IDreamofBunnies
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2002
- Posts
- 599
OOC: This thread has been started for those of us who discussed the cyberpunk genre in the "a cyberpunk roleplay experience" thread but anybody can join.
Welcome to the amazing world of the 24th century! The promise of a better tomorrow has been achieved! War, poverty, sickness...these words are all but eradicated from the human vocabulary, kept merely as amusing anecdotes of a bygone age! Marvel at the progress and endless potential of humanity, surely if there is life beyond our own among the sea of stars they would look upon us as brothers and sisters!...
-Introduction to "Super Science XXXIII"
There is no problem with the AI or its associated subsystems! The technology and it's safeguards are infalliable. Rumors of random AI evolution are little more than tabloid fables!
-Senator Haans Orlock to Weather Control Subcommittee
Mutants? Please, that sort of thing went out of fashion after X-Men 43: Die Strong Man Die. But sometimes you hear wierd stories, like those pro atheletes injecting themselves with insect DNA. Or that one supermodel who didn't pose nude for "Fête Monthly", I heard that she has a tail from feline hormones. None of it's true though."
-Gossip
Out with the old, in with the New.
-Uberhuman Standards League
We made it, if you can believe it. The rancor of the 21st Century turned into World War Three. Africa was torn apart by ethnic cleansing and warfare between legitamate governments, religious extremists, and warlords. New governments were being formed daily in South America. In North America terrorists attacks came not from the expected Islamic fundamentalists but from the home grown fanatics of the racist right who bombed abortion clinics and made bold attacks against minority communities and organizations. The promise of a European Union was forever destroyed as Neo-Facists and lingering Communist elements tore countries apart with protests and strikes. With it's western allies busy with their own troubles Israel suffered from attacks by it's Arabic neighbors, until they responded with previously unrevealed nuclear weaponry, vaporizing much of the middle east and turning nearby Iraq into a giant sheet of black glass. The ignored threat of global warming affected Australia and the Pacific first, killing many indiginous lifeforms and increasing the death toll until it outpaced the birthrate.
It was the Canadian-American War that signaled the turning point. Or perhaps the lack of that war. At some desperate point, soldiers had lined up along the border that had generally known peace for over three hundred years and nothing happened. The soldiers threw down their weapons and refused to gun down their neighbors. It was the breath of fresh air that the world needed. Canada, the United States, the Central American nations, and the islands of the Caribbean sent representatives to a special meeting in the United States' capital building and were able to discuss their grieviences. Working together they crushed terrorism in all of it's forms and worked to aid each other's economies.
The new alliance, the North American Union sent teams of diplomats and charity workers to South America and slowly helped them form their own democratic governments with Constitutions jointly written by Canada and the United States whom the NAU agreed were the best choices for the job, having done so well themselves (and having written Japan's constitution). Economic aid was sent to Europe and it's people were rallied by a campaign of goodwill and humanity. The citizens forced their will upon the neo-facists and communists who had claimed to represent them and restored the rightful governments to full authority. A unified force from all over the Americas and Europe put down the wars in Africa. Using the UN as a rallying point the scientists of the world put aside research intended towards cosmetic, military, and entertainment ends and focused on medicine, clean energy, and a means to clean the Earth.
The next two hundred years knew peace like nobody on Earth had known before. Education and medical care reached all and nobody would tolerate war or terrorism anymore, no would be despot could get a toe hold, even in what had been the most unstable parts of Africa.
Technology was developed that restored the atmosphere and turned the charred middle east into a verdant paradise. The Sahara was made into vast fields that would feed the world. This technology would eventually allow humans to terraform the moon.
The terraformation of the dark side of the moon (the Earth side had been left untouched as not to disturb the tides) spurred the governments of the world towards the unification of the world's government to prevent wars over the colonization of celestial bodies. It was decided that the Earth would have a unified government split into four camps, the four camps would foster economic, scientific, and cultural competition in order to engender progress but would all answer to a single body to prevent war.
It is now the tail end of the 24th Century. Humanity has colonized the dark side of the Moon, the entirety of Mars and it's own moons, and the moons of Jupiter. Medicine is phasing out humans in favor of the perfect, orderly Uberhumans and it is predicted that the original human species will be no more by the 26th Century.
