A cyberpunk roleplay experience.

[IDreamofBunnies]

This is a Science Fiction role play exercise. I'm going for a strong cyber punk, post human feeling. This will be a world where humanity no longer has a clear definition: machines with human brains, computers with flesh and blood, artificial and authentic intelligences roam the internet. We will explore new moralities and take a hard look at old ones. There will be no grand, large scale plot or storyline until there is.

I'm looking for people who can string together complete sentences, form complete thoughts. I want to see people who can spell with reasonable accuracy, you don't need to be a walking Webster's but you should know how to spell simple words such as: "the", "another", "enough", and so on.

Sometimes a single post will require multiple perspectives, sometimes people will want more than one character. Either way the preferred tense of this will be 3rd person past perspective. This means a post would look like this:

Bob turned around and said, "Hello."

Not:

I turn around and say, "Hello."

Characters can be many things. Perhaps you want to play the android who believes in the lie of humanity, or a cyborg who wishes to discard his weak organics. Some heed the call of the modern primitive, scarring and ritually marking their bodies in a plea to relive bygone days. Are you the corperate elite, the church and state of these modern times or a lowly street hacker living by her wits? The wise hologram, who passes on his wisdom to his scions or a vicious computer virus who loves to destroy people nosing around the virtual world.

Lets toss around some ideas, I will be making the first in character post soon.

 

[Xelebes]

The Telegram came in, streaming through a wire into a receptacle that I convert into thinking. Thinking isn't that hard, it only has to do with moderation. Do too much and you'll cause a revolution and the paradise we live in washes away like the water receding from a tsunami. However, we are encouraged to do some thinking or the paradise crumbles like a sand castle in the wind. Thus the Telegram was there, to keep the mind occupied.

I sat down at the table, with my bowl of nuts, chewing diligently, digesting the "input." The nuts were extremely tough, so while chewing and thinking I looked at my watch, embedded into my wrist. I always snorted at the inconvenience of a wristwatch. But it was the makers' decision to emulate a human in every possible way, even if they did become extinct 100 years prior. Soon the nut became cylindrical enough to slide down my "esophagus" to be processed into finer parts to be wrought into the body for repairs. The box of bolts were still in the cupboard and the nuts were getting really tough and boring to the firm jaws. I stood up, unplugged the Telegram wire and walked over ther, placing my bowl, and raised my arm to reach for the box of bolts.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

That was a wonderful post but this is more of an OOC thread.

 

[Xelebes]

Goddammit!

 

[Xelebes]

I will be an android who slightly pushes the envelope when it comes to though, 0.000019% too much, but the HQ can't tell. This leads him to eventually become charismatic and leads a group, ever so slowly. He is not certain what he is fighting for, but is not toally clueless, like his followers. To them, my android character appears to be a messiah. To the alerted authorities, he is a menace. They cannot charge him with too much thinking and be able to isolate them, since they do not have proof. And he considers the world controlled, not open and free. But does not understand what this controlled means and does not grasp the idea of what would happen when everything is free. But the fellow andoids and cyborgs trust him to lead them on.




How is this for a start?

 

[Quiet_Cool]

I might jump in here, but I'll need a little more info. Will this be created within a more advanced version of our own world? Will there be any sign of human intelligence, meaning fully human intelligence, left? Is this intended to be of a more violent and action oriented thread, or perhaps more internalized, a study of the human condition when humanity is suddenly inferior to what it has created?

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

The way I see it, humans as we know them now are extinct. They have slowly faded out of existence as the population of cyborgs and eventually genetically enhanced humans or "uberhumans" emerged. True artificial intelligences as well as human intelligence without a physical form would be extremly rare and androids would be struggling to determine weather or not they are human as the cyborgs and uberhumans claim that they are human while denying androids the same honor.

 

[SwampThing]

I'm definately interested in this. How about an enhanced human heiress squandering her fortune by constantly transferring her consciousness into new, young, black market bodies?

 

[Vixandra]

Sounds interesting...

I'd like to play an Uberhuman and an android if you don't mind.
about 5'2"
Humanoid though is lightly furred with foxlike ears, a tail and slightly enlarged canines. Moves with grace and agility, easily darting through the hectic society and world. She's a bounty hunter, hunting down rouge 'bots and other such things for money. Has been at this job since she was 15 so knows not only the tricks of the trade but has contacts in both reality and virtual reality to hunt down her quary.
Name: Aurora McFey
Age: 25


Accompanied by a hunter/destroyer android designated SCRP29372 otherwise known as Scorpio. Has accompanied Aurora because a) it pays all the bills, b) most "living" entities with money tend to trust another "living" entitiy over a 'bot and c) she lets him follow his prime directive of hunting things.
A typical humanoid android with short black hair, brown eyes, Anglo-saxon features and a slight "southern" accent which he adopted because he liked it. He's about 12 years old. Aurora found him in a junk lot four years before story-start time and fixed him up. She told him he was free to go or stay, whatever he liked as long as he never hurt her or her people. He decided to stay and is dedicated to her, as much as any android could be. He loves her in his own way, though she's oblivious to it because she doens't see herself as feminine enough to warrent it.

