Group Story - Purpose, Major Characters

Genre:
Science Fiction, Anti-Utopia, Post-Apocolyptic


Setting:
The active narration will takes place primarily on an alien homeworld many generations after the alien species has colonized Earth. Part of the story will take place on the post-apocalyptic Earth. Part of the story will be epistolary to reveal the true story behind this colonization process.


Purpose/Message: 
We intend to COMPLICATE issues like power, motive, justification, invasion/colonization, social evolution/adaption, humanity/humanitarianism, subaltern cultures and traditions, representation (e.g. propaganda), subjectivity, intent, and perspective.

In many ways, this story will parallel the history of Western colonization and explore the societies that eventually emerge from these "blended" cultures.

We challenge the notion that history and events can be effectively communicated using the “black/white” “good/evil” “right/wrong” dichotomy typical of the Fantasy genre. Groups and individuals are both motivated by a complexity of factors and never achieve complete collusion even when they seem to be working together towards a common goal. Choices have consequences—intentional and unintentional, positive and negative—that generate future ripples of cause and effect, action and reaction.


Narrative Structure:
(3rd Person Limited)
2 Narrators
Epistolary supplements


Major Characters: 
(Note: All names are considered "working titles" at this point and are subject to change and revision.)

• Emma - (narrator/protagonist) - 22-years-old, an underage upper/middle class society member. She is a direct descendant of Queen Emilyn Rose--last queen of Earth and mother of the alien-human hybrid species, for whom she is named. She has a close relationship with her grandfather (a member of the Core Council) and is being groomed to take over for him once she comes of age at 25. She has a passion for history that is considered unseemly in their technology/engineering focused society. She is engaged in an illicit sexual affair with family friend and member of the Chamber of Representatives, Loren. Secretly, she is a member of the Social Dark (an underground social and artistic movement) through which she has become friends with Marcus. 
• Leads a double-double life - loves secrets and adventure/thrill seeking
• A blend of responsibility and anarchy
• Flaw: risk taking (to her detriment)
• Marcus - (narrator/protagonist) - 22-years-old, an underage member of the underclass. His mother is a health worker. His father was removed from society some years ago for failing minimum health requirements (something he blames his mother for allowing to happen.) He shares Emma's love of history, is incredibly intelligent, and has an extensive knowledge of ancient languages and customs. Participates in the Social Dark. His low socioeconomic background makes it important for him to maintain a certain bad boy-esque reputation. 
• Incredibly intelligent
• Very loyal to the few members of his inner circle (e.g. Emma, his father's memory)
• Cautious/insecure by nature but goes to great lengths to hide it
• Flaw: overly concerned with how people perceive him
• Loren - (antagonist) - 29-years old, a member of the Chamber of Representatives and a highly favored candidate for the Core Council. He is incredibly handsome, charming, and a born leader. People are drawn to believe him and to follow him. His ideals are sometimes radical, but his goals seem to be egalitarian-focused. His political platform is one of social liberalization: equality for the underclasses. He is frustrated by the difficulty in getting the Core Council to come to consensus in order to enact change. SECRETLY: he is building a revolutionary army on  the Sublinary (present-day Earth) and recruits for a revolution through an underground rebellion on the Social Dark. He keeps his involvement secret even from its inner-members. He will redeem himself in the end by sacrificing himself to save Emma/their unborn child
• The consummate politician: has no moral compunction with lying or cheating to get his way. He sincerely believes he is acting in the interest of the greater good, however, and that the ends justify the means
• Has some kind of visual flaw - tbd
• Kori/Emilyn Rose I. - We learn her true story through the epistolary supplements. She was abducted from her post-apocalyptic human village and put into a top secret cloning program seeking to create an idealized human-alien hybrid. She is the first successful carrier of a hybrid child. The human Resistance movement frees her, she joins them in order to locate her brother among them, and eventually makes a critical choice (for herself and/or her child) that effectively destroys the Resistance and allows complete colonization/domination to occur. Her story is eventually reclassified in order to show aliens in a more positive light. The legends say that she was the last Queen of Earth, who joined with the King of Aliens to unite their two worlds. They eventually set up the system of government that exists today (a representative oligarchy). She is the miraculous mother of hybrids--the human virgin Mary image has been repurposed in her image. 

Supporting Characters:

• Harold - Emma's grandfather - holds the hierarchal position on the Core Council 
• Vladimir - Emma's father - a professor of finance
• Joyce - Emma's mother - a mayor/local leader
• Meadow - Emma's cousin(s) - another candidate for the hierarchal spot on the Core Council. Poss. Marcus' love interest?
• Linda - Marcus' mother - a health inspector 
• Frank - Marcus' father - believed dead, is actually alive on the Sublinary May or may not be involved with the rebellion/army
• Kori's brother