bakerstreet | Dystopian AU

Dystopian AU

Dystopian AU

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.

1. Stronghold - Inside the walls, we are safe. Outside the walls, there is only madness, desolation, and thirst. Everything you need is here. Mother protects us. Mother sees to all our needs. To defy or to question Mother is to put all our lives at risk.
2. Rebels against the Government - You know each other only by code names. You’ve met each other only within the safety of illegal, anonymous networks. You can only hope and trust that they are loyal to your cause, and that none of this is a trap.
3. Re-education - Once, you questioned. Once, you doubted. You know this, but you have learned of your folly. The Ludovico technique of aversion therapy is unparalleled at rehabilitating criminals. Traitors. So-called ‘free-thinkers’. You’re better now. Isn’t it wonderful, to be a productive and unquestioning member of society?
4. The Ministry of Culture - Art is lies, and lies are forbidden. Love is treachery, and treachery is forbidden. Sex is deviance, and deviance is punishable by death. History is regression, and regression is a crime. Music is rebellion, and rebellion is intolerable. Any citizens found in possession of deviant and false publications will be punished.
5. Population Control - Resources are finite. There are too many mouths to feed and not enough arable land. Which is why you have been chosen to be culled. Only the strongest, the smartest, and the most resourceful are needed in the new society. One person from your group will be permitted to survive and to return to society, richly rewarded. Everyone else must die. Weapons are right over there.
6. The Helpmeet (Smut Option) - It’s a stressful life, working for the government and helping to protect the fragile values of our society. Maybe it’s your way of surviving, of rebelling, maybe it’s the only thing you’ve ever known. And in recognition, in appreciation of your loyalty and service, the government has provided you with a Helpmeet. The Helpmeet is an eager, obedient warm body, waiting for you at your home, thinking of nothing but your pleasure. You’ve heard rumors that the Helpmeets are former rebels and traitors, re-educated into obedience and now serving this important social function. You’ve also heard rumors that Helpmeets are engineered in a lab to be what they are. Either way, there’s no reason for you to question it. No need to think about how you treat them. They’re not real people, after all.
7. WILDCARD

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((Corporate princess of the controlling elite.))

((Hacker. Probably works for the government or used to, interested in rebellion plots. M/M for helpmeet option.))

(m/f for smut/shippy)

((OOC: I'm partway through the game but not worried about spoilers. Pian Ran here is a fox demon in her own canon, I'm thinking to AU her into cyberpunk. She works as a card dealer in a gambling house/club, and as a 'hobby' she scams men with romance cons. After crossing paths with Takemura, she tries to target him for one of her scams but ends up catching feels for him along the way, if that sounds good?))

Let go!

[Pian Ran struggles against the grip of her assailant, but he's got cyberware hands, and her struggles don't get her anywhere. As tight as his grip is, she's worried he's going to end up breaking her arm.

If she'd been at work, security would have bounced this guy before he could get within twenty yards of her. On her own, making her way home, she should have been faster and keeping a better eye out for potential threats. For ex-'boyfriends' like this one, bearing a grudge against her just because of some little thing like cheating them out of thousands of eddies and then skipping out on them. Really, it isn't her fault that some people are gullible idiots. On rare occasions, she briefly considers whether she should feel bad about her little hobby, and has sometimes even hesitated in her plans. But every person she's ever met has proved to her that there's no honor or loyalty in the world, and every one of those guys has been just looking to use her and discard her in their own way.

So, no regrets.

Except for right now, with her arm caught by an angry goon who might very well be halfway to cyberpsychosis, and all the pedestrians around them just continuing on their way without a second glance. Right now, some regrets.]

I don't have your money, and I don't owe you anything, and if you don't let go of me right now--[She doesn't actually have anywhere to go with this threat. She's 5'5" and slender, unarmed with anything but her charm, and that clearly isn't working out for her at the moment.] I'll bite you.

[ One of the rare worlds where Asura can be a hero- he lives to rebel against society! ]

[Okay, but just imagine a government official, leading the investigation of/search for a rebel leader, with a small legion of helpmeets that she's quietly un-reeducated herself, on account of being said rebel leader.]

[Probably son of some of the City's elite, has no idea what things are Actually Like Out There because his needs have always been met.]

[Her 'canon' such as it is, is pretty dystopian, the city is basically run by Better Living Industries, who control their citizens via massive amounts of drugs. But in the desert outside the city, occasionally driving raids into the city to rescue people, are the Killjoys.
She probably had a name, back in the city, back when she was still living BL/ind, but she doesn't remember it now, and even if she did she wouldn't use it, none of them do aside from the names they gave themselves.

Since her 'canon' is an album and a couple music videos (and a tie-in comic) it's pretty easy to make her work with whatever kind of dystopia you've got in mind.]

