Tuesday 25 April 2017

A-Z Challenge 2017 - U is for Under-Region

Welcome to Day 21 of the A-Z Challenge 2017. This month I'm sharing my "Black & White Snippets" - snapshots of some of the characters, places and concepts that populate my forthcoming YA dystopian trilogy, Black & White. There won't be a lot of details or spoilers - just short scenes and vignettes that give you a hint of the world I've created. Today, it's U for Under-Region.


The Under-Region. A convenient myth to sell a population that had had its borders closed off by a fiercely xenophobic government. Well, “xenophobic” might be an understatement. Denying that any other country even existed probably required a whole new word. Due to what might be called an admin error, there was the faintest chance that someone from Harmonia’s nearest neighbour might find their way to this brave new self-sufficient society, but such a visitor wouldn’t be welcome. To avoid any awkward questions, the powers that be had decreed that that country was a hellish wasteland from another plane of existence, whose resident demons might occasionally try to infiltrate the utopia that had been created. And over the course of centuries, it stuck.

17 comments:

Liz A. said...

Oh. Portals. Demons. It's starting to come together for me...

dolorah said...

Under-Region. Love it. Love the concept of portals too. I like when science fiction and fantasy mix in unique worlds.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nick - Under-Regions and false information ... I feel for any person - I gues they are human in some form? - who might be stuck with that sort of life ... closed to this wonderful world ... cheers Hilary

http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/u-is-for-unicorn.html

Deepa said...

Oh..Liz A...Oh right..I have been reading them as individual stories.. now it put it together. Wow..
That is such a deep story Nick and Thanks Liz

A Peice Of My Life

moon said...

This is so brilliant . Awesome creation, Nick!
Best wishes,
Moon

https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com

JeffO said...

I wouldn't want to live in a place where the government closed itself off to outsdiers and demonized all those who weren't...oh, wait.

Nice work here, Nick!

Jean Davis said...

Darn those admin errors! Always creating little issues to have to deal with. Great snippet of insight into the world we've been glimpsing.
Discarded Darlings - Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction

Darla M Sands said...

Such a likely scenario. It reminds me of the poor people in North Korea fed horrific lies about Americans, or so I've heard. Nicely done. Happy Writing!

http://darlamsands.blogspot.com/

Nilanjana Bose said...

This could well turn out to be real if we aren't ultra careful...well crafted.


Nilanjana
Madly-in-Verse

Sophie Duncan said...

That seems to be similar to the way politics works nowadays - if you repeat something enough times, not matter how fake, it must be true.
Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - Dragon Diaries

Emily in Ecuador said...

A fake region that is actually real in parts of the world in which we currently live. Well done Nick!

Emily | My Life In Ecuador | Underwater Endangered Testudines (a.k.a. Sea Turtles)

Michelle Wallace said...

Makes me think of that saying - art imitates life...or is it life imitates art?
Makes me wonder - aren't we closer to this than we realize?
Writer In Transit

Jamie said...

Wow, that sounds really interesting. Just pretending that a people and their place don't exist. Wow.

Josie Two Shoes said...

Well that's certainly one way to make sure any newcomers wouldn't be met with open arms! How tragic that such situation truly exist, where likes must be told to protect the sham that is being fostered on the people. Very intriguing, Nick!

Josie Two Shoes: U is for Uriel

Carrie-Anne said...

I can think of several real-world instances where certain countries deny others exist, due to political or nationalistic reasons. Stories about underworlds are also always fascinating to me.

Cathy Kennedy said...

Nick, all futurist stories seem very unwelcoming. I personally am glad I won't live that long to see such a world unfold before my eyes. Good snippet!

Art Sketching Through the Alphabet "U" (Unicorn) ~Curious as a Cathy

John Davis Frain said...

Under-region, understatement and utopia all nestled into your "U" entry. Well done!