Icarus Sun (WIP - Update December 27, 2016)

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The thing that truly makes the picture, I think, is his little pair of rain boots. He looks like a triumphant lil Caligula who just narrowly bested Poseidon.

Also, good to hear that it wasn’t anything too bad and that all’s about as well as it can be.

Onto ze content…

Well, one part of it at the moment. I find myself unable to switch out of overexcited squeeing fanperson mode and, as such, don’t really think I can properly and fairly comment on the new information/characters presented right now. Allow me to get this out of my system, if I may…

nooo. Not a bad no, but… Argh. Copper. A red headed copper (HAH! Copper the copper whose arm’s made of copper~) who is, so far, little to no nonsense and is likely going to play hard to get? Usually I’d be all “there can be only ONE ginger,” hope to fight him to the death for that right and all that… but… I like him already and, so far, have no desire to fight him to the death. Squeeing fanperson question time: does he have freckles? What color are his eyes - are they ~dreamy~? ( I am joking a bit there… I’m digging the heck out of all your characters, please don’t misunderstand… red hair is just kind of an instant heart eyes, m-effer quality for my nerdy self. That the dude’s a cop that I’m gonna have to slowly chisel my way to the heart of? Icing. Or it might be the other way around.)

(And I was already digging Icarus but now…)

…oh, god, I feel like a shallow nerdlord… I’ll try to be philosophical and all that once the Tumblr fandom side of me is brought to heel, I promise. I’ll just… go for now… and leave with saying that I thoroughly enjoyed the update.

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I agree, the rain boots do truly add a pizzazz that would otherwise be lacking had he been wearing normal non-rain-wear shoes.

Well, I should savor this “as good as can be” as long as it lasts because I cut my thumb open on a comb today. Out of all things, a comb. At this point I should get one of those ‘days since last incident’ calendars. (It’s making typing somewhat difficult but other than that isn’t too bad which is good).

Aha, well, I’m happy to hear whatever overexcited fanperson squees you have, so squee away my friend!

Copperception

I mean you do get the option to fight him if you want later on but you don’t have to…

Ahem, I said nothing.

Is it that I’m sensing a growing love for the semi-stoic, no nonsense (excuse the pun, but his name lends itself so well to it) copper?

Squeestion away.

Yes, they’re a little faded since there’s not as much sun in Alatum as a big city, but especially since he grew up in the country he has freckles on his face and arms and such.

They’re a lovely green-brown hazel.

They are, indeed, dreamy.

Are you kidding me? I love these kinds of questions (okay… I love any question. But I love these too.) And, hey, we all have that one trait in a character that makes us quietly squeal like a dying (or newborn?) pig.

Bring a jackhammer. But it’ll be worth it if you like protectiveness, badassery, awkward attempts at being charming/flirting, and heartbreaking backstories.

Icarus has competition now that the other ROs have all been introduced. (And that may be especially hard for you if Icarus and Copper are your favorites since they’re on opposing sides…)

Shallow nerdlord is good!

Well, I’m happy you enjoyed it! And, hey, like I said, I’m happy with anything, be it squeeing, or deep philosophical questions.

Actually that reminds me, and I’m just going to toss this question out to whoever wishes to answer it:

What did your MC chose to do in the end? (AKA Which side are you guys gunning for so far?)

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You know, I absolutely love the joke about the swan wings, especially because the book MC is basically an ugly duckling-type character at this point and… well.

Whaaat…? PFFFT, no.

covers up doodles of hearts containing the word ‘Copper’ written in curly, flowing handwriting

To even think that…

A redheaded country boy (with freckles) grown into a copper-armed copper whose heart is so encased in stone that I’m going to need a friggin’ jackhammer to get to it?

…if you tell me next that he generally speaks like a city person but slips into his country accent whenever he’s over excited or something, I might just have to consider myself spoiled. More spoiled than I already feel, I mean. Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka level spoiled.

A more serious question that I’m spoilering because… y’never know.

I may be reaching a tad here, but will Copper have the honor (or “honor,” y’know, depending on how one views it) of being one of the first Watchers? Considering he’s chronologically (assuming the book takes place in the City-verse pre-City’s Child MC, of course) the first person we meet to explicitly have a prosthetic limb… he’s a cop, generally a profession which requires ‘watching’ things and such… and he thinks that the Doc’s doing good work (and I’m certain she’s got something to do with the City, given - again- the limbs) he… seems like a proto-Watcher.

My dude’s… feeling kind of neutral at the moment. I have the one eye not on the City on Doc Elin, personally, but my dear flightless bird (penguin? dodo? emu? I need something to call him…) doesn’t exactly have enough information to place his chips on red OR black.

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At that point the MC wouldn’t even become a beautiful swan, just a very papery swan from an “ugly duckling”. (Are baby swans even actually called ducklings? Are they… swanlings?)

