Dawnlight Chronicles
From the mind of a madwoman, or at least someone quite like her... Comes Dawnlight Chronicles. This is a work of fiction, which I began writing nearly 20* years ago, and in earnest some 13 years ago began to realize that it was far more than just a quirky short story. It has long been one of my favorite projects, and it has taken 6 years to write the 900 page or so volume one of the multiple part book. I intend to publish it some day, but for now... It remains on my hard drive waiting for an editor and publication.
(*..... 50. nearly 50 years ago - also keep in mind this page was written before virtually all cell-phone technology was easily available in the real world)
BUT!! Dawnlight needs YOU! Why is that you ask? Because it needs CITIZENS!
Dawnlight originally started as a series of paper cutouts, an art project for a bored 12 year old. It was through this artwork that the politics, relations and spirit of the whole world of Dawnlight were created. Each persona had a name, relatives, and a job. Each of them was rated as "Loyal" or "Not" to the leaders of the city. In this way, over the years, I developed quite a world.
Some information? Of course!
Dawnlight is a city near where Pittsburgh used to be. I say used to be because it was vaporized hundreds of years before in the Third Exchange. What's that? Read on! The world was devistated when President Nixon was assassinated in office, and the CIA took control of that Big Red Button. They pushed it. The world ended shortly. Well, it didn't end, but it did kind of start looking different. Biological warfare began in the late 1970s, and by the 1990s the world was to say the least ... messy. The Second exchange happened in 2055, when the third world activists happened upon another nuke. How fun. Later, the Third Exchange in 2089 sent everything to hell in a handbasket, when Japan lobbed something at Antarctica, and got the whole asiapac community in an uproar. The west suffered due to infighting and many of the still-peaceful native tribes turned to their leaders to stop it, then went into hiding. The less-acclaimed Fourth exchange happened long after, in 2306, and served only to stir that mutagenic soup known as humanity a bit.
Dawnlight is a city state with a 200 year history of selective teaching and slightly* socialist tendancies. Food, clothing and shelter are always available to every Citizen at a base level. The Caste and Rank within that Caste determine any further benefits and money. Credit is earned electronically and based on what type of job the person is in and occasionally on a per-hire basis. (* slightly?)
Identification must be carried at all times. All communications including mail and telephones as well as private conversations in the home (and on the fax machine, copier, and ...) are monitored. If you don't say anything which angers the Admin, you will be just fine. Political Outcasts are uncommon but happen with greater frequency than usually announced. Outcasts are also commonly criminals. Citizenship must be proven to enter the city, or be approved by an Admin. It is very unlikely that a regular Citizen will ever get to leave the city for any reason other than a brief picnic or week end outing. Most regular folks don't much care that there is still a world beyond their walls. They aren't taught that it does exist, after all. Extreme xenophobia ruled the city's creators when the world was still wild with mutants and bad radioactive hoo hah.
The city itself is peaceful and normally does not have much in the way of violent crime. Small theft, gang activity, illegal drug use and illegal high tech do exist. The population of the city is approximately 54000 in the year 2482, with a strictly-followed adherance to a plan to keep security, administration and public works proportionate to the citizenry. For every 100 citizens, 15 of them are public service workers, 3 are security and 1 admin.
For many years since its inception, the Color Caste system has served and is just now starting to degrade. People cannot be barred from raising (or lowering) between Castes, nor from marrying a different caste. Originally, and to a very small extent today, the castes were as follows:
Brown for laborers; Green for trained workers; Purple for specialized workers; and Silver for administrative.
It no longer truly works that simply, in the current era, every profession or section of Dawnlight's work force has every Caste represented, though not equally. The math of keeping up on the castes and salaries is staggering and done only by Admin.
Clothing is usually long-sleeved and comfortable but styles include many found today as well as from the ancient past and fanciful futures. The reason they use more fully covering clothing is due to the heavily eroded (or nearly nonexistant) ozone layer, and the radiation that follows. Only in Dawnlight the colors on the clothing one wears MUST display your caste! No mix and match, no patterns including clashing caste colors. It just isn't done! Outside of Dawnlight, even on people who used to live there, it's basically anything-goes. Other places aware of Dawnlight do think this is 'charming but a little weird don't you think?'
