bakerstreet | the cyberpunk au meme

The Cyberpunk AU Meme 3.0 [OPEN BETA]

Welcome to the future. Please abandon all hopes and dreams after this point, for the very definition of the term cyberpunk is "high tech, low life". The idea behind cyberpunk comes from the thought that as technology advances, so broadens the gap between social status, where becoming middle class is an achievement and anyone wanting to become anything higher suffers from pipe dreams. This life is pain, where the only person you can really trust is yourself.

These are worlds defined by poverty or absolute control, where the net is your only escape from the troubles of the world. Cyborgs, meta-humans, AI, and corporations with undisputed power are what's being served out here. Do you have what it takes to survive?

To get started, you can create a scenario for yourself, or merely go to the Random Number Generator and choose a pre-made one for you and your partner, or you can even leave your comment blank and let respondents pick.

Possible roles
>The office drone: You're no one special. Day in and day out, you punch into work. You're unaware, or at least uncaring, of how shitty life around you is because at least the fistful of dollars you get keeps you from being on the streets.
>Deprogrammed: Similar to above, but a set of circumstances has made you realize just how blind you are. You don't have the savvy others may have but you have the determination to see your goals out until the bitter end. Or at least until your enemies make you a better offer.
>The muscle: You have a specific set of skills that are in high demand. Be it assassin or head-basher, you're rarely out of a job.
>Tech support: You have a way with computers that would make ABC agencies cry. Big people rely on you while even bigger ones are trying to get their hands on you.
>The talking head: Your district, your city, or your country knows you well. You're the face of propaganda, and boy, can you weave it! You're kept comfortable by the masters that feed you, though the days may be difficult as you see more and more injustices enacted.
>The Street tough: You're the lowest of the low. Life has given up on you, though you keep fighting on. You're the dealer, the gangster, the informant, the thief, and more. You know all the short cuts and the best ways to cause a stir.
>The fish out of water: Through experimentation, creation, or other factors, you've found yourself in this brave new world with no support to lean on. You need to understand the way things are if you're to survive long.
>The Hard-luck hero: Can be any of the above, though circumstance or sheer force of will has kept you from straying away from doing what's right.
>The Antagonist: Board member of a mega-corporation? G-Man with the need to stay in Power? Religious fanatic with an extremist bent? The background matters not. What does matter is that if you aren't the problem, you certainly benefit from perpetuating it.

There are so many more possible roles, so don't let this list limit you! If you think it could fit, play it out!

Prompts
>Deep Throat: One (or both) of you have managed to stumble across information that could change the way the world around you works. This could make or break the two of you, if you know how to handle the consequences of your following actions.

>The Hook Up: In the real world, people wouldn't waste their spit on scum like you. But in the net? You're a god, peddling information and resources better than Wal-Mart. Just be careful who you talk to. Not everyone thinks what you do is a good thing.

>Take a Stand:The corporations, the government, the gangs, the machines. It doesn't matter who it is, but you're tired of their interference in your life. Are the two of you ready to take them on?

>Thorns In My Side: You're the king or queen of your private enterprise. You have it all: A private army, AIs capable of placating the masses, connections even better than the government, and a demeanor that could charm Satan himself. However, there's still that little nuisance known as the underdog, and they're knocking at your door.

>What You Need is a Gramme...: You just got that newest drug shipment in, and it promises to be the biggest trip in your life. It promises to make you stronger, faster, smarter, and sexier, all in one hit. The only thing left is to try it.

>The Patchwork Man: People are disappearing, and no one seems to notice or care, except you and your partner. The only thing? They're also your worst enemy.

>Escape From...: You've just been kidnapped, and unfortunately, your partner's the kidnapper. What's their motive? Can you escape?

>Voight-Kampff: Your job is to track down and 'retire' human-like bioengineered androids who have gone rogue. Sounds simple enough, right? Not when your targets are as intelligent as any human, or more. Not only that, they are stronger, almost indistinguishable from humans in appearance. So much so it's possible one could be one and not realize it...

>Be More Human: You're a cop, a gumshoe or someone else dealing with law enforcement, a dangerous job to do alone. Good thing you have a partner, right? Only one problem, they're an android. Robots who can think and feel are a thing now, and what's more, some are starting to think they should have all the rights humans have. Whether you agree or not, you two are stuck together.

