archur
watch for the flash
The world is changing.
Few could fathom that the everchanging flux of technology would be the downfall of the human race, of the power over one's will. But that is the price to pay for knowledge, the abuse of power. It all started when the proper tech that allowed scientists to poke into the human brain safely, and drop little implants to Empower the Individual. That was the slogan for Syndico, a spiritual successor to Sony, which had it's assets dispersed after a company-wide fraud that involved the destruction of varying phones whilst clients were using them. The power of technology had overrun the world, for better or worse. Cybernetics were taking off, and with Syndico's new developments, cyborgs of the future have become integrated with the present. Transhumanists began to praise the future, and DC fans began to take cosplaying as one of their favorite heroes to the next level. Booyah.
That all changed once the powers of the world realized how they could wield the world in their hands if they used this technology correctly. People bending to their agenda for whatever purposes they might desire. Of course, to gain these resources would take some large amount of currency. But as the year of 2045 became 2077, progress was inevitable. The nations of the world had splintered, fractured, many countries fell to communism, terrorism, martial law or worse. Countries found ways to destroy their populace's resistance to complete and total control of their lives, much like the tolitarian control of North Korea by the misuse of augments. Client side connections were rerouted to government controlled servers, and stolen of their will, their identity.
Now, Syndico wishes to reconcile. Recently, Syndico has thrown open it's doors to the public for a small fee, small being relative. The few able to pay for it in these environments are sent into 'Hubs', little pods where the body rests and the mind is engaged.
Nobody knows what's in these hubs, but the advertisements that manage to be seen by the populace state that they will free the mind, and strengthen the will. However, it might take a few years to do so, but time passes quite quickly within the hubs, so the few that enter the potentially dangerous facilities happen to be young people who have their whole lives ahead of them.
And that's where you arrive. You have found your way into a hub for some reason or another, and you're being sent in to cure whatever affliction you may or may not have. Soon, you will be whisked away into the nether realm or something. Nobody had no idea as to what it might be inside there, but everyone is more than willing to plunge into the unknown.
Dare to hop in?
Here's where you stand.
So, there's a little choice of character you'll need to make, as most of the characters will be 'afflicted' with some sort of stipulation. Whether it be the lack of emotion that nerve stapling might bring, or the powerlessness willbonding might imply, your character will have to have reason to enter the hub and regain your humanity.
Here's a little list of effects your character might have stapled onto them. If you can think of any more, run them by me and I'll be glad to overview.
Nerve Stapling
A sort of implant placed into the cerebrum, the goal of it to suppress all emotions deemed 'unnecessary'. This mainly was used to quell leaders of resistance or those who sought to otherwise voice their opinions against the varying governments. Easily able to silence them and turn speakers into ghosts of their former selves, this method of political assassination is very effective at morale breaking, and doing this en masse is useful at quieting large populations permanently.
Willbonding
Known as 'Cybernetic Slavery' by those who have been put under the thrall of Willbonding, or those who know others who have been bonded, is the act of forcing one person to become subservient to another through varying means, all of them adapted through the use of cybernetics. Some versions of this include crude forms of electrocution, others modify the brain to become more subservient to their Magisters, who carry out their will without any question, or at least as close as they could do so. Originally, this was created to insure that maids and such would be on task, and make sure that they were doing their very best during work hours, but after tampering by varying individuals associated with the black market and the deep web, the underground human trafficking system has gotten that much more expanded.
There is much more for you guys, the players, to come up with. These are just two ideas I was able to think up on my own, I am excited to see what messed up dystopian ideas you guys have!
This RP takes place in a virtual reality environment that is designed to make the PCs 'human' again, and overcome the technological barriers implanted in them through the sheer force of willpower. How this is done however, will be decided by myself, and cooperation between the players (if they so choose to cooperate. I am more than happy to drop players in separate environments and weave it all back together in one big happy friendship sweater).
I plan to begin with the PCs entering the Hub, and leaving their previous lives behind. I will then begin to describe the scene from then on, what type of situation they'll be thrown into at the behest of Syndico, and their mysterious plans and hidden machinations. I'll give you a somewhat cryptic hint in the form of song!
As I was previously saying, not all of this will take place in the real world. This is a virtual reality, so environments may take place in the distant past, a much farther future, or in a fantasy-like setting. Virtual reality allows for anything to happen. It only is a matter of programming after imagination.
Coded by Devious Dilbert