All this peace, love, and progress is nice but it can hardly feed the human spirit or ego forever. As different types of humans emerge and new forms of existence claim humanity things are boiling towards conflict. The four camp system has worked for two hundred years, is mankinds' Golden Age about to end?
The character types:
Humans- People who are 51% orignal organics are legally considered Alpha humans. A human with 51% or less cybernetics could not support dangerous cyber parts such as robotic arms or legs, or cybernetic weapons. They form the majority of the population numbering at 15 billion dispersed between Earth and it's colonies. The cosmetics of this age allow a human to appear to be of any ethnic origin and even coloration normally impossible. Medicine allows humans to live for around 150 years in prime health with the effects of old age setting in at around 155 to 160 years. To keep the population managable, humans aged 161 are euthanized. This is usually a time of joy and celebration as the ancient human is passes through a white light in the presence of family and friends and is crystalized. These crystals are put in HUMANITAS, the central computer system of the HUMANITAS Union. There they reside in a psuedo-reality not unlike the Matrix where they can live out their fantasies and lend their opinions to world leaders.
Cyborgs-People who are less than 51% original organics are legally considered Beta humans (this distinction does not mean they have less rights, merely that cyborgs came into being after humans). Because of the abundance of machinery built into them they can and often do, sport mechanical limbs. Because they cannot reproduce cyborgs are not euthanized at 161 years of age. However their brains still degenerate and as more and more of their organics are replaced they eventually become full blown robots. New drugs can keep an aging cyborg's brain active for much longer but severe mental side effects occure in 10% of all cyborgs who used them. The cyborg population is at 100 million and shrinking.
Uberhumans-Engineered from the DNA of two "parents" who do not need to be of different genders is formed free of flaws and to the specifications of the "parents". Five months later the infant Uberhuman is born in a vat. These Gamma humans are far more intelligent than Alpha and Beta humans and can be the physical equals of some cyborgs. They are so perfect, even beyond the scope of human cosmetics that they stand no hope of "blending in". That does not bother then as they are endowed with superior initative, confidence, and whatever other traits the parents wanted them to have. There are flaws, although they can have "creative" genes introduced into them their cultural works are inferior to those of Alpha humans, often lacking "soul". That and they are programmed to painlessly die in their sleep after their 50th birthyday. It is rumored that an underground cell of Uberhumans is working to remove this safeguard and are being hunted down by the HUMANITAS Council. There are about 100 million Uberhumans and the number is rising.
Phantoms-Delta humans are former Alpha humans who reached the age of 161 and were crystalized. While most of them reside in the psuedo reality of the HUMANITAS computer, some of them escape into the mainstream internet. Phantoms that leave HUMANITAS seem to be drawn to the computers of their relatives where they act as "digital guardians". They are slow compared to AI's and other digital entities who calculate billions or even trillions of calculations a second but while these entities are limited to Yes and No Phantoms have access to the powerful Maybe.
Mutants-What "Epsilon" humans, or maybe even the real Beta humans? Oooo scary! There's no such things as mutants right? Of course there are stories. An unborn child exposed to radiation or zero gravity, the experimental drug that alters somebody's DNA, the guy bitten by a test animal from a strange lab....all sorts of stories...HUMANITAS does not recognize the existence of mutants.
Androids- Completly mechanical beings intended to resemble humans. Created to perform tasks deemed to dangerous for humans such as gas mining or as special labor on zero gravity projects. Androids are incredibly strong and as intelligent as they are programmed to be. Sometimes somebody creates an android without a specific task in mind; engineers who don't want to deal with the nuances of a human child or don't want to outlive their Uberhuman progeny. And there is a black market for Slave Androids and illegal Emotion Chips that allow an Androids to mimic humans and develop their own personalities. There are probably 10 million androids in existence, they are programmed with a variation of the Three Laws of Robotics.
AI- Many of HUMANITAS' systems are AI operated, advanced artificial entities that perform mundane and minute tasks. Humans are paranoid things though and have taken advice from their forebearer's tales. The most important thing controlled by an AI is the weather control systems on the Jupiter colonies. A rare few AI's evolve into their own unique beings. These vastly intelligent yet child like beings try to grasp human morality and values. Some are driven to dominate humans, to protect and guide them like a dutiful son or daughter who cares for a senile parent. Some exist to destroy and others to learn or protect. They are often attracted to Phantoms but are denied access to the HUMANITAS central computer where most of them reside. There are hundreds of thousands of these entities but only a handful of evolved AI's.
