New direction for dissertation, short story idea.

My dissertation will be dealing with ideas of existentialism, concepts of progress/time being an illusion, exploring various archaic and theistic aspects of cultures and including elements of grim and sublime fantasy:

Upon the seat of all the major archaic points of power, left desolate but for the gods ancient energy

a few non human creatures still exist

only correspondents or familiars of the gods

dead bodies decay and rot, bones turn to dust in the dry wind, the last remnants of humanity

gone, for the devils fled their crypt, and exact justice on the mortal chaos. Devils were a name humans gave to their darkest fears and deepest sins, a personified aspect of their guilt, for the devils existed but only as guardians, safekeeping the underworld and keeping watch over the darkest parts of humanity. The real evil existed within us, and when we fled too far from good they exacted their vengeance, allowed by the gods to rid their world of our plague.

Setting a) a top an aztec temple, morrigan consorts with huehuecoyotl, ravens and coyotes linger, picking scraps from the human remains, extensions of the gods, cleaning up the earth while the true aspects confer. The shapeshifter morrigan and trickster huehue discuss a plan overheard in the olympiad of the high gods, they speculated the plague that was humanity and all its faults was seeping into the divine council, corruption amidst their ranks. One god declared though the human bodies may have deceased the evil remained, the earth still turned and life, in parts, threatened to flourish again, the other gods dismissed this as preposterous, anger set in as this was seen as a challenge to the work of their underworldlings, the guardian of the dead insulted by the notion he had failed, chimed in with a snide remark, undermining the first god's authority, claiming perhaps he was admitting guilt that he had protected some of the human life, a row broke out and as tempers rose, the two declared a duel. HueHue reported that he believed, though inadvertently, this is what the god was referring to, that humanity and its evil remained within the council, without vessels to purge imperfections or to judge, the gods absorbed all the human traits unto themselves and began to turn on one another. Morrigan devised a plan, and sent huehue to propose her idea to the high gods. Walk a mile in the shoes of our creation. We believed the ultimate evil was the chaos humanity leaked, but perhaps humanity was the chaos leaked by the gods, there was no ultimate, definable evil, but evil was eternal and unconditional, it existed in pockets throughout time and existence itself and could not be assigned to one enemy or body. The gods were to agree to spend a century on the earth as mortals, no powers, nothing to watch over them or pray to, morrigan and huehue were to observe and never help or hinder, they could interact but nothing more. Once the gods had completed their journey only then did they have a chance at understanding and potentially correcting the earth they cherished.

The following extract is my first attempt at writing this story seriously. For now it is just the introduction/beginning, setting the scene for the rest of the story. Any constructive feedback is encouraged!

