Archive for November 16th, 2012

#8 Sunshine Montgomery

You know, they say there’s people out in the landlocked states, dodging tornadoes every other damn day, trying to pretend it’s all business as usual while STILL denying the climate’s going through some changes.

There’s nobody willing to argue in what’s left of the cities along the coast. Things are much different now. Where there was once prime urban real estate, sit flooded streets five stories deep. Where there’s now suddenly a series of intense storm events, a monsoon season lasting Late August to Mid November the locals refer to simply as “The Onslaught.”  And yet still, people try to eke out a living here, living in makeshift pontoon collectives, tied off to whatever rooftops are available to set up co-op gardens. Cottage industries have even sprung up. Like the crews of Reclaimers.

Reclaimers, like Sunshine here, plunge the polluted depths of the sunken streets looking for things they can use to barter. They go by a code that consists of four rules. First, if it’s soaked for this long, it’s yours. Second, if somebody can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that its theirs, it’s theirs. Thirdly, if force is involved in obtaining it, it’s nobody’s. And fourthly, there’s nothing ever worth getting down in the Subway. Some  call them scavengers, others even lump them in with the pirate bands that sprung up. Still, as money continues to lose its value, there are more & more people who decide to take up Reclamation work.

Equipped with her trusty lifehammer (originally designed to break the window of a car that ended up in the water), Sunshine was a just a barista at a free trade coffee joint before the oceans rose, as well as a part time Freegan (much to the chagrin of everyone else). And while she might be a bit more stern than that bubbly young girl, fresh in from Smalltown USA, she prides herself on having stuck it out. All of it. The storms, the waves. At the end of the day, few can say that.

While considered a veteran Reclaimer, she’s still technically considered small time. She has yet to find that one big score. Something so valuable she can trade to get whatever her heart desires & retire off of. While, they may tease, she’s awfully persistent, even taking up contract work (searching for specific items people say they left behind). Recently, there’s been talk of a man looking to contract someone to dive Lorimer St Station. And he’s offering whatever , on account of you know, it being the subway & all. Sunshine’s typically not one to ever even really think about breaking the code, but maybe, just maybe this could be the exception.

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Started writing this & then had to run to work. I tried to do it more in the style of a POV but I think the voice started to sort of wane there more at the end. The idea’s partially coming from some of the events resulting from Sandy/Frankenstorm, sure. But it mostly comes from me getting sick & tired of just about every post apocalypse feeling the same. If things aren’t taking place in a sun baked wasteland, they’re in a dreary woods. Well what about the coastline? Combine that with me liking the idea of people still try to live amongst the ruins of a sunken city. The only thing I can think of ever really trying to explore that was the anime Blue Sub 6, & even then it was for like ten minutes in the very beginning of it. Evangelion sorta kinda not really.

I’m hoping to have a solid day of drawing ahead of me tomorrow. One very close to finished & a few others in the works. Problem seems to be every time I think I’m going to get time, something comes up. So we’ll see.