Hmm… yes… my mistake… of course. cue the disbelieving side-eye

Wonder where I could’ve gotten that idea…

cough

((No amount of swan-paper can hide the truth.))

Copper tries very hard to keep his country-accent in check. He thinks it sounds… uneducated. And because he’s lived in the big city for so long it’s pretty easy for him to keep it tucked away. He doesn’t get excited very easily (duty first and all that), but I imagine that if you could manage to get him overly excited/flustered/emotional he probably would let it slip accidentally. When he’s by himself or at home he probably just relaxes and speaks with his normal accent though.

Most of those who knew him when he first moved there, I imagine, thought he was a little odd for trying so hard to hide it. They didn’t get why he thought it sounded uncultured when so many in Alatum (since lots of people move to the city) have the same accent and don’t try to hide it. Still, Copper wants to blend in as much as possible. (He’s pretty self-conscious).

Now for spoiler reasons I can’t directly divulge what happens to anyone… but I can, in my enigmatic, creates-more-questions-than-is-necessary ways, say this:

What happens to everyone (including Copper, but I mean everyone) will depend on your book MCs actions.

I’ll also say that no matter what you do, someone will turn out a little… worse for wear. However who that is will also be dependent on your book MCs decisions.

Feeling kinda cross-eyed?

That’s a perfectly good stance. Good news is that there will be an opportunity to speak with the other side in the next book-chapter (which admittedly won’t come for a while since we have to get the next city-chapter down and out first). You will also have the option to stay neutral for the entire thing (be that as a more observer-stance, mercenary-stance, or diplomat-stance).

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So he’s a self-conscious ginger country boy…

Well. I know who my book MC’s gonna spend a good amount of time trying to hug into loving themself…

…I meant the benign, innocent, self-confidence sort of self-loving, I swear.

…so…

I could possibly be the reason that Copper (since we’re on the topic) becomes a Watcher, even if I’m doing my darnedest to make that not happen? Holy heartbreak, Batman…

Honestly, I was thinking about it, and I wonder if (playing our cards right or wrong) dear Ikki might have more to do with the ‘rise’ (er, fall?) of the City than I’m pre-attributing to the good Doctor. Given that his namesake falls and everything… And he has his own magic.

Incidentally (could probably unspoiler here, but…) what hand is it that Icarus draws the charm on? I can’t recall if it’s specified, and… Well, that might not even be important, but I’m just a tad curious.

Also…
Is it ever stated just how long the City has been ‘the City?’ Or, since we’re playing as a child in that storyline, do we not really care/know?

extremely cross-eyed, actually. I may just have to set up some theoretical surveillance equipment on one of 'em to keep my sanity manageable…

I think, then, that mine shall be a peace promoting penguin, keen on diplomacy.

…also, shy ginger groping copper cuddling.

edit: Oh, heck, I wasn’t finished…

Who plays who in the Icarus Sun movie?

Also… Does the type of metal that makes up the City/the various prosthetics have any sort of symbolic meaning specific to this universe?

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The best kind.

Of course you do, to think otherwise would be imprudent of me.

[spoiler]I mean it wouldn’t be the worst thing that’s happened to him. So you could take comfort in that.

Out of curiosity have you spoken with Lorraine yet? She gives some… clues… about Icarus’ power, if you read carefully.

As for who has to do with the “rise” of The City… Well…

I don’t think I specified which hand… I’m going to go with right because I’m right-handed and thusly inclined to be biased. And between all the important left-hands in this game I think the right-hand deserves the spotlight at least once.[/spoiler]

The City is said to be as old as time itself, according to The City.

As a Child of The City, you don’t know. That’s left out of your lessons. As far as you know, The City has been around for your entire life.

Good luck. The City doesn’t exactly stay stationary as we know…

The Px3

I both applaud your use of alliteration thrice over and agree that Copper could use the cuddles… or “cuddles”.

I… haven’t really thought of that? I mainly just looked up what were common metals/more flexible metals? I suppose now in The City copper and bronze carry a sort of “loyalty” meaning attached to them since thats mainly reserved for City Children. Aluminum can mean both “rich” as well as “poor” since that’s what coins are made out of. Wood would signify luxury and wealth… Hmm… this is something to consider.

Oh geeze… uh…

gimme a sec (if you have any ideas I’d be happy to hear)

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… I definitely intended it to be innocent initially, but then I saw what I had written and…

giggity

Also, re: spoiler bit…

I did talk to her, but… I… don’t think I got any sleep last night and, as such, cannot remember much in the way of key plot details she may have revealed right now.

And… not the worst? Just… How heavy is this backstory?

I wish to see the City’s credentials in relation to all things City related, please.

I’ve nobody specific in mind at the moment for… Well, just about everyone.

