Diminished Expectations
This series is dystopic science fiction. It explores themes of emotion, personhood, discrimination, oppression, freedom and slavery, disability, family, and social malfunction. It contains some very dark and disturbing content, so readers are advised to think before proceeding.
The setting is a war-torn land with variable levels of technology. It features three broad groups of characters:
1) The unmodified humans. They further subdivide into conquerors and conquered. During the war, the conquerors deployed the chemical weapon which led to the Diminishment, primarily affecting the conquered but also some veterans among the conquerors. Humans suffer mainly from social oppressions such as homophobia.
2) The Diminished. They are humans with a particular range of birth defects resulting from a chemical weapon. This includes missing limbs, missing sensory organs, and/or exaggerated body features. A distinctive characteristic is lumpy white skin with minimal sensation. The Diminished are viewed with varying degrees of shame and disgust, often exploited. Human trafficking is technically illegal but often overlooked.
3) The oids. They are manufactured beings with assorted features, some humanoid and some not. Androids resemble male humans; gynoids resemble female humans; and this matters in context because they are typically sought for different purposes. Some of the oids have animal heads or other nonhuman features. Although they can be sapient, oids are classified as nonpersons and therefore as property.
The first poem was "What Makes a Woman" back in January 2012, introducing the gynoid. Then in September 2013, during a Creative Jam with a theme of "emotions," the sculptures of Choi Xoo Ang provided inspiration for a bunch of ekphrastic poetry. The first poem written wound up being much later in the series.
Details on sponsoring available poems appear atop the main Serial Poetry page.
"The Beginning of the Diminishment" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"The Lamentation of the Women" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Dejection" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Written in Stone" 11-19-13 (outside Creative Jam)
Prompted by Origfic Bingo Card 10-6-13
Free perk
"Good for Something" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"Perpetration" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Ambivalence" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Apprehension" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"The Family You've Got" 11-5-13
Prompted by DW user Chanter_greenie and Origfic Bingo Card 10-6-13
Free perk
"Self-Bullying" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Rooted in Place" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Escape from the Makery" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 8-12-13
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"In Want Of" 9-15-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user Chanter_greenie
"Tranquility" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"Woman's Best Friend" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 8-12-13
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"Catharsis" 9-25-13
Prompted by Ameerachia
Free perk
"The Speakers" 9-15-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"The Sum of Her Parts" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"A Haven in a Heartless World" 9-18-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 8-12-13
Sponsored by DW user kengr and Shirley Barrette
"What Makes a Woman" 1-3-12
Prompted by LJ user fayanora
Sponsored by LJ user zianuray
"Printing Errors" 11-5-13
Prompted by Trevor Edwards, Doug Edwards, and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-10-13
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
The setting is a war-torn land with variable levels of technology. It features three broad groups of characters:
1) The unmodified humans. They further subdivide into conquerors and conquered. During the war, the conquerors deployed the chemical weapon which led to the Diminishment, primarily affecting the conquered but also some veterans among the conquerors. Humans suffer mainly from social oppressions such as homophobia.
2) The Diminished. They are humans with a particular range of birth defects resulting from a chemical weapon. This includes missing limbs, missing sensory organs, and/or exaggerated body features. A distinctive characteristic is lumpy white skin with minimal sensation. The Diminished are viewed with varying degrees of shame and disgust, often exploited. Human trafficking is technically illegal but often overlooked.
3) The oids. They are manufactured beings with assorted features, some humanoid and some not. Androids resemble male humans; gynoids resemble female humans; and this matters in context because they are typically sought for different purposes. Some of the oids have animal heads or other nonhuman features. Although they can be sapient, oids are classified as nonpersons and therefore as property.
The first poem was "What Makes a Woman" back in January 2012, introducing the gynoid. Then in September 2013, during a Creative Jam with a theme of "emotions," the sculptures of Choi Xoo Ang provided inspiration for a bunch of ekphrastic poetry. The first poem written wound up being much later in the series.
Details on sponsoring available poems appear atop the main Serial Poetry page.
"The Beginning of the Diminishment" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"The Lamentation of the Women" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Dejection" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Written in Stone" 11-19-13 (outside Creative Jam)
Prompted by Origfic Bingo Card 10-6-13
Free perk
"Good for Something" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"Perpetration" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Ambivalence" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Apprehension" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"The Family You've Got" 11-5-13
Prompted by DW user Chanter_greenie and Origfic Bingo Card 10-6-13
Free perk
"Self-Bullying" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Rooted in Place" 9-17-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"Escape from the Makery" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 8-12-13
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"In Want Of" 9-15-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user Chanter_greenie
"Tranquility" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"Woman's Best Friend" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 8-12-13
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
"Catharsis" 9-25-13
Prompted by Ameerachia
Free perk
"The Speakers" 9-15-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"The Sum of Her Parts" 9-16-13 (Creative Jam)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang
Sponsored by DW user kengr
"A Haven in a Heartless World" 9-18-13 (Creative Jam spillover)
Prompted by a sculpture by Choi Xoo Ang and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 8-12-13
Sponsored by DW user kengr and Shirley Barrette
"What Makes a Woman" 1-3-12
Prompted by LJ user fayanora
Sponsored by LJ user zianuray
"Printing Errors" 11-5-13
Prompted by Trevor Edwards, Doug Edwards, and Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-10-13
Sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette
Extras
Dreamwidth user Daisiesrockalot has recorded sound files of some poems in this series.
"The Beginning of the Diminishment"
"The Lamentation of the Women"
"Dejection"
"Written in Stone"
"Good for Something"
"Perpetration"
"Ambivalence"
"Apprehension"
"The Family You've Got"
"Self-Bullying"
Visit the main Serial Poetry page to see more series.
"The Beginning of the Diminishment"
"The Lamentation of the Women"
"Dejection"
"Written in Stone"
"Good for Something"
"Perpetration"
"Ambivalence"
"Apprehension"
"The Family You've Got"
"Self-Bullying"
Visit the main Serial Poetry page to see more series.