And the gods took their earth back, a long standing plague that had left an open wound, festering and choking all that was meant to thrive, another mistake, eradicated. For the first time in millennia, life had begun to flourish, a broken and blackened world slowly turning green once more, birds took back the sky, what was once smog and death, was now filled with their song. The remains of the longest day, stone steps and charred streets still wet and crimson, for the world had to be left a reminder of how power, corruption and disease would be dealt with, the bodies were left behind in a perpetual purgatory of decay. Perhaps, however, this was more than that, perhaps it was a mirror to the divine, for they say man was created in the image of gods. A black and broken pyramid, an artefact of the aztec empire, stood valiantly under the feet of HueHuecoyotl, a celestial trickster, his face illuminated with amusement as he joked to himself about the blind arrogance of mankind, often mistaken for courage; a fallacy, and all they had built resembled that. A velvet thunder trickled across the sky, a murder of crows and ravens soared over the battlefield, a dark fluster that, as it landed, contorted into the illusion of a woman: a crone, her icy skin shone through the smoke and wreckage, her crooked feet crushed limbs and debris as she sauntered toward the platform, the wisest, chieftain of magick and mystery, forever endowed with chaos. “Such flimsy flesh, so weak, so quick to rot, a perfect metaphor for the vanquished, wouldn't you agree?” Her robes left trails of ash and sparks of emerald as she crossed over bodies, up to the foot of the pyramid. “I concur, humans were pathetic, you know we've never argued about that. Did you fly so far just to discuss the past, Morrigan?” She continued, ignoring his question; “Even what mankind believed to be strong, resilient and great crumbles beneath us, this was supposed to be a totem, a sacred piece of architecture intended to honour your brothers and sisters. I feel it would be more accurate to say they built it to honour themselves.” “That is all any of them cared about, a legacy, vanity, to curse everything with their mark. It's a little bit sad, I can't help but laugh.” Huehue studied her expression “you always were impossible to read..” “I believe we may have a problem” Morrigan persisted, “I never stood wholly behind this decision, yet I never objected, it was not my place, now I wish I had. Can you not see what great in-balance this has caused? Never before had we allowed a vessel to absorb so much of our toxicity. Now that our lightning rod has gone..” Her image shifted, as she looked about, a motherly grievance swept over her, her features became younger and her eyes, deeper and kinder. “A part of me feared the change this apocalypse would bring, now the dust has settled, more of me fears what little has changed. Was their survival truly not so crucial to our stability?” A look of exasperated mirth crossed his face, “we are Gods, Morrigan, mankind was never intended as a projection of ourselves.” A moment of solemnity crept over them, akin to the rising mist of souls before them, now shifting into the astral plane, a chilling vibration hovered about the air. HueHuecoyotl was the first to break the silence: “This is the price of our creation, their creation. We are already beginning to doubt ourselves, this is their poison, be damned if you are to let it plague you too” he paused, surveying the damage, in an attempt to match her empathy “a vile deed this was, but one that was necessary, we all bore witness to the chaos they ensued.” “Humanity was our puppet, the host of our parasitic troubles. We were not so different from them, HueHue, you'd do best to remember that.” Her contempt with his dis-compassionate words carved lines through Morrigan's face, her eyes reverted to their dry and icy blue state, with her last words the goddess cast her runes and took flight, disappearing into the heavens as abruptly as she had arrived. HueHue sat on the blood drenched steps, drawing shapes in the dust and meditating upon their discourse, an uneasy sickness trembled within. “To rise, and fall, to build only to crumble, around and around, this maddening cycle never ends. Progression is the greatest joke.” 

Pandora's Box

“I'm made of diamonds but I never got my chance to shine.” -

A Butt Stallion's story.

Narrative design premise for Borderlands 2

by Jennifer Richards.

In this piece I will be writing excerpt for a potential spin-off narrative of the Borderlands series. A small spin-off that would centre around the less prominent characters in Borderlands 2, such as Moxie, Butt Stallion, Crazy Earl, Bloodwing, Hammerlock and many more. So far the video games have put you in the position of the protagonists and told their story, the protagonists being the vault hunters, heroic characters there to slay bullymongs and bandits, hunt for treasure and sometimes, save the day. One of the key goals in the game was building up a substantial collection of firearms and weapons for your character, so in this spin-off the goal will focus more on the exploration of Pandora, shifting the collecting dynamic to vehicles and transport. Considering the deviation from the traditional and loved aspects of Borderlands, this game would be better suited as a pack of DLC or an Expansion pack.

We open with the immediate aftermath of Borderlands 2: Handsome Jack has been defeated, his henchmen are dead or scattered, most have fled into the wilds or fled Pandora all together, we are introduced to a nameless lieutenant of his, badly injured from the fight and making his way back to a safe place, possibly to start a new life.

Part one:

The poison sun shone its beams down over the crackling wasteland, “I swear” he began “it feels like just yesterday I was first discovering the bitter sweet beauty that Pandora had endowed” he shot a cursive glare at the merciless heat radiating down upon him. His feet blistered and battered, how he was still trudging on is a mystery. Wearily he wiped his brow, bejewelled with beads of sweat and blood, a ruby crown. “Now, now I'm finding it more and more impossible to find one reason that would make all of this..” he gestured at the smoking, twisted wreckage around him “..worth it. That would make living, here, on this burning, desolate spit of land, worth it.” He knew his only company right now was regret and shame boiling up inside of him, and the high hopes of finding an establishment specifically designed to make customers forget about feelings of shame and regret somewhere along the way. If he would just, keep, going.

