Shaking Things Up and Building the World of Vice

Let's talk about world building....

Building Vice
I'm going to talk a little bit about worldbuilding. I'm not sure the exact moment I decided Vice/Veritas would be a cyberpunk story, but when I began this cyberpunk venture world building wasn't really on my mind. As I've read and researched more I've started to think more on how to build a world.

I've been actively thinking on how this future would look.It's a future that exists several decades after a war, but still along our own timeline. I resist making Vice all "futuristic-y" because Vice only takes place about 85 years in the future. And while things do evolve, some familiar things stay. I mean 85 years ago from now was1929 and I mean alot of things that existed back then still exits: Maybelline mascara, Levi jeans, Ford Cars, The Great Gastby etc.

When I built the original Veritas world I played more closely to the classic cyberpunk tropes; drugs, hacking, technology, crapsack world, rampant immorality than I did to the future building and I kept that same spirit in Vice.

So, that is to say I may have car makes with made up  models, a few invented technologies, but I just don't see the Vice world as everyone on hoverboard with jetpacks.

Does that make sense ? This all started because I wasn't sure if I should use the word radio or not. I mean, would radios still exist ? This happens a lot when I wonder if a certain item would still exists and when I try and come up with fashion. It just makes my brain hurt sometimes.

Compulsion 2 / Moving On™
I forgot to include rhat Moving On in the last post. We've re-met our gang and now things are about to get interesting....

Compulsion 2
Playlist (still haven't kicked the top 40)
-1- Magic by Coldplay (I was so in love with this song when I heard it first, it could reallyfit into any of my serials)
-2- Pills N Potions by Nicki Minaj
-3- Coming of Age by Foster The People

*Deep Breath*....Let's Try Something

It's time for Compulsion....

 

Let's Try Something....Familiar ?
So, we've made it to a Vice sequel where no one died in the last installment, so with that Vice 2 is going to have a very different vibe from Hidden.

Things do get different and a little crazy, but we're going to ease in slowly and figure this all out together.

Here is a quick (poorly done) recap of Vice

In the year 2100 in the Western Republic;

Alan Gray is kidnapped from his home in the Eastern State by a group of assassins for the Shinjuku Cartel, a chrome cartel led by Rayne Washington.When Alan has a dangerous overdose he must join the cartel to keep himself alive

In a turn of events, Alan discovers he isn't human at all, but an android made by his mother in an secret illlegal Tempus project that cost her her identity. His disspeareace caught the attention of the government and now he must remain,um..Hidden. (hmm)

Sara Grace is an assassian and hacker for the Shy Cartel and brings in millions by being the only person who can hack the Republican Liberation Army draft. And others are noticing.

Jean and Minnow Dory are siblings caught up in the cartel lifestyle. Jean, a popular male escort who sticks by Sara's side and Minnow a teen drug addict and escort who stands by Jean and the Cartel but not trusted enough to join it herself.

Luce Grace, Sara's son who is part cyborg and is pushed by his mother to live a normal life for however long his cybernetic surgeries will keep him alive.

But now the  Republic is changing. A war between East and West for power and control has started and after a corruption is discovered the  newly formed RLA has been put in charge of the government.

Compulsion 1
Playlist (Guess I still haven't kicked the Top 40 artists habit)
-1- Money on My Mind by Sam Smith
-2- Wasted by Tiesto

Vice 2 Title Reveal... and More Flash Fics

ARE YOU READY ?

After coming off HMLIS this title felt a little one-wordy, but I kept coming back to it so...ta da ! However, I still like the idea of shorthanding it as V2.

I really enjoyed the HMLIS world, but coming back to the Vice world always feels right. I've been living in this story for a while and I'm excited to share it. I think a lot of what I liked about writing HMLIS like different POVs, mystery elements and of course family drama (and how) will all come back in Vice 2.

I think I'm usurping LiLe as the giant hype machine.... 

Vice 2 Updates
So, I now have 53 songs on my playlist, I have no idea when that happened ! I'm still a little apprehensive about how to start posting this story, I think this is something we will have to figure out together.

And I don't mean to hype, but just about every chapter in Vice (after the first few introductory ones) I wonder if I've gone too far...

Novella Time ! 
So, these two novellas tell the story of the two mothers of the Vice Universe. I didn't do it this way on purpose, it just happened.

The Answer is Yes
This one is a little bit... weird, I'm not even sure how I got the idea, the first words  just kind of came to me. This story is about Alan's mother and I kind of had to be creative with her not calling him by his name because  I'm not sure I even know his name and I like it not being canon...yet. So just to clear it up; she calls him some names, but none of those are his name.

Also I do a minor retcon

The Answer is Yes
Playlist Here
- Tunglio- by Olfaur Arnalds




Last Regrets (Originally titled We All Fall Down, which explains the link name.)
This story is all the backstory I couldn't put into Vice. It was a lot of fun to work with ! 

Last Regrets
Playlist Here
-1- I Lose Myself by Core Gray Madilyn Bailey
-2- We Are Young by Boyce Avenue

Let's Just Talk About Vice 2

So, a little bird (so,Erik) told me you all have been made some wishlists for Vice 2. I thought I'd give my 10 cents:

15 Qs and Some As

1. Some undercover scheme that involves Sara having to pretend to be a stripper.
I haven't written it, but I imagine something like this does actually happen.But not with Sara.

2. On the serious side I would seriously love for Maxwell to show up again, maybe get a little mini origin story with him. I would also want Hayley to show up. . . but I'm rooting hard for him.
This is what I get for TDOSHing Sundays instead of leaving the door closed isn't it ?

3. Also I think Dakota would be am interesting advisary
He does show up in an adversarial way

4. Alan's real last name. Or at least a tiny inkling
I don't know what it is to be honest and I kind of like it better that way. Juggling not saying his real name does come up and I had to find an...interesting way to get around it. More on this later.

5. Finding out that Tempus made a live evil twin version of Alan and then he can have a side series
This does not happen. Sorry !

6. A love interest for Sara because she has a sad backstory
Hmm...

7. A love interest for Luce because that clashing with Sara would be funny ! LOL
As far as I know this does not happen, but I can only imagine the crack.  Although Luce has a HUGE crush on Minnow if it isn't obvious by how mean he is to her.
 
8. MORE MINNIE. That is all
In Vice 2 Minnie steps up a lot and I'd like to think takes a level in badass

9.  I also think Dakota would be a cool antagonist along with Bell
Some of this conflict is in there...

10. More new characters
And how. Please send ideas for cool / futuristic names.

11.  A fun side story with Mrs. Washington and Sara from the past
Kind of... I mean minus the fun.   

12. A cameo as a super-cool hacker, black market doctor or maybe a high class hooker. I'm flexible 
Sure. done ! Internal monologue: ....what the hell am I writing ?

13. Imagine Dragons !
Well, there is lots of  Coldplay, Hozier and Sam Smith

14. CHAPTER ONE. If I could just see that . . .
If I could just figure out which one is going to be Chapter 1...

15. Perhaps some more literary quotes ! In Veritas we had Twilight and in Vice we of course had Slaughterhouse Five.
I don't have any of these right now. HMLIS kind of literary quoted me out.  
 

HMLIS Goodies

I have two HMLIS bonuses to share. One is a flash fic (and I mean flash) at the link below and the other is about 500 words of  chapter 1 with a third person POV. Also, I've done some small updates to the site.

The Truth About Bridges
Playlist: - Photograph- by Ed Sheerhan (My new ES Fave!)

HMLIS Chapter 1 in 3rd person.