#Family for SolCorp

[sunset-a-story]

—5— What songs would you choose to accompany someone reading your first three chapters?

- @writeintrees

Yay! I was hoping I would get his one for some reason. Thanks, @writeintrees!

Pepita by Calexico

Gasoline by Halsey

Family by Mother Mother

[touloserlautrec]

Word Search Game

Thank you so much for tagging me, @mjjune! (Their awesome post is here)

I pulled from Arcs 1 and 2 of Sunset (co-written with @sunset-a-story).

My words: dig, drum, delight, drown, drug

Gently tagging: @pandoras-comment-box @elizababie @thatndginger and open tag

Your words: rest, drag, luxuriate, swam, affair

Keep reading for my answers:

Dig

“Drag him into the gym,” Reeve ordered curtly, with a tone of voice that sounded like he had no intention of helping them. But he did, bending to help Gareth haul him through the door. The target had already backed up out of the way and was staring blankly at a wall when Hannah got into the room and shut the door. Gareth’s face was shut tight and hard. The anger coming off of both of them was tense enough to make Hannah clench her jaw.  “Okay,” Reeve said, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes, “Not exactly how I would have hoped this would have gone.” 

Drum

With her free arm over her head Hannah swayed, tangled hair whipping back and forth. She bounced, picking her knees up as she stepped. Careful of his sling, Alex hung onto her hand, swinging it while he danced, grinning. Gareth hooted into his fist and pounded his other hand on the table like a drum.

Delight — Apparently we don’t have a single instance of this in either arc 1 or 2! Several hundred pages and not a drop of delight. :\

Drown

Casey looked truly astonished by his reaction. “No, no, you don’t understand. Neptune aren’t the cops. They protect knacked people in every way there is. Cleanup is there if we mess up out in the world, Investigation makes sure our internal systems are just and fair, Retrieval saves confused agents and brings Icarus home, and Reintegration reforms them. They do everything.” “Yeah, that all sounds like white-washed cop stuff.”  Huffing, Casey shook her head and puffed up her chest. “You’ll see.” But Alex wasn’t done. “Where do these Icaruses--Icarusi? Icari?” Casey stopped his struggling. “The plural is just Icarus. Like fish.”  “Whatever. Where do these--”  She looked off to the side. “Actually fish is kind of a dark comparison, because Icarus fell into the sea and drowned when his wings melted.” “Uh.” Alex jutted out his lower teeth, awkwardly. “Where do these Icarus come from anyway? If this place is supposed to be one big family.” Casey sputtered a little. “It is one big family here, not just supposed to be. But even the closest families have falling-outs or interpersonal disputes.” Alex felt his eyes start to bug out a little. “Interpersonal disputes? That is so not how real people talk. It sounds like a line from a brochure.”

Drug

“Okay then.” Joey wiped his mouth. “What is this company thing?” Reeve nodded. “It’s called SolCorp.” “Like the drug brand?” “The pharmaceutical company is a cover. Makes it easier for us to exist in the world if there’s an excuse for all our buildings.” “So, it’s not really a pharmaceutical company,” Joey said. He looked out the window, watching Midtown fall further and further away. Further and further from Rick. He wondered if he’d miss him.

[embklitzke]

                “UN sources today confirmed that contact has been lost with the expeditionary forces outpost at Beta Centauri.  The outpost had a staff of approximately ten thousand, largely comprised of volunteer forces from around the globe.  Also on-station was a large contingent of Stellar Marines assigned to the defense of the mid-ring.  The official announcement of the outpost’s loss is expected within the next few hours.

                “The loss of the outpost comes on the heels of the announcement regarding the loss of contact with four heavy interstellars heading for worlds in the mid and outer ring.  These ships were carrying everything from cargo to passengers, supplies and settlers heading for colonies, and scientific and exploratory expedition groups preparing to travel even further beyond the homosphere.  The loss of the Archimedes, the Babbage, the Al-Razi, and the Hawking was confirmed by the Office of Interstellar Expeditions and all members of crew and all passengers are considered to be missing and presumed lost as of yesterday, 15 March, at 0500 hours Greenwich Mean, for purposes of legal and estate proceedings.  Approximately seven thousand individuals were believed to be aboard the four vessels, though the official passenger and crew lists have not been published at this time.

                “We will provide further updates as they become available.

                “This has been Melissa Tolrei, AEComm News.”