Criminal activity varies from decade to decade, but Outcasts are forever. If an administrator decides to follow your activities, and the wrong things are said or done, they may begin to file Outcast paperwork. If found completely iredeemably against the wishes of the admin the Outcast is shown to the edge of the city wall and thrown out. They are assumed to die, at least legally they are off the books forever. They may not enter again legally, but many do as another guise or a criminal breaking into it. Outcast as well as the criminals in the area tend to congregate in an area south-west of the city in an old military installation now home to over 200 people, called the Underground. Mutants and other stranger things such as Clones are more common in the Underground than in Dawnlight, but are in both to a degree.
Clones are illegal, technically, in Dawnlight. There are dozens of them there, with their secret either being kept by the admin, or by themselves. They only place to create them near Dawnlight is in the Underground, where huge stores of them are found of popular or important people. Clones themselves often have a telepathic link with their prime, and are more likely to be pale or albino no matter what the original skin tone of their prime. In the Underground, they usually wear a distinct style of clothing with colors based on that of their Prime's caste.
Mutations have been "bred out" of Dawnlight's population though careful administration of drugs and actually terminating mutated children before birth. This practice is no longer in force, but the fact remains that in this particular fictional setting, the "functional mutation rate" is much higher, so viable mutations tend to live longer than ones found in real life. If they breed true, they are likely to be called "Exotic" and if enough of them exist they may claim a whole new racial title. Many of them are quite "like" human, but perhaps with an added feature such as more arms, blue skin, or feline tail and fur.
Northstar (Montreal) and HarborWood (Boston?), nearby cities, are completely at ease with mutants. Francisco Island (San Francisco) is completely the opposite, they experiment on mutants. Hammerville (Detroit) and Seattle (duh) supply Dawnlight with both clones and high tech gadgets. Japan and India, as well as the Mayan Federation of the southern American continent have strong space interests with Dawnlight's lauch pad being in a primary location for their satelites.
The West Coast Enclave, Coal Bend, the Glades and Eden's Gate are not for the weak of heart in Dawnlight... WCE is where Disneyland used to be, but Disney bless his heart was actually into making cryogenics and those animatrons... They're functioning as cybernetic enhancements today. Coal Bend is a small but extremely influential city far to the north, where the Kshau Protectorate (not the Pernese one... that's based on this one...) is centered. The Glades is in another Disney locale, in the everglades area, and the place consists entirely of telepathic people bent on controlling the world. Eden's Gate is where the local raiders like to hang out when they're not tearing up the countryside or invading Dawnlight's food stores.
Some key points to remember for this world:
Who really invented the Light sword? George Lucas, or Sumerian God Shamash? Well, good old Lucas was the inventor of many things at ILM -- Industrial Lasers and Machinery!
If Chief Justice Reagan knew about that brain tumor earlier, would he have have gone into acting instead of politics?
This is a world where no Crusades happened -- no one religion dominates any others, and there are many new ones not found in our world. It is equally likely that your Citizen be a SUN worshipper, a SON worshipper, or a SONY worshipper...
Details about other stuff?
Blackbottoms: a strange Hair Cult which is very moody, broody and fantastically loyal to one another. Run by one of the Saturn RXI freaks. Black Goo is ritually spread over the hair of the subject. If it is found to be "cool" enough, the top of the head will sport colorful hair, while the back and bottom will grow out black -- forever. If not "cool" enough, THE HAIR WILL ALL FALL OUT and never grow back. Ever.
Outcast: politically resistant to Dawnlight's current Administration. Must be forced to wear a black band, may come back eventually to renounce their beliefs, but few do.
Underground: run by a 200 year old woman with a clone and spare parts, seeking equality in Dawnlight, the hard way, by taking in all their refugees and politicos, as well as keeping the criminals happy and sheltered. Occasionally runs against Dawnlight security when "recruiting" but has taken more subtle approaches recently.
Mutant Guys: some of them have become very influential in Dawnlight, particularly that Shard guy. He's the head of Tactics in the security division. Yeah, he's blue. But you get used to it.
