E is for Economy

from Rebekah Loper’s book called The A-Zs of Worldbuilding: Building a Fictional World From Scratch

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Money is a thing of the past for Zebulon. The community supports each other. Everyone works a job that’s suitable for them. Everyone works the same amount of hours and is allowed the same amount of recreation time. There has been a cultural shift that encourages people to work hard without extra compensation for it. Rewards are provided in time off from work or a party thrown in their honor, but there’s no financial compensation.

All amenities are available to all. Movies, games, activities, services are free for all. There are no restaurants, but there are places to get tattoos, jewelry, haircuts, etc. Food is rationed, but everyone has enough. Since food is grown and is synthetic, there isn’t anything super special that would require less or more money. Jewelry is similarly lab-created, so while there is a limit to how often someone may get more jewelry, there aren’t specific limits or precious stones anymore.

Housing and technology are standard across the community.

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Above you see my description that I wrote based on the extensive questions in The A-Zs of Worldbuilding. Below, you can read an excerpt from Chapter 11 from my novel Exploration.

Remember this (and most) of my posts contain adult content!

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“Hello,” a pleasant woman greeted me. “Is it your first day?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said automatically.

“Wonderful! Welcome to Zebulon 14.”

I couldn’t help but smile. She was so bubbly. “Thank you.”

“Do you need help finding your location?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “My letter says Zebulon 14, Floor 10, Room 10.”

“Great,” she said. “The layout is the same as in your building.”

“Thank you.”

I waved my card at the doorway and went to the elevator. The first floor looked different than my building, but as she indicated, the elevator was in the same location. In my building, we had our main meeting room, the gym, and some recreation items (game tables and such), but in this building, it was just a hallway leading right to the elevators with closed doors all down the hall. I wondered what was behind the doors, but I didn’t think asking would be wise.

The elevator whirred up to Floor 10, and the doors opened in front of me. It looked very much like the Exploration Floor. I hadn’t spent enough time there to know for sure, but there was a kitchen right outside the doors, just as in my building. I didn’t see anyone there, though, nor on the beds or couches in the central area. I moved past there and found the door marked 10.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The door opened, and another woman greeted me with a smile. “Hello, you must be Mara.”

“Yes,” I said.

“I’m Nicole. I’m the filmmaker. Come on inside.” I followed her in, shutting the door. “Have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the couches.

There were six small sofas and two large ones. I picked a small one to sit on, and Nicole pulled a chair up so she could sit right in front of me.

“How are you feeling?” she asks.

“I’m okay,” I said.

“Good,” she said. “I’m sure you have tons of questions.”

“I don’t even know where to start,” I giggled nervously.

“I know, this has to be overwhelming, and you just becoming a year 18.”

I nodded. I focused on looking at her. Her incredibly beautiful, dark skin, her dark hair that had a full texture, her incredibly sharp eyes. She was looking at me like she could see inside my soul.

“Well, let’s start with this,” she said, “Let me introduce you to your personal stylists.”

“Personal stylist?”

“Yes. They are going to help you look and feel your best every step of the way.”

“Jean, Joanna, can you come in here?”

Jean? My pod-mate, Jean? It had to be. There were no two people in Zebulon who had the same name.

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Is it that Jean? Why is she there?

Why does Mara need a personal stylist?

Find out all that and in Exploration or come back tomorrow to learn more!