Chamber #2: The Setting
There are many characters in these stories. However, the most important character isn't human, nor animal.
It's the city of DeRizin Heights.
The settings of any story is probably the most unrecognized character. Heck, people don't understand how important the location usually is. For example, imagine The Simpsons if it took place in Arlen, Texas rather than Springfield. The duality of Bedford Falls and Pottersville helped George Bailey realize that life was worth living. There's a reason why Marvel uses New York City as a backdrop rather than, say, Miami Beach.
DeRizin Heights is a city that was partially inspired by my own homebase within the Seven Cities of South Hampton Roads, Virginia. Ever been here? It's beautiful. It's a harbor town. A growing metropolis. A working class town. A military stronghold. A farming community. A fishing town. A summer destination. A historical region. This is truly a place I'd like to retire to whenever I retire from something.
Yeah, DeRizin Heights is NOTHING like that. Sure, the city is a metropolis, but it has ceased growing decades ago. Developers won't even come into the city anymore. The major league baseball team, once the pride of the area, has relocated across the country in a beach community in Florida. The corruption is deep in all aspects of society, from city hall and the police to the three major crime syndicates that control what goes on here, from the packing factory. There are a few beacons of light here and there, but it has to be seen within cracked, smoky, stained windows. The light will shine before the story's over.
DeRizin Heights is a working class town. If you're not on the city payroll or a member of one of the three syndicates, you're likely working in the fish cannery near the harbor, the iron works right by the railroad yard, one of the downtown pubs, up high in the skyscapers behind a desk, or down beneath the streets in the sewer lines.
The sun rarely shines on DeRizin Heights, mostly because the city is blanketed by monsterous skyscrapers. Colossal buildings made of granite, stone, steel, and glass that look like demonic talons rising from the earth. Each of the syndicates own a building to front their "legitimate" businesses. Afterall, they have to maintain a reason to remain in the "city of decay," a less-than-loving moniker given by the local media. There's just something about this city that makes all of them want to stay.
DeRizin Heights is a living, breathing entity within this story, and it'll be the one that evolves the most during the duration of this tale.
*bang*
It's the city of DeRizin Heights.
The settings of any story is probably the most unrecognized character. Heck, people don't understand how important the location usually is. For example, imagine The Simpsons if it took place in Arlen, Texas rather than Springfield. The duality of Bedford Falls and Pottersville helped George Bailey realize that life was worth living. There's a reason why Marvel uses New York City as a backdrop rather than, say, Miami Beach.
DeRizin Heights is a city that was partially inspired by my own homebase within the Seven Cities of South Hampton Roads, Virginia. Ever been here? It's beautiful. It's a harbor town. A growing metropolis. A working class town. A military stronghold. A farming community. A fishing town. A summer destination. A historical region. This is truly a place I'd like to retire to whenever I retire from something.
Yeah, DeRizin Heights is NOTHING like that. Sure, the city is a metropolis, but it has ceased growing decades ago. Developers won't even come into the city anymore. The major league baseball team, once the pride of the area, has relocated across the country in a beach community in Florida. The corruption is deep in all aspects of society, from city hall and the police to the three major crime syndicates that control what goes on here, from the packing factory. There are a few beacons of light here and there, but it has to be seen within cracked, smoky, stained windows. The light will shine before the story's over.
DeRizin Heights is a working class town. If you're not on the city payroll or a member of one of the three syndicates, you're likely working in the fish cannery near the harbor, the iron works right by the railroad yard, one of the downtown pubs, up high in the skyscapers behind a desk, or down beneath the streets in the sewer lines.
The sun rarely shines on DeRizin Heights, mostly because the city is blanketed by monsterous skyscrapers. Colossal buildings made of granite, stone, steel, and glass that look like demonic talons rising from the earth. Each of the syndicates own a building to front their "legitimate" businesses. Afterall, they have to maintain a reason to remain in the "city of decay," a less-than-loving moniker given by the local media. There's just something about this city that makes all of them want to stay.
DeRizin Heights is a living, breathing entity within this story, and it'll be the one that evolves the most during the duration of this tale.
*bang*
posted by Jeff Harris at 2:51 PM
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