Psionics: are common nowadays, but not usually visible. Glades people all have them, and some mutants have latency. Everything from genetic engineering down to simple mind control or invisibility can be had among the stronger ones. Each person might have something very different. They used to be called Witches, in our time... But they have ALWAYS existed.
Other Cities?
Hammerville -- Detroit, industrial, hard working humans, doesn't like slackers
Northstar -- Montreal, underground bomb shelter turned huge, a pit of sin, wants anyone so long as their credit is good, many mutants live here, all entertainment, all the time
Wind City -- Chicago, ruined but with a retirement community attitude, doesn't like trouble, dangerously free for Dawnlight's taste
Dici Shelter -- Washington DC, very badly damaged, gets canned pretty quickly every time someone invades
Harbor Wood -- Boston, shoddy but with good food, big go-booms forbidden, largest city on the coast
SayMass -- Salem, private, NO psionics welcome, witches are still burned here
Glades -- Florida, shining and clean, no refugees or transients welcome, every one is psionic
WCE -- Disneyland, huge underground tunnels and labs, select few people welcome in the house on the cliffside over the tunnels, run by an immortal mutant...
Francisco Island -- can you guess? Isolated, pretty Utopic but very very frightening, xenophobic and high tech, they breed mutants for experiments here
Seattle -- high tech computer stuff, clones and such, kicks folks out when they're dangerous
Utah Enclave -- Archives in the mountain side, refugees and sick welcome, mostly doctors and communication experts needed from the old times
Mayan Federation -- Central and South America, underground and through out all of the mountians, extremely high tech, perhaps first contacted by aliens? Biotech also
Hindi Empire -- very agrarian and peaceful, never taken over by England, real religion
Japan -- also much of China, Blade Runner level stuff, Nihon mutants (manga looking)
RXI -- huge corporation which has a Saturn and moon base, very business like structure to their works, effective and with an eye to rule the world too
Cali-Mex -- dirt, with beer
Catalina -- island off WCE, protected by laser grid, almost 100% are artificial intelligence or robotic
Australia -- craters, but maybe something is still there
Antarctica -- covered like Catalina, no communication except with RXI and occasionally WCE
Eden's Gate -- Great Plains, small communities of mutants and wanderers
Coal Bend -- great white north, where the Protectorate is centered and the Greenland empire is at bay
Greenland Empire -- much warmer now... The only place with tanks and planes that still work to drop bombs on you... Invading sometime soon to a coastline near you!
All right, all right, but how does this relate to ME? You ask?
WELL!
As part of a special project, the 2000 by 2000 project, I have been attempting to get 2000 people as citizens of Dawnlight. The original purpose was to find many people to inspire me to draw them as characters, and possibly mention them in the novel. Now it is just an obsession. I've been drawing the citizens of Dawnlight since 1978, and only recently stopped. It was because I stopped that I'm so far behind on the project. I need just under 400 people to complete this project and YOU could become one!
You may fill out the form as YOURSELF, with your likes and dislikes and skills. You might fill it out as You WANT to be, according to the world as described above. You could also fabricate as MANY people as you want for this project... Whole families, even shoot, send me a new town! Mutants and Clones are welcome, just tell me that you want to be one! *2026 update - nexus and genrehoppers are welcome, since this door has been open a long time going outwards
Please take the time to fill out the form and drop on by occasionally to see what the progress is!
Email Lethe for your chance to become a Dawnlight Citizen! (.... or Zekiran on discord if you're really interested lol)
Don't delay! I can even send you pictures and a real "Citizenship" award!! Get all your friends in on this! HELP ME MAKE 2000 by the end of 2000!!! For an example of what the art might look like go here...
AN UPDATE as of 5/13/01
Well, no, I didn't get those 2 thousand characters. But thanks to everyone who sent in forms, I did get around 60 more than I had before, which is quite good considering no one really knows this is here except people I already know online.
I'm STILL taking forms, though with my work schedule I haven't had much of a chance to update anyone on their character.
Another update as of 9/14/01
Still taking people. Come on by!