However… Hmm… I’m sort of leaning towards Skyler Wexler (Kira Manning in Orphan Black) as Rosie. Just, y’know, dye her hair.

Ooh, or Quevanzhané Wallis (Annie in the Annie remake released within the last couple of years.)

Oh! Maybe I just like Ellen Page a bit too much, but Ellen Page as Robin?

…young Jake Gyllenhaal as Nikolai…?

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Interesting thing about the limbs. I was under the impression that they were strictly metal, but your use of the word “rot” implies that there’s more to the limbs than meets the eye.

I’ve also been thinking about what The City might actually be, so here’s my two cents (Warning, kinda lengthy):

[spoiler]Right now, you’ve mentioned that Nikolai’s biological arm was damaged a while back and he had to get a replacement for it. You also mention that the City Watchers tend to be mostly metal with an eerie glow in their eyes.

I’m connecting two and two together, and over time, if someone manages to damage their body badly enough or they muster enough limbs for their body, The City will eventually want to assimilate the body – and it’s conscious, if it’s still there – into a broader collective conscious. If you’ve ever played or seen Mass Effect, I’m thinking of something similar to the Geth – a plethora of individual consciousnesses that seek consensus in order to go about their day-to-day lives. I also predict that if our MC is close enough to The City, it may invite us to be a part of their consciousness should we decide to go against our Mentor’s wishes.

The whole vibe I’m getting right now is the game as a whole is about individualism (Mentor and Miss Julie) v.s. collectivism (The City, MAYBE Nikolai). The titular book so far seems to be about having a choice between wanting to be like everyone else and MAKING everyone else be like you, if Robin’s description of Icarus (“He’s wanted all over the city, but hardly ever reported on. Some people think that Alatum is trying to keep it all under wraps. They say he’s linked to a conspiracy about unwilling wing removals, leader of a mafia family, and some say he’s even a demon in human skin. Of course there are contradicting stories- ones that paint him more as a charitable man, or even a misunderstood hero.” Robin shakes her head, “But that’s to be expected with hearsay, nobody can get their story straight.”) is anything to go by. Reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, now that I think about it.[/spoiler]

Oh, just thought of something else, too.

I’m thinking the Mentor doesn’t want The City to see the book because Icarus Sun has to do with their backgrounds, both of them. My guess is that depending on your choices, it could affect who the Mentor is at the end, and also how The City came about. I haven’t put as much thought into this as the thing above, however, so take it with a grain of salt for now.

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Robin, oh Robin I already know:

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Ellen Page. ((I mean she even looks like how I imagine Robin- but with a bit longer hair than Robin- I just… yep. Ellen Page.))

I just saw your edit @OScott and yes, I’m very happy I am not alone is seeing Ellen Page as Robin.

So the inspiration for Cynthia actually came from Alice Roosevelt Longsworth (weird inspiration I know… but c’mon, a woman who cut her cake with a sword? How could I not.) But because she A: isn’t an actress, B: doesn’t even look like how I imagine Cynthia (it was really just some aspects of her personality that I loved). I’d have to go with…

Marlene Dietrich also had that kind of “screw what the world thinks I’m going to do what I think is right” kind of personality, so I think she’d be an apt choice for Cynthia.

I’ll come up with more later…

I mean there’s a reason he’s a police officer. And a separate reason as to why he’s so serious, which is probably the worse of the two… especially since it has to do with his hand.

You can see it… after you fix this one precarious pipe conveniently placed without netting below.

Do share.

That looks nearly exactly like how I imagine Rosie it’s almost creepy. (Y’know, save for redder hair and her body being mostly metal…)

Well, it is mostly metal, and metal does rot and rust and such.

Oooh, okay, I’m excited.

Alright, I read your two-cents (which were amazing, by the way):

[spoiler]So to address your first point, about Nikolai and The City and The City Watchers. So, sadly, I have never played Mass Effect but I do know of it and know lots about it (I want to play it, very badly.) But I digress, I get what you’re hinting at.

That is pretty much what happens when someone becomes a City Watcher. The one change is that they don’t have to have lost a set amount of limbs or be mostly metal. Take Rosie, for example (poor Rosie is always my example), she’s already mostly made of metal, but that doesn’t mean that the minute she becomes of age that she’ll be asked to be a City Watcher. There is a level of “loyalty” required for The City to consider someone to be a City Watcher. It doesn’t want it getting around that someone denied becoming a City Watcher because they distrust The City after all.

It’s interesting that you put Nikolai, albeit tentatively, in the collectivism group, because Nikolai has more of a collective mindset out of fear than loyalty (i.e. he wants to stay grounded because he’s afraid of the rot, and if you have a higher relationship with Mentor than you do The City you hesitate on agreeing with The City- Nikolai nudges you to speak up because he fears for you.)