[Works in a re-education center by day, patches up rebels and vigilantes by night.]

[Any of the above, worked for them, rebelled, got caught and re-educated into someone's helpmeet. Whatever works.]

[Leader of a highly militant rebellious faction, no one's quite sure if they want to burn the city down to give it to the people or just to watch the sparks fly. Obviously they've been branded as terrorists, though they call themselves a Brotherhood, the same as they always have.

The City definitely wants them eradicated, but as they live outside city borders, that's difficult to accomplish. They're always recruiting, however, if you can find them, or if they find you.]

((OOC:Hope this is OK, I'm happy to change anything if you want))

[The message had come in a small, metallic box welded together from scrap with a green question mark painted on the side and somehow slipped in with supplies the group had obtained. The symbol is known to be used by an information broker who goes by the moniker Enigma, an elusive source of information that no one has met in person.

Inside the box is a drive that, when read, reveals details of an upcoming weapons shipment local law enforcement is receiving. Everything is there - the assigned personnel, the contents, schedule, transportation route and the protections in place. An accompanying typed note reads: 'A gesture of goodwill.' On the back is a location in the slums on the outskirts of the City and a time and date.

The information is good, and whether or not it's acted upon, Edward is waiting at the meeting spot. Sitting cross-legged on an empty crate with a small, boxy device blinking beside him and a hand-sized golden cylinder resting against him, he's thoroughly engrossed in fiddling about on his homemade laptop as the meeting time arrives. His green coveralls and work boots are cleaner than anyone actually living in that part of the City can typically manage, but they've also been patched and repaired several times. He lives on the outskirts of society himself, not as well-provided for as the obedient sheep, but his talents make for a manageable lifestyle. For now.

There's a lack of attention to his surroundings that should make him vulnerable, but as soon as anyone tries to approach him the device beside him starts blinking faster. Edward doesn't look up from the laptop but grins smugly.]

Why, hellllo there! I see you got my present?

They had treated the gift like a trap, the same as they would have done regardless of where the information had come from.

Of course that didn't mean they weren't going to act on it, a boon was a boon especially if it wasn't a trap, and the fact that it hadn't been wasn't as much of a surprise as it could have been. Bane was reasonably sure he hadn't done anything to earn the Enigma's wrath, and more than that, he would know if he had.

It was also why an apparent meeting request was puzzling as well, but there was no reason not to go, because if that was the kind of information the Enigma could get ahold of, there was a good chance he wanted something in exchange. Which could prove beneficial, depending on what it was.

Bane emerged from the mouth of an alley, just nodding once at the greeting, "We did. Thank you."

Finally looking up as his guest emerged, Edward nodded in satisfaction. "And manners! I was afraid you'd be some uncouth brute. I'm so glad that's not the case."

He set his laptop down on the crate by the sensor hub, grabbing up the gold cylinder and twirling it one-handed as he unfolded himself. With a distinct swagger to his steps, he approached Bane, grinning up at the man. "In that case, I think we can get right down to business."

Swinging around, he paced a slow circuit of the spot he'd chosen, around discarded crates and defunct electronics long picked over by the local scavengers. "As you've no doubt surmised, I want to make a deal. I need access to a certain secured facility, and getting in there on my own is... unlikely. It will require numbers and force I do not have access to. In exchange, I can provide information on anything you care to know. I guarantee very little happens in this city that I do not know about. And less that I can't find out."

Spinning on his heel to face the other man again, Edward spread his arms expectantly, still for the first time since Bane appeared. "Well? Do we have a deal?"

"That, my new friend, depends on what facility and just how much brute strength you're going to need. I am not in the habit of volunteering my people so freely on so little information."

What he wanted from said facility might factor into Bane's decision as well, but he wasn't going to ask that one flat out just yet, not when knowing the location might be enough for him to get a better idea of what it was he was after. In counterpoint to Edward's pacing, Bane kept mostly still, arms folded loosely across his chest, not standoffish, just comfortable and idle, his breathing slow and even and given a quiet rasp by the mask.

The timing of the venture would definitely also factor in, but that was something else he wasn't going to ask right away, especially if there was reason to believe they shouldn't be speaking more or less in the open.

The caution was wise and expected, but Edward still gave a put-upon sigh at the question, though his smirk remained firmly in place. "I suppose I could furnish you with further details in the interest of collaboration."

He gave the small cylinder he'd been toying with a final toss into the air, letting it expand out into a golden cane, the curved head resembling a question mark. Catching it by the handle, he pointed the end at the laptop, and the screen lit up with a map, a bright green question mark flashing over part of the science district - the Stagg research facility. "I can give you all the details about the security and what to expect inside."

Turning back to Bane, he drew close again, voice dropping to a quiet, self-satisfied murmur. "And once I have physical access to the system, I can promise you won't need to worry about anything electronic."