Does that work okay or does it need a bit of finetuning?

 

[Xelebes]

I'll play an avenger.... scrap the old ID... I want to play this.

An avenger is someone who is human, one of the few survivors out there who has come to take back what man made to dispose of himself.

He always walks around armed, due to his wariness of everyone around him. He lives like an assassin, out seeking the most powerful characters. He is armed quite lethally with assault rifles and grenades and pistols, but conceals all of this in an oversized dark trench coat. He is one of the few who terrorize the nights for the cyborgs, adroids, and humanoids that now rule the earth.

My character is named Rolf Peters, raised from a family line of Hutterites who managed to shield themselves from the technological coup d'etat but ever since have been scattered as the world of technology consumed the world like a cancer. He is quite tall, noticeable amongst the androids and such, standing a fearsome 7 feet. Humans have grown to such heights after heavy feeding to make them large. Dusty blonde hair, a strong but menacing face.

 

[Veryknowing]

This seems very, very interesting.

Okay. Let's see. What shall I play in this?

It appears to be avery deadly chaotic world. Lots of killers, lots of dangers.

..................................

I am going to put on my thinking cap. I wish there were more females on this thread. I might hassle a few, see if they turn up.

 

[Vixandra]

This does sound rather dangerous... fun!

 

[Silvergirl]

Is there a limit on characters? Can somebody be plain old human as well?

 

[Xelebes]

Is there a limit on characters? Can somebody be plain old human as well?

You can be my lover... or something. I'm normal human... except I hunt at the night

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

I was still surprised to see this around I forgot about it, you guys can do what you want with it. I have the feeling that too much interference from me will spoil it.

I never thought as humans being hunted down or outlawed, it was simply a matter of progress. Why be a plain old human when you can take advantage of science and become so much more? Cyborgs would be closest to humans because they are in fact geneticly pure, just with mechanical parts, they represent a final, immortal generation of humans. Uberhumans are the way of the future.

 

[Morgoth]

What about AI's? Pure technology. We're talkin advanced robotics. Is that ok?

If so:
I would like to play a rogue AI. It was originally a virus, but soon became self-aware, took control of it's cyborg creator, used him to find a perfect body, inhabited it, killed him, and has now begun to subvert other machines to its cause. It is known only as Armaggedon and stalks the darkness. It looks more or less human, except covered in layers of the hardest most duable metal known to uberhumanity. This same metal can take any form that conforms to the basic shape and size of Armaggedon. Armaggedon stands nearly 7 feet tall, so he does stand out in a crowd. Also, he can never change his color from silver-grey. He can use almost any weapon, but he prefers two massive knives. He also has the ability to corrupt any machine or robotic parts with a touch. Though his original programming was to create massive power outages and eradicate various key computer and networks, he has since self-deleted that purpose and his current goal is to bring all machines under his fist, then to conquer uberhumanity, cyborgs, and androids.

 

[Xelebes]

What about AI's? Pure technology. We're talkin advanced robotics. Is that ok?

If so:
I would like to play a rogue AI. It was originally a virus, but soon became self-aware, took control of it's cyborg creator, used him to find a perfect body, inhabited it, killed him, and has now begun to subvert other machines to its cause. It is known only as Armaggedon and stalks the darkness. It looks more or less human, except covered in layers of the hardest most duable metal known to uberhumanity. This same metal can take any form that conforms to the basic shape and size of Armaggedon. Armaggedon stands nearly 7 feet tall, so he does stand out in a crowd. Also, he can never change his color from silver-grey. He can use almost any weapon, but he prefers two massive knives. He also has the ability to corrupt any machine or robotic parts with a touch. Though his original programming was to create massive power outages and eradicate various key computer and networks, he has since self-deleted that purpose and his current goal is to bring all machines under his fist, then to conquer uberhumanity, cyborgs, and androids.

I don't know if Armageddon and Rolf Peters would cause too deep of a dichotomy between two sides that the outcome would be way too obvious, that the roles of the other characters would serve no purpose. Just my thought for the moment.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Control any machine with a touch? [Sarcasm] Not too twink-like [/Sarcasm].

