bakerstreet | shrugs

Welcome to the future.
Unfortunately, it's not all it's cracked up to be.

The very definition of the term cyberpunk is "high tech, low life." These are worlds defined by poverty or absolute control, a dog-eat-dog reality where man's best interest is to cut his or her losses and look out for only number one. The lines between organic and synthetic slowly blurs more and more, until the distinction becomes nigh-impossible to make. Friends become enemies, enemies tentative allies, and above all watches the Big Dog, silently pushing the world to their every whim. Does one wish to bow out and let come what may, capitalize on the tyrants' cruelty, join their cause, or fight back?

Your life is not your own. What you do about it makes all the difference, though.

1. You or your partner (or both) is a hacker who just stumbled across the biggest information leak of your lives. This could make or break the two of you, if you know how to handle the consequences of your following action.

2. 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.

3. 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?

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

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

8. Welcome to the lab, o curious traveler. I have a wonderful special running today. Just sit down and we'll begin the body modding! Ever feel like your eyes weren't up to snuff? Or maybe you'd like your brain to run a little faster, or make your entire body into a Swiss Army knife. I can do that for you, buddy. So what'll it be? Become more like a machine, or gain a little enhancement and become a metahuman?

9. Your first memory is waking up to the sound of scientists running off status checks. You're an AI, an android, a clone, or something else entirely that the masses hate or just don't consider human. How does your partner react? Are you sentient? Please, sir. I only ask that if you decide to rampage, please don't sing "Daisy Bell."

10. Sort of related to the above prompt, you or your partner were created, or experimented upon, and have become much more than you once were. You have become this close to attaining godhood, and the Secret Police, La Cosa Nostra, or whoever is pulling the strings have made you their right hand. How does this affect you or your partner?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Cyborg agent of the utopian ~~i.e. rigidly thought-controlled~~ society perched atop the trash heap of everyone else, whether she likes it or not...]

[Interested in a kinda 10? Something along the lines of Ben got experimented on and got powers but finally managed to run away rather than become the right hand of the government and now they want him back?]

[IDK if you know Battle Angel at all, but actually that sort of works for AUing him into her setting pretty smoothly... he could be an experiment of the renegade ~~and completely bonkers~~ renegade Tipharean scientist Desty Nova, who has a canon history of messing with biology and psychic abilities, and enhancing people to test whether they can "break free of their destiny"... and Alita's mission when she worked for Tiphares was specifically to hunt down Desty Nova. They also super don't like when anyone but them has any kind of power at all.

So: maybe she's sent to either capture or kill him, but then ends up sympathizing with him, instead?]

[I don't know Battle Angel at all. It sounds like I might need to change that. Did Desty Nova hang on to his experiments for a while after or would it make sense to de-age Ben? Since I see the initial experiment happening when Ben's a teen. Also, he might be able to help her catch the mad scientist and would certainly be willing.]

[The original series is really good and full of philosophy and history and martial arts references, I recommend it! It can be a bit gory and hyperviolent, though, as a fair warning.

As for Desty Nova, most of the ones we see he changes, he usually finds them in a bad state and changes something, e.g. giving them access to a powerful new cyborg body and then cuts them loose as an experiment. He's definitely kept a few around as henchmen, though, one way or another, or if he just felt his experiment wasn't complete yet. Aged down works, too, though, if want!]

[Oh, that does sound good. I'm glad gore doesn't bother me.

Hmm... Could be Ben had a rough day at school and decided to unwind by telekineticly breaking a few windows on the way home from school. Desty Nova sees him, picks him up, and experiments with expanding Ben's abilities. The experiment takes maybe several months to a year, if that seems realistic. She finds him when he's trying to find his way home?]

( this is actually a disaster.

there are a lot of mistakes praxis has made in his life. some he's made peace with, knowing there wasn't much he could've done to prevent himself from making those mistakes. inexperience lends itself to that. but, he's learned from those mistakes to not make them again. that's part of growing up, becoming a better person.

it's not...this. this is. something.

it's not his fault, first of all. at least he can console himself with that. maybe? probably not. but, it's the one silver lining to this abysmally dark cloud. he could say he didn't know abel would be at the art gallery, but he knows. praxis usually skips events like these even though he's invited to them all the time. he isn't really sociable, doesn't like making idle chat over anything. they make him feel more lonely than being at home alone. but, he gets word abel's going. he doesn't know why, but if there's a chance to see him outside of their usual quick meets at his apartment...

well, he'd be a fool not to take it.

he's there for an abysmally long hour before he spots abel across the room. his heart leaps into his throat, thudding hard and heavy. his palms already feel clammy. it takes him the better part of another hour before he finally approaches him. they talk -- very real talking. it's not even all that awkward. just...sometimes. but, it's nice. praxis finds himself falling even deeper under the impossible allure that abel has.

all good things come to an end, of course. abel's called away and all praxis can do is let him go and pretend not to feel jealousy curl in the pit of his stomach. eventually, he decides to just leave, because there's no further point in staying. on his way out, his sleeve is snagged by someone. praxis recognizes him as a coworker of abel's, as he's been on deliveries to the apartment when abel isn't working. the short version of the story is abel's tucked himself in a corner chair and out like a light, no amount of prodding will get him awake enough.

and, that's how he winds up in the car with praxis. he only knows the vicinity of where abel lives, so he can't take him home. which means he takes him to his apartment. so, it's just...happenstance that has abel here. in his apartment. (finally.) praxis brings him into the bedroom -- and he can't say he doesn't wish this were under different circumstances -- but, he does nothing more than take his shoes off and pull the blankets up over him. as much as he might want to stay there and watch him sleep (👀), he doesn't and retreats to the living room to make the attempt to get some work done. not...sit there and think about the man of his dreams in his bed. without him. )

[So having recently marathon'd AC for about the third time, I feel like people who were asleep for a couple hundred years and then ended up getting roped into working for smarmy sky-jerks should stick together. ...also, we already know he kind of has a thing for tiny cybernetic girls... so any thoughts on who to AU into what? Elements of 3, 6, 7, and 10 could all be appropriate to her.]