The research facility specialised in developing new technology with a focus on security and communications. It provided technology to all kinds of departments in the city and offered a golden opportunity if he could get the access he needed.

He made a quiet noise in the back of his throat, somehow surprised and a little amused at once, "Stagg. Ambitious." He nodded, "I can see why you wouldn't take that on alone." It wasn't a building -or a company- that the Brotherhood had ever considered a hard target, they barely even rated as a potential soft target, there would be too much planning involved in something like that for it to be viable.

At least, there would have been doing so on their own, with the current members they had.

But if the Enigma already had a plan, and a good one, it was at least worth looking into. Which was why his next question was only: "Do you have a deadline?"

Grin widening, Edward gave a shallow bow. "Why would I waste my considerable time and talent on small fry? With what I can obtain there, the possibilities are endless." If he got what he was after, it would mean considerably more freedom - for himself, at least. No more scurrying around the edges to avoid notice; he could step up, make demands and be seen.

His smug excitement faded a little at the follow-up question, and he huffed. "I do. They cycle aspects of the security system. If we don't move within the next ten days, I'll need to uncover the new codes, which takes time." It was the one potential flaw he saw in his plan. If the time limit were somehow deemed too short, he'd be back to square one, an immeasurably more frustrating possibility when he was so close.

That was actually more generous than he'd been expecting, but he didn't let the surprise show, instead just nodding once, "I'll present it to the others when we're finished here and it shouldn't take us more than three days to come to a decision." Which definitely cut into actual preparation time, but if the plan was good enough they shouldn't need more than a day, maybe two to make actual preparations.

"Where should I send word when the decision is made?" He wasn't much for cloak-and-dagger dealings, wouldn't do well with secret codes posted in an out of the way location, but being able to leave a simple message of the decision somewhere would work out fine.

"Three-!" Edward bit back his irritation at the further delay. It still allowed plenty of time to carry out his plan, but it was frustrating on principle. Why was there even a need to discuss the matter? He had everything planned out; all that was required were the skills Bane's group had. That should be enough to follow along as he needed without questioning him.

With a huff of frustration, he stepped back over to his equipment to snap the laptop shut and scoop up the boxy sensor beside it. "Fine. Word. Have someone leave my mark here, and I'll be in touch." A green question mark would liven the place up. He was assuming his offer would be accepted - how could it not be?

There was always need to discuss plans of this magnitude -as well as joining forces with a previously unknown actor- because despite what people seemed to think, Bane wasn't a dictator.

In the end, however, the Brotherhood didn't deliberate as long as Bane had expected them to, and it was late the next evening, in the haze between the sun going down and the street lights coming up that one of the younger members slipped silently through the empty alley, leaving behind a graffiti'd question mark with maybe a little more of a flourish than strictly necessary. Not only a vibrant arsenic green, but phosphorescent as well, liable to absorb the remaining ambient light and glow as the area darkened.

[I mean, she's already a bounty hunter of escaped souls, so to speak, that could easily be converted into being a bounty hunter of ~~sense offenders~~ rebellion leaders or members or anybody the ~~Raven Queen~~ City Watch sends her after.

Could be a brainwashing situation, she doesn't know she was one of those people once, could just be she likes the work, could even be she hates the work and sometimes lets someone go when she can get away with it.]

[Accidentally a rebel leader? Look, he just wanted to play a game with his friends and now things are entirely out of hand. It's just a game! Nobody was actually supposed to get in trouble.]

[Working For Them, essentially.
He's the chief of operations at a City reeducation center. Of course, this isn't an exact science, and sometimes it can take weeks, even months to realize that a program had been faulty, or resisted by the subject.
But it's hardly his fault if that happens, right?

Except for the part where it is, certainly the reeducation programs are far from perfect, but a man his age can only sustain quiet, little acts of rebellion, and creating, fostering, the next wave of free-thinkers is one of those acts.]

[Techie -no other name known- had worked technical support for building security at a fancy high-rise apartment complex, at least until the complex had been taken over by one of the gangs, which was when he became building security thanks to the gang leader replacing his eyes with cybernetic augmentations, making it so that he could directly access any security camera in the entire complex.

But, sooner or later, the City had finally had enough and had liberated control of the building once more, arresting, and summarily executing, the gang. Techie had simply been moved to City security and dispatch, he was good at it, he didn't miss things the way someone just scanning over a dozen security feeds might. Officers he dispatched always made it where they were going unimpeded, shipments of weapons or aid supplies never went missing when it was Techie overseeing them.

But what the City didn't know was that he was also aiding the underground, because the thing with being able to see the city as a whole, meant that he could see them, too, he knew that they were in the right, and City Security was essentially just another gang.