 

[Morgoth]

twink?
pardon?

 

[Morgoth]

Xebes: Trust me on this one. I think it'll be ok.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Definition of a Twink as copied from charlestonbynight.com. This definition is tailored a bit to fit White Wolf but you'll get the idea.

"Twinkery" is the foolish belief that you can somehow "win" a role-playing game. Thus, Twinks tend to take an approach to character creation/gameplay that enhances the chances of achieving what they view as a "win".

Combat-Twinks: Believe that to "win" in the game, you must acquire massive amounts of "Experience Points" in battle. Load up on all combat-related Abilities, acquire military-grade weapons, and pick up only those Disciplines/Spheres/Gifts that enhance their chances in combat. Tend to make "insta-kill" posts: "I leap out from the trees blowing 8 Rage and hit you nine times with my Grand Klaive for 212 Agg Damage, then fade back into the night."

Drama-Twinks: Believe that "winning" involves being at the center of attention, at ALL times. Common tactics include creating multiple-XOver characters (True Mage Gypsy/ Kinain/ Kinfolk/ Mediums) and running extensive plots in which their character is publicly put through hell--but never, ever dies. Even suicide is only a temporary state of being. Likewise, if the character routinely enters in a state of near-death, writhing on the floor as their multiple wounds bleed on the carpet (and it's amazing the places some folks will go to in order to avoid a trip to the hospital), the player is a probable Drama-Twink.

"Special" Twinks: Much like Drama Twinks, these folks try to hog the spotlight. However, they take it one step further by totally ignoring anything resembling rules for character creation. Bete of animal types that DON'T have a Changing Breed are common, here, as are out-and-out rules violations (often involving Sphere Magic-wielding Fae). Also common is the tactic of "borrowing" Merits and Flaws from other systems (Say it with me: "Wings!"). The inevitable justification for this is a loud and obnoxious defense of the "Golden Rule"--ignoring that this has no place online, where there are no STs.

Über-Twinks: Cousin to the Combat-Twink, this fellow can't be beaten or shown up in any way, shape, or form. While rarely found to be in outright violation of the rules, this character has nothing approaching a "weakness". Whether they are an Elder (Methuselah?!?), Vampire, a Legendary Garou or a Master/Archmage, these folks can come up with a counter for anything that might harm, embarrass or otherwise make their character look in any way less than perfect, invincible and omnipotent/omniscient. Look for multiple Lores at 5, Mastery of four or more Spheres, scads of out-of-Tribe/Breed Gifts, or several Disciplines at Rank 7 or 8--inevitably including Thaumaturgy.

Now, of course, we come to the real problem: all of the above, save the "Special" category, are also totally viable online character concepts. Not every Angst Queen, Combat God or even Very Powerful Character is a de facto Twink. Even "Special" characters might not be Twinky in a TT game.

The difference is in attitude. The Twink will never, ever, allow themselves to be derailed. Drama Twinks won't give up the spotlight. Combat Twinks are immune to failure in combat. The Uber Twink will never say, "There's nothing more I can do."




--Freemage

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

This somewhat reminds me of a good book I read once, where all the humans were in vats, and lived out their long, long llives in avatars. Out of bordom they even abandoned those and role played in Live Action sets (much like we role play here). One guy, tho, just wanted his body back.

When they came to check on him he shook his old friend's hand and said "This is as close as you've been to a real person in a long time."

I'm sorry I can't remember the name of it.

 

[Lovelynice]

Pity you can't remember the name of the book. I recently came across a movie like that. Very thought provoking in it's own way, but B-grade in many other ways.

As to the "twink" business, I have to agree with IDreamofBunnies.

A long time ago on the Jericho Zero thread on the SRP, there was a guy who created a very annoying, and tediously horrible character like that. Everything that others could do, he always insisted that his character was better at it. He behaved as if he was still in his teens, and caused a lot of problems with others. I doubt, however, that Morgoth would cause such problems....he's been on other threads that I've posted (albeit long ago) and always acted as the perfect villian.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Maybe he is but I just think that having the power to take over machines with a simple touch in a setting that emphasizes high technology such as robots and such is a bit twinkish. If he had that power in a medieval low technology setting it would be cool. That's all I'm saying.

 

[Morgoth]

Oh, I'm sorry.(no, seriously) I miswrote. What i meant was non-intelligent technology. Think-Builder robots, stuff like that. For things with a mind(computers, cyborgs, androids): it takes a few days(size and complexity-relative) and the victim can't be moving at all. Trust me, I am not a "twink". Although I actually thought you were calling me a gay man(I've heard to them being reffered to as "twinks" also). So, sorry, my mistake. Hope that its understood?