                “As of 2100 hours on 17 March, all contact with forces and personnel stationed at Morales Station at Beta Centauri V was lost.  Attempts to raise them have been unsuccessful.  As such, as of 2100 hours 17 March 2111, it is the sad duty of the Office of Interstellar Expeditions, jointly with the Allied Earth Interstellar Navy and the Allied Earth Interstellar Marines, to declare the forces and personnel stationed at Morales to be missing in action, presumed deceased.

                “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of the forces and personnel.

                “A list of known individuals assigned to the station and ships known to have been docked there at the time of loss of contact will be posted shortly.”

- Joint release by the Office of Interstellar Expeditions, Allied Earth Interstellar Navy, and Allied Earth Interstellar Marines, 19 March, 2111.

                “Sources today have said that all contact has been lost with the outpost and SolCorp-backed colony on Io.  Last known contact with either the colony or the outpost came last night at approximately seven o’clock Greenwich Mean when a standard data-dump arrived from the SolCorp colony.  There were no indications of trouble at the time, according to sources familiar with the situation.

                “AEComm has reached out to the Allied Earth Interstellar Armed Forces and the Office of Interstellar Expeditions for more information.  We will provide updates as they become available.

                “This is the second loss of contact of installations in the Sol system in the last week and the third such loss of contact in the last twenty days.  Of these, only the loss of Morales Station at Beta Centauri has been confirmed at this time, though there has been no further information on that situation since the official confirmation of its loss.  A listing of those believed lost at Morales and the passengers and crew of the interstellars Myazaki and Reyes, which were confirmed to be on-station at Morales at the time of the outpost’s loss, is available for download at this time.  This brings the total number of individuals declared missing and presumed lost by the Office of Interstellar Expeditions to 15,533 individuals across lost ships and outposts.  This includes lost personnel of the Interstellar Navy and Interstellar Marines that were stationed aboard ships and at Morales Station.

                “This has been Melissa Tolrei, AEComm News.”

Bits for a project called "The History of the Preytax Wars" which is an in-universe history for my Epsilon series. (Broken Stars available online where books are sold)

@idareyoutowrite

I dare you to write or design an in-world media excerpt

What do your characters see day-to-day in this world? What advertisements give us a taste of their life? What are the headlines? The editorials written in response to world events? What web-pages or apps exist?

Think outside the box!

And don't forget to tag I dare you to write if you're brave enough to publish it

[goronska]

The Smiley Face Killer (High Five Friends ARG theory)

Hello folks, after the last set of interviews with Happy and the SUs, I'm here to bring you a new theory.

Namely: Joy is the Smiley Face Killer.

Let me lay my evidence:

During the interview, Happy states, that Joy is type D Unlovable - "they care for others unconditionally, but they can't feel love themselves" whereas in "Is Jealousy Dangerous?" she clearly says she is looking for love and long-term relationship. Yes, I realize the killer is led to believe to be the person wearing black gloves (which would make SU957, always fully clothed in black our main suspect), but why wouldn't she dress up like this and look at her own dating app recording just for checking if it comes across well? Also, what if she is craving the ability to love so much, she either hates people who can feel it (Tiffany?) or wants to somehow extract it from their physical bodies, being a symbiont in Solcorp herself? She knows, or has been taught to believe, that surgeries can "fix you".

As one of the Unlovable she has a lot of access to Solcorps rooms and labs.

She likes "long walks through the park in the middle of the night" - well, that's a suspiciously unromantic place with no witnesses…

Joy insists on Happy not to call the police after Tiffany's dissapearance, adding that Mother knowing is worse than this. She might be worried for her own security, putting up pretences.

His sister probably watches his streams, isn't she? But she is not Opal nor Strawberry, the only nick she might hide under would be… "<34Killer" - "Love for Killer" - and she many times stated she JUST seeks love by this point in the story.

She misteriously went missing and didn't show up to her maintenance appointment. Were there any victims during that time? When will we learn? More than being a victim, I think she is in hiding. Tiffany knew her, was found murdered at home, and if this is the case, she probably would let the killer in. Yet as Happy checks on her, all doors and windows are closed. So someone took their time to lock them from the outside, stealing and using the keys.

The motive, you ask. But, of course! Joy and Happy both lived through a similar trauma of fire and high standards. Yet for Joy to get her treatment and Happy to come home, the experiment must end in success. A successful outcome here would be proving that Happy is an Unlovable unit, hence any time somebody gets close she'll be there, to make sure they are eliminated. She visits Solcorp often enough to eliminate the stage Director or others there, and she is definitely one of the first to know when Happy starts dating someone new. If Joy manages to keep Happy single for long enough to convince Mother K and the others - well, she would call it a win. Isn't the one that are the closest (like our family) usually hurt us the most, urging they still know "what's the best for us"?