It had been simple warnings at first, changing the banner scroll on news feeds to alert them of incoming officers, adjusting traffic signal timers so that they had time to get away, but that assistance had grown to re-routing the occasional supply truck and then erasing all digital trace of its existence. There were places, hidden corners and street signs, graffiti'd over windows and boarded up buildings where people knew to leave messages for him, things that only he would ever see, let alone understand.]

((Okay so I love this context a lot and I think it would be interesting to have the guy with cybernetic eyes aiding the blind lawyer by day and rebel by night.))

[Matt never had Oracle on his side (at least to the best of my knowledge, pretty sure she's The Other Franchise) but yes, we should absolutely give him the next best thing.]

[With the changing of the legal system, lawyers who weren't under the thumb of the new Cadre swiftly found themselves out of business. Matt was fine with that, he wasn't behind the new system, and fighting it overtly meant you were taken away for reeducation.

So he plays the role, a blind but well educated man who can manage documents but security is pleased because for everything that he manages, Matt can't read anything he's trusted with.

Well. Sort of.
A technical benefactor sent him discreet glasses to scan in everything he's given. Small tonal shifts in broadcasts to keep him aware of things.

He's starting to wonder just how much the mystery benefactor knows. Does he know his evening activities? His brawls with Cadre goons to help the local civilians?]

As a point of fact, Techie didn't know which of the freedom fighters the lawyer was, only that he was one of them, because even for someone with eyes where no one else had them, he still had his own blind spots, even he had to sleep, sometimes, though the feeds continued to run while he did, and there were certain things that would draw him out of even the deepest slumber.

Such as a strike team being mobilized and not through his hub. In and of itself not being through his hub wasn't concerning, there were multiple nodes throughout the city for safety reasons, namely that all of the Dispatchers had to sleep at some point and he was off shift.

But judging by the coding, this particular team was going to be running dark, which meant they were going to cut power to the neighborhood and go door to door in a sweep looking for both contraband and known dissidents, they were the kind of team that always found one or the other and generally both, and it was too late for him to actually warn anyone properly. Which meant that he had to hope -being as it was midmorning- that the lawyer was actually wearing the glasses, and that he was somewhere quiet enough to hear them, because the one thing Techie could do was to shift the recording frequency, causing them to buzz just faintly with the calibration, using that as a morse-code signal-tap.

It wasn't a perfect solution, it was barely even a solution at all, but it was what he could do on short notice. The message was as simple as he could make it while still getting the information across: Mayday. Full dark strike team incoming, t minus 9 minutes.

[She's a waitress at a City commissary, and she's good at her job, a smile, a laugh, conversation about the news or the weather.

But also, for people who know what to ask and how to ask it, she's got ties to the underground, she can get you any kind of contraband you need and if you've got enough money, she can even get you a new life.]

[He definitely works with the resistance/rebellion/insurgents, whoever it is that's breaking the status-quo and getting people out from under the thumb of the gubment overlords.
He works with a small group, one of the final stops in getting people (and supplies) out of the city and into the hands of the resistance.
He probably does factory work, or drives delivery vehicles, maybe even conscript transportation.]

[Vecna as the machinations of the City keeping her compliant? Maybe even given over as some kind of tribute. Vecna as something outside the City, in which case she definitely got captured/lured away from safety (and whether her rescue was at the hands of City Watch or a rag-tag band of rebels could go either way)]

[ Are we taking genetic determinism to extremes and pointing space lasers at everyone who disagrees again? ]

[Easy Mode: rebelling against the government is already canon.

Interesting Mode: Christmas Eve bad end but make it a group decision to take the deal. Now Akira and company are enforcers of a greater will, and slowly getting drunk on their power.]

[ No smut, otherwise open to discuss just about anything. V comes buy-one-get-one-free with his own ready-made dystopia, but I’m more than happy to mash him into a different setting! 2 and 4 are canon, and 3 would be super fun too. Feel free to send me a message if you want to get plotty! ]

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Dystopian AU

Coronabeth Tridentarius | Locked Tomb

Selene | Starfighter (Eclipse)

goro takemura | cyberpunk 2077

no subject

Kishin Asura 👀 Soul Eater

Leia Organa | The Star War | OTA

Steve | Stranger Things | OTA

Shiny \ Fabulous Killjoys OC \ OTA

Claire Temple | MCU | OTA

Gabreel King + OC + OTA

Bane | Nolanverse Batman | OTA

no subject

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Lup | TAZ: Balance | OTA

Eddie + Stranger Things + OTA

Merlin | Kingsman | OTA

Techie | Dredd | OTA

no subject

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no subject

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Angie | Agent Carter | OTA

Eliot Spencer | Leverage | OTA

Chrissy Cunningham + Stranger Things + OTA

shinn asuka | gundam seed destiny freedom nouns yadda yadda yadda

Akira Kurusu | Persona 5 | OTA

v (v for vendetta)