let out of the box. I will be continuing to produce material for the Unified Terran Community, as time permits. Hopefully I can establish somewhat more of a routine! Anyway, enjoy the story, roam the site and don’t worry, the Mechanics can fix any little problems…

unifiedterrancommunity@gmail.com

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I have added the first draft of the story “Sinainn” to the site. You can find it in the stories section on the right of the homepage or you can click on the story name in this post. Enjoy and feel free to add comments!

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I have a few bits and pieces to be getting on with today.  I need to finalise a few details of the background for the next part in the UTC story arc.  Basically, I need to make sure the various supplementary bits of writing are all consistent with the latest developments.  The working title for the next part is still nominally ‘Panic, Frenzy and Madness’.  As to whether I keep that remains to be seen.  There are at least another three background articles to lay the ground for the next story, one of them concerns the early history of the Community and it’s trials, the second is a bit of detail on the founding members of the Community and their current positions and activities.  The third proposed article, fills in the blanks on the day to day existences of the members of the Community.  As always, contained within the background articles are clues which foreshadow key events.  Since this story will be longer, it will, inevitably, take longer to write.  As such I will also work on a couple of shorter pieces for more immediate consumption.  As a little extra news, I have almost persuaded an Artist to help with some concept sketches of characters and places.  Hopefully, this will happen soon and you will be able to see the Community in all it’s glory.  Announcements will be made as material becomes available to view, so keep popping back!

unifiedterrancommunity@gmail.com

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By way of a thank you for the very cool header image, the Unified Terran Community is proud to host some of hotwaxart’s excellent Encaustic Art.  I will post these fine pieces sporadically, as I refine the process, but here is a few to whet your appetite.  Full details on these pictures, including prices can be found by following this link.  Encaustic Art.

Anyway, on with the show…

These and a myriad of other quality pictures can be found at This Link.  Check it out! Unique Artwork for VERY reasonable prices!

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I have decided to add another category to the navigation bar at the top of the page.  This Blog section will be where I record my plans and ideas for the evolution of the Unified Terran Community stories.  As today is a family birthday, I am not likely to get any significant writing done but I thought I would sketch out the vague plan as it currently exists.

At the moment, the plan is to create as many first drafts for as many story ideas as possible.  The last thing I want is to start forgetting ideas, so there is a bit of a rush on, to get everything down in semi useful form.  The principle story arc of the Community is broken down into five main sections, of which “Penny Dreadful” is the first.  In addition to those stories, there are numerous ’spin off’ stories featuring characters from the main story arc, as well as others who play only minor roles at best.

The background articles serve two purposes.  First, and most obviously, they impart a little of the background detail of this unusual society.  In addition to this, however, they have concealed within them clues and hints concerning the meta plot and it’s characters.  Also, to keep the reader on their toes, the information is presented as it is known to the normal inhabitants of the Community.  Not all that is written is true.  Just like real life.  So, what’s next?

The next part of the story arc I will be working on is under the working title of “Panic, Frenzy and Madness’ and during this story, which will be longer than “Penny Dreadful”, the main body of the story arc will begin to make itself clear.  In addition to working on this, I will be working on a few shorter stories which interweave round and supplement the next story and the Community mythology in general.

There is much more to be discovered about the Unified Terran Community, I look forward to exploring it and I hope you’ll accompany me and enjoy the ride!

unifiedterrancommunity@gmail.com

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I’ve posted another short story, which has a connection to the next main UTC story.  The story is called ‘The Maiden, The Mother and the Crone‘ and can be found by clicking on it’s name in this post or in the ‘Stories’ section to the right.  Enjoy and feel free to leave comments.

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