Image-Based Information
Caste Coloration
An enlarged version of the ancient doll-maker pixel sampler, there has been a much larger project being worked on that I didn't finish with actual crayola color swatches but it's on very large comic book page paper and I can't scan it without difficulty. There should be 20 gradients including much paler and also less-vibrant shades and hues.
Uniform Patterning
This was done on the old Dressup Challenge site before it was absorbed by Lifetime and finally vanished from the internet. :/ Basic patterning goes for both male and female clothing, as noted. Click to expand image. The coloration is done by expert dyers and is akin to the methods of dying silk or tyedye and all colors are 'fast' as in they will not fade after washing or wear long-term, because 'why would you want to lower your rank!'
Examples of Citizens in color
Please fill out the form as completely as possible and return to Administration in a timely fashion.
Avoid mistakes -- if you are not certain of something, as an Administrator for assistance.
This form in no way conveys immediate rights and priveleges of Citizenship, however it does confer consideration for those rights.
Possession of more than one form is illegal and punishable by Outcast or discontinued Citizenship proecessing. Forging forms and using inaccurate information may lead to serious legal charges. Use of this form by anyone other than Dawnlight Administration of Black rank is punishable by demotion or Outcast.
This form is a portion of Dawnlight Chronicles, (c)2001-2026 Sara K Gray. It is a joke, please don't take offense at anything you read here. Personal information is meant only to adequately transform a person from our current world to a fictional setting. I recommend printing out this whole page, before filling out the form. Multiple forms MAY be sent. Don't take those stuffy Admin warnings too seriously, after all! My "real world" notes are included in italic red lettering. -- Lethe, G17/Ab/34
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Personal Information (remember the above warning)
Your Online ID (Discord preferred)
Name You Prefer to be called (your Character Name)
Gender Male Female Ambiguous Trans/m-presenting/f-presenting Other / no inference of preference is meant
Age in Years
Ethnic Background (for picture coloration only... okay, I'm just naturally curious, and note there are also numerous overlaps; the reasoning behind this is so I can have a well rounded City!)
Asian (Mainland) Asia-Pac (Island Country)
Black
Caucasian
Hindi
Mexican/Spanish
Mutant(ASK FOR SPECIAL FORM)
Native Tribal
Pacific Island
Middle-Eastern Asian
Mixed (indicate)
Other
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Your Appearance*
Height in feet/inches and Build
Hair Color
Hair Style/Length
Eye Color
Skin Tone
Clothing Style Usually Preferred/Worn (jeans/tees, formal, sexy, old-school, etc)
*You may opt to be something other than you really are, since this can be a character or yourself. You may choose to become a Blackbottom (see instructions), or to be or have a clone. Feel free to include a photo or artwork to aid the process! Full head-to-foot ones work best since the artwork will be whole-body. If you want to just make the whole thing I'd love that too. The images I have made over the years are "from the Dawnlight City Administration Identity Photo Day" events... It may be in a pose other than "just standing there". Don't be afraid to embarrass yourself. This photo will be scaled to the height indicated, so be truthful! HA! Also, if mutant, you can choose from many different types of mutations, from feline features, psionics, throuh custom-created appearances and abilities. Mix and match. Make sure your appearance reflects this.
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Please complete the following Background Information honestly and fully.
This information will be carefully considered by your Administrator for citizenship. Dawnlight Admin may request further explanations if necessary.
Do you have any unusual allergies, aversions or requirements? (Such as diabetes, addictions to drugs, mutations which require upkeep like sunlight or special substances.)
Do you have any special Skills which Dawnlight Administration should know about? (Weaponry proficiencies, dated language skills, computer programming or archaic history knowledge.)
Are any of your relatives, friends, or co-workers criminal or Outcast?
Have you ever been involved in an Outcast or Criminal investigation?
This is fake optional information to get you in the mood to be a Dawnlight Citizen. It's all in fun, kids.
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Assorted Information for Citizenship Focus
List in order of preference your favored Color groups.