Not 10 minutes later his weary feet dragged him out to the rail line, the earth all around him began to fervently shake, trembling from the colossal vibrations of the freight line. He looked behind him and sure enough a cargo bullet was hurtling his way. Stepping aside at first to attempt to purvey the sleek silver crashing past him, he was always reminded of Sleipnir whenever he saw this mechanical masterpiece make its way across the desert. Just as quickly as the engine had arrived, it was gone, leaving little but upturned pebbles and a cloud of dust, no, not even the weary stranger was left standing in the rubble, the last remnant of Handsome Jack's reign of terror had vanished, it was finally all over.

Part two:

Where did it all go wrong? I came to this planet 15 years ago, just a boy, starry eyed, soon to be a man, lusting for adventure. Pandora was an uncharted gold mine at that point. The bounty she promised drove wanderers mad with desire, a treacherous and unforgiving wasteland, offering gold and treasure beyond belief to those skilled and daring enough to excavate the caverns and crevices that run like veins beneath her skin.

I first came here with my pa, a bumpkin from a broken home, no prospects and no money. he carried me on his back most of my life, like all before him Pandora had laid out her carpet of enticement, whispers of gemstones, precious metals and catacombs ripe for exploration. it wasn't long before we'd made a modest home for ourselves, it was lookin' to be the life I'd always dreamed of, treasure, adventure, a whirlwind of wanderlust, just me and my daddy.

I don't need to bore you with the details for you to know it certainly didn't work out like that, when does it ever? Long story short I ain't seen my pappy in 6 years, didn't even see him go.

This planet was not built for camaraderie or companionship, it was built by the gods alright but it's no Valhalla.

As I grew I continued my pappy's work, reaping the bounty of the lands, and paying almost in equal. Settlements had begun to pop up, I'd sell what I found to wandering travellers, exotic mercantile the likes of which I had never had the fortune of gazing upon, the plethora of produce they had collected, the wares on display came in a menagerie of colours, bright enough to rival the plumage of Pandora! I loved spending my days in the dark crevices and caves fetching the finery that kept these men in business, but being given the opportunity to spy upon their silver and gold, knick knacks, oddities and unique finds, this remained the highlight, this was what kept me working my fingers to the bone. well, that and the handsome coin I was able to salvage from it.

Every night, you could spy more and more camp-fires on the horizon, a feeble string of fairy lights encrusting the blackened cliff-side, blinking pathetically underneath the stars. “This is just the beginning..” an elderly native would warn me, they say that, hundreds of years ago a refugee space shuttle touched down on Pandora, immigrating from a planet that had become.. inhospitable.. after what seemed like endless months of scouring the galaxy the refugees had found Pandora, or perhaps Pandora found them. A small colony was established there, however, due to the harsh nature of the planet, living conditions were poor and many ended up meeting with their early demise. The population dwindled until eventually so few were left that their existence became a myth among travellers and plunderers of Pandora. It is said that some miraculously thrived, in the hill-sides, underground, living over the sea. Driven into a nomadic existence, they floated about the painted deserts and graced the effervescent glaciers, never leaving so much as a footprint behind them, becoming little more than extensions of the land. You hear a lot of sporadic and strange rumours circulating these parts, humans will invent any ridiculous story to scare scavengers away from their bounty, but there are some tales that have their validity, some that are so intricately structured and with such eeriness that you just, know. “This is just the beginning, more will come and when they do, they'll be bringin' with them an evil that'll blast a hole right through 'er. Our beautiful Pandora will open up a shit-storm, and with it we'll be seein' some darker days, darker 'n you 'n' I have ever dreamt o' seein'.”

