The World Building of Gujetta Er
Gujetta Er is an Achiever planet.
The human-inhabited worlds of the Theda galaxy are called Er and each has a cultural system that embraces a CliftonStrengths theme. Here is a peek behind the curtain to see how I imagined each Er.
I first wrote about the idea for these worlds, here.
If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, start here.
Gujetta Er, the pink planet on the far left, values the Achiever theme above others, so much so, they oppress all other themes.
People exceptionally talented in the Achiever theme work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. They take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive. — CliftonStrengths
So, what does an Achiever culture look like? The following countries have Achiever as the most abundant strengths theme1. They are some of the richest and most powerful countries on this human-inhabited planet, Earth.
Why are Achiever countries so rich and powerful?
On Gujetta, the Mebo Academy is the institution that determines if a citizen is worthy of productive employment. I mean, why employ people who are not go-getters? Right?
That is how I got the name Gujetta. See it? Go getter -> Gujetta.
Anyway, the Mebo Academy emulates prestigious universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. Attending these schools practically guarantees a prosperous lifestyle, but what does it take to get into these schools, besides great connections?
Achievement!
High schoolers who have their sights set on these universities not only rack up high grades they also rack up activities—they are doing things, all the time.
Mille, although, is not an Achiever and is not intrinsically motivated to go above and beyond to ensure her position amongst the elite. On the contrary, she does not understand why Achiever is so highly valued when other themes are more conducive to altruism.
Neither do I, although, unlike Mille, I have gone above and beyond on more than one occasion to stake my claim on the middle class. My health has certainly suffered from it.
Plains of Fresh Water
Achiever countries all have abundant sources of natural freshwater, except the UAE and Qatar. They have abundant sources of fossil fuel energy to run the desalinization plants that provide fresh water from the surrounding salt-water seas.
Most of the surface of Gujetta Er is covered with fresh water that pushes up from below the surface into mostly shallow water plains that rise and fall during predictable seasons.
Is abundant fresh water a pre-condition or post-condition of an Achiever culture?
A Pink Sky with Three Moons
Gujetta is not as close to a star as Earth is to the Sun. It is about as far away as Mars, but the three moons reflect plenty of red-shifted light onto the surface that appears pink or magenta to the naked eye. That along with its abundant water gives Gujetta Er the ability to produce a surplus of food to feed its population.
Mille believed the citizens of Gujetta had pink skin because the sky was pink.
What color skin would people develop under red light?
The City Center Slum
It is within the walls of center cities that Gujetta Er forces all non-productive citizens to live. These poor propagate modern myths and superstitions because encased in the stone walls, buildings, and roads of city centers is a remnant of a society that cooperated with the Travelers hundreds of years before. Long before the cities expanded into 2, 3, and 4 additional quarters—each more privileged than the one before.
Why are city centers a hub of poverty in Achiever cultures?
Substack Notes
You must check out
’s story, The Dying Fall, on Substack. It is so good.
This, of course, is based on the number of people who have taken the strengths finders assessment, which represents a sizeable segment of working citizens, especially in the US (13,626,412).
That was wonderful. It's really great to hear more about the creation of the story and how the different aspects of it came about. Looking forward to hearing more. Good luck with the MA... 😎
I love getting this background to your writing development!