Robots- You know what they are. Unsightly, powerful constructs intended to carry out the will of their human creators. They are used for tasks so base that a human appearance is not needed. Humans have taken cues from their distant forebearers and have made Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics a part of the programming. Humanity's paranoia has also made humanoid robots illegal on Earth and poses a quota on the number allowed on the colonies. For the purposes of these laws and programming only robots that can move independantly or are humanoid in shapre are considered. Robots like the ones used in 21st century manufacturing are not "robots" in this sense. There are ten million robots scattered between Luna, the moon of Earth, Mars and the moons of Jupiter.
Government: The HUMANITAS Union is the central body that coordinates and regulates the four Camps of Earth. They exercise direct control over the colonies outside of Earth. There is a Council comprised of five representatives from each camp and colony which are elected by the legislative bodies of the respective member camps and colonies. There is a Director elected to a ten year term by the HUMANITAS council who has executive control. The justice system is AI controlled to ensure that emotion and corruption is not a factor in justice.
The four camps are Washington/Bolivar (The Americas), Victoria/Shang (Eurasia), Aksum/Menes (Africa and the Middle East), and Kephua/Kamehameha (Australia, Oceania, and Pacific Ilses). They conduct their own affairs, contributing their gains in the yearly World Fair which showcases the best of each camp's art, technology, athletic achievment, etc.
Religion: Old religions were abandonded slowly and subtley. First religions lost their tax free status' and permits to construct houses of worship became nearly impossible to obtain. There were many steps between the 22nd and 24th Century until finally none of the old religions were mentioned in any ordinary texts. It is possible to learn about the old religions through specialized history courses and it is legal to practice whatever religion you wish within your home it is now illegal to practice in public or in large groups. The official word on religion was established in the HUMANITAS Constitution: "We the people of Earth believe in an omnipotent force beyond human comprehension that is responsible for the creation of the universe and it's contents. We will neither adore nor revile this force until we can understand it."
OOC: I hope this is enough for you all to start with.
Welcome to the amazing world of the 24th century! The promise of a better tomorrow has been achieved! War, poverty, sickness...these words are all but eradicated from the human vocabulary, kept merely as amusing anecdotes of a bygone age! Marvel at the progress and endless potential of humanity, surely if there is life beyond our own among the sea of stars they would look upon us as brothers and sisters!...
-Introduction to "Super Science XXXIII"
There is no problem with the AI or its associated subsystems! The technology and it's safeguards are infalliable. Rumors of random AI evolution are little more than tabloid fables!
-Senator Haans Orlock to Weather Control Subcommittee
Mutants? Please, that sort of thing went out of fashion after X-Men 43: Die Strong Man Die. But sometimes you hear wierd stories, like those pro atheletes injecting themselves with insect DNA. Or that one supermodel who didn't pose nude for "Fête Monthly", I heard that she has a tail from feline hormones. None of it's true though."
-Gossip
Out with the old, in with the New.
-Uberhuman Standards League
We made it, if you can believe it. The rancor of the 21st Century turned into World War Three. Africa was torn apart by ethnic cleansing and warfare between legitamate governments, religious extremists, and warlords. New governments were being formed daily in South America. In North America terrorists attacks came not from the expected Islamic fundamentalists but from the home grown fanatics of the racist right who bombed abortion clinics and made bold attacks against minority communities and organizations. The promise of a European Union was forever destroyed as Neo-Facists and lingering Communist elements tore countries apart with protests and strikes. With it's western allies busy with their own troubles Israel suffered from attacks by it's Arabic neighbors, until they responded with previously unrevealed nuclear weaponry, vaporizing much of the middle east and turning nearby Iraq into a giant sheet of black glass. The ignored threat of global warming affected Australia and the Pacific first, killing many indiginous lifeforms and increasing the death toll until it outpaced the birthrate.
