Elyston

Chapter 1

There was always something I loved about Sage. The air felt a little lighter and the houses looked a tad homier. As I sat in one of the district parks, I looked around and saw families walking together. Many holding onto their respective pets on worn, leather leashes. Kids running around in their newly mowed front lawns with their parents watching them from the front porch. It was alarmingly natural.

    I grew up in Slate so things always felt more staged to me. We hired people to walk our dogs and scheduled walks with our families. Gray spaces, industrial decor were what made up my home. Since birth, I had grown up behind camera lenses, showcasing my 'family life' to all of Elyston. My parents worked behind closed doors leaving my sister and I alone for long periods of time.

A professional upbringing is how I summarized a Slate childhood. All of Elyston watched us grow, learn, argue, and everything in between. Close to nothing had been kept private. Each moment that made us who we are was shown on television before we even had the chance to process it. Our mistakes were questioned before we had a chance to learn from them.

    Elyston is a "revolutionary society." The first of its mold. In 2020, a group of scientists from the United States, Earth proposed an experiment. They wanted to see how a scientifically-crafted environment paired with new technologies and groupings of people could work. They spent years crafting a new land. One that would float in Earth's atmosphere. Elyston tested social ranks, displayed the benefits of technological health, and test engineered environments. After many years of failed attempts, Elyston was perfected.

Elyston launched in 2055 and has been fully functional for 100 years in the coming weeks. It took an extra 25 years to find the perfect control group of residents willing to uproot and move to Elyston making it inhabited for close to 75 years now.

    The scientists broke the land into 5 different communities: Slate, Taupe, Amber, Sage, and Mauve. Each characterized and divided by skill and, although the leaders deny it, intelligence. The scientists wanted to see if grouping people by their assets and characteristics would bring Elyston closer together. There are certain people within each community that fall above and below standards causing them to move communities, but, for the most part, every community bonded well.

    Slate was notorious for having bold and achieving qualities. They quickly took on the stereotype of the collected and performance-driven community. Many Slates pursue careers as lawyers, influencers, athletes, or business people. Careers that seem put together, externally.

    Taupe is known for being an organized and serving community. They have great scores in education but are also known for being extremely helpful. Many people in Taupe work as doctors,  nurses, engineers, or as religious/activity leaders. Taupes are the people you want on standby if your life is falling apart. They're smart and logical but also kind enough to comfort and listen to you.

    Amber is pretty similar to Taupe. They are known for being super friendly, bubbly, and have a knack for leadership. Many people who live in Amber go into teaching, administration, journalism, or engineering. Every Amber I've met has been nice to me, but they tend to be more selective with their friend groups. Amber was the second community choice to be Lead so there's a small division between the older citizens of the communities. Overall, though, they're a great group of people.

The Mauve and Sage districts are known for holding creative and nature-based professions. If I could, I would choose to live in Mauve or Sage. The two communities become artists, designers, botanists, or something similar. Many Mauves run successful service businesses while many Sages take on more of an environmental job. They're down to earth, free, and super personable.

Growing up, my family had a lot of personnel. Our stylist, Sandy, was in charge of prepping us for filming. She was Mauve and amazingly talented with hair and makeup. Most days, she brought her two children to our set. My twin sister, Alanna, Lanna for short, and I used to play with them for hours.