Court, I rest my case. I challenge you to argue otherwise.

[sunset-a-story]

Happy WBW! As I continue my reading saga of death and grief, tell me a little about the subject in your world. How is death treated and thought of? How do your characters-- or the world at large-- handle grief in relation to it?

Thank you so much for the question, friend!

It depends heavily on which organization of knacked people the characters are in.

🔹Death in SolCorp is similarly impactful to our world. When someone in a department dies, their loved ones grieve, but it also ripples out to their coworkers in their department and beyond. As people without traditional families, folks in Sol tend to consider all Sol agents a family. Loved ones might have a gathering but as religion is discouraged and no one is being interred anywhere, funerals don't exist as we have them. Bodies are either cremated upon request or sublimated (turned to vapor) to be vented.

I would say in SolCorp, death is not thought of lightly but it is expected, especially for agents who work in dangerous divisions like Neptune's Retrieval agents or Mars (military).

HOWEVER, it's a whole other story when it comes to the death of Icarus. (Sol agents who commit crimes against the Corp have their names redacted from all files and are given an Icarus number in place of their name.) If they deem you unable to be reformed, SolCorp erases you.

They kill you then sublimate and vent your body so there's nothing left. All mention of you is removed from records. It is like you never existed and people are expected to behave as such. You don't talk about anyone who has been erased. You certainly never use their name. You're not allowed to grieve.

🔹With members from all different backgrounds and religions, The Church has wide ranging views on death. One thing The Children of God all agree on is that absolutely anyone, no matter how experienced or competent, can go out on a hunt and not come back.

When a fellow member is killed, the priority is making sure they are not eaten by the monsters they hunt or turned into one. Bodies are mourned and left at the closest church/synagogue/temple/mosque that matches their fallen sibling's faith.

🔹In Entropy there is no dignity in death--and sometimes no escape in it either.

[sunset-a-story]

Moon + Seraph Pitch Week

Witch Hunter Robin X Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. X Blood+

A serial in three arcs (Sunrise, High Noon, & Sunset)

SolCorp was founded to hide the existence of knacked people and their myriad of superhuman powers from the world, keeping humans safe from out-of-control knacks and keeping knacked people safe from human intolerance. So when they discover that one rogue Sol scientist had generated 25 babies with a defective Probability Manipulation knack and abandoned them out in the world fourteen years ago, it's up to SolCorp to find them and bring them back. But maybe their knacks weren't so defective after all because as three of the Venus 25 grow into adulthood, improbable things start happening. Things that will change SolCorp and the world forever. Sunset is a slow-burn of mounting tension and stakes that only get higher with expansive worldbuilding and a majority LGBTQIA+ ensemble cast that has something for everyone from espionage to adventure to romance and even a dash of monster hunting.

Themes

found family

revolution vs mega-corp

coming of age (older teen)

growth and healing

love

loss

power corrupts

Current Stage of Writing Process:

Sunrise (115k words/245 pages): in beta; plan to release in 2023

High Noon (307k words/683 pages): ready for beta

Sunset: in progress

Artwork by my co-writer and partner.

Check the Sunset hashtag for more character profiles.

Content warnings (entire series)

mind control (telepathy)

violence

explicit sexual content

weapons (guns, knives, munitions)

drinking/drug use (prescription, recreational, on-screen)

abduction/captivity

death

gore/bodies

age gap (slight)

prejudice

profanity

torture

reference to child abuse (not on screen)

threat of sexual assault

mental illness

suicide (not on screen)/suicidal thoughts

religion (many but heavily Catholic)

intense monster violence

car accident

tag list @words-after-midnight @thathaunteddoll 

[sunset-a-story]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Out of the SolCorp department leaders, who is your favorite to write about? Your least favorite?

Thanks for the really fun ask, Box!

I adore Mackenzie Davis, the head of the Saturn department. She's this almost legendary figure of gravitas in SolCorp and I enjoy writing her wry wit. Using a temporary omniscience knack to know Everything for brief periods does something to you and the way you interact with the world. She's a singularity. It's also resulted in her not being intimidated by anything which is fun to write.

And she loves her people. Most department heads have a strong bond with their officers but she treats hers like a nuclear family.

- My least favorite is probably the head of Jupiter, Aaron del Sol. He's not on the page much in the early bits. He's arrogant and unemotional and a little boring.

[sunset-a-story]

My partner started creating some character fact sheets for Sunset's core cast. Here's our main protagonist: Alex.

Transcript of the text in the image:

Alex del Sol (he/him/his)

Images depict him at ages 18 and 26.

Affiliation at start of book: SolCorp

Knack: Psychometrist

Big 3: Sun- Leo, Moon- Scorpio, Rising- Leo

Favorites:

-Music: Placebo, Billie Eilish

-Movie: Pirate Radio

-Food: Anything shared with family

-TV Show: Stranger Things

-Book: (not a big reader tbh)

-Color: Orange

Fun Facts:

-He was one of the Venus 25

-Be gay, do crimes

-Problem with authority

-All the forehead kisses, please

-Tells off lots of people he definitely shouldn’t

-Knows how to stick-and-poke tattoo

-Ride or die

-Six tattoos

-1000% sass

-Former street kid

-Cuddle pro

Height: 5’5"

Hobbies:

-Music

-Video games

-Sparring

-Dancing

That's our boy, Alex! Reeve, one of our telepaths, is next up.

My partner's art account is on IG (https://www.instagram.com/touloserlautrec). Their Sunset-related artwork will be posted here as a joint author/artist account for the story.

[sunset-a-story]

🍂🍄🌲 for marek & 💫💦 for you!!

Thanks for the ask, friend! Marek it is! (Soft OC Ask Game is here)

🍂 Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for: their friends, their family, their significant other(s) or for strangers? Over all what are they like with recieving affection from others?

Absolutely! He's a hugger and a cuddler and just an affectionate person in general. He's usually the tallest person in the room (unless Fox is there) so if he's around people he knows are comfortable, he shows affection by standing up close beside or behind them to offer them a place to lean or by draping his arm around their shoulders. He's always plenty happy and ready to receive affection as well.

🍄 What are your OCs favourite snacks? Their favourite comfort food which always cheers them up when they’re down? Favourite meal to make? Do they enjoy baking and cooking and are they any good in the kitchen?

For snacking, he'll go for dill pickle chips or s'mores granola bars. Teleporters tend to snack a lot or carry meal bars because it takes a lot out of you physically. Fave comfort foods are a good deli sandwich or deep dish pizza. He's not big on cooking but he'll bake for company parties.

🌲 How deeply does your OC feel? Are they typically empathetic or do they have a hard time connecting with others in this way? What are they like when offering support and comfort to someone they care for?

Hmm, this was an interesting one. Marek feels really deeply, actually. He's a goofball and a clown, but he's highly empathetic. He might be joking about slacking off and doing photoshoots with Bageutte, but he's a pretty sensitive guy. As far as cheering people up? Depending on the situation, his first instinct is to try to lighten the mood by doing something silly to make the person smile. If that doesn't work, or it's really not the time, the mask drops and he can sit in a dark place with someone--and god help you trying to get him to leave once he's determined to help.

💫What is your favourite fact about this character and why?

I love how much he cares. He's irreverent and goofy but he takes his job very seriously because he cares about his fellow SolCorp agents, their safety and their quality of life. All of them. People he doesn't know and will never meet. The Uranus department is a pretty thankless job. A lot of it is the stuff that people take for granted, are dismissive of, or annoyed by (HR paperwork). But he doesn't care about all that prestige stuff. He wants to make sure everyone is taken care of and comfortable. No thanks necessary.

💦 If you as the writer could erase one traumatic event from this OC’s life what would it be and why?

Gahhh he had a pretty significant trauma when he was a field agent where he lost his entire team, but that's the reason he ended up behind a desk and why he found his real passion in life. He didn't like fieldwork. He excels and enjoys his life so much more now as an administrator so I am super torn here. I'm gonna take a cop out answer here and say I wish I could prevent him from going through what he does in Arc 2 & 3.

[sunset-a-story]

heyy, happy STS!! if your characters had bucket lists, what would be on them? if they were to die unexpectedly, what would they regret the most not doing?

Thanks for the ask, Cee! It was SO hard to pick an OC so I grabbed two.

Reeve's bucket list is to feel like he's made a positive difference in the world but if he died he would regret not prioritizing his family's safety above all else.

Gareth doesn't really have a bucket list but he would regret (and already deeply regrets) not being there for Wyatt, his old boss' kid that he was like an uncle to before he defected to SolCorp.

[sunset-a-story]

Happy STS! I'm watching Puppet History as I write this, so does your world have any fun educational shows for kids? (Probably a very random detail but hey.)

OMG YES PUPPET HISTORY YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB

Happy STS & thanks for the ask!

SolCorp has to have some little educational videos they've made for the kids that are kept hidden in their Academies. Some cute little rhyming song about knacks or a puppet skit about SolCorp is your only real family and the only authority you ever need to listen to...y'know. Cute propaganda. I'm sure that's fine and good.

[sunset-a-story]

Character Interview Tag

Thank you to @vsnotresponding for tagging me in this one! I had a hard time deciding who to use so I just grabbed the whole core group. Open tagging whoever is interested and no-pressure tagging @words-after-midnight @moondust-bard and @inkspellangel

1. Are you named after anyone?

Reeve: I was named by the SolCorp algorithm.

Alex: I don't really know why she named me Joey.

Hannah: Uh, no.

Gareth: After someone in my dad's family.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Reeve: I'm not sure. (looks hella uncomfortable)

Alex: (shrugs) Probably the last time I had a really bad Reading night and couldn't get my psychometry to stop to let me sleep

Hannah: Rum!

Gareth: Last week.

3. Do you have any kids?

Reeve: (eyebrow lift) No. (frown) Although, they do bank our DNA for the Venus gen lab...

Alex: (laughing)

Hannah: Got sterilized, baby!

Gareth: Not to my knowledge. In a different life, I would have liked to.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

Reeve: Is there any other way to survive these people?

Alex: (putting his hand to his chest) Never! Sarcasm? I wouldn't dream of it!

Hannah: Oh, constantly.

Gareth: Is there any other way to survive Reeve?

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Reeve: Hard to say what is first. I try to take in the whole picture pretty quickly so I can form an opinion before I start getting telepathic feedback to compare.

Alex: Posture. And eyes.

Hannah: Their energy and just how they feel.

Gareth: I don't know. How they move. Are they relaxed, tense, threatening?

6. What’s your eye color?

Reeve: Blue-grey

Alex: Dark brown

Hannah: Brown

Gareth: Brown

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Reeve: Happy endings.

Alex: I don't think you've got to pick. Just watch several movies.

Hannah: Gahhhh probably scary. Yes, I know I'm an empath. Don't judge me.

Gareth: Happy endings.

8. Any special talents?

Reeve: Besides telepathy? I'm organized. I like to think I can cook.

Alex: Psychometry and knowing where everyone's buttons are.

Hannah: I'm pretty nimble. You've gotta be when you go invisible. I used to kick ass at DDR.

Gareth: I think I can read people pretty well.

9. Where were you born?

Reeve: They call it "achieving breathe" in Sol and I was gen'ed out of LAHQ.

Alex: SolCorp, apparently.

Hannah: LAHQ.

Gareth: (side-eyeing the rest) Fresno, CA.

10. What are your hobbies?

Reeve: I don't really have time. Working on my car when I can.

Alex: Dancing, video games, sparring's fun.

Hannah: Drinking, dancing, video games.

Gareth: I like going for long drives. Working out. Reading.

11. Have you any pets?

Reeve: No.

Alex: Man, I wish. Reeve won't let us get a dog.

Hannah: Have I any pets? (adopts hoity-toity voice) Nooo, I have no pets. Wouldst butlers count? Because then also nooo.

Gareth: (narrowing eyes at Hannah) Nope.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

Reeve: I guess whatever games they made us play in Academy. Not really my thing.

Alex: Didn't exactly live that soccer practice and PTA life so...

Hannah: Field hockey in high school.

Gareth: I was pretty heavy into Taekwondo before I left home.

13. How tall are you?

Reeve: 5'9" (he's 5'8")

Alex: 5'5"

Hannah: 5'7"

Gareth: 5'11"

14. Favorite subject in school?

Reeve: Tactics.

Alex: None.

Hannah: Math's actually kinda neat. Also, my medic training.

Gareth: Lit.

15. Dream job?

Reeve: I used to say Saturn agent, but I'm happy where I am.

Alex: I don't know. I don't really have any sort of strong calling to anything yet. I guess, I'd just want to join Reeve's team and do what they do so I could stay with him and Hannah and Gareth.

Hannah: Maybe park ranger? That sounds pretty chill. You're out in the wilderness, protecting nature, and occasionally get to yell at people for fucking up.

Gareth: Something quiet. It doesn't have to be fancy or particularly meaningful or anything.

[sunset-a-story]

—5— What is your character's relationship with their family like?

Thank you so much for the ask!

The concept of family in Sunset is murky because the company of SolCorp acts as the family for most of the characters, especially those who were gens, people who were genetically manufactured ex utero.

People raised in Sol don't have "parents" but they have mentors if they are in a Sol Academy or, if they are placed to live out in the world, they are fostered by SolCorp field teams that raise them to be good Sol agents.