It was the Canadian-American War that signaled the turning point. Or perhaps the lack of that war. At some desperate point, soldiers had lined up along the border that had generally known peace for over three hundred years and nothing happened. The soldiers threw down their weapons and refused to gun down their neighbors. It was the breath of fresh air that the world needed. Canada, the United States, the Central American nations, and the islands of the Caribbean sent representatives to a special meeting in the United States' capital building and were able to discuss their grieviences. Working together they crushed terrorism in all of it's forms and worked to aid each other's economies.
The new alliance, the North American Union sent teams of diplomats and charity workers to South America and slowly helped them form their own democratic governments with Constitutions jointly written by Canada and the United States whom the NAU agreed were the best choices for the job, having done so well themselves (and having written Japan's constitution). Economic aid was sent to Europe and it's people were rallied by a campaign of goodwill and humanity. The citizens forced their will upon the neo-facists and communists who had claimed to represent them and restored the rightful governments to full authority. A unified force from all over the Americas and Europe put down the wars in Africa. Using the UN as a rallying point the scientists of the world put aside research intended towards cosmetic, military, and entertainment ends and focused on medicine, clean energy, and a means to clean the Earth.
The next two hundred years knew peace like nobody on Earth had known before. Education and medical care reached all and nobody would tolerate war or terrorism anymore, no would be despot could get a toe hold, even in what had been the most unstable parts of Africa.
Technology was developed that restored the atmosphere and turned the charred middle east into a verdant paradise. The Sahara was made into vast fields that would feed the world. This technology would eventually allow humans to terraform the moon.
The terraformation of the dark side of the moon (the Earth side had been left untouched as not to disturb the tides) spurred the governments of the world towards the unification of the world's government to prevent wars over the colonization of celestial bodies. It was decided that the Earth would have a unified government split into four camps, the four camps would foster economic, scientific, and cultural competition in order to engender progress but would all answer to a single body to prevent war.
It is now the tail end of the 24th Century. Humanity has colonized the dark side of the Moon, the entirety of Mars and it's own moons, and the moons of Jupiter. Medicine is phasing out humans in favor of the perfect, orderly Uberhumans and it is predicted that the original human species will be no more by the 26th Century.
All this peace, love, and progress is nice but it can hardly feed the human spirit or ego forever. As different types of humans emerge and new forms of existence claim humanity things are boiling towards conflict. The four camp system has worked for two hundred years, is mankinds' Golden Age about to end?
The character types:
Humans- People who are 51% orignal organics are legally considered Alpha humans. A human with 51% or less cybernetics could not support dangerous cyber parts such as robotic arms or legs, or cybernetic weapons. They form the majority of the population numbering at 15 billion dispersed between Earth and it's colonies. The cosmetics of this age allow a human to appear to be of any ethnic origin and even coloration normally impossible. Medicine allows humans to live for around 150 years in prime health with the effects of old age setting in at around 155 to 160 years. To keep the population managable, humans aged 161 are euthanized. This is usually a time of joy and celebration as the ancient human is passes through a white light in the presence of family and friends and is crystalized. These crystals are put in HUMANITAS, the central computer system of the HUMANITAS Union. There they reside in a psuedo-reality not unlike the Matrix where they can live out their fantasies and lend their opinions to world leaders.
Cyborgs-People who are less than 51% original organics are legally considered Beta humans (this distinction does not mean they have less rights, merely that cyborgs came into being after humans). Because of the abundance of machinery built into them they can and often do, sport mechanical limbs. Because they cannot reproduce cyborgs are not euthanized at 161 years of age. However their brains still degenerate and as more and more of their organics are replaced they eventually become full blown robots. New drugs can keep an aging cyborg's brain active for much longer but severe mental side effects occure in 10% of all cyborgs who used them. The cyborg population is at 100 million and shrinking.
Uberhumans-Engineered from the DNA of two "parents" who do not need to be of different genders is formed free of flaws and to the specifications of the "parents". Five months later the infant Uberhuman is born in a vat. These Gamma humans are far more intelligent than Alpha and Beta humans and can be the physical equals of some cyborgs. They are so perfect, even beyond the scope of human cosmetics that they stand no hope of "blending in". That does not bother then as they are endowed with superior initative, confidence, and whatever other traits the parents wanted them to have. There are flaws, although they can have "creative" genes introduced into them their cultural works are inferior to those of Alpha humans, often lacking "soul". That and they are programmed to painlessly die in their sleep after their 50th birthyday. It is rumored that an underground cell of Uberhumans is working to remove this safeguard and are being hunted down by the HUMANITAS Council. There are about 100 million Uberhumans and the number is rising.