>FUCK Society: As the internet grows more advanced, so does inter-connectivity to the point whole cities are now monitored by powerful operating systems that govern all aspects of city life. You are a hacker that is out to fight the megacorps, while seeking revenge against the criminal element.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Probably a lone wolf operative working to take down the corporation who trained her, as one does in the cyberpunk future. Although could be neat to play the Red Room as a Replicant factory?? Whatever let's do this.]

The girls have been vanishing off the street for months. She's noticed. But then, she always notices, doesn't she? Knows their names, the johns who hire them, knows where they go when they're working and where they sleep when they're not. Natasha's just another face on the streets. Working like them, only not the same job. Hers is usually a touch cleaner, though there is occasionally bloodshed. She's not perfect, after all, only close enough for corporate work.

But familiar faces and voices have been vanishing, and not just at the usual rate. It's enough to make her wonder, enough to make her concerned. That's why she followed Veronica tonight. She wouldn't dream of it, normally, but Natasha finds she can't quite bring herself to add one more name to that list if she can help it. Unfortunately, given the sounds coming from that room, the moans that quickly turn to screams and then just as suddenly to silence, she can't help it. She can't do anything, even as fast as she is, in through the window to an empty room and blood on the floor. Crouching, she reaches out a hand, lifts fingers covered in sticky red to her face--before she hears the sound of another set of feet in the doorway.

"This isn't what it looks like."

Cassian must make some noise in the back of his throat because Kay-Too is muttering in his ear about elevated heart rates and should he guess who is in there based on voice alone, and all he can do is sigh.

Having a droid piped directly into your ear can be frustrating at times.

"What exactly does it look like?" Because there's a lot of blood, definitely, but none of it is on Natasha save her fingers.

"Like a Tuesday in the city."

The response is a little dry, almost humorous as she stands, turning to face the door. There's even a faint smile on her face, though none of it reaches her eyes. Those remain cool, watching him, calculating.

"Something I can help you with?"

Is he here to help, or to get in the way? Because she's got her suggestions for either.

"Seeing as how it's Sunday..."

Cassian can do fake smiles as well as the next spy, thank you very much dangerous redhead he's been warned away from. He also folds his arms over his chest. "Veronica told me girls have gone missing." He told her not to take on new and strange Johns but that's not really an option, apparently.

"Bionics said she was here less than twenty minutes ago."

"I could have told you that without the bionics. And it's been less than ten minutes, actually. Don't suppose you passed her on the way in, did you?" There's still that touch of humor to her voice, but any semblance of a smile has fallen away in favor of a cool mask as she assesses him briefly for threats before turning back to the room at large, searching for another entry point besides the door he'd come through. There has to be something she's missing. She doubts this one would be dumb enough to grab Veronica and then come back in feigning innocence.

[The tech support. A cyborg connected to the system. Either working for one of the corporations or working alone depending on the scenario. m/m for shipping, but ota for everything else.]

[Probably the muscle or the street tough.]

[ i mean this is p much canon for her ]

[ voicetesting! ]

[Canon for him, but I can adjust to anybody else's canon, too. He'd be best for actiony or net-based prompts.]

[the muscle, the street tough, or maybe even the antagonist. would be open to a separate prompt from the ones on the meme.]

Edited 2017-10-14 18:52 (UTC)

[Canon, but can translate her into anything else. She's the scout of a team of professional criminals for hire and as such could get into pretty much all kinds of shenanigans. Happy to do both canon and cross-canon!]

(here have a smol tech support who talks too much)

[ castmates or cross-canon a'ok ]

[ no au necessary! a hard-luck hero for all your hard-luck hero needs. ]

[ some sort of company enforcer or mercenary, probably. ]

the cyberpunk au meme

][ Rick Deckard ][ Blade Runner ][

Natasha Romanoff | MCU | ota

private starter

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Q | James Bond

Owen Shaw | Fast & Furious movies | OTA

Raleigh Becket | Pacific Rim | ota

sombra | overwatch | ota

legion | mass effect

lucy stillman | assassin's creed | ota

Finn | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | ota

Eren Jaeger | Shingeki no Kyojin | M/M

Cain | Granblue Fantasy

clarice fong (blink) | the gifted

Togusa | Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

cain | starfighter | ota

Kitty | Shadowrun oc | ota

Sonnet Barje | Blue Sonnet

Otacon | Metal Gear Solid

daenerys targaryen | game of thrones | ota

adam jensen | deus ex

Quorra | Tron: Legacy

kylo ren ⋆ star wars: tfa