Darkness Falls

Setting: Cultural Setting (DF)

Cultural, Political and Religious setting:


(1) What do your societies believe? Rally & Jessie live in a Judeo-Christian Society that follows the Ten Commandments to the letter. However, this couple is counter-cultural in that they live together without being married. They don't go to church because they don't see the point, living a life of practical atheism. Jessie often says, "Rally's skills provide for us. Why do we need God?"

(2) In what practices do they engage? They don't engage in any of the spiritual practices before the blindness; they do pretty much all of the spiritual practices after the blindness, because in their extremity, they were shown their need for God.

(3) What laws or rules of society are in place? The contemporary laws of the United States are in place because they live in the state of Texas.

(4) Who/what enforces the laws and rules and how successful are they? Every branch of law enforcement, (i.e. police, sheriff, state troopers, etc.) enforces the laws of the land. They are very successful. It's Texas, after all.

(5) What technologies are in use? Contemporary technologies are all in place. Some places still use landline telephones and fax machines, but cellphones, computers, laptops, earbuds, digital cameras are all pretty much universally used, but happily some folks in Texas still create amazing photographs with film cameras. Cars, motorcycles, buses, and other motorized conveyances are all in use. Indoor plumbing is nearly universal, although some outhouses do still exist.

(6) How does the setting impact your protagonist(s) in their pre-story lives? The setting acts like an environment in which the protagonist and his close friends live and survive in a very good way. This is much like the ocean, providing an environment in which the sea creatures live.

(7) How does the setting impact the plot of your story? The advent of AI had already started to affect the graphic design industry, even before Rally lost his sight. AI was breathing down Rally's neck to produce better and better quality. Loss of sight would be shown over the long haul to be a blessing, since AI operates from the place of perfection. It is not easy for AI to duplicate the overcoming of deficits. Just as pitch correction destroys the art of singing, AI painting destroys the art of human creativity.