Phantoms-Delta humans are former Alpha humans who reached the age of 161 and were crystalized. While most of them reside in the psuedo reality of the HUMANITAS computer, some of them escape into the mainstream internet. Phantoms that leave HUMANITAS seem to be drawn to the computers of their relatives where they act as "digital guardians". They are slow compared to AI's and other digital entities who calculate billions or even trillions of calculations a second but while these entities are limited to Yes and No Phantoms have access to the powerful Maybe.
Mutants-What "Epsilon" humans, or maybe even the real Beta humans? Oooo scary! There's no such things as mutants right? Of course there are stories. An unborn child exposed to radiation or zero gravity, the experimental drug that alters somebody's DNA, the guy bitten by a test animal from a strange lab....all sorts of stories...HUMANITAS does not recognize the existence of mutants.
Androids- Completly mechanical beings intended to resemble humans. Created to perform tasks deemed to dangerous for humans such as gas mining or as special labor on zero gravity projects. Androids are incredibly strong and as intelligent as they are programmed to be. Sometimes somebody creates an android without a specific task in mind; engineers who don't want to deal with the nuances of a human child or don't want to outlive their Uberhuman progeny. And there is a black market for Slave Androids and illegal Emotion Chips that allow an Androids to mimic humans and develop their own personalities. There are probably 10 million androids in existence, they are programmed with a variation of the Three Laws of Robotics.
AI- Many of HUMANITAS' systems are AI operated, advanced artificial entities that perform mundane and minute tasks. Humans are paranoid things though and have taken advice from their forebearer's tales. The most important thing controlled by an AI is the weather control systems on the Jupiter colonies. A rare few AI's evolve into their own unique beings. These vastly intelligent yet child like beings try to grasp human morality and values. Some are driven to dominate humans, to protect and guide them like a dutiful son or daughter who cares for a senile parent. Some exist to destroy and others to learn or protect. They are often attracted to Phantoms but are denied access to the HUMANITAS central computer where most of them reside. There are hundreds of thousands of these entities but only a handful of evolved AI's.
Robots- You know what they are. Unsightly, powerful constructs intended to carry out the will of their human creators. They are used for tasks so base that a human appearance is not needed. Humans have taken cues from their distant forebearers and have made Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics a part of the programming. Humanity's paranoia has also made humanoid robots illegal on Earth and poses a quota on the number allowed on the colonies. For the purposes of these laws and programming only robots that can move independantly or are humanoid in shapre are considered. Robots like the ones used in 21st century manufacturing are not "robots" in this sense. There are ten million robots scattered between Luna, the moon of Earth, Mars and the moons of Jupiter.
Government: The HUMANITAS Union is the central body that coordinates and regulates the four Camps of Earth. They exercise direct control over the colonies outside of Earth. There is a Council comprised of five representatives from each camp and colony which are elected by the legislative bodies of the respective member camps and colonies. There is a Director elected to a ten year term by the HUMANITAS council who has executive control. The justice system is AI controlled to ensure that emotion and corruption is not a factor in justice.
The four camps are Washington/Bolivar (The Americas), Victoria/Shang (Eurasia), Aksum/Menes (Africa and the Middle East), and Kephua/Kamehameha (Australia, Oceania, and Pacific Ilses). They conduct their own affairs, contributing their gains in the yearly World Fair which showcases the best of each camp's art, technology, athletic achievment, etc.
Religion: Old religions were abandonded slowly and subtley. First religions lost their tax free status' and permits to construct houses of worship became nearly impossible to obtain. There were many steps between the 22nd and 24th Century until finally none of the old religions were mentioned in any ordinary texts. It is possible to learn about the old religions through specialized history courses and it is legal to practice whatever religion you wish within your home it is now illegal to practice in public or in large groups. The official word on religion was established in the HUMANITAS Constitution: "We the people of Earth believe in an omnipotent force beyond human comprehension that is responsible for the creation of the universe and it's contents. We will neither adore nor revile this force until we can understand it."
OOC: I hope this is enough for you all to start with.