Black, Silver, Grey, White, Metallics
Violet, Indigo, Purple, Lavender
Blue (lt, dark), Green (lt, dark), Teal
Red, Orange, Brown, Yellow
This will determine your character's financial Caste.
Show what sorts of Job Skills you have or would be best trained in
Choose or indicate an order of preference (1 = highest priority/ability, through whatever number)
Space
Cadet (starfaring)
Moon Unit (base on moon)
Corporate (RXI Saturn)
Administration
In Charge
Secretarial/Legal
Diplomat to/from another City
Monitor (peeping tom!)
Security
Street Cop
Military
High-Skill Guardian
Mechanical Unit
Cybernetic/Hack
Technical
Computers
Engineering
Manufacturing
Medical
Sciences (list)
Labor
Construction (small scale)
Construction (large scale)
Sanitation/Recycling
City Works (power, water)
Demolitions
Sales
Retail General
Food Service (counter or cooking)
Clothing
Pets
Other (list)
Communications
Public Relations
Television/Radio (technical)
Television/Radio (personality)
Music/Recording
Writing/Artwork (list)
Teaching
Children (2-5)
Children (6-10)
Teens (11-14)
Specialty (technical 15+)
Adult (college level)
List subject specialty if present
Other Legally Available Fields
(list what else you could do for Dawnlight)
If Citizen candidate is younger or older than average (presuming 20 years old at time of filing) select one of the following...
In Training For.... (younger than 17 years old)
Retired From.... (older than 65 years)
--Below are "illegal" activities which may be added to the above
Outlaw
Gun Totin' Criminal
Political Subversive
Always Mobile Raider
Ex-or-present Outcast
This may include hobbies, school work, training or technical schooling, or even wishful thinking. Use your imagination, but remember this will determine what your full-time JOB will be when you become a Citizen! Or, I could just decide FOR you. Heck, Admin usually does.
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How much work will you do at your new Dawnlight Job?
I'll kick ass and take names, just to get to the top of the heap!
I want to balance my work and private time, to succeed sanely.
I'm going to work hard but play hard too (working with a hangover).
I'm interested in keeping my job, but doing things in my private life is more important.
To hell with work, where's the keg?
Work? What's work? I haven't had a job in months!
This will determine your rank within your Caste.
After reading the information about the political leanings in Dawnlight (above), and reviewing any other information available, Please Check ONE option below.
I'm very loyal and worried about the criminals and Outcast making noise!
I'm a loyal Dawnlight citizen comfortable with politics as usual.
I'm not interested in politics, just let me keep my job and my house, okay?
I'm not happy with the situation either way, but I'll sit tight while others take care of it.
I'm very unhappy with the way things are run, and I want to change them at any cost!
I'm not from around here and I don't want to know anything about your revolutions.
I'm not from around here and I do want to know about this revolution thing. Sounds fun.
This will of course determine your Loyalty -- and which Admin agent is assigned to your case. They can make your life easy, or very very difficult... Depending...
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Dawnlight Citizenship is normally only available to those who have existing relatives within the city.
Please list those relatives you have or have had, through blood or marriage, living within Dawnlight. If "none" you must contact the Administrator assigned to your case. Offer names, please. First and last if you wish to give them, but make up whatever you like, feel free to create entire families.
None
Mother
Father
Siblings
Grandparents (Maternal)
Grandparents (Paternal)
Cousins
Spouse
Children
Other Spouses
Other Children/Relatives
Prime of Clones / Clone of Prime
Clones can be requested specially. Make sure you're ready for them! They're not legal, remember!
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I, the Undersigned, state that all above information is correct and true to the best of my knowledge.
Signed _______________________________________________ Date __/__ /2482
When you are prepared to send this form, please make sure that it is complete and accurate.
Send it to Processing (suggestion? copy and paste the html and fill in the blanks yourself, if you are able to do so, and post it on your own web page so the Admin (lethe) can examine it. Or, print it out, type up a new one, and send that.) and please be patient. Administration processes many requests and has duties above and beyond that of new Citizenship forms. If you do not hear from an Administrator within a week of sending your form, please do NOT enter the city of Dawnlight without contacting the Admin again! That doesn't mean don't visit the web site!