An Error in Morality (A Cyberpunk Story)

[TolkienBlackGuy]

The intrinsic value of people’s enthusiasm is unshackled by the context of a real or fictional environment. So long as the world accords recognition for applied fulfillment of this enthusiasm it stands that people would not lose touch with their own reality. Reality, being the foundation of an individual's conventional wisdom, is a degree of experience that belongs to that single person. Hence, any such individual reality can be perceived by others as nothing more than mere imagination -- Mamoru Oshii

I have a kernel of a story focusing on my character D’Angello a black helmeted delivery boy who deals in “Unforgivables”--items bought, sold and traded on the DarkNet. This story starts off with a simple delivery--a small, golden Hivatai idol that hides a USB which contains sensitive information that could change the course of the world--that goes south, real quick.

What that information is, I still don’t know! That’ll be something that we’ll have to work on that together!

A lot of inspiration for this comes from Ghost in the Shell, Batman: Beyond, Altered Carbon, The Matrix, Neuromancer, and Battle Angel: Alita Things like splicing, AI and augmented reality are all common and things I’d like to include in the story.

I’d like to go for a “gritty” feel for this story. A grim, dirty undertone to a bright and shiny future. Drugs, murder, prostitution, human trafficking, prejudice and so on are all things I’d like to include in the story as well, so this will be an 18+ roleplay. No explicit sexual content, please. Mention of sexual interactions are fine.

I look forward to building a cyberpunk world with you!

P.S. Applicants must be willing to write at minimum three paragraphs, and participate in worldbuilding.
P.P.S I've created a small, ever growing Spotify playlist that acts as inspiration for this roleplay!
P.P.P.S By 18+, I'm referring to touching on dark themes and content. For this story that would include, drugs, murder, and "grey" morality.

[Oxenfree]

Interested, perhaps.

[TolkienBlackGuy]

Ah, sweet! What sort of character would you want to play and how would our path's cross? What I'm thinking is after it's been discovered that the statue hides a USB we work together to stop whatever nasty, nasty things are on that USB. I'm leaning a bit more towards us getting tangled up with whoever put whatever information is on that USB. What do you think?

By the way, love your profile pic! I'm waiting with bated breath for the next season of Rick and Morty!

[Oxenfree]

Unsure. I was thinking of a street doc type character - maybe a nursing school drop out that supports herself and her family by pulling bullets out of gangers and sticking unlicensed robot parts in shady people. Maybe she could get involved once it becomes clear that this is the 'people getting shot' kind of shady business, and become involved in taking down whoever's behind it?

[TolkienBlackGuy]

I like that! What do you this: I plug the USB into a terminal and it's just FULL of a list of different people. Some of them have the "Alive" or "Active" next to their information and some of them have "Deceased" to their information. That leads me to you because the people on that list that are still alive are only alive because of you. And that leaves us wondering "Who the hell is killing all of these people and WHY?" Obviously, they aren't good people but these murders and attacks are coordinated with razor-like precision.

Maybe these people getting shot and killed are also connected to each other outside of you. Gang war maybe?

[Oxenfree]

That sounds really cool! I'm sure we can figure out more of the mystery as the story develops.

[TolkienBlackGuy]

Absolutely! I'm thinking about starting off with the deal itself. How do you feel about playing a cop that's been keeping an eye on D'Angello? That's how I see the deal going south. D'Angello shows up, the deal is about to go down, cops show up, a firefight ensues, idol is broken in the midst of it and then the ball really gets rolling!

[Oxenfree]

Sure, that all sounds fine by me. Maybe D'Angello is also in hot water because the people he does deals with keep somehow getting busted, even if he doesn't know the cops are on to him?

[TolkienBlackGuy]

And a few of the folks who've been busted have dropped his name. He's not infamous but his name is on the tongues of the police force. They've been keeping their eye on him and his work and finally have a chance to bring him in for questioning.

[Oxenfree]

Sounds great, looking forward to getting started!

[vietmyke]

always a fan of cyberpunk

[Banzai Tracers]

[quote=@TolkienBlackGuy]
The intrinsic value of people’s enthusiasm is unshackled by the context of a real or fictional environment. So long as the world accords recognition for applied fulfillment of this enthusiasm it stands that people would not lose touch with their own reality. Reality, being the foundation of an individual's conventional wisdom, is a degree of experience that belongs to that single person. Hence, any such individual reality can be perceived by others as nothing more than mere imagination -- Mamoru Oshii

Incorrect.

Reality is measured by what you cannot do, not what you can.

[TolkienBlackGuy]

@Banzai Tracers Hence the title of the roleplay!

[over easy]

[]

[TolkienBlackGuy]

Bump

[TolkienBlackGuy]

Bump

[Reflection]

So, this actually sounds pretty cool. Could do a thing where the people being killed have a hidden message coded into their DNA. Like launch codes for nukes or something, and certain organizations are interested in getting it due to its inherit value. After all, weapons are the thing that people kill for.

Or heck, it could be that the people all worked for a firm, with a vault that was never meant to be opened, so their DNA holds part of the codes? Or one guy does and the others are kind of designed to be decoys?

[Afro Samurai]

bet

[TolkienBlackGuy]

And at first it seems like random murders, but when our heroes start putting the pieces together they realise that all of the victims are connected. I like the idea of a firm of sorts--I'm thinking an insurance firm for cybernetic parts? Whoever is the CEO of that company also has his/her hands other pies that include WMDs. I'm thinking something like a massive conglomerate, maybe named Yggdrasil Incorporated.

[TolkienBlackGuy]

Bump