Part three:

The crimson sky seemed to spin slowly above, a cascading shower of stars trickled across the clouds overhead. The dark wisps of galaxy, streaks of black, green and gold painted the atmosphere, it all looked like it had been designed by a mad man, a complete medley of cosmic dissonance, harmonious and yet chaotic simultaneously. It sort of felt as though the planet had gone to sleep, all the lights blown out and enduring a sloe black world, silhouetted against the bright, kaleidoscopic sky. Exhausted, he stretched out his toes across an old cargo container, reclining back into the warmth of the fire and taking a long, deep drag on his pipe, the embers illuminating his face, if only for a second. His companions setting up camp around him, well, nearly all of his companions, the youngest of the group was extremely busy napping in the chair next to him. Nobody liked the kid, not yet anyway, he'd proven himself to be nothing but lazy and moronic, why did they think it'd be a good idea to take on a kid? In this climate? Scavengers were at their peak, with Handsome Jack gone all of the treasure was ripe for the taking, and everyone on Pandora knew it. He was too young, he had grown up in a metropolis, he'd yet to learn the harsh and unforgiving way or life that comes with living out here, he was too young and too lazy and the vault hunters didn't have the time to wait for him to mature, the only problem was they didn't have a choice, if they wanted that bounty they needed an extra crew member and if there were any better candidates no doubt that kid would still be back at home, kicking cans about the dirt. Behind the man two of the younger yet, somehow, more experienced hunters took on the duty of counting their earnings that day, by the licks of fire-light the coins sparkled and seemed to dance beneath her fingers. She had the nonchalant air of somebody that had seen it all and probably too much of it, her tired eyes, all drained of their youthful colour and glimmer, darted back and forth across the table, silently counting, whilst her partner, short tempered and agitated after a quarrel between the two, sat begrudgingly twiddling his weapon between his short, grubby fingers, leaving her to the finances and muttering bitterly under his breath. Just then, the clouds above them parted and a small portion of the valley was cast under the moon's illumination. The ex-soldier with the pipe felt the corners of his rugged maw stretch into a smile, the refreshing beauty before them was enough to melt any heart, there was a lot to be cynical about on Pandora, but her aesthetic charm seemed to be what kept everyone going. He stopped for a moment, pipe hanging from his lip, statuesque the smoke billowed gently out of his mouth, like a haggard, man shaped kettle. Finally he blinked, sitting up from his recline, a bright, ivory light, no bigger than a pin prick piercing through the twilight down in the valley. They were all accustomed to seeing strange and peculiar things on Pandora, and random lights certainly wasn't one of them, settlers and travellers came across their path more frequently than they'd care for, but this light, this light was oddly, different. He composed himself, coughing slightly then removing the pipe to tap the ashes into the fire, leaning forward in his chair, he scoured the land for any other random lights, but he could only see that one shimmer. Amused and entranced he watched it flicker, stationary, then, with a biting breeze that seemed to cut right through him, he shuddered and heard, echoes of screaming, no, not screaming. A whinny. A lonesome equestrian cry. It was coming from the tiny light! He got up and ran to the edge of the cliff, the others had taken notice by now. The light began to change, evolve, move, it grew larger and brighter, and then, he saw it. The ghostly eye and silken mane of a diamond encrusted horse. “...Is that?” “I couldn't possibly..” “no way is it..” “Butt Stallion!” In a shriek and a gust of icy wind Butt Stallion was off, like a shooting star tearing across the valley, the vault hunters looked on in dumbfounded awe.

Fin.

These texts are collectives from a potential narrative for a spin-off of the video game Borderlands. A science fiction First person shooter with role play elements set on an alien planet with comedic themes. The premise of this spin-off would be giving a spot-light and a voice to the characters many felt were glossed over in Borderlands 2, with some comedic effect. Telling the tale of the planet Pandora during Handsome Jack's (the antagonist in Borderlands 2) totalitarian reign of terror. The before and the after, how he came to Pandora, what happened after he was destroyed and what happened to the characters tied to him.