MISSES—A Formal Introduction

Origin Story

There have been four different story lines running through my head over the course of the last few years (at least) that are in different stages of actual development. All of them, in my opinion, lend themselves to more than just text. While a movie or television series of some kind would be great, those things are in the far flung future. Closer, I think, would be developing these stories into a series of comic books or even graphic novels, and then maybe going for animation after that.

Three of these four ideas have made their way to STEEM at various times, including the one I'm featuring today. If you're interested in reading what I'm talking about, I'll leave some links at the bottom for you to peruse.

For now, I would like to formally introduce a concept that I was working on prior to joining STEEM in late December of 2017. A little project I have decided to call:

Story Setting

MISSES takes place on an Earth that is different than ours. I am not talking about an alternate universe, where our doppelgangers live and act much like we do, with varying differences (a fairly common occurrence among comic book universes)—I refer to a totally different population of individuals who happen to occupy the same space as we do, just at a different time variance. Because time is moving faster or slower, forward or backward, relative to the other, both planes of existence can inhabit the same space without causing all kinds of messy problems.

On this particular Earth, which for convenience sake I will refer to as A-2 (we'll be A-1), a worldwide governance exists. It came about within a few decades after a global war threatened to wipe out as much as two-thirds of the world—humans, animals, plants—all living things. Fortunately, all sides were able to pull themselves back from the brink, but at a great cost, the results of which have been playing out ever since.

In attempt to overcome things that cause strife in the world, the first action was to make everyone equal. There would no longer be rich or poor, advantaged or disadvantaged. Everyone would have a good paying job, a home, a car, etc., etc. All adults in a household would go to work eight hours a day, five days a week, and all children from the ages of three through 18 would go to school. After that, they would join the workforce.

Sounds okay, right? No one suffering financially for any reason. All having a roof over their heads, food on the table and clothes on their backs that they could call their own. For a while, it seemed to be working. Unfortunately, the issues plaguing A-2's mankind weren't just financial. Those who were predisposed to anger, hate, distrust, fear, control, destruction, or self-destruction continued to exist.

With a great deal of sadness, deliberation and hesitation, it was eventually concluded that these impulses could not and should not be curbed. Treatments of all kinds, forms of isolating bad actors from the rest of the population, and other kinds of punishments had been tried, but the problems persisted. So, for the sake of avoiding another world war, or even smaller conflicts, it was decided to give the people what they wanted.

Every year, every individual, relationship pairing or family would get a month off. They didn't have to go to work or school during this mandatory vacation time, but could go and do whatever they wanted. If it was something deemed as destructive behavior, it was allowed to take place, but only in designated zones throughout the world. If people managed to survive their time in these freezones, they continued with their work or schooling for another eleven months.

Not everyone goes to the freezones, but many do. And many people die, but they do it of their own free will and choice. There's no one making the decisions for them, but there's no one bailing them out of their situations, either.

In the meantime, crime outside of the freezones has become virtually non-existent. What does happen is quickly contained. People feel safe. They just need to turn a blind eye to what is happening in the freezones.

Another Way

As you may imagine, there are those who believe that this kind of living is no better than what existed before. It's only transferred the problems to controlled areas, but humanity is no better for it. In fact, there has been a measurable decline in innovation, risk taking and motivation as a whole, because no one wants to be seen as a troublemaker or aggressive, but the lack of self-advancement or satisfaction is taking its toll. So other than maintaining the status quo, there's not a whole lot of incentive to do much else, but people are slowly dying on the inside from boredom and not being able to become the people they were born to be.

Those who disagree with the way things are can do so, but for the most part, they're ignored. The last war is not that far removed, and while not many are around that experienced the fear and devastation first hand, there are still many who do, and the horror and uncertainty of the war has been ingrained in the minds of their children and passed on to their grandchildren. No one really wants to listen to those who believe that man was meant for much more, and that he can overcome his own weaknesses if he strives to do so.

That's where MISSES comes in.

What MISSES Stands For

Like most acronyms, MISSES has meaning beyond the word it forms. Spelled out, MISSES becomes a mantra, or words to live by: Modesty, Intelligence, Spirituality, and Strength Elevate Society. As the words of the acronym hopefully suggest, this mantra is a guiding belief behind a not-so-secret society whose purported purpose is to overcome the apathy that pervades much of civilization, affecting all aspects of it.

As you might expect, there have been different groups within this movement trying to tackle what they deem as a very large problem in various ways. However, they all seem to be in agreement that there is a need for champions, people who can model the attributes of a MISS, and show the way. In order for there to be a lasting impact, some argue, there needs to be a greater catalyst. Those who believe in MISSES can't just be good, humble, highly intelligent and motivated people. They need to be more, much more.

Enter Team MISS

Over many years and through a series of experiments, some of them ending in terrible tragedies, those behind the MISSES Endeavor as it is called, have finally managed to create individuals with extraordinary abilities. That's a good thing, since the breakthrough just so happens (wink, wink) to coincide with a rise in crime and other unwelcomed and unwanted behaviors outside of the freezones. Because of this not only must five young women who make up the tip of the spear of this movement (known together as Team MISS) battle against society's perceptions of what is best, they must also take on the super powered enemies that would thwart their desires for a better world.

That's All For Now

How this all happens and comes to be is at the heart of MISSES, so I won't be delving into any of that at this time. If there's interest, I will go ahead and introduce to you different characters (mostly those I have art for) over the coming weeks or months.

To Read Other Related Fare

Here are the links I mentioned above.

The Maya1.1
The MISSES LifeHAX Program
Crackerjack and the Billionairess

_{Images courtesy of Glen Anthony Albrethsen}

_{MISSES ©Copyright 2017-2019 by Glen Anthony Albrethsen. All rights reserved.}