Notes On Body Of Work "City Of Dreams"
Everyone wants a New Tomorrow...
In my science fiction short story series; Body of Work “City of Dreams,” I explore the complex social and psychological consequences of advanced technology, in this instance Consciousness Transfer or (CT) as it is called, which allows individuals to move their consciousness between genetically designed bodies called Personas. The story centers around the main protagonist named Tara Akin, who narrates her journey from humble rural beginnings growing up on a meat farm in the remote Wildlands region of Neoterra to her new life in the bustling, technologically advanced city of Avalon, the City of Dreams, where she becomes a Companion to the rich and the powerful. In this future Consciousness Transfer is available to those that can afford it, granting them near immortality. She uncovers the city’s dark side a world where human identity is a commodity, and the powerful control the fates of the less fortunate. Amidst the opulence and corruption of Avalon, Tara must confront her past, her estranged family, and the haunting question of who she truly is. She is soon drawn into a conspiracy that threatens to upend the very foundations of Neoterra.
Human Identity and Transformation
One of the central themes is the concept of human identity in a world where Personas are interchangeable. Tara’s experience of leaving her birth body behind and transferring into a new Persona raises existential questions about what it means to be “oneself.” Can the soul or essence of a person truly transfer with consciousness, or does something ineffable get lost in the process? This is a question that haunts characters across the BoW series. Tara’s sense of who she is shifts dramatically after her transfer. While CT gives her a chance to live a new life, it also creates a disconnect between her internal identity and the various Personas she inhabits to conduct her work as a Companion. This disconnect manifests in the psychological toll it takes, Burnout and Transfer Nostalgia two negative outcomes that plague many in her line of work that requires frequent Persona changes.
Exploitation and Power
The dystopian society of Neoterra is marked by extreme inequalities, where the rich and powerful control access to CT. For many, the system requires submission to exploitation. Tara is simultaneously a product and victim of the CT system. Tara’s decision to become a Companion reflects the extreme economic and societal pressures that leave her and those like her from outside the city with few options. Despite the supposed empowerment and fresh start that CT offers, it is also a tool of exploitation.
Commodification of the Human Form
In this world Personas are everywhere, and they are treated as disposable fashion items, once they are no longer needed or desired they are either discarded, traded, sold, or recycled for their proteins, which can then be used to create new Personas. This leads to profound ethical, psychological, and societal consequences, which are explored throughout the series. Humanness in this world is stripped of any semblance of intrinsic value and is treated as a disposable object.
The Loss of Individual Dignity
The commodification of bodies leads to a loss of dignity and identity. For Tara, the Persona she inhabits for work is not her “real” self, but a tool for survival. Her birth body, which she left behind, symbolized her original identity, a past self she had to shed to escape her old life of paralysis and poverty. However, her new body, which should represent freedom, is quickly transformed into a commodity through her contract as a Companion. This system forces her to trade her dignity for economic and personal survival. Both Companions and their clients alike over time lose their sense of who they are. Tara mentions that her clients have swapped Personas so many times they no longer know who they truly are. Their Personas have become mere vessels for experience and pleasure, devoid of any real connection to their true selves. This reflects the story’s larger theme; by commodifying the human form, society has erased the very concept of an authentic self, giving rise to an unspoken sense that something is terribly wrong with society on Neoterra.
Society and Class Structure in the city of Avalon
Access to CT technology is determined by one’s wealth, creating a stark divide between the elite and the underprivileged. The wealthy in the city of Avalon can afford to live in idealized custom designed Personas indefinitely, extending their lives and enhancing their social status. The gap between those who have access to CT and those who don’t is symbolic of the broader inequality in society on Neoterra.
Psychological and Existential Consequences of Consciousness Transfer
Consciousness Transfer also has deep psychological ramifications. As people continually transfer into new Personas, their relationship between their physical form and their sense of self becomes tenuous. For Tara, this is reflected in her dissociation from the work she does as a Companion. She tells herself that it’s not really “her” performing the acts but the Persona she is inhabiting. This dissociation is a coping mechanism, but it also illustrates the dehumanizing effect of living in a world where the body is no longer sacred or constant. For many characters in the series, the existence of CT leads to a crisis of identity. Without a stable, permanent Persona to anchor their sense of self, individuals struggle to understand who they truly are. This is symbolized in the series by the existence of a condition called “Transfer Nostalgia” a debilitating dissociative psychological disorder that can manifest even years after a successful transfer.
Body Of Work “City of Dreams” is a critique of a future society where technological advancements have transformed human beings into mere commodities. This system of commodification dehumanizes individuals, alienating them from their sense of self reducing human experiences to mere transactions. Through Tara’s journey, the story explores the ethical and psychological consequences of living in a world where anyone can become whoever and whatever they want, the question is how can anyone ever know who they truly are?
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This is way cool! I’ll check this out. I’d like to see where you take this. Thanks