So then what would you consider the neutral path in the book-section, out of curiosity?[/spoiler]

Again, can’t deny or affirm anything outright because of spoilers… so until I can come up with an enigmatically suitable answer I’ll just restate that I enjoy your two-cents.

I could see that.

I think Lorraine Elin would be

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Bingbing Fan, especially since she even created her own TV Studio and stared in her own television shows- that kind of ‘do it yourself’ attitude coupled with her very elegant style reminds me of Lorraine Elin.

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Heck yes on the Ellen Page front. And…

Marlene Dietrich.

Ja. I am inclined to agree.

…extremely heavy, then. Poor thing… I suppose it’s a good thing his arm’s made of metal, but we tend to carry our burdensome pasts on our shoulders. Dude needs assistance

I’ll keep pondering possible casting peeps… Fancasting is terribly good fun!

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Ellen Page high-five!

She’s just really cool? How could I not?

[quote=“OScott, post:111, topic:17799”]
…extremely heavy, then. Poor thing… I suppose it’s a good thing his arm’s made of metal, but we tend to carry our burdensome pasts on our shoulders.[/quote]

Again, I’m never sure if you mean to pun but I’m also feeling guilty about laughing at this pun.

You could always… lend a hand.

It really is!

I’m stuck on Icarus. One side of me is thinking of Oscar Isaac’s fantastic performances but the other half is saying Sendhil Ramamurthy is perfect.
In the end, though, Sendhil Ramamurthy looks near exactly how I imagine Icarus… so I’m going to go with:

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Sendhil Ramamurthy as Icarus.

Uncle Kenny needs an Uncle-like figure, someone to make you laugh even when you think you can’t.

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So I’d go with Robin Williams.

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If it’s weighing on your mind, just know I always pun on purpose.

Time to knuckle down, dig deep, and… apply an inordinate amount of elbow grease.

seconded

And… ooh, I was sort of leaning towards Jeff Bridges circa The Big Lebowski, minus a good amount of the stoner chic inherent in the role, but… Robin Williams is probably the ultimate uncle figure, isn’t he?

And… hilariously, I’m having a bit of trouble casting Copper… Band of Brothers era Damian Lewis maaaaybe…? (He gets extra points in my book because he’s a natural redhead and he looks like Steve McQueen… which is irrelevant, but I think it’s awesome.)

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I could see Jeff Bridges as Uncle Kenny. (But yeah, I just see Robin Williams as the epitome of “supportive funny uncle”)

Okay Miss Julie… Miss Julie would be…

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Rosamund Pike, in a mix of her Pride and Prejudice elegance and her intelligence, perseverance, and constant state of proper worry in Jack Reacher.

I’m also having a lot of trouble casting Copper. I was thinking Seth Green for a while but I’m not sure…

Ooh, okay, yeah, I could see Damian Lewis as Copper!

I had a funny thought - cast all the book-characters as their birds and make it a nature documentary.

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Uncle Kenny

Cynthia

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Copper

Lorraine Elin
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Robin

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I knew that name sounded familiar… She was in Gone Girl.

I dig the casting choice. Just… don’t be surprised if I’m a tad worried that she’ll fake her own death and pin it on Mentor/the MC/ someone important…

Seth Green will always be Joker (speaking of Mass Effect…) to me. I can’t recall if I’ve ever seen him in a role that wasn’t comic relief… to Google!

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So can we assume that if our MC is loyal enough to The City, this option will be available to us in the future…? :robot:

Which is why I put emphasis on “MAYBE”, as he seems to be supportive of that view set, but is more comfortable with just getting on with his life instead of worrying about what’s on the outside and having The City pay him no mind.

I didn’t realize what I wrote would prompt that idea, but if I had to guess…

Probably hearing both Elin’s and Icarus’ points of view, then either try to get them to work together (however that would work) or not going with either of them and instead finding ways to appreciate how you’re different from everyone else.

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Just be sure to check her diary before you go trusting her, I guess.

Between this and your suspicion that he’s the first City Watcher I find the fact that Seth Green plays Joker (and y’know him and Edi- machine… mechanical City…) I’m laughing a lot.

Yes… in a way.

That’s fairly accurate, I’d say. Nikolai is the kind who avoids unwanted attention at all costs.

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Icarus Sun/ Hatoful Boyfriend crossover confirmed?

pre-ordered!

…and considering that he got the nickname Joker 'cause he never smiled in flight school…

Yeah, you know what…? I think I can see it now.

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The question then remains:

Which one cuts off your head in the end?

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Hmm… Well… I could see multiple possibilities, but…

Lorraine. For science.

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what you mean decapitation? yeah sure Cynthia I can see doing that but Lorraine…I can see more like “I shall dissect you and use me for my ‘legal’ research, oh, and sorry for forcing you into this it was only because no other wingless person wanted to be dissected and tested on.” catch